Curry Recipes Online
British Indian Restaurant Recipes - Main Dishes => British Indian Restaurant Recipes - Main Dishes => Madras => Topic started by: Unclebuck on April 20, 2008, 08:24 PM
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UB's Chicken Madras - Hot, cooked in rich gravy
Serves One
1 Portion of UB's Base Chicken
300 ml Base gravy
2 Tbsp veg oil
1.5 Tsp spice mix
2 Tsp chili powder
0.5 Tsp Methi
1.5 Tbsp Tomato Paste
1 Dsp Minced Onion and Capsicum
1 Dsp Minced Garlic
1 Tbsp Lemon Juice
0.25 Tbsp Fresh Coriander
Method
Add oil to pan on medium to high heat when oil is hot add spice mix, chili powder and methi as spices start to darken add minced onion/capsicum and minced garlic if your temp is correct here the mince will spit and fizz keep stirring for a minute then add base gravy a bit at a time to keep heat in pan constant, Add Tomato Paste stir then add lemon juice stir well add base chicken simmer until meat has heated though and serve with fresh coriander.
Notes:
Spice mix
Coriander 8 parts
Turmeric 7 parts
Cumin 5 parts
Curry powder 4 parts
Paprika 4 parts
Minced Onion and Capsicum Mix: 1 medium onion to half capsicum blended with a little water.
Base gravy is best added/used just off the simmer.
Lemon is for personal taste adds a bitter kick.. My BIR leaves a fresh slice in the dish.
Methi is dry leaf kind.
Tomato paste is a mix of double concentrate tom puree and water, 40% puree to 60% water - white tower.
Salt to taste.
Base Gravy click here (http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=3199.0)
UB's Base Chicken click here (http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php/topic,2525.0.html)
Revision 20/07/08
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DAM IT UB! i was feeling peckish now im starving! have to say looks great im now thinking this one might be one to try for the weekend, i will need to make some more base gravy first mind ;D thanks for the recipe tt
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UB, what would you give this /10? It seems very similar to many of the better Madras recipes I have used. I'm quite eager to try out your base sauce. I love the aromatic spices that are often left out of the base and sometimes grind up small quantitues but am sure that the little bag technique seems like a better idea.
Great post mate! It's always nice to see some effort put in! ;D
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DAM IT UB! i was feeling peckish now im starving! have to say looks great im now thinking this one might be one to try for the weekend, i will need to make some more base gravy first mind ;D thanks for the recipe tt
Your welcome, let me know how you get on :)
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Hi BB, I wouldn't be as bold to give it a score, ill let the site users judge only because i would probably be a little biased but I'm really very happy with it ;D - friends and family give it 10/10.
a lil tip - base chicken is a must it just dosnt work with raw chicken.
Great post mate! It's always nice to see some effort put in! ;D
thanks mate.
I'm quite eager to try out your base sauce. I love the aromatic spices that are often left out of the base and sometimes grind up small quantitues but am sure that the little bag technique seems like a better idea.
Cool it'll be nice to see how a veteran gets on with it. ;)
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Cool it'll be nice to see how a veteran gets on with it. ;)
Hahaha, don't let post count fool you, I'm just easily distracted at work! ;D
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Done this to the letter last night UB(with UB base and base chicken) a wet and hot madras is right up my street and I can not believe how good this is! it something a bit special that i didn't think i would ever get close to. its got all the right notes for me, heat, aromatic smells, and taste of what i cant describe even looking at the ingredients its like and Smokey/orangery taste perhaps thats the lemon juice? anyway this recipe will now have to compete with the curry houses around here because they have just lost a customer ;D 10/10 ;D thanks again UB, tt
ps. i really like its simplicity it took about 8mins from start to finish and faster on the second one!
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Hahaha, don't let post count fool you, I'm just easily distracted at work! ;D
No no, I mean you always go back to the chopping board and give honest results good or bad... So a review from a reg cr0 member is a plus ;D
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Done this to the letter last night UB(with UB base and base chicken) a wet and hot madras is right up my street and I can not believe how good this is! it something a bit special that i didn't think i would ever get close to. its got all the right notes for me, heat, aromatic smells, and taste of what i cant describe even looking at the ingredients its like and Smokey/orangery taste perhaps thats the lemon juice? anyway this recipe will now have to compete with the curry houses around here because they have just lost a customer ;D 10/10 ;D thanks again UB, tt
ps. i really like its simplicity it took about 8mins from start to finish and faster on the second one!
