Madras curry

Last updated

Madras curry sauce
Madras Curry.JPG
Alternative namesMadras sauce, Madras curry
Type Curry
Place of origin India
Region or state Tamil Nadu
Serving temperatureHot
Main ingredients Chili powder

Madras curry or Madras sauce is a curry sauce. [1] Madras is orange in colour and is made with heavy use of chili powder. Raita is often used as an accompaniment to the dish.

Contents

Origins

Madras curry is said to originate from the south of India, and gets its name from the city of Madras (now Chennai).

Variations

There are many variations on Madras curry [2] [3] and cooking in India is more a domestic practice than a cuisine governed by the conventions of chefs, restaurants, or texts. This curry can be vegetarian or made with meat. Availability of local or locally available ingredients is central to regional Indian foods. The result of the signatures of Madras curries can be achieved through different means; the result often being that of: red colour; roasted spices; the sour-sweet fruitiness of tamarind; a slight liquorice flavour of anise; ginger; a range of other spices (sweet and savoury and earthy) and the flavours of salt, sweet and sour. The redness is achieved with chilli or a mixture of chilli and paprika, and the orange of turmeric. Additional sourness may be had from lemon, lime or vinegar.

The spices are complementary to the savoury flavours, which may include garlic and possibly onion or asafoetida. Garam masala, coriander, and black peppercorns may also be part of the spice mixture.

Chicken madras Chicken madras.jpg
Chicken madras

Common ingredients may also include fresh curry leaves, and the final addition of fresh coriander.

The variations include the roasting of many of the spices including dried chillis, coriander seed, aniseed, cumin and cinnamon. This can be done in an oven for 10 minutes at 180 °C, or in a frying pan with no oil at low heat. A basic spice mix for Madras curry can be made when these dried roasted ingredients are ground in a mortar and pestle or coffee grinder and mixed with turmeric and stored in readiness for use.

Variations are also related to means of storage. The primary spice ingredients can be stored as roasted dried ground powder, a paste of dried ingredients with vinegar, or an oil spice infusion.

If meat is used it may be lamb, beef, or chicken. When made of beef it is called Gosht (or Ghoust) Madras.

Accompaniments

Common accompaniments to Madras curry include raita and fresh coriander. The food of southern India is more likely to have rice as the main carbohydrate than any breads e.g. naan. Individual households will express their own traditions.

Other common variations will include brown mustard seeds which are fried till they pop, black peppercorns (a local tropical product) and vinegar as the acidulant instead of, or with, the acid fruits.

Production

The dried roasted spices may be cooked in ghee or vegetable oil and then other major fresh ingredients such as garlic and ginger are added with the vegetables and/or meat. The sweet and sour ingredients such as tamarind and lemon juice/vinegar is added later. Finally the fresh coriander is added immediately prior to serving.

Other variations may include the use of cloves, bay leaves, fenugreek and allspice.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chutney</span> South Asian condiments made of spices, vegetables, and fruit

A chutney is a spread typically associated with cuisines of the Indian subcontinent. Chutneys are made in a wide variety of forms, such as a tomato relish, a ground peanut garnish, yogurt or curd, cucumber, spicy coconut, spicy onion or mint dipping sauce.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Malaysian cuisine</span> Culinary traditions of Malaysia

Malaysian cuisine consists of cooking traditions and practices found in Malaysia, and reflects the multi-ethnic makeup of its population. The vast majority of Malaysia's population can roughly be divided among three major ethnic groups: Malays, Chinese and Indians. The remainder consists of the indigenous peoples of Sabah and Sarawak in East Malaysia, the Orang Asli of Peninsular Malaysia, the Peranakan and Eurasian creole communities, as well as a significant number of foreign workers and expatriates.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Malay cuisine</span> Cuisine of Malay people

