Cobra beer launches 'curry blog'

Cobra beer have launched their own 'curry blog'. The company are now re-focusing on their 'Indian' heritage and reinforcing the beer's association with curry eating.

The currycouncil particularly like the "local curry finder" where you can "enter your postcode to track down a curry for your next get together". The site also includes recipes, a wikipedia quick curry guide and many other interesting features.

Cobra's exciting new multi media campaign introduces a new twitter application titled "Twindaloo" and a new facebook group "We love Curry".

How Britain got the hots for curry

The British have long enjoyed food with a bit of bite. And 200 years ago, an Indian migrant opened Britain's first curry house to cater for the fashion for spicy food.

"Indian dishes, in the highest perfection… unequalled to any curries ever made in England." So ran the 1809 newspaper advert for a new eating establishment in an upmarket London square popular with colonial returnees.

Diners at the Hindostanee Coffee House could smoke hookah pipes and recline on bamboo-cane sofas as they tucked into spicy meat and vegetable dishes.

This was the country's first dedicated Indian restaurant, opened by an entrepreneurial migrant by the name of Dean Mahomed.

But Britons already had a taste for curry. A handful of coffee houses served curries alongside their usual fare, and in the gracious homes of returnees, ladies attempted to recreate dishes and condiments their families enjoyed on the sub-continent.

Some wrote out their own recipes; others may have used one of the many editions of Hannah Glasse's The Art of Cookery, first published in 1747, which contained recipes for curries and pilaus.

"The first recipes were very mild, using more herbs than spices," says antiquarian bookseller Janet Clarke, who specialises in gastronomic titles. "These were curries and pilaus made with coriander seeds, salt, peppercorns and lemon juice."

By the 19th Century, ginger, cayenne, turmeric, cumin and fenugreek had been added to the mix. "I have tried making these old recipes myself - they are wonderful."

Piccalilli is an early English attempt at Indian pickle; kedgeree's origins are more ambiguous, but this colonial-era dish uses Indian spices.

Food historian Ivan Day says cooking methods also differed. "The British didn't really get the idea of frying the meat in ghee or another fat. Rather than the fresh spices available in India, these had been on a boat for half a year."

Spicy mix

Peter Groves, co-founder of National Curry Week, which started on Sunday, says the Western taste for spicy foods developed centuries earlier. "All the spices of the East came back with the people who fought in the Crusades."

The lucrative spice trade prompted various European powers to establish their presence in India, either through trading companies or colonisation.

This "masala" of cultures, and the Mughal conquest of India, resulted in hybrid creations, including Persian-inspired biryani and vindaloo, a Goan version of a Portuguese meat dish.

Indians tend to label dishes by specific names like korma and dopiaza. "Curry is a catch-all term," says Dr Lizzie Collingham, author of Curry: A Tale of Cooks and Conquerors. "It's easy shorthand for 'what Indians eat'."

One theory suggests the word comes "kari", Tamil for sauce. However, an English cookbook, The Forme of Cury, was published in the 1390s. (Read it online with Project Gutenberg )

"All hot food of the time was referred to as cury. It came from the French word 'cuire' which means to cook."

Exotic tastes

A 19th Century account records the British in India eating curry for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Yet within three years of opening the Hindostanee in London, its proprietor, Mr Mahomed, applied for bankruptcy.

"It was a good restaurant but the climate was wrong," says Mr Groves. "People didn't go out to eat then. They tended to have their own chef or do cooking at home."

The restaurant carried on until 1833, but under different ownership.

The British enthusiasm for all things Indian spread to the expanding middle classes over the 19th Century.

"Queen Victoria made it very fashionable, as she had an Indian staff who cooked Indian food every day," says Mr Day. At Osborne House, Victoria - the Empress of India - built an Indian-themed state room decorated by an eminent architect of the Punjab.

Curry became so popular, an 1852 cookbook stated "few dinners are thought complete unless one is on the table". Novelist William Thackeray - who was born in Calcutta - penned a Poem to Curry, and inflicted a blisteringly hot curry on his anti-heroine Becky Sharp in Vanity Fair.

But the interest in curry cooled after 1857 when Indian soldiers rebelled against British rule in the subcontinent.

"[Curry's popularity] recovered by the 1870s when Prime Minister Disraeli decided to make empire a part of his politics," says Dr Collingham.

