Topic: How much Oil ?

[emin-j]

Evening All 
I made our Madras Curry last night ( regular Saturday treat now  )
My problem is  I fried the Garlic / Ginger /and Tomato Puree at the start of the Curry process then added the Spices ( I am making Curry for three )when I added the Spices it absorbed all the oil in the Wok and what was left was a very thick mixture which just moved around the Wok in a lump !at that point I added some base Gravy to put some liquid back in the Wok ,should I start with more Oil ? and if so how much oil should I start with.
Also so far I have been using the recipe which uses Chili powder and I would like to try Green Chilli's instead , how many Chilli's should I use ( for three portions )Madras hot.

thanks all.

[joshallen2k]

Hi emin-j,

For the oil, I personally use 4 tablespoons to start the curry. Its easy to spoon it off at the end if you think there's too much.

For the green chilli, it really depends on the type of chilli. I don't know if I'd replace the red chilli powder though, that's part of what gives a curry its restaurant colour. I think someone else suggested that the best results using green chillies are if they are added at the end of the curry cooking stage. Start with a little and add until you've hit the desired heat level.

-- Josh

[Derek Dansak]

during a demo at my local bir ta, i noticed they put in around 7 - 9 tbs of oil. the whole of the frying pan is covered in a generous amount of oil. interestingly they dont add much oil to there base though. although its unhealthy, i recomend endorsing this approach. the curries are much better when lots of oil is added to the pan. how unhealthy is veg oil in this quantity? i would be interested to know as i am doing this 5 times a week !! no wonder the wasteline is growing 

[lightboy]

The more the better really ...

[adriandavidb]

I make slighty larger portions than would a BIR, starting with 450ml of base, although it does get reduced by boiling-off in cooking (difficult to say by how much - I just keep going untill the texture and oiliness looks right).  This is enough for me and the misses.  In a madras, for example, I would use 3 large old-fashioned table-spoons full, which proabably equates to 4 x 15ml level tbs measures.

[emin-j]

Thanks for all your replies  , I would like to think that 3 - 4 table spoons of oil would be enough but I am already using that amount and the Spices are absorbing it like blotting paper !I think I will have to go with the 7 - 9 tbs and see how that goes 

[JerryM]

the Spices are absorbing it like blotting paper

on a different tack - having some free water during the spice frying stage "emulsification" seems to help (water down the tom puree).

remember also that most recipes on the site are for a single 200ml finished portion and u may need to factor in a x3.

on the chillies i'd go for 6 off chopped (2 ea).

[JayR]

Blimey, some you guys use a lot of oil!  The best curries I have ever had have not been oily at all as has been said previously.

From experience, I find about 3-4 tablespoons is good without being too oily.

[Curry King]

I often make for 3 and the same thing has happened to me on occasion, I usualy have my base simmering away on a low heat next to the pan so scoop some oil from that to add if needed. 

how unhealthy is veg oil in this quantity? i would be interested to know as i am doing this 5 times a week !! no wonder the wasteline is growing 

I used to be the same, curry every night for a while but I had to cut back as I was sweating the stuff  :-X

[haldi]

I used to be the same, curry every night for a while but I had to cut back as I was sweating the stuff  :-X

I get that from the Asian pickles
I use mainly Pataks and Ahmed
The trouble is that every time you sweat you get a whiff of "spice"
And speaking of which, all these pickles are swimming in oil!!!