Madras from Powder

masterK

I bought some Madras Curry powder from an Asian store and was wondering how it should be cooked. I tried mixing it with water and boiling but that didn't work out at all. Do I need to mix it with coconut milk or tomatoes?

joolsveer

I would sweat my vegetables (add browned meat) and put the curry powder in and create a paste. Then I add some flour and stock and it thickens up.

neuro-praxis

I'm not suggesting that what I would do is authentic in any way, but I would probably make a paste by putting garlic, onions, ginger and a little oil in a food processor with a couple of spoonfuls of the madras powder, and pulse.

I would then fry my meat, add the paste to the pan, coat the meat, and allow it to cook for a few minutes. I would then add any chopped veg I wanted to add like onions, peppers etc., and stir-fry, followed by a can of tomatoes, a can of coconut milk and some salt to taste. I would then leave this to simmer until the sauce is reduced and the meat is tender.

Eat with rice, naan, mango chutney etc.

Darkginger

I'm a bit of a fanatic when it comes to Indian food - if you're interested in making curries that taste like they came from your local takeaway, take a look at Curry Addict's thread here: http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056521427

However, if you just want to use the powder to make a homestyle curry...

Curry powder (whether Madras or whatever) is a blend of several spices which need to be cooked in oil to release their full flavours. A simple way to use your powder would be to make a Keema (mince) curry. Add a couple of tablespoons of oil (just vegetable oil works fine - olive oil has no place in Indian food!) to a pan, put it over a medium heat, and add one finely chopped onion. Cook gently until the onion begins to brown, then add a couple of teaspoonfuls of your Madras powder.

Be careful not to let the spices burn - just stir until the onions are coated, and the powder loses its raw look and smell - a minute or so at most. Add 1 lb of minced beef (or better, lamb if you can get it), stir, and continue to cook until the meat's done. Add a handful of frozen peas, cook until they're hot, and serve with plain boiled rice.

Once you've got the idea, you could improvise - try adding other vegetables after the onion cooking stage - sliced red and green peppers, and/or mushrooms. Use pieces of chicken instead of the mince, or perhaps prawns.

Neuro-praxis's method would work well, too - the main thing to make sure of is that you're cooking your spices in oil, which will bring out their flavour.

Hope that helps!

BailMeOut

follow the Green Safron method for Madras and you will not be disappointed.

http://www.greensaffron.com/recipes.php?id=28