The encyclopaedia of gravy
The curry-house madras: a hot, smooth, tomato-forward curry made from base gravy, defined by a generous spoon of chilli powder and a squeeze of lemon at the end.
Madras is the standard hot curry of the British curry house: smooth, deep red, strongly tomato-flavoured, and sharpened with lemon juice at the end. It sits one rung below vindaloo on the heat ladder.
Despite the name it has no particular connection to the cooking of Madras, now Chennai. It is a British restaurant dish, and a good one.
Before you start¶
You need base gravy (hot), mix powder and pre-cooked chicken, and you should read cooking a BIR curry first.
Ingredients¶
Serves 2 · 8 minutes
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 tbsp garlic–ginger paste
- 1½ tsp chilli powder (this is what makes it a madras — adjust to taste)
- 1 tsp mix powder
- ¼ tsp turmeric
- ½ tsp salt
- 4 tbsp tomato paste (or 2 tbsp purée loosened with water)
- 450–550 ml hot base gravy
- 300 g pre-cooked chicken, with a little of its liquid
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- ½ tsp kasoori methi, crushed
- ¼ tsp garam masala
- ½ tsp sugar (optional, to balance)
- Chopped coriander
Method¶
- Heat the oil in a wide pan over a high heat until it shimmers.
- Fry the garlic–ginger paste for 30 seconds.
- Add the chilli powder, mix powder, turmeric and salt. Stir for 20 seconds — no longer, as chilli powder burns faster than anything else in the cupboard and turns acrid.
- Add the tomato paste and cook for 45 seconds, stirring, until it darkens and thickens.
- First ladle of base gravy, about 200 ml. Let it bubble hard for a minute and catch at the edges, then scrape it back in.
- Add the chicken with its liquid and a second ladle. Simmer 3 minutes, until the sauce coats the chicken and has gone a deep red.
- Third ladle only if it has tightened too far.
- Off the heat: lemon juice, kasoori methi, garam masala, sugar if you want it, and coriander.
⚠️ Chilli powder burns
It is finer and lower in sugar than the other spices and scorches in seconds. Twenty seconds in the oil, moving constantly, then the tomato paste goes straight in to bring the temperature down. A burnt madras is bitter and cannot be saved.
Heat, and how to move up or down¶
| Dish | Chilli powder, roughly |
|---|---|
| Rogan josh | ½ tsp |
| Jalfrezi | ½ tsp plus fresh green chillies |
| Madras | 1½ tsp |
| Vindaloo | 2½ tsp, plus fresh chilli |
| Phaal | Use your own judgement, and a glass of milk |
Use a standard mild chilli powder rather than cayenne or a hot blend, or the amounts above will be considerably fiercer than intended.
Variations¶
- Ceylon-style: add 2 tbsp creamed coconut with the second ladle.
- Almond: 1 tsp ground almond rounds the heat without dulling it.
- Extra depth: a teaspoon of the chicken's pre-cook liquid, or a spoonful of fried onions.