Thats prase indeed! glad you liked it.
taste of what i cant describe even looking at the ingredients its like and Smokey/orangery taste perhaps thats the lemon juice?
I sort of know what you mean, Smokey flavors is probably the methi its a pungent little herb some people say ground coriander gives a orangery flavor.. the lemon juice gives a little sour kick :).
Thanks for the feedback. UB.
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This is very encouraging. I'm certainly gonna make this one next, with the Australian one next again. I need a larger freezer :'( Or perhaps another hobby :P
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UB - tried this tonight (although with the Saffron base - I still have a ton of it) and the results were excellent. A fantastic Madras that wasn't overly oily.
In fact the stuff I've tried of yours has all turned out very well - thanks! While I love a Vindaloo or a Madras, I also like a CTM or good Korma from time to time. Any chance you have a winning formula for these?
Cheers, J
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UB - tried this tonight (although with the Saffron base - I still have a ton of it) and the results were excellent. A fantastic Madras that wasn't overly oily.
thanks for the feed back J, glad you like it also nice to know it works well with the saffron base too :)
In fact the stuff I've tried of yours has all turned out very well - thanks! While I love a Vindaloo or a Madras, I also like a CTM or good Korma from time to time. Any chance you have a winning formula for these?
Your welcome, I haven't got round to the CTM or Korma yet, I think the Korma is pretty strait forward but the CTM is a tricky one to nail down they vary so much from place to place.. However i can recommend C.K's CTM HERE (http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php/topic,539.0.html/)
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Thanks for the reply. You're right, CK's is my current fave for CTM. IMO its 95% of what I'm used to, but still missing something. I've tried adding mango chutney syrup to no avail. Next time will try replacing the cream with evaporated milk and seeing how that does.
Seeing as you clearly know your stuff, any changes/adds/mods to the CK CTM you can think of would be appreciated!
Cheers,
J
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... Which sort of reminds me, someone (SnS maybe?) was going to get the "CTM base" from their local, as it was apparently different from the others. Any update on that?
J
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joshallen2k,
i use the evap milk in CK's CTM and feel it makes the difference. i think the make of tandoori masala is also crucial. feel there are 2 types on the market - one ideal for tikka (eg rajah - dark red colour, also v.good for dry rub & bbq) and one ideal for CTM (eg Leena - pinker red colour).
on the korma i found ronnoc's spot on (i think i went 50:50 ground almond: creamed coconut).
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Thanks Jerry. For the tandoori masala, I've been making my own per the recipe on this site (forget who posted it, but I believe its referenced by CA's tikka). I don't have access to the commercial brands where I am, but rather the whole spices. How diffferent would you say the Leena is?
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joshallen2k,
use the evap milk in the ctm 1st rather than cream - i think it adds sweetness. this alone may just do it for u on the ctm front.
i had made my own curry powder & garam masala for years believing i had more control of the taste and would therefore get (eventually) a better taste. i was wrong. i still make my own garam (but probably perfected it better) but buy the rajah curry powder.
i also used to use only a tandoori marinade for making tikka but felt it lacking. hence i bought the "dark red" variety (TRS, rajah). this was significant improvement and i now use it as a dry rub for bbq as well as for tikka.
on one visit to my local shop the dark red was out of stock and assistant said "pink red" was pretty good (although not convincing) for tikka. found it was way off the mark. however when i used it in the CTM the CTM was much better (significantly).
i list the ingredients in case it may help:
dark red: coriander, salt, fenugreek, black pepper, onion powder, cayenne pepper, cinnamon, garlic, cumin, nutmeg, cardamom, celery, clove, ginger, bay, lemon oil, citric acid
pink red: coriander, chillies, mustard, cumin, garlic, ginger, pepper, cloves, cassia, salt
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Jerry,
Thanks again. Based on your feedback, I will replace the cream with evap milk, and look for an alternative to the "tandoori masala" in CK's CTM.
I did a quick search on the "Pink" Leena brand tandoori mix, but drew a blank on google. I will try and match the ingredient list you provided to something at my local indian grocery that is "pink" and called "tandoori"
BTW, tried the ronnoc korma yesterday with a 50:50 coconut to almond ratio - and correct, its spot on. No further research on that one necessary.
