Anglo Indian chef creates 'world's healthiest curry' a curry

An Anglo Indian chef, Gurpareet Bains, has claimed to have created the world’s healthiest meal - a curry.


The chicken and blueberry curry with goji berry pilau rice is full of natural healthy “superfoods” that can help fight cancer, says its 32 year-old creator.

The spicy chicken meal, he says, can help fight off carcinogenic cells while other traditional ingredients such as ginger, chilli, turmeric and garlic, are know for their antibacterial and antiviral properties.

Each serving contains the nutritional equivalent of 49 helpings of spinach, 23 bunches of grapes or nine portions of broccoli.

Experts say it is up to 20 times more nutritious than any specially-formulated 'healthy' meal.

Mr Bains, a British nutritional therapist and Indian "superfood" pioneer, said eating the curry just once-a-week could ''deal a devastating blow'' to the onset of cancers and other diseases like Alzheimer's.

''It has long been known that some foods including spices and fruits have exceptional health benefits,” he said.

''So combining these two genres of food stuffs seemed logical in any quest to find the world's healthiest meal.

''Thus the curry I have created is brimming with health-beneficial ingredients that could, if eaten regularly, deal a devastating blow to many diseases.''

Mr Bains, a former head chef who lives in Bedford, took almost two years perfecting the meal.

He researched the best natural 'superfoods' and calculated the exact quantities of each ingredient needed for ''optimum health results''.

His finished meal is full of with antioxidants, antifungals, antivirals, analgesics, and antibacterials.

Each plateful contains 25,000 'ORAC' units - the scientific measurement of antioxidants in foods.

Foods higher on the ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity) scale have been proven to counter the onset of cancer, Alzheimer's, coronary heart disease and diabetes.

Most “healthy” meals like salads have less than 5,000 ORAC units, while traditional curries have fewer still.

Almost a quarter of antioxidant-rich foods are spices - a single teaspoon of cinnamon is the equivalent of two portions of grapes or a glass of fresh pomegranate juice.

At least 5,000 people are diagnosed with cancer in the UK each year. Of these, 1,800 lose their lives.

* The recipe for Chicken Curry with Blueberries and Goji Berry Pilau is (serves four):

To cook the curry:

1. Blend 20g of chopped coriander, 200g of fresh or frozen blueberries, two tablespoons of freshly grated ginger, and 3/4 of a teaspoon of salt with 500g of low-fat Greek yoghurt, and set aside.

2. Place four cloves of chopped garlic into a saucepan with three tablespoons of olive oil and heat on a low-medium flame until the garlic starts to turn brown - this should take no longer than one or two minutes.

3. Add one teaspoon of turmeric, mix well and heat through for 20 seconds. Mix in two tablespoons of ground cinnamon and one teaspoon of chilli powder and cook for 20 seconds.

4. Add 500g of chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces, and seal, stirring frequently - this should take no more than five minutes.

5. Now slowly pour the yoghurt mixture, mixing into the chicken, and bring to a simmer on a low heat.

6. Simmer for 10 minutes uncovered, stirring from time to time. Mix through one teaspoon of garam masala. Garnish with extra coriander.

To cook the pilau:

1. Place two teaspoons of cumin seeds and two tablespoons of olive oil into a saucepan and heat on a low-medium flame until the seeds begin to pop - this should take no more than three minutes.

2. Add one small sliced onion and cook until soft. Then add one teaspoon of turmeric powder, stir and heat for 20 seconds. Add one grated carrot. Cook for two minutes.

3. In the meantime, boil 1 3/4 cups of water.

4. Place the onion mixture, one cup of basmati rice, 1/2 tsp teaspoon salt and the boiling water into a large microwaveable bowl and mix with a fork.

5. Cook uncovered in the microwave for 4 minutes (700W), 3 1/2 minutes (800W) or 3 minutes (900W).

6. Mix and cook for 4 minutes (700W), 3 1/2 minutes (800W) or 3 minutes (900W)

7. Cover and continue to cook for 4 minutes (700W), 3 1/2 minutes (800W) or 3 minutes (900W).

8. Add 50g of goji berries and a handful of peas and let stand covered for 10 minutes.

9. Fluff the pilau with a fork, and serve.

Source: Telegraph

Review of Mughli (Knutsford) at Manchester Confidential

The Mughli Indian Restaurant on King Street in Knutsford has been reviewed over at the manchesterconfidential.co.uk website. Click HERE to read their review.

