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A pack of madras curry

Madras curry or Madras sauce is a fairly hot curry sauce, red in colour and with heavy use of chilli powder. It originates in the south of India and gets its name from the city of Madras now known as Chennai.

This curry can be vegetarian or of meat. It has its origins in Hindu culture and being vegetarian is common.

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 complimentary to the fruit and the savoury flavours. The savoury ingredients include garlic (and possibly also onion or asefoetida). 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, cummin, and cinnamon. This can be done in an oven for 10 minutes at 180^o 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.

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 eg naan. Individual households will express their own traditions.

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

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

Yoghurt is also a common variation - it adds sweetness, sourness and a smooth thickness which are all signatures of this curry.

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

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 kid goat, lamb, beef, or chicken. When made of kid or lamb it is called Gosht (or Ghoust) Madras.

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