India became the brightest jewel in the crown, but Mr Groves says British culinary interests were turning from East to West. "Everyone who was anybody had French chefs."

Curry and chips

"At the beginning of the 20th Century, curry was not very popular," says Dr Collingham. "It was not well-to-do to have a house that smells of curry."

Instead, the British diet was dominated by red meat, accompanied by home-grown vegetables such as cabbage and potatoes.

At the same time, a number of Indian sailors jumped ship or were dumped at major ports including Cardiff and London. These seamen from Sylhet - now a region in Bangladesh - opened cafes, mainly to cater for fellow Asians.

"They were self-taught but they cleverly adapted themselves to the British palate," says Mr Groves.

And in the 1940s, they bought bombed-out chippies and cafes, says Ms Collingham, selling curry and rice alongside fish, pies and chips. "They stayed open really late to make money to catch the after-pub trade."

And so the ritual of the post-pub curry was born.

"It took quite a long time for the British to recover from World War II," says Ms Collingham. "They were willing and more open to try new things."

After 1971, there was an influx of Bangladeshis following war in their homeland, particularly to London's rundown East End. Many entered the catering trade, and today they dominate the curry industry.

"They own 65-75% of the Indian restaurants in the country. Without their input and hard work, we wouldn't have the curry industry that we have today," says Mr Groves.

An industry so popular the then foreign secretary Robin Cook described chicken tikka masala as "a true British national dish" - and yet another example of an Indian recipe modified for British tastes.

Ms Collingham says ultimately, the British love affair with curry boils down to the imagined glamour of the Raj.

"India has a certain magic because of the colonial relationship."

Source: BBC

Purple Pakora - Poynton (WAGS night out)

T 01625 878 878
A 9 London Road South, Poynton, Stockport, SK12 1JX
W www.purplepakora.com/

Arrangements were put in place for the currycouncil and their WAGS (wives and girlfriends) to attend the inaugural WAGS currycouncil event.

In an unprecedented council first, the WAGS were allowed to attend a curry with their better halves and esteemed council members. Rachel kindly volunteered to select a convenient date and a suitable venue. The Purple Pakora in Poynton was booked in advance and our party met for a quick drink in the Kings bar across the road from the restaurant.

We casually walked the short distance from the pub to the Purple Pakora. The WAGS were immediately impressed by the tastefully lit bright bubble wall and the chic interior of this modern establishment. The lads were left wondering if we had managed to secure our place in the infamous private ‘orange room’ that Rachel had eagerly promised.

The waiter promptly asked our party to follow him to the "orange room" and we were seated in the comfy and colourful booth. The gigantic round wooden table with a revolving server easily seated our party of ten. We were surrounded by bright orange "Austin Powers-esque" padded velour walls and seats.

The ladies quickly turned the conversation to babies and who was on babysitting duties. The majority of the kiddies were tucked up safely at home with their Naana’s! It was noted that the currycouncil have started a new trend of naming their offspring after famous Indian food related items - Rubi “Murray”, Poppy "dom" and “Rogan” Josh.

It was immediately noted that the restaurant offered “Lal Toofan”. All of the lads seized this opportunity to sample this rarely available draught Indian lager.

The refreshing Lal Toofan is brewed using Rajanstani basmati rice and is moderately strong at 5.2% alcoholic volume. This crisp lager is a good accompaniment to spicy food.

The waiter suggested that we all sampled the party banquet for ease of service. The order was taken with everyone opting for the banquet which consisted of pops & dips, shared mixed starter, any main course with unlimited rice and naan for £14.50 per person.

The shared mixed starters arrived and consisted of a mixture of seek kebab, chicken tikka, onion bhaji and fried garlic mushrooms. These tasted great and were enjoyed by all.

The ladies opted for the traditionally milder curries such as Korma, Dupiaza and Karahi. Woody followed the trend set by ladies by having the milder Chicken Tikka Chom Chom (strips of chicken tikka in a thick masala sauce using green and red fried peppers).

The lads sampled the traditionally hotter curries such as the Madras, Jalfrezi and the Chicken Tikka Silsila. The main courses were given the thumbs up by all.

Two portions of chips were also ordered and this was frowned upon by the more traditional members of the council.

Naan’s were superbly presented on a metallic naan tree and were cooked to perfection. The food and service was impeccable and couldn’t be faulted.

