Made chewy's base sat night pretty much to spec, everything went bloody excellently.

Here it is after blending


With the oil separated, scum mostly removed and final consistency


Madras done pretty much to chewy's madras recipe


Tastes absolutely divine, proper BIR/TA taste and smell.

My sister was round and got to sample it. We've had a family madras curry every week for the last 15/17 years. Her eyes jumped out and said "that's a Madras" and was stunned how much like a top TA it tasted like. We were both pretty stunned. Eating more and it just got better. Can't believe how much depth in flavour, the transitions, no tomato just that familiar TA taste and texture and after taste. The key for me was the final bit of sauce left and how good it tasted and had to be mopped up. Many times in the past my curries fall away half way through eating and don't come through with that savory texture that just glides and demands to be eaten and miss the  background flavour building up.

We concluded it was a mixture of a restaurant and takeaway we've gone to many times, like some divine hybrid. We both said its actually a touch more fresher and better. In looks its more like the restaurant, my preferred TA is bit more redder and thicker/richer with a bit more oil left in. The balance was very good and my sister doesn't like too much oil and is really impressed with the spicyness and then the flavours taking over. The restaurant is a bit weak on heat for their madras. On cooking I did add 2 fresh cut bird eyes chillies in with a small bit of diced pepper/capsicum. More like a mix of chewys two madras videos but I left out the small bit chopped onion. my local TA does put a small quantity fresh cut chillies in the cooking stage and perhaps some other stuff like pepper, onion.

Some small differences I did, around 2.5 kilo of onion. The resulting base was slightly thinner than chewy's video I've watched over and over. Did 2 cups of water instead of 3 because the base seemed thinner. Perhaps the water in a few more onions helped. Sunflower oil instead of regular veg oil. My chilli powder in the mix powder is Deggi Mirch by MDH instead of chewy's Kashmiri mirch. I believe there' not much difference. Didn't have time to sieve but felt I did a good job blending it.

A big thank you to chewytikka, this forum and its members.

With chatting to the head chef at my local TA over the years, talking about how good his are he's pretty insistent how many are too tomatoey and for me this is another key in no tin of toms used in the base. Sure this is what the chef is alluding to.

All the powder is from my local Asian store that the curry houses use.

Tried Mr Naga and while nice it wasn't for me or anything like I've tasted in Madras or Vindaloo. Seems more like something in side dishes or more new trendy orders. Interesting how even a quarter teaspoon had taken it in another direction. Didn't overpower thankfully but not the route I was looking for or been on eating curries. Perhaps some TA BIR do use this and its certainly distinctive so if they do you certainly need this.

Interestingly I was watching Julian from c2go, he's got video on it and many others but get the feeling he's on about a certain type of takeaway that I don't go to.

Hi Chewy,

Just watched this again (for probably the 200th time)  I can't get enough of it, absolutely brilliant, clear videoing.

I'm going on a bit of a 'Madras' quest this coming week, as I'm off work.  My local TA's Madras is to die for.  It's tangy, spicy, smooth and not too oily but, there is a flavour that keeps coming through that has eluded me.  I made CWG bhajis last night but in the absence of aniseed, I used fennel seeds instead and BOOM, there it was.  The taste that I keep getting a hint of in my local TA's madras, was present in CWG's bhajis.

Chewy, have you ever heard of ground fennel seeds going into a madras?

It also has a hint of mulligatawny to it, which I believe could come from tamarind?  I have tried the Maggi tamarina sauce in the madras but it just doesn't do it for me.  I've also added Worcestershire sauce like in your recipe, again, I didn't quite get the tang that I'm after?

My TA owner is a smashing bloke but he will simply just not give anything away. There are 7 Indian TA's on our main road, so I can understanding him not giving too much away.  It's hard enough competing with the others without losing custom by giving away his secrets.

Any thoughts mate?

Ray

Same with my fav fairly local TA, tangy, spicy smooth and not oily like other TA's. This tangy taste is really what I'd love to replicate. I'll try out some aniseed and  fennel seeds. I've tried tamarind, mango or loads of lemon in looking to get the special tang and thought I was onto something with tamarind but the next few tries I didn't get that taste. The after taste was to die for at my fav TA  but I doubt he'll reveal everything. It's in the south east manchester area. Another reason I want to replicate is since around 2010 they must've stopped going all out on the curries to keep the prices the same and they went down hill slightly. Even the head guy told me how they're afraid of losing customers by putting prices up when I told them they're quite cheap compared to others in passing conversation a year before they went off.

I went there for 15 years, it was a league above most others and the Indian chef has been there all this time, he talked highly and shown me the basic fresh stuff like chilies they use and is real proud of what they produce over that time between 1995 and 2010 that I went. After around 2010 it went to average curry that he often scoffed at over that 15 years. He tells me any problems I should tell them or phone them up but I just stopped going. Since then its been making my own, not as good but this is offset by lots more chicken and lower cost overall to boot, the cost of petrol has risen quite a lot over 2000 and 2012 and my earnings haven't. Since I'm counting pennies now it just makes sense to make my own.

I wish I asked him more becasue I got quite friendly with him but throughout the time going I never considered making my own and was in teens to early twenties most of that time and proper cooking wasn't on my radar, just great taste. Used to think nothing of getting a curry once or twice a week and driving that extra mile or two come wind or snow.

The second best TA near me has a different take and perhaps some major sieving goes on. Its very finely textured sauce and they leave in half a fresh tomato. Its quite unique and they even peel their own spuds for chips and seem old school to me so maybe they do the sieving.