Topic: Balti Chicken Madras

[Chris303]

This is the Madras recipe I follow. If I have missed anything out then let me know, or fire any questions at me. Delicious

Madras Recipe

Serves 1

4 tbsp x Chile Paste (seperate recipe)
4 x Red Chiles (heads cut off) (half for extra heat)
3 x Garlic Cloves
3" x Fresh Ginger
2 tbsp x Finely Chopped Onion
20g Fresh Coconut
250ml x heated Balti Base Sauce (Any other base should do)
1 x Tomato precooked Chicken Breast (recipe seperate)
2 tbsp x Sun Dried Tomato Paste (thin out with some water)
1 x Tomato (chopped)
2 tbsp x Rice Bran Oil
1 tbsp x Butter Ghee
2 tbsp x Coriander Leaves


[Spices]

2 tbsp x Madras masala paste (seperate recipe)
1 tbsp x Balti Masala paste (Pat Chapman recipe)

Grind Garlic and Ginger into a paste with a little water
Add coconut with the spices.

Heat all oil on highest heat.

Fry garlic/ginger paste till brown.

Fry onion, and whole chiles for 30 seconds

Add tomato paste

Fry Coconut / spice mix for a minute.

Add precooked chicken breast (let some of the tomatoes come in as well)

Add base sauce bit by bit to keep temp high, only adding more once oil
is seperating. Keep doing till all base has been added.

Add chopped coriander, and chopped tomato.

Heat balti till it starts smoking, and put the hot curry in straight away and serve
while it is smoking and sizzling.

Chile Paste

50 x Dried Red Chiles.

Soak in warm water for 30 mins.

Put all the soaked chiles in blender, and blend enough of the water
to get a medium paste consistancy.

Regridgerate.

Tomato precooked chicken

2 x Chicken Breasts - cut into bite sized pieces
1 x Tin of chopped tomato (blended)
1 tbsp x Balti Masala paste
2 tsp x Paprika
1 tsp x Tumeric
2 tsp x Chile Paste (as above)
1 x Garlic Clove
1 tsp x Cumin Seeds
2 tbsp x Oil

Add powdered spices with Chile paste (add some more water if needed)


Heat oil on highest heat

Add Cumin seeds

Add garlic and fry till brown

Add spice paste and fry for a minute

Add Chicken and seal.

Add blended tomatos. Bring to boil and simmer until chicken is tender.

Madras Masala

6 tsp x Paprika Powder
6 tsp x Coriander Powder
8 x Peppercorns
4 x Bay Leaves
20cm Cinnamon (Not cassia)
12 x Cloves
2 tsp x Cumin Powder
2 tsp x Poppy Seeds
1 tsp x Fennel Seeds

Roast each as nessessary, grind all together, and store in airtight container.

[Cory Ander]

Thanks for sharing your recipe Chris 

Will you also be posting the recipes for:

• balti base sauce?
• balti masala paste?

"Rice bran oil" is a little unusual isn't it?  I don't think I've ever seen that?  What special properties does that have Chris?

[Chris303]

For the balti base sauce and balti masala I use the recipes in the Pat Chapman book.

I am not sure the legalities of posting these.

[Cory Ander]

Well, copied verbatim, it's a breach of copyright Chris 

Maybe you could post your own interpretation of the these recipes to make your madras recipe more meaningful to people and enable them to replicate it?

[Chris303]

okies.

Also I use rice bran oil for all my curry making.

It has a high smoke point.

It lowers cholesterol.

Has a very mild taste.

Just as healthy as Olive Oil in general.

[Chris303]

Saved a second portion for today... although I came in drunk last night and scoffed half of it so I have not bothered heating a balti up as there wasnt much there.

[mike travis]

Damn  Chris that looks fantastic. I say damn because it`s yet another one I wanna have a go at. My to do list just keeps gettin longer and longer...  ;D

[JerryM]

Chris,

you don't do things by half - i can see that.

just to be sure on the qty's so i can try out safely - is it really 7 x tbsp (15ml spoon) of spice (4 chilli paste, 2 madras masala paste, 1 balti masala paste).

perhaps give an idea of the water qty to the make the pastes.

 

[Chris303]

yep.

Each tbsp of chili paste pretty much equates to 1 full blended chile by my reckoning. This is just the heat/pungancy and some colour for the dish.

The madras masala can be dry fried if you wish... You need to be a master at making sure things dont stick though so I kept the recipe as pastes - The madras masala is the core of the taste for this dish though, and the Balti masala is just added to all my Balti dishes so there is still a signature taste present even in all the different dishes.

I am not into the type of curry making where 5 dishes are all the exact same except some different veg, and different amounts of chile powder. I am trying to create regional tastes in the BIR method of cooking.

Base wise --- use any base you wish as long as it is lightly spiced.

Water quantity - I just add enough so that it will flick off the spoon easily. If it runs off by itself then too much water, and if it sticks after a small flick then not enough. Measurements dont need to be exact

I love the taste from this  - No madras recipe can be made without coconut imho. A squeeze of lemon if you wish as well.

I am doing a vindaloo this weekend - proper Goa vindaloo with wine and plenty garlic.

[JerryM]

Chris,

spot on info. many thanks. sold on the coconut also.

going to have to give it a go. the goe & plenty of garlic is right up my street too.