I went to me favorite takeaway last night, and tried to notice as much as i could about stuff,
Anyway what they used for a madras was about 1tsp of chilli powder, well they were using a cooks spoon and it looked about 1tsp, then when they added a pinch of fresh coriander they also added some chilli pickle (mr naga very hot) i don't know how much they used as they had there back to me but it was sufficient for the madras to taste perfect. when i got home i searched for mr naga and found the following picture, which is the same as used in my best takeaway. so im now on the hunt for this additive for me home variety.
Hey Darth, maybe this is the stuff you need to get the heat in your curries without the powdery taste.