The currycouncil have yet to review this restaurant. If you have visited this restaurant, please feel free to add your comments below.


T: 01565 631 010
A: 44-46 King Street, Knutsford, WA16 6DT
W: www.mughli.com
E: info@mughli.com

Asda unveils 'ethnic' expansion

Asda is about to unveil its first "ethnic store" expansion in a bid to win more Asian customers.

From Monday almost a fifth of all products sold in its Hounslow, west London branch, will be aimed at Asians.

If successful, the supermarket giant plans to roll out similar stores in other parts of London and cities with large ethnic minority populations.

Big supermarkets have been competing for Asian shoppers ahead of religious festivals such as Eid and Diwali.

The ethnic food market in Britain was worth an estimated £208m in 2008, and grew over 2007-2008 by 11%, according to the market research company Mintel.

Asda's change will see ten aisles of mainly Asian products at its store in Hounslow - an increase of 35% - including products such as chapati flour, cooking oils, spices and pulses.

For Muslim, Sikh, and Hindu religious festivals the ranges are increased to include lanterns and even traditional Asian clothes.

Asda has also introduced halal meat concessions, selling meat and poultry slaughtered in accordance with Islamic ritual, in 12 of its stores.

Anyone wanting non-halal meat has to buy pre-packed.

Muslim shoppers at the Hounslow branch were delighted with the policy.

But the mostly-Asian small grocers and butchers close to the store fear Asda's plans to transform its Hounslow branch into what it calls a World Food Store, could put them out of business.

Some local shops complain they are already struggling to compete with Asda since it opened a few years back and have only managed to survive in part because of the Asian products they sell.

"It's worrying me because I have a halal meat shop with groceries.

"Since they have got halal meat there we have lost 90% of our customers," said Naseeb Khan, a butcher and grocer.

"They go there and buy meals and others things, meats from there and there we are suffering," he said.

"We can't afford it now.

"If you buy from cash and carry, it costs me £6 (for) atta (chapati flour), and Asda selling the same stuff (for) £5," said corner shop manager Karamjeet Jaspal.

Industry expert Kalpesh Solanki of Asian Trader Magazine, said some small shops would inevitably go out of business as a result.

But he said it also offered lots of opportunities for those prepared to modernise.

"Those small shops have to become better in what they do.

"That probably means better prices, fresh meat and a better service," he said.

"The managers at Asda aren't going to greet you, aren't going to say 'hello Mr Singh, nice to see you today'.

"They won't do that... your local halal butcher is going to say that," he said.

Asda denied that it was unfairly edging out small businesses.

"Clearly supporting a local community is very important to us.

"What we believe that we are doing by increasing customers is absolutely that," said Roy Clark, concessions manager at Asda.

"It is about reacting to what our customers are asking for.

"Frankly if our customers were satisfied with the offering of the local shops in terms of price and quality, then they would continue to use their local shops," he said.

"Our Asian customers are telling us that they are dissatisfied with those local shops.

"They want the convenience of getting all their products under one roof."

Source: BBC

Curry spice 'kills cancer cells'

An extract found in the bright yellow curry spice turmeric can kill off cancer cells, scientists have shown.

The chemical - curcumin - has long been thought to have healing powers and is already being tested as a treatment for arthritis and even dementia.

Now tests by a team at the Cork Cancer Research Centre show it can destroy gullet cancer cells in the lab.

Cancer experts said the findings in the British Journal of Cancer could help doctors find new treatments.

Dr Sharon McKenna and her team found that curcumin started to kill cancer cells within 24 hours.

'Natural' remedy

The cells also began to digest themselves, after the curcumin triggered lethal cell death signals.

Dr McKenna said: "Scientists have known for a long time that natural compounds have the potential to treat faulty cells that have become cancerous and we suspected that curcumin might have therapeutic value."

Dr Lesley Walker, director of cancer information at Cancer Research UK, said: "This is interesting research which opens up the possibility that natural chemicals found in turmeric could be developed into new treatments for oesophageal cancer.

"Rates of oesophageal cancer have gone up by more than a half since the 70s and this is thought to be linked to rising rates of obesity, alcohol intake and reflux disease so finding ways to prevent this disease is important too."

Each year around 7,800 people are diagnosed with oesophageal cancer in the UK. It is the sixth most common cause of cancer death and accounts for around five percent of all UK cancer deaths.

Source: BBC

Curry News October : Stockport/Manchester

The CurryCouncil have noted a few interesting developments on their recent travels across the North West in October.