Malay cuisine is the traditional food of the ethnic Malays of Southeast Asia, residing in modern-day Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Brunei, Southern Thailand and the Philippines as well as Cocos Islands, Christmas Island, Sri Lanka and South Africa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Noodle soup</span> Variety of soups with noodles and other ingredients served in a light broth

Noodle soup refers to a variety of soups with noodles and other ingredients served in a light broth. Noodle soup is a common dish across East Asia, Southeast Asia and the Himalayan states of South Asia. Various types of noodles are used, such as rice noodles, wheat noodles and egg noodles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gujarati cuisine</span> Cuisine of Gujarat, India

Gujarati cuisine is the cuisine of the Indian state of Gujarat. The typical Gujarati thali consists of rotli, dal or curry, rice, and shaak. The thali will also include preparations made from pulses or whole beans such as moong, black eyed beans etc., a snack item (farsaan) like dhokla, pathra, samosa, fafda, etc. and a sweet (mishthaan) like mohanthal, jalebi, sevaiya etc.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peranakan cuisine</span> Cuisine of the Straits Chinese people

Peranakan cuisine or Nyonya cuisine comes from the Peranakans, descendants of early Chinese migrants who settled in Penang, Malacca, Singapore and Indonesia, inter-marrying with local Malays. In Baba Malay, a female Peranakan is known as a nonya, and a male Peranakan is known as a baba. The cuisine combines Chinese, Malay, Javanese, South Indian, and other influences.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kerala cuisine</span> Culinary style originated in Kerala

Kerala cuisine is a culinary style originated in the Kerala, a state on the southwestern Malabar Coast of India. Kerala cuisine offers a multitude of both vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes prepared using fish, poultry and red meat with rice as a typical accompaniment. Chillies, curry leaves, coconut, mustard seeds, turmeric, tamarind, asafoetida and other spices are also used in the preparation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indian Chinese cuisine</span> Fusion cuisine combining Indian and Chinese traditions

Indian Chinese cuisine, Chinese Indian cuisine, Sino-Indian cuisine, Chindian cuisine, Hakka Chinese or Desi-Chinese cuisine is a distinct style of Chinese cuisine adapted to Indian tastes, combining Chinese foods with Indian flavours and spices. Though Asian cuisines have mixed throughout history throughout Asia, the most popular origin story of the fusion food resides with Chinese labourers of Calcutta, who immigrated to British Raj India looking for work. Opening restaurant businesses in the area, these early Chinese food sellers adapted their culinary styles to suit Indian tastes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thai curry</span> Dishes in Thai cuisine made with curry paste

Thai curry is a dish in Thai cuisine made from curry paste, coconut milk or water, meat, seafood, vegetables or fruit, and herbs. Curries in Thailand mainly differ from the curries in India in their use of ingredients such as herbs and aromatic leaves over a mix of spices.

Bhojpuri cuisine is a style of food preparation common among the Bhojpuri people of Bihar and eastern Uttar Pradesh in India, and also the Terai region of Nepal. Bhojpuri foods are mostly mild and tend to be less hot in terms of spices used. The cuisine consists of both vegetable and meat dishes.

Goan cuisine consists of regional foods popular in Goa, an Indian state located along India's west coast on the shore of the Arabian Sea. Rice, seafood, coconut, vegetables, meat, bread, pork and local spices are some of the main ingredients in Goan cuisine. Use of kokum and vinegar is another distinct feature. Goan food is considered incomplete without fish.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Manipuri cuisine</span> Cuisine of Manipur, a state of northeastern India

Manipuri cuisine refers to the cuisine of Manipur, a state of northeastern India. Daily meals are based on rice, with a few side dishes of vegetables, fish and meat. A meal would usually have a vegetable stew called ensaang or athongba, flavored with dried or fried fish; stir-fried vegetables called kanghou; and a spicy item, which could be morok metpa, eromba, or singju. All piquant side dishes are accompanied by a choice of fresh herbs, collectively called maroi. The base and essence of Meitei cuisine is the fermented fish called ngari. Several dishes of meat, mostly chicken and pork, are cooked with unique recipes. As a result of religious taboos, however, the Meitei Pangals do not cook the latter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sundanese cuisine</span> Cuisine of the Sundanese people, Indonesia

