Madras Marinade Food

AUTHENTIC CHICKEN MADRAS

Steps:

• Heat oil in a large nonstick pan over medium heat. Add cloves and cardamom pods and wait until they sizzle, about 1 minute. Add onions and fry until dark brown, 7 to 10 minutes. Add chile peppers, ginger, and garlic; cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add ground chile pepper, turmeric, cumin, coriander, and salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until blended in, about 1 minute more.
• Stir chicken and water into the pan with the spice mixture. Cook, while stirring, until water is incorporated, 2 to 3 minutes. Add tomato puree and nutmeg and cover the pan with a lid. Cook until chicken is tender over medium heat, about 20 minutes. When ready to serve, sprinkle with garam masala and cilantro.

VENISON MADRAS

Steps:

• To make the marinade, mix all the ingredients for it with some salt in a bowl, add the venison and stir to coat, then cover and place in the fridge overnight.
• Heat oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Spread the venison out on a baking tray lined with parchment and roast for 30-35 mins, stirring halfway through if needed, until the meat has lots of colour. If the meat is releasing too many juices, spoon some of them off halfway. Reduce the oven to 170C/150C/gas 3.
• While the venison is cooking, heat the butter in a large casserole dish and fry the onions for 15 mins over a medium heat until golden brown, then add the garlic and cook for a few mins more. Stir in the spice paste and fry for 5 mins, then add the stock and tomatoes and crumble in the creamed coconut along with the curry leaves. Bring to the boil, add the venison to the dish and stir to coat in the curry sauce. Season with salt, then cover and cook in the oven for 2 hrs-2 hrs 30 mins until the sauce has thickened and the meat is tender. Chill for up to three days and reheat before serving, or freeze for up to three months. Serve with fluffy rice, a dollop of yogurt and some sliced green chilli.

MADRAS MARINADE

Steps:

• Mix all ingredients in a bowl, or use tightly covered Tupperware and shake to mix.
• (Madras curry often comes with whole bay leaves in the jar. Don't use these in the marinade!) Adjust the amounts of curry powder and orange juice to suit your personal taste.
• Goes well with chicken, pork, or shrimp.
• The longer the meat soaks in the marinade, the stronger the flavor will be.
• Poking holes in the meat with a fork will also help the flavor soak into the meat.
• Works well on the grill, in the oven, or under the broiler.

AUTHENTIC MADRAS CURRY

Steps:

• Cut meat into cubes and fry in oil to seal. Remove with slotted spoon and leave to one side to drain.
• Fry the onion in the same oil until golden then add Spices 1, cooking for a further 5 minutes. Add the tinned tomatoes and puree and mix well. Cook for 10 minutes or so.
• Add the meat and put the the lot into a casserole dish in a pre-heated oven at 200C (400F) and cook for 45 - 60 minutes. Stir half-way through cooking time. (Alternatively, throw it into the slow cooker for 7 to 9 hours.).
• Add the lemon or lime juice and Spices 2 and simmer for another 10 minutes. Add a little water at any stage if it gets too dry. Add a knob of ghee (and salt, if you must) just before serving.

CHICKEN MADRAS

Steps:

• Blitz 1 quartered onion, 2 garlic cloves, a thumb-sized chunk of ginger and ½ red chilli together in a food processor until it becomes a coarse paste.
• Heat 1 tbsp vegetable oil in a large saucepan and add the paste, fry for 5 mins, until softened. If it starts to stick to the pan at all, add a splash of water.
• Tip in ½ tsp turmeric, 1 tsp ground cumin, 1 tsp ground coriander and 1-2 tsp hot chilli powder and stir well, cook for a couple of mins to toast them a bit, then add 4 chicken breasts, cut into chunks. Stir and make sure everything is covered in the spice mix.
• Cook until the chicken begins to turn pale, adding a small splash of water if it sticks to the base of the pan at all.
• Pour in 400g can chopped tomatoes, along with a big pinch of salt, cover and cook on a low heat for 30 mins, until the chicken is tender.
• Stir through small pack of coriander and serve with rice, naan and a big dollop of mango chutney.

MEDITERRANEAN MEAT MARINADE

Steps:

• Combine olive oil, vinegar, lemon juice, garlic, rosemary, sage, thyme, marjoram, basil, oregano, garlic powder, and pepper in a large, shallow dish. Mix with a fork until mixture looks uniform.