Cinnamon Lounge (Hazel Grove) Opening Soon

The currycouncil have been alerted to a new Indian restaurant opening soon in Hazel Grove (Stockport). The Cinnamon Lounge will be located on London Road and is on the same site as the former Monihar Indian restaurant.

The exclusive photo below shows the front of the restaurant and it looks like it will be opening very soon.

Cinnamon Lounge
A 212 London Road, Hazel Grove, Stockport, SK7 4DF.
T 0161 483 8880

Khandoker (Bramhall) Still waiting.......

The currycouncil are disappointed to see that the long awaited Khandoker restaurant in Bramhall (Stockport) still has not opened.

The Khandoker website has now finally changed their banner to state "Bramhall Restaurant Opening Winter 09" from the original "Summer 09".

The long delay is due to building regulations. The currycouncil will keep you updated of any new developments.

Moon Indian Restaurant - Review Coming Soon

The next restaurant to be reviewed on the website is the Moon Indian Restaurant on Wilmslow Road, Withington, Manchester.

Moon was listed at number 4 in the Guardian's Top 10 Curry Houses in 2007. Watch this space for our review and to see if we agree with the Guardian's recommendation.

Curry WAGS Rumour

The currycouncil are rumoured to be allowing their better halves to attend the first exclusive CCWAGS (CurryCouncil Wives & Girlfriends) evening in December.

The Xmas treat for the ladies is still to be granted full approval by the council. If approved, it may even get a feature on the website.

Britain's best curry

Do you know the best curry house in Britain? Nominate your choice now with GMTV.

GMTV is looking for the best curry house in Britain. You can nominate a local takeaway, pub or even a posh restaurant, so long as it serves fantastic curries, they want to hear about it.

So if you think your local curry emporium needs proper recognition, email them now with all the details and they could be in the running to win the title of Britain's Best Curry!

Click HERE to vote at the GMTV website.

Takeaways curry favour for the UK

WITH over 15 million takeaways ordered every month, Brits are missing a trick when it comes to dinner.

Brits are buying over 15 million Indian takeaways every month not because they’re too lazy, but because they don’t know what the ingredients are or how to cook Indian food.

New research by Sharwood’s shows almost a third of Brits buy a takeaway every month (31%), and almost one in seven do so at least every week (13%), despite the cost of an average takeaway coming in at over £13 per person.

But when it comes to cooking curry at home, the majority of people have yet to try it. Under half (46%) say they have not attempted to recreate their favourite takeaway Indian dish in their own kitchen.

According to research by Sharwood’s, just one in five people say they don’t have the time to cook a curry in their own home (22%). The real problem lies in the ingredients with almost half saying they either have no idea what goes into their curry, or don’t know where to buy it (47%).

So instead Brits are spending an average of £13 on each takeaway, despite the average price of doing it yourself - or getting a "fake away" coming in at just £2.37 per person, all because we don’t know what goes into an ordinary curry.

Source: Huddersfield Examiner

Curry King returns to restaurant scene with Slumdog

Restaurateur Charan Gill returns to the restaurant industry today with the opening of his new £1.5m Indian restaurant and bar - Slumdog Bar and Kitchen - on the site of a former bar in Glasgow.

Slumdog, a 170-cover restaurant and bar with dishes designed to be shared and based on Indian street food, marks a return to the industry for Gill who sold his Harlequin restaurant empire four years ago in a multi-million pound deal.


Gill said: "The idea behind Slumdog has been in my mind for some time, but it’s only now that I feel I’ve finally found the perfect location and that Glasgow’s thriving bar and social scene is ready for this new culinary concept.

“Having built Harlequin into the largest Indian restaurant chain in Europe, I’m really looking forward to getting stuck into establishing and running Slumdog. It feels like my career has come full circle and I’m starting at the beginning again with my very first outlet."

The restaurant will open in the day to offer light lunches with more formal dining taking over in the evening. A bar will offer snacks and cocktails created by mixologist Bar Nomadics and Slumdog lager, created exclusively for the restaurant by Glasgow's WEST brewery.

In tribute to the film the restaurant is named after, Gill has committed to feed someone from India's slums for every customer who dines at Slumdog during the first month of opening.

Source: bighospitality.co.uk

Fat Free Chasni Recipe

Following on from our popular Chicken Chasni recipe and our lose weight at the curry house feature, the currycouncil bring you a 'fat free' version of this popular Scottish dish.

