Madras is another example of a curry that is unknown in Indian. It gets its name from the city of Madras (now Chennai) in the South of Indian, but it was name used by the British from when they arrived in 1604, to describe all dishes in the region around the city. In his 1903 book “Curries and How to Prepare Them” by Joseph Edmunds, he optimised the ignorance of the British about the subtleties of Indian cuisine stating that “in India there are at least three separate classes of curry, the Bengal, the Madras and the Bombay.” and that Madras was simply just a spicy sauce for meat, made from a spoonful of curry powder, some onions and tomatoes which he described as “the high old curry made perfect.”
Since there is no authentic version of Madras curry, most modern versions of the dish have been developed in British Indian Restaurants, but it is generally a medium hot, spicy curry with a dark red sauce, usually made from tomatoes. My version of Madras curry is developed by building on my BIR curry base sauce and adding typical Madras flavours. The result is as close to an Indian Restaurant style Madras curry that you can make at home. You could try beef or shrimp as an alternative to chicken.
Madras Curry
British Indian Restaurant Style Madras Curry
Ingredients
- 4 medium chicken breasts, chopped into bite sized pieces and pre-cooked
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 2 or 3 fresh chilli peppers (e.g serrano)
- 1 red bell pepper (optional)
- 300ml (10 fl oz) of crushed tomatoes (e.g passata)
- a small handful of fresh coriander (cilantro) chopped as a garnish
- 1 tbsp of fresh ginger purée
- 1tbsp of garlic purée
- 3 tbsp of vegetable oil
- 500ml (1 pint) of BIR base gravy
- 1 tsp of salt
- 2 tbsp of hot chilli powder
- 1 tbsp of paprika
- 1 tbsp of ground cumin
- 1 tbsp of ground coriander
- 1 tbsp of fenugreek (methi) leaves
- 1 tbsp of garam masala
- 1 tsp of tumeric
- 1 tsp of ground turmeric
- 1 tsp of whole cumin seeds
Madras spices
Method
If the chicken is not cooked, quickly fry it in a large skillet in a little oil over medium heat for about 8mins. In a seperate pan, gently heat the curry base sauce. In skillet or frying pan, add the oil and gently fry the onions, until translucent. Add the garlic, ginger, peppers and the spices and gently cook for a minute or so to release the aromatics. Add the base sauce and the tomatoes and cook on medium for about 20 mins. Add the chicken and heat for about 5mins. Season with salt to taste. Serve over rice or naan bread.
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3 comments
Giles @anyone4seconds
June 30, 2012 at 3:25 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment
Thanks for sharing a great recipe – one I have bookmarked to make
Julie Mclaughlin
August 6, 2012 at 2:06 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment
2 tablespoons of chilli powder must be a mistake it would blow your head off surely?
Stuart
August 9, 2012 at 1:26 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment
2 tbsp of chilli powder for a Madras isn’t that much. However you can reduce (or increase) the amount to taste