Topic: Do bir chefs know where the 'taste' comes from?

[Secret Santa]

i don't use lemon juice and make a few tweaks but which are very small personal preferences (madras must be sweet & tomatoey).

It's interesting that. I would never use lemon juice in a madras or a vindaloo so we agree on that score. Also I agree a madras should be tomatoey, or at least more tomatoey than a vindaloo. A sweet madras? Well yes, I've had them, but I wouldn't personally describe it as absolutely necessary.

[JerryM]

Secret Santa,

agree on the sweetness - yes not that sweet at all just not bitter i guess would be a better description. i don't have much sugar in anything ie none in tea and coffee so sweet for me is definitely a lot less sweet than for most people.

well spotted.

[Derek Dansak]

the sweetness I taste in bir madras is not sugar. i tried adding sugar and its totally wrong for madras. its quite subtle , and actually not a sugary sweetness. maybe increasing the use of butter or ghee would help. butter in the base maybe?

[Cory Ander]

for me madras is crucial as it's essential tool for deriving the other recipes.

The CURRY BASE is the "essential tool" for delivering the other recipes Jerry!  How can it be a madras when it's hotter than most other curries? 

[JerryM]

CA,

apologies if i've not been clear enough. yes curry base is "the" essential tool.

the trouble for me is that i have very narrow BIR taste buds. despite BIR's having vast numbers of dishes on their menu's there are very few i repeatedly go for ie enjoy. in fact i believe the ones i like are essentially derivatives of madras or part of the same set.

in short the recipes i'm interested in rightly or wrongly are based around having a madras curry sauce as their sauce. the dish i'm specifically targeting is sylhety. i was told by my local BIR that the sylhety is based around bhuna. i've tried the site's bhuna recipes and what i'm after is a million miles from a bhuna. i have tried bhuna in restaurant but was not a fan of it there either. the only conclusion i've been able to draw is that the sylhety is based around a madras (or sits in the madras or whatever family).

hence my original statement and why madras is a tool to me. i guess i should have added at the end "... other recipes i like".

[Secret Santa]

Jerry I think CA had a brainfart when he made that comment and I think he really did know what you were getting at.

But, if he didn't, then I think I did. You are saying that the madras is almost the most basic curry you can make, in the savoury category, and if you can master that then all else will follow on naturally. I'd agree with that 100%.

[JerryM]

Secret Santa,

u obviously went to a better school than me. so eloquently put. thankfully i don't have to depend on my english for my trade or i'd be in trouble. ;D