The "sweet and sour" Chasni indian dish outsells Chicken Tikka Masala 10 to 1 in Glasgow and is becoming increasingly popular.

This creamy chicken dish is cooked with highly aromatic freshly ground dry-roasted spices and honey..... This particular recipe is almost completely fat free. Knock yourself out.

Ingredients

1 tsp Coriander Seeds
1 tsp Cumin Seeds
1 tsp Mustard Seeds (black)
1 tsp Paprika Powder
1 tsp Minced Ginger
1/2 can (200gm) Chopped Plum Tomatoes
1/2 tsp Onion Seeds
2 tbsp Olive Oil
2 tsp Fenugreek Seeds
2 tsp Minced Garlic
2 tsp Tamarind Concentrate
900gm (2lb) Boneless Chicken (cubed)
3 tbsp Clear Honey
1 cup (200ml) Water
1/2 cup (100ml) Natural yoghurt
1 medium Onion (finely chopped)
A handful of Fresh Coriander Leaves (finely chopped)
Salt to taste (optional)
Method

1. Heat a dry frying pan until very hot. Dry roast the whole spices on a high heat for about 1 minute. Remove from the heat, grind and reserve.

2. Heat the olive oil in a large pan. Stir fry the onions until they begin to soften. Add the minced ginger and garlic and stir fry until golden brown. Add the chopped tomatoes and freshly ground spices and stir fry for 2-3 minutes.

3. Mix in the honey, tamarind, salt, water and chicken. Stir in well. Bring to boil and simmer until the chicken is cooked. Add the yoghurt and fresh coriander leaves mixing well. Cook for another minute and serve.

Source: Tomspeirs.co.uk

CurryCouncil CreditCrunch Survival Guide - Hot Deals!

During these difficult financial times the currycouncil are on the prowl for super money saving offers available to our visitors.

The offers listed on our website have been sampled by the currycouncil.com to ensure it's legitimacy.

This months offer is brought to you by the Cinnamon Tree in Heald Green, Stockport (0161 437 5701).

Simply print this webpage and present to your waiter or simply mention currycouncil.com during booking.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SUNDAY NIGHT SPECIAL MENU

Pappadom & Chutney
Choice of starter from menu
Choice of main course from menu*
Pilau Rice or Nan Bread
Side dish of the day
£8.95 per person

Eating in restaurant only
At managers discretion. *Excludes King Prawn

Please note this offer is only available on Sunday's
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Cobra Beer to use £10m marketing campaign to reconnect with Indian heritage

LONDON - Cobra Beer has confirmed its realignment with its ethnic roots and will run a £10m marketing campaign over the next three years focused on its Indian heritage.

Cobra Beer to use £10m marketing campaign to reconnect with Indian heritage

The move, revealed by Marketing (10 June), comes as a result of Molson Coors' acquiring a majority stake in the brand at the end of May from Karan Bilimoria. Today marks the official launch of the joint venture, the Cobra Beer Partnership.

Bilamoria's team had tried to move the beer away from its Indian positioning. It had attempted to link the lager to pub banter through a number of marketing initiatives, including a sponsorship deal with Dave.

However the brand is now lining up activity which returns it to its Indian restaurant heartland, including the sponsorship of National Curry Week in November and the Brick Lane Curry Festival. It has yet to confirm further activity.

Under the new management, it is axing its light variant and reviewing the future of its Cobra Bite range in conjunction with the BitterSweet Partnership, Molson Coors' business unit designed to encourage women to drink beer.

Source: MarketingMagazine

A vintage year for culinary awards - Sanmini's, Ramsbottom

Home to award-winning restaurants such as Ramsons, Ramsbottom's latest draw is Sanmini. Serving curries from Tamil Nadu in southern India, it is located in a Victorian gatehouse at the top of town, where Dev and Padmini Sankar have condensed their knowledge of the region's fare into a capsule menu.

With a glass of Indian shiraz, the 10-plate thali showcases their homely style with flair, while to start, dosai, appalams and idli will ring bells with those who've ventured south of Bangalore. Mains of Chettinad chicken and mutton Madras come with aniseed, chilli and coriander to spare.

The Samini restaurant was named amongst the best in the country in the 2010 Which? magazine Good Food Guide (GFG).

Sanmini’s Indian restaurant, in Ramsbottom Lane, has catapulted into the GFG as a new entry, ranking a cooking score of three — on a par with the famous Nutters in Norden — despite having only been open for a year.

