Madras curry is a blend of herbs and spices that originated in the South of India. This curry can accompany vegetables or meats, and it can feature a wide range of ingredients, although chili peppers are usually a fundamental ingredient. Many Indian restaurants offer various foods with this curry, ranging from chicken to lentils.

Madras is a fairly hot curry sauce, red in colour and with heavy use of chili powder. Yoghurt is often used to take away some or all of the heat. Madras curry is said to originate from the south of India, and gets its name from the city known as Madras when English merchants arrived there in 1640 (now Chennai). However, the name ‘Madras Curry’ is not used in India, but was invented by restaurants in Britain. The spicy Madras curry served in British restaurants is different from authentic Madras curries, with the British variation originating from British Bangladeshi restaurants in the 1970s.