[t_b]

First time post, I cooked a Beef Madras last night following a traditional recipe which I have used on a few occasions to great success - however, on this occassion, due to not being used to the cooker I was using I actually managed to turn a simmer into a full-scale boil and ended up with rather a large amount of water.

This has rendered the curry effectively a soup. It tastes wonderful but the consistency is all wrong due to the amount of water involved. What is the best course of action as I dont want to turn the heat too far up as this will overcook the meat, which tastes fine.

Your help will be most appreciated.

[teamfat]

One option to consider is to strain the meat and other big chunks out of the liquid, set them aside. Return the liquid to the cooker and simmer until reduced to a thicker consistency. Put the meat chunks back in to reheat, then enjoy. It seems like a flour based roux or cornstarch slurry might not be the best solution here, but they could work.

Another thought - adding a big blob of somewhat dry mashed potatoes might alter the consistency without subtracting too much curry flavor - but then again, who ever heard of potatoes in a curry??

mjb.

[Bazza]

You could puree some cooked onions or lentils and use them to thicken it, or maybe even some yoghurt, but this will affect the flavour.

[OregonYeti]

Originally Posted by teamfat

Another thought - adding a big blob of somewhat dry mashed potatoes might alter the consistency without subtracting too much curry flavor - but then again, who ever heard of potatoes in a curry??

mjb.

In India, potatoes in curry, usually quartered, are very common
By the way, Indian curries often have more liquid than what's made in the USA

[t_b]

The curry was simmered down slowly and then left to sit before serving, the consistency actually tended to perfection, if you dont mind me saying so. It tasted wonderful and my friends agreed.

Thanks for the advice. It will come in useful in future as well

[doschef]

Normally over cooking reduces the liquid if it has seperated try ideas below.
Couple of ideas:-make a mulligatawny soup with fresh yoghurt and chooped mint ontop and in the center when serving (dont forget to take out the meat) then start again.
2.Add cornflour to thicken the sauce.
3.Start with the base ingredients and slowly add the previous sauce reducing inbetween each addition.
4. Try making a roux and add warm sauce to this

Good Luck