CTM remains a challenge.... CK's is the closest yet.
Cheers,
Josh
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Joshallen2k,
no probs, agree CK's is closest. glad ronnoc's worked for u 2.
on the tandoori masala i am sure there are other brands just as good as the leena. the importance being to be aware that there are 2 different tastes out there.
have added pic in case it helps
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Thanks Jerry. Off to the indian grocery pic in hand!
Based on the success of the ronnoc korma (coconut powder instead of block) do you still use the block in the CTM?
-- J
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i use the block coconut for everything. apologies if i gave u impression i used in the korma. i've never found the coconut powder any good.
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Here it is, UB's chicken Madras using UB's base gravy and UB's base Chicken.
(http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/gallery/3840_07_05_08_12_54_37.jpg)
(http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/gallery/3840_07_05_08_1_02_05.jpg)
(http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/gallery/3840_07_05_08_1_03_03.jpg)
As I mentioned in the base thread, I like the smell, taste and texture of the base, so I was already off to a good start. Having tried the pre cooked chicken method before, I knew that would be successful. It was all down to the Madras recipe.. and the result... good. Typical BIR style with all the boxes ticked. The result certainly resembles the kind of Madras that I would expect from your average take away probably more than any other than I've cooked, and I suppose that's the point really.
However, to be honest, I'm a little disappointed. Although this recipe yielded a good Madras, it wasn't incredible. My flatmate and I agreed that it was a simple tasty Madras and awarded it a 7/10. I have made better though. I would bet money that using the base and pre cooked chiken method with the Rajver Madras would yield a superior result. I think the cooking processes in the Madras recipe let this combination down.
Adding the base to a tbsp of oil on medium heat with the tomato paste, garlic, chili, spice mix etc just doesn't wash. You need more oil, hot as hell, in with the garlic, fry for 30 seconds, add tomato paste and spices, fry for 30 seconds, then ease the base in at seering hot temperatures and evaporate it off. It gives such a superior flavour. I also think there is too much spice mix added. I would be looking at using half that.
So overall, I'm glad I have made this combination and have learned a lot. The tea caddy spice method works like a dream (I now use it for the rice too). The pre cooked chicken method is far better than the Darth method (simmer until cooked), yielding subtly flavoured tender chunks of chicken. The end result screamed reasonable BIR takeaway but didn't quite hit the spot as well as some others I've made in the past. In my opinion, this is purely down to the Madras recipe and could be improved upon easily. I am going to use a different Madras recipe and believe that this could push the combination up from a 7/10.
Thanks very much for all the recipes UB :)
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As always BB a great and informative post :) Thanks for the feedback i appreciate the effort! thats what makes this forum better IMO. kind regards UB.
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i too am with the Rajver madras cooking school appreciation fan club. eloquently described by Bobby. I would say it?s given me the 2nd biggest step difference in taste (spice being no 1 and base no 3)
UB, i'm interested in whether you've tried this technique and or whether u experimented before arriving at the medium heat cooking.
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I sort of agree with Bobby, but here's my issue... hope there's a simple answer. When I go "hot" on the oil, and I add the garlic, it goes brown and burnt almost immediately. Medium heat is about all it can take.
Input appreciated!
-- Josh
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I sort of agree with Bobby, but here's my issue... hope there's a simple answer. When I go "hot" on the oil, and I add the garlic, it goes brown and burnt almost immediately. Medium heat is about all it can take.
Input appreciated!
-- Josh
Hi Josh, I assume that you're using fresh garlic for the Madras in this case, otherwise have far better cooking equipment than me. I use quite a lot of oil, enough to cover the base of my curry pan entirely, and use garlic paste, which doesn't seem to turn brown very easily. Also I tend to use a little onion, say 1/2 of a small one for the Madras, I add this first for 30 seconds, then the garlic paste. The garlic paste mixes around with the softened onion and seems to cook more slowly.
Try making sure you have plenty oil in the pan, and that you're using a jar of that really sloppy garlic paste you get from the local INdian store - that works for me... Usually... (see next post)
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So, I said I thought I could improve this recipe using some slightly different cooking methods.