The waiters at the PP always seem to have a smile and are prepared to join in with our banter. You certainly won’t get a table here on a Saturday without booking in advance, the place was heaving.

In summary, you won't go far wrong with an evening at the Purple Pakora and can expect decent food and good service. If you are in a group of 10 or more, remember to ask for the orange room and let the WAGS dine out in style!

'Authentic' curry on the menu

A NEW city centre Indian restaurant opened it doors last week to a packed house and is hopeful it's going to stay this way.

Zaika, which literally translates 'sophisticated flavours' is a posh new Indian without the posh prices.

Based on Watson Street near Casino 235 and Epernay Champagne Bar, it hopes to cater towards city centre dwellers and is central enough to go for a curry and hit the town straightaway.

The restaurant will only be serving authentic Indian dishes taken from different regions of India as well as other parts of South Asia.

The kitchen team includes cooks from both Bangladesh, India and Pakistan, covering all diverse cuisines.

Its head chef Babu Ram, has worked in five star hotels in Mumbai, Dubai and Singapore before settling in Manchester and the menu will incorporate traditional, classic flavours and original dishes.

Its manager Bob Hoque, who has 37-years experience in the Asian catering industry, said: "This is a unique restaurant as we want to bring the real taste of South Asia to our customers.

"We realised there was a need for this type of restaurant especially in the heart of the city centre where everything is in walking distance."

Manchester entrepreneur and director of Zaika, Steven Bardsley is confident of this new venture and has planned to open another three branches of Zaika by end of next year in city centre locations.

He said: "This is my first Indian restaurant but my colleagues and partners all have experience in the business.

"We are very excited about this and realise its potential that we already expect to expand."

It seats 180 across two floors with two bars, with a further 60 seats in a forecourt area and a VIP room will host private parties for up to 20 guests.

Already Zaika has been booked up by corporate clients over the festive season and could even be a celebrity hangout in the coming months.

Its international marketing manager, Raj Sarin added: "The VIP room is something that other restaurant don't have and this is something that will appeal not only to customers who want to book it for their own private parties but this is something that will appeal to celebs as well."

Source: TheAsianNews

Barinda - Cheadle Hulme

T 0161 482 8383
A 7/11 Gillbent Road, Cheadle Hulme, SK8 7LE
E barindatakeaway@googlemail.com
W www.barinda.com/


A last minute change of attendees led to the Council opting for a meal at the Barinda in Cheadle Hulme for this month’s curry, having driven past the restaurant and take away on numerous occasions it was deemed that it was overdue a visit.

This restaurant is unlicensed and has a “bring your own alcohol” policy with no corkage fee for wine or beer. So a quick visit to the shop across the road to buy 10 large bottles of cold cobra for us to enjoy with our meal.

Upon entering we were greeted warmly by the very friendly waiters and seated straight away in the small but cosy restaurant. Our bottles were opened and glasses were brought quickly whilst we pondered over the extensive menu. The usual two popodums each were ordered and were fresh crisp and warm – good start.

Four chicken chaats and one mixed kebab were chosen as starters. Keith rated his mixed kebab as superb. Whilst the general consensus of the chicken chaat was that it was very nice but slightly on the small side and disappointingly came with no side salad.


The main courses chosen were two chicken tikka madras, 2 shaslick karahi chicken and the Loaf disgracefully opted for the chicken korma. The mains were ordered with pilau rice, vegetable rice and peshwari naan’s.

DMS and Marf were very happy with their Madras giving it an unbelievable 10/10. Whilst the shaslick was of a very high standard and the loaf giving his korma a massive thumbs up.

The staff were very friendly and attentive which made for a very enjoyable dining experience, made all the sweeter by the credit crunch busting £15 per head.

The Barinda appeared to be popular with the locals with roughly 20 people in the small restaurant on a Wednesday night. It must be noted that the Barinda gained 5 out of 5 by the Stockport Environmental Health for food hygiene which is highly commendable considering that only 10 businesses in Stockport have achieved the 5 star standard - see for yourself at www.scoresonthedoors.org.uk.

The Curry Council would highly recommend visiting the Barinda restaurant for a sit in meal or take away based on our experience with excellent food, good value, good service and the comfort of knowing they have impeccable kitchen hygiene standards and this member will definitely be visiting again soon.