Sanmini’s, the first South Indian cuisine only restaurant in the north of England, is run by the Sankar family from Ramsbottom, notably Dr Padmini Sankar, known as Mini, and her husband Dr Dev Sankar.

Son Sav, who helps run Sanmini’s, said: “We are all elated to have been recognised in the GFG because it normally takes about three of four years. We would never have imagined it a year ago. Cooking has always been my mum’s passion and dream.

Address :
7 Carrbank Lodge,
Ramsbottom Lane,
Ramsbottom
BL0 9DJ.

Telephone : 01706821831
Website : www.sanminis.com

Source : Guardian Lifestyle
PrestwichandWhitefieldguide.co.uk

Cinnamon Tree - Heald Green

T 0161 437 5701
A 224 Finney Lane • Heald Green • Cheadle SK8 3QA
E info@cinnamontreerestaurant.co.uk
W cinnamontreerestaurant.co.uk

Currycouncil.com "Newcomer Of The Year" Award Winner 2009, read more here

After many years of hearing about the CurryCouncil I finally got the vote of the committee to join them as a honorary guest, to visit the Cinnamon Tree in Heald Green, Stockport to give my valuable opinion, as Captain Curry.

On arrival at the Cinnamon Tree, I received a friendly welcome from the waiters who offered to take my coat and escorted me to the committee table where a few members looked surprised to see me. It then dawned on me that maybe I didn’t get the vote of all the committee and that the vote was rigged by DMS, who had actually drafted me in as a replacement for the missing Loaf again. Maybe this was a test for me and the Cinnamon Tree to see if I could eat a curry with a knife and fork while sober.

I was pleased with the interior of the restaurant, as it had a modern feel, with oak flooring and leather chairs for about 40 people downstairs and further tables upstairs.

I was disappointed not to see my little mate Dayo but did check behind the napkin opposite me and underneath the table, to see if he had forgotten his booster seat.

First drink ordered was a pint of Cobra Lager on draught which was good and was swiftly followed by fresh, warm, crisp popadoms with a good selection of dips - this set the standard to come. A particular highlight was an unusual and extremely tasty homemade dip consisting of fresh mango, apple, garlic, green chilli, coriander and mint leaves blended together.

On inspection of the large and varied menu, I noticed a few starters and mains that I had not come across before, which offered a more interesting choice and made my decision on what to order a little harder. There were Cinnamon Hoopers priced at £3.75 which came in a spring roll style, filled with chicken and herbs. We also ordered Cinnamon Kumbi to share, which also went down very well. I opted for a mixed starter for two for £8.50 with DM-S and then realised I had a race on my hands with Dave to get the lions share. It looked mouth watering, as the colours where bright and presentation was good. Overall, this was a good choice as it gave us a varied selection of starters to try.


Moving on to the main course, there was again a good selection of “special” dishes, which most of us opted to try. These included Balti Thawa which is chicken based and Lamb Tikka, sizzling with peppers and not forgetting the Balti Bangle Sizzler at £7.95 l opted for trying the Kofta Anda, as others beat me to the above choices. For those that wanted the standard meals, there was also a good selection at lower prices.


The Kofta consisted of lamb meatballs with a boiled egg. This was accompanied by Lemon Pilau Rice and side orders of Chana Bhaji ( chick peas) and Sag Bhaji (spinach). All the dishes were tasty, although I was not 100% sure about the Lemon Pilau, but still a good alternative if looking for something different. While tucking into the meal all committee members were happy to share each other’s meals to get a good overall opinion of the food being served and to discuss flavours and presentation.

The curry professionals also described to me what the reader, yes that means you, wants from the website including details on special offers and opinions on presentation, style and the overall standard of food and menus. They also said that you may like to recommend a restaurant that you feel deserves a visit from the curry council or give additional information about the food reviews. They even assured me that they do have lots of people who read these reports including the likes of Kerry Katona, who is rumoured to like a good nosh.

Overall I enjoyed my visit to the Cinnamon Tree and would recommend this Indian Restaurant. The service is of a very high standard and the food is even better. It is only a 5 min drive from Manchester Airport and its hotels, so if you if you passing nearby, or staying over before you take a flight, call in - you won’t be disappointed and if it is a Sunday, even better, as they do a special offer on Sundays for £8.95 for 3 courses including coffee.

Cinnamon Tree were the winners of the Currycouncil.com "Newcomer Of The Year" Award (2009) read more here