Here's the method:
Cover base of pan with oil and heat until almost smoking
Add 1/2 small onion, stirring and shaking for 30 seconds
Add 1 generous tsp of that sloppy type garlic paste, still stirring and shaking for another 30 seconds
Take the pan off the heat and add 1 tsp tomato puree from the tube, 1 tsp spice mix, 1/2 tsp chili powder (I have the TRS extra hot stuff) and great big pinch of crubmled Methi (I also added a 1/2 tsp of Garam Masala, just because I love it, before realising that this is probably the worst possible stage at which to add it).
Put pan back on heat and stir like hell for about 30 seconds (smell that toffee)
Add a good splash of base which will go mad when it hits the pan. Evaporate the water out of it and repeat for about 2/3s of the base you're using.
Add the rest of the base, which should give you the right consistency, add your coriander then serve.
I am very upset to report I somehow managed to completely balls this up :( As soon as that first splash of base went it, I thought S**T, that's the wrong colour! I think the moral of the story is that Garam Masala burns! Stabbed in the back by a cheeky 1/2 tsp of my beloved aromatic spice blend! This curry was probably the worst I've ever had, and I felt pretty sick after eating it. Result - 1/10. I give it 1 because it made my beer so much more pleasant 8)
Here it is: BB's Burnt Madras
(http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/gallery/3840_08_05_08_10_05_40.JPG)
I actually feel sick again looking at it.
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Thanks Bobby. A bit of onion and a wet paste might do the trick. I'll try this.
Sorry to hear about (and see!) the Madras!
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Sorry to hear about (and see!) the Madras!
Aren't we all! What a schoolboy error! I got too cocky with the heat! It really does look disgusting! :P
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Sorry to hear about (and see!) the Madras!
Aren't we all! What a schoolboy error! I got too cocky with the heat! It really does look disgusting! :P
Hi BB, yeah thats not looking right mate Ive resized the two for comparison. If i was served that ill be sending it back!. your honesty is second to none. :)
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BB, what's your rice recipe? Looks exactly like my local (no multicolour there). Is it a standard pilau coloured with yellow or turmeric? Or is it something different. My local definitely uses ghee in rosewater in theirs, but I've never been able to reproduce.
Figured I'd ask as yours looks identical.
Cheers,
Josh
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Hi BB, yeah thats not looking right mate
I have no idea what you mean! ::)
Ive resized the two for comparison. If i was served that ill be sending it back!
Lol, that makes it look even worse! Bloody juxtaposition! :P
your honesty is second to none. :)
Thanks mate, hopefully my illustrated cock ups can save the rest of you guys from doing the same thing. Looking on the bright side, at least I got to say juxtaposition ;D
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BB, what's your rice recipe? Looks exactly like my local (no multicolour there).
Sorry Josh but I think what you're getting excited about here is none other than yellow food colouring (powdered). I use it rather than Turmeric because it's cheaper and tasteless. My rice is a very simple affair, just Basmati with some Cumin seed, Green Cardomom, Cassia Bark, Bay leaf and Clove. I used to fish out what I could but now use a variation on UBs Muslin method which employs the use of a tea caddy. That rose water idea sounds wonderful though, how would I go about trying that?
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It actually frightens me how much I burnt that curry. It all went Pete Tong so quickly! I think it had something to do with the fact I was only cooking one smallish portion. When I do a curry, it's usually enough for 2 smallish portions. I'm really paranoid now!
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It actually frightens me how much I burnt that curry. It all went Pete Tong so quickly! I think it had something to do with the fact I was only cooking one smallish portion. When I do a curry, it's usually enough for 2 smallish portions. I'm really paranoid now!
LOL. Back to the 'newbie' Madras recipe then Bobby? ::) :P ;)
SnS
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Lol, indeed. I certainly won't take cooking at such high heat so lightly. Once you've done something many times, it's too easy to get careless!
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Joshallen2k,
the hot cooking technique does need practise. i started at 3 setting on my hob and have gradually increased to max 6 setting.
one thing that helps is to combine the chopped raw garlic/ginger/onion (i only use garlic but personal preference) with the tom puree (i use 2 tbsp). it's quite lumpy when frying for about 30 secs (as soon as rawness smell stops) and needs pressing out with the spoon.
see link for further info:
http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php/topic,2444.msg22679.html#msg22679 (http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php/topic,2444.msg22679.html#msg22679)