Topic: Curryheads "Madras 2011"

[peterandjen]

Hi George, for the sake of a fiver i would go and buy a Madras, or chicken curry. Its worth it for the taste comparison.

[Les]

Looks really good,
BUT is this base suitable for all other curry styles, or just the madras, (which seems a shame if it is)
Les (Trainee)

Hi Les,

You can make any curry with the Taz base e.g. korma, ctm etc.
The only downside is that for curries using added cream you will have more oil/fat content than is really required for creamy dishes. It tastes fine but the calorie count will be higher than is necessary for the flavour.

Cheers,

Paul

Thanks Paul
As i have to watch my fat intake (the ticker aint what it used to be) I think I will have to look for another base i think, The missus loves korma(just as well have a pot noddle) So now need to find a base with less fat content.

Les

[George]

Hi George, for the sake of a fiver i would go and buy a Madras, or chicken curry. Its worth it for the taste comparison.

It's interesting you mention basic 'chicken curry'. That's what i started eating, years' ago, at BIRs when I was a student and local restaurants did bargain-priced lunches. All I remember now is that those curries had a moreish quality which last night's curry lacked. I guess those chicken curries had 'the taste' but last night's Madras 2011 did not.

[Peripatetic Phil]

I'm sure there are many dishes on a BIR menu which each of you will have have ordered - Korma, for example. For me, I've never ordered or tasted BIR Madras. It's just one of those things.

It is a shame that there is no obvious way of running a poll on this forum (unless I've missed it) : it would be very interesting to know that members' preferences are when it comes to eating BIR in a restaurant or from a takeway.  I will start a thread on "Let's talk curry".

** Phil.

[George]

I made the madras again this evening, using the base sauce I made yesterday. I improved the flavour of the chicken madras for my taste by adding two drops of Worcestershire sauce, a tablespoon of coconut powder, 0.25 tsp fresh, finely chopped green chilli, 0.25 tsp cayenne pepper and 0.5tsp general purpose seasoning (instead of any salt).

[Razor]

Hi George,

I think that's the beauty of this recipe, you can easily identify the gaps and adjust to suit.  That's exactly what I did on my second effort, tweaked it ever so slightly, and got virtually a clone of my local TA's madras.

Ray

[George]

I think that's the beauty of this recipe, you can easily identify the gaps and adjust to suit.

Yes and no! I just tipped in some extras in the hope they might work and it improved the flavour a bit, but still not into what I'd call the 'moreish' category. In absolute terms, this still isn't up to a standard I'd serve at a dinner party, for example. I wish I had the cooking skills to know what's still lacking and how to remedy it. I persevered with naan bread for over 7 days and I now have something I would serve to others. But I see naan bread as relatively healthy to try every day for a week, unlike this oil-laden chicken madras!

[Razor]

Arr well George,

At least you gave it a go, and you did manage to get some improvements with the fine tweaks that you made.

Good effort,

Ray

[Stephen Lindsay]

OK I made the Taz base to spec (450ml oil) and 2 portions of the the Madras also (cooked individually). Initial impressions were that it was too salty but this seemed less the case when eating it with rice. Nevertheless I think I'd make it with less or no salt next time (which will either be tomorrow or Friday).

The reduction method was fascinating. Like others I did have the inclination to stop the first reduction prematurely but I took it right back as advised by other members. As far as a T/A Madras goes I really thought it was spot on. The aroma, the flavour and the texture of this dish was excellent. My kitchen afterwards smelt like walking into a takeaway. I ate this with a friend who is a Madras fiend and she said that it was as good as any BIR and better than some that's she had.

Saltiness apart, I have to view this as a success and I will maybe incorporate some of the tweaks suggested by Razor or George.

[Razor]

Hi Stephen,

Well done.  Again, you've identified what you will change to improve next time.  I think that this base and madras is proving to be a good "blank canvas" that can be added to or tweaked ever so slightly, to produce a top notch dish.

Ray