Topic: Vegetable Madras, Illustrated

[976bar]

Yesterday I made a Vegetable Madras, which was just spot on. Once again I got that toffee aroma when frying down the base sauce as the oil started to separate

1/2 Onion chopped into Quarters
1 Carrot peeled and sliced
6 Green Beans (French or Kenyan) chopped into 3 cm pieces
1/3 Red Pepper cut into 2 cm squares or strips will do
1/3 Green Pepper cut into 2 cm squares or strips will do
4 mushrooms sliced
1 Potato peeled and cubed
Add more veggies as you wish, broccoli, cauliflower, sweet potato, yams, suede etc.

Cook the veggies in boiling water with 1 tsp turmeric, 1/2 tsp salt and 6 curry leaves until soft, but still firm. Drain from water and keep some of the water aside.

150ml SnS base sauce
3 tbsp Oil
2 finely chopped Green Chillies
1 tsp of Garlic and Ginger paste
1 Desert spoon of Tomato Puree
1 tsp Kashmiri Mirch (Chilli Powder
1 bunch of fresh Coriander chopped
Squeeze fresh lemon Juice
1/4 tsp salt

Heat the oil in a pan
Add the fresh chillies and cook for 1-2 minutes
Add the Garlic and Ginger paste and cook for around 30 seconds
Add the Tomato Paste and cook for 1 minute
Add the Kashmiri Mirch and cook gently for around 30 seconds, do not burn.
Add 1 ladle of the base sauce and mix well, let it fry for a minute
Add the rest of the base and cook through, let it reduce until you get that toffee aroma which normally happens when the oil is separating from the base itself.
Add the veg and stir in well, add a little of the vegetable water if the mixture is too thick to get the consistency you want, I like mine a bit on the runny side
Add the salt, freshly chopped coriander and the lemon juice and mix in well

Serve either with rice, bread as a main course or as an accompaniment

[George]

I can see your images but they are almost off-screen over to the right. How did you manage that?!

[976bar]

Where's the "illustration"?!

Here's a test photo (which I hope to delete later), uploaded to show how easy it is and how well the forum works:

Update: I can now see your images but they are almost off-screen over to the right. How did you manage that?!

It takes skill George!!!!!!

[Curry Barking Mad]

The recipe sounds ok but looked a little anaemic to me,
The veg list also sounds good but I'll leave out the suede, it could be a bit chewy,
Thanks for the recipe,
Bob

[976bar]

I can see your images but they are almost off-screen over to the right. How did you manage that?!

Hi George,

When I open it, the pics are bang smack in the middle.

[976bar]

The recipe sounds ok but looked a little anaemic to me,
The veg list also sounds good but I'll leave out the suede, it could be a bit chewy,
Thanks for the recipe,
Bob

Hi Achmal,

When you say anaemic, do mean the sauce itself? or the choice of veggies?

[Curry Barking Mad]

The recipe sounds ok but looked a little anaemic to me,
The veg list also sounds good but I'll leave out the suede, it could be a bit chewy,
Thanks for the recipe,
Bob

Hi Achmal,

When you say anaemic, do mean the sauce itself? or the choice of veggies?

Hi 976bar,
The veg look fine, I think the sauce itself looks more like a thick base gravy before the cooking of the actual madras, it seems too pale and with no oil separation,
I'm not saying it doesn't look like it wouldn't taste nice,
Regards,
Bob

[976bar]

The recipe sounds ok but looked a little anaemic to me,
The veg list also sounds good but I'll leave out the suede, it could be a bit chewy,
Thanks for the recipe,
Bob

Hi Achmal,

When you say anaemic, do mean the sauce itself? or the choice of veggies?

Hi 976bar,
The veg look fine, I think the sauce itself looks more like a thick base gravy before the cooking of the actual madras, it seems too pale and with no oil separation,
I'm not saying it doesn't look like it wouldn't taste nice,
Regards,
Bob

Hi Achmal,

Thanks for the input. It's funny because the sauce was quite thin when the oil started to separate and then it started to thicken up, I guess the tomato puree helped that along, and I know adding lemon juice thickens sauces up as well.

I added some water which I had kept back from cooking the veg, but I didn't want to add too much for fear of making the Madras bland.

As for flavour, it was really nice and I had some left over which I put in the fridge and had the rest for lunch today, and I have to say that it was far hotter today than the original dish.

I'll keep experimenting with this, as I love Madras and want to perfect this

[Cory Ander]

and I know adding lemon juice thickens sauces up as well

Does it?  Why is that?  I can't say that I have ever observed that? 

[976bar]

and I know adding lemon juice thickens sauces up as well

Does it?  Why is that?  I can't say that I have ever observed that? 

Try it, you'll be amazed....  :