Topic: me cooking madras video

[PaulP]

I can't view the video again as I'm at work but I thought he put in 1 tbs mix powder and 1 tbs chilli powder.
I thought the fried onions at the start took it away from a BIR style madras. I've never really had a madras with noticeable onion pieces.

CT you are right about the sauce splitting into oil and water - it makes a right mess of your curry sauce if this happens and is not very appealing on the plate.

Cheers,

Paul

[Peripatetic Phil]

In the video, Chris uses the term "splitting", apparently to refer to the process whereby the oil separates out from the dish, normally used as an indication that the curry is nearly ready to be served.  And Chris appears to use "splitting" in a positive sense.  But in the two most recent posts in this thread, by Chewy Tikka and Paul P, "splitting" appears to be something that one should avoid.  So I would like to ask Chris "When you used the term 'splitting', were you referring to what I think of as 'separating out', and if so, do you see this as an important and necessary step in the preparation of a curry".  And, based on Chris's answer, I would then be interested to see further comments from CT and PP.

** Phil.

[PaulP]

I mean I don't like it when people change the subject of thread headings. It should always be a new thread IMO as otherwise it is like hijacking.

Paul

[PaulP]

Phil,

Here is a photo of a too oily, badly formed and split curry sauce I made myself:



I think that looks terrible!

Paul

[Malc.]

Phil/Paul, interesting comments I would like to see a separate topic on this as it I feel it raises some important questions that myself and other members could recap on or learn from.

[curryhell]

Looks very similar to the results i got when i used the C2G base for the first time and tried to make the Zaal Phall.  The gravy and oil just totally refused to merge no matter how much i stirred and tried to reduce it .

[joshallen2k]

Interesting - I've never experienced this "splitting", but seeing PaulP's pic, I see what the issue is.

CH - is it something fundamental with the C2G base that you believe led to the trouble with the Zaal Phall?

- Josh

[emin-j]

There is a lot of oil in the c2g base could it be the gravy becomes ' saturated' to the point it will not absorb any more oil 

[976bar]

Funny you should mention the oil subject.

I make a lot of Taz's base, which has a high oil content (between 400 - 450ml).

The other night I found that I was running low on spiced oil, so thought, I would make a "Garlic Chili Chicken", of which I normally use 1-2 tbsp oil due to the high oil level in the base, thinking I would spoon off some oil from the top of the final curry and add it to the bottle. So I used 6 tbsp of Rapeseed Oil.

I was most surprised to find that all the oil was soaked up into the curry and no matter how much I reduced the sauce, it did not release any spare oil whatsoever... I was left with a totally saturated oily curry which I could hardly eat....

Not sure why the oil didn't separate, but a most disappointing  result....

[curryhell]

Phil/Paul, interesting comments I would like to see a separate topic on this as it I feel it raises some important questions that myself and other members could recap on or learn from.

@ J2k.  I don't think there's an issue with Julian's base so much as some learnings to take from cooking with a base that is cooked with a high oil content.

I agree with this Axe.  I would be very interested to hear others experiences of their curry sauce splitting, or having reduction problems or bases sucking up oil and then refusing to give it up again.  I certainly have experienced issues with bases high in oil.  Maybe after some discussion some basic rules of thumb might appear to help newcomers avoid the pitfalls that have frustrated some of us