So I had to get this one right. And I think I did. Bold claim. I know. But it’s good. Try it for yourself. It’s glebekitchen style though. No pre-conceptions. Just make it the best I can. So maybe a little different than what you’re used to. Not a lot different. But different. In a good way.
Madras was in South India
I know. Lamb madras isn’t a real Indian dish. Madras isn’t even a place anymore. It’s Chennai now. Nobody makes it in India. It’s a British invention. Like chicken tikka masala. That’s OK. Cooking evolves. Crosses borders. It’s actually better than OK. It’s progress. Without progress we’d all still be eating what our grandparents ate. I’ve seen pictures. It wasn’t pretty. There’s a story here. Or a legend. Not sure which. Not important really. It’s fun either way. The story goes like this. About a hundred years ago some enterprising soul had an idea. A semi-random mix of Indian spices. Called it Madras curry powder. They put it up for sale in a shop on Leicester Square. It sparked a revolution. The UK curry revolution. I’m putting the south Indian back into lamb madras. Why not? I like coconut oil. So a bit of that goes into this version. And tamarind. For that hint of sour. Instead of lemon juice. Not conventional. But tasty. So I’m good with it. And I’m serving it with parathas. A bite of this madras curry wrapped up in a bit of paratha? Heaven.
Chili pickle gives this lamb madras something special
Lagniappe. That’s a Louisiana French term. It means a little something extra. I love that word. It defines glebekitchen. What I’m always looking for. Chili pickle is the lagniappe in this lamb madras. It’s a small thing. But a big thing. Indian chili pickle is magic in a jar. It is very hard to go wrong adding it to any curry. And it works well here. You can pick just about any chili pickle here. It’s a flavour boost. Not the star. This isn’t naga chili madras curry. You want that wonderful pickle flavour. But not too much of it. Full disclosure. It can get spicy. Use naga pickle and it could get really spicy. Crazy tasty. But spicy. If it gets out of control add more coconut milk. That should help tame the fire. A bit anyway.
This is hotel style lamb madras
This is a different take on restaurant style cooking. It’s not what you know. There is no curry base. Not the way you think about it anyway. This is hotel style. Based on Indian hotel curry gravy. Think Indian haute cuisine. Mother sauces. The way it used to be. The way it probably still is at the best Indian restaurants. I’m going back to fundamentals here. Pulling out all the stops. And I’m hoping you will follow. This is not your local takeaway lamb madras. This is madras done to the max. May seem crazy to you. But sometimes you just need to make a leap of faith. It is so worth it.
