Variations
There are many variations on Madras curry and cooking in India is more a domestic practice than a cuisine governed by the conventions of chefs, restaurants, or texts. Availability of local or locally available ingredients is central to regional Indian foods. The end result of the signatures of Madras curries can be achieved through different means; the result often being that of: red colour; toasty spices; and the smoothness of coconut (or yoghurt); 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. A possible variation, to achieve an end result of redness, is also the addition of the fruity-savoury flavours of tomato. The sourness is from the tamarind with the possible addition of lemon, lime or vinegar. The spices are complementary to the fruit and the savoury flavours. The savoury ingredients include garlic (and possibly also onion or asafoetida). The oil may be ghee or coconut oil. Garam masala may be part of the spice mixture with other spices including coriander, and black peppercorns.
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; an oil spice infusion.
If meat is used it may be lamb, beef, or chicken. When made of beef or lamb it is called Gosht (or Ghoust) Madras. The meat makes the curry slightly more creamy.
Read more about this topic: Madras Curry Sauce
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