Sundanese cuisine is the cuisine of the Sundanese people of Western Java, and Banten, Indonesia. It is one of the most popular foods in Indonesia. Sundanese food is characterised by its freshness; the famous lalab eaten with sambal and also karedok demonstrate the Sundanese fondness for fresh raw vegetables. Unlike the rich and spicy taste, infused with coconut milk and curry of Minangkabau cuisine, the Sundanese cuisine displays the simple and clear taste; ranged from savoury salty, fresh sourness, mild sweetness, to hot and spicy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Malaysian Indian cuisine</span> Cuisine of ethnic Indian communities of Malaysia

Malaysian Indian cuisine, or the cooking of the ethnic Indian communities in Malaysia, consists of adaptations of authentic dishes from India, as well as original creations inspired by the diverse food culture of Malaysia. Because the vast majority of Malaysia's Indian community are of South Indian descent, and are mostly ethnic Tamils who are descendants of immigrants from a historical region which consists of the modern Indian state of Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka's Northern Province, much of Malaysian Indian cuisine is predominantly South Indian inspired in character and taste. A typical Malaysian Indian dish is likely to be redolent with curry leaves, whole and powdered spice, and contains fresh coconut in various forms. Ghee is still widely used for cooking, although vegetable oils and refined palm oils are now commonplace in home kitchens. Before a meal it is customary to wash hands as cutlery is often not used while eating, with the exception of a serving spoon for each respective dish.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bumbu (seasoning)</span> Indonesian spice blends

Bumbu is the Indonesian word for a blend of spices and for pastes and it commonly appears in the names of spice mixtures, sauces and seasoning pastes. The official Indonesian language dictionary describes bumbu as "various types of herbs and plants that have a pleasant aroma and flavour — such as ginger, turmeric, galangal, nutmeg and pepper — used to enhance the flavour of the food."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Burmese salads</span>

Burmese salads are a diverse category of indigenous salads in Burmese cuisine. Burmese salads are made of cooked and raw ingredients that are mixed by hand to combine and balance a wide-ranging array of flavors and textures. Burmese salads are eaten as standalone snacks, as side dishes paired with Burmese curries, and as entrees. The iconic laphet thoke is traditionally eaten as a palate cleanser at the end of a meal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Qatari cuisine</span> Culinary traditions of Qatar

Qatari cuisine is made up of traditional Arab cuisine. Machbūs, a meal consisting of rice, meat, and vegetables, is the national dish in Qatar, typically made with either lamb or chicken and slow-cooked to give it a depth of flavour. Seafood and dates are staple food items in the country. Many of these dishes are also used in other countries in the region, because they share many commonalities. In other parts of the region some of the dishes have different names or use slightly different ingredients. One proponent of the importance of Qatar's culinary heritage is chef Noor Al Mazroei, who adapts traditional recipes to include vegan and gluten-free alternatives.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thai salads</span> Thai cuisine

Salads that are internationally known as Thai salads with a few exceptions fall into four main preparation methods. In Thai cuisine these are called yam, tam, lap and phla. A few other dishes can also be regarded as being a salad.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gulai</span> Indonesian curry dish

Gulai is a class of spicy and rich stew commonly found in Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore. The main ingredients of this dish are usually poultry, goat meat, beef, mutton, various kinds of offal, fish and seafood, as well as vegetables such as cassava leaves, unripe jackfruit and banana stem.

References

  1. "History of Curry". Surrey County Council, England. Retrieved 24 September 2011.
  2. Martin, James (2007). "Lamb madras with chapatis". BBC. Retrieved 16 August 2020.
  3. "Madras Lamb Curry - Mutton Madras" . Retrieved 24 September 2011.