Scores On The Doors - Food Hygiene Ratings

The currycouncil have found an interesting website www.scoresonthedoors.org.uk.

Scores on the doors is a national public information service where you can find the official local authority hygiene ratings for food businesses.

Find out how hygienic and well-managed the food preparation at any of the premises listed here are, such as your favourite take-aways, clubs, pubs and restaurants.

Only 10 businesses achieved 5 stars in Stockport metropolitan borough council.

Cooking the ultimate Ruby Murray

Curry, we love it so much, we spend an average £15,000 on it in a lifetime, according to Pataks. ITV's GMTV is currently on a nationwide search for the best curry restaurant in Britain. And lordy, scientists at Nottingham Trent University have discovered people can become addicted to them.

Yet we still bastardise the dish (hence it's utterly incorrect reputation as being unhealthy). So what is curry? Executive chef of the Cinnamon Club, Vivek Singh, in his book, Curry, says: 'A more plausible explanation is when the British officers in the East India Company were stationed in Chennai, they would ask the local staff what was being cooked. The dishes were different daily but they were told 'curry' or mixture.'

Indeed, as national curry week kicks off on November 22, Britain's Indian gourmets are on a mission to show us a better Ruby Murray. It's an easy feat – just get your spices right. And add them to your dish at different stages, says Mallika Basu, originally from Kolkata, West Bengal, whose cooking blog now has 20,000 users.

'Where people go wrong is they use premixed curry powders. The spices start deteriorating as soon as the packet is opened. The trick is, whole spices, you add at the beginning. Spice powders, go in after the wet ingredients like onion, garlic, and ginger are in.'

We went on a spice tour with the Michelin-starred chef, Sriram Aylur, of Quilon, who specialises in South Indian cuisines from Kerala.

He says: 'Cloves, cumin, cinnamon, peppercorns, cardamom and chilli are the spices to get initially.' Buy them whole, then grind them in a coffee grinder or pestle and mortar.'

And you can forget overcooked rice. For the fluffy stuff, Michelin-starred chef, Atul Kochhar, of Benares, says only use basmati (available in all supermarkets).

He says: 'Rinse in a sieve under a cold tap. Soak it in cold water for five to ten minutes. Simmer in salted water for five to eight minutes. Then drain.'

Then there's the bread. Basu has a simple naan recipe from her great aunt's kitchen: 'You mix 350g self raising flour with 200ml soda water (warm), add 1tsp salt and 1/2tsp nigella seeds. Then beat it and punch it, or use a machine. Leave, covered. Whack the oven to its highest temperature. Put it in for eight minutes and you don't even need to flip it over. Butter and sprinkle with nigella seeds.'

She concludes: 'The curry should be fresh, not with artificial colourings, this is key.'

For Basu's blog and recipes, see www.quickindiancooking.com.

For restaurants, try Atul Kochhar's Benares, www.benaresrestaurant.com; Sriram Aylur's Quilon, www.quilon.co.uk; and Mark Read's Awana, www.awana.co.uk

Source : Metro

Zaika opens in Manchester

There's a posh new Indian restaurant and bar opening in town this week. Zaika, which literally translates as 'sophisticated flavours', will be serving refined yet creative Indian cuisine with a Western twist.


It is situated opposite Manchester235 and next door to Taps Bar and Epernay at the Great Northern Tower. The kitchen team is headed up by chef Babu Ram, who worked in five star hotels in Mumbai, Dubai and Singapore before settling in Manchester and the menu will incorporate traditional, classic flavours and original dishes.

There will be seating for 180 across two floors with two bars, with a further 60 seats in a forecourt area. The VIP room will host private parties for up to 20 guests.

Address: 2 Watson Street, Great Northern Tower, Manchester, Greater Manchester M3 4EE
Phone: 0161 839 5111
email: eat@zaika.co.uk

Source : Manchester Confidential

Garam Masala: The most famous spice blend India has to offer

Anyone remotely familiar with Indian food has probably heard of Garam Masala. Garam Masala is the most popular spice blend in India and is synonymous with Indian Moghlai cooking. Several brands of this fiery spice blend can be found at your local Indian store. One can even find a bottle of it at your Mega grocery store in the spice isle (even McCormicks makes their own blend). But what exactly is this mysterious spice blend and how does one use it? Let’s take a little journey to better understand Garam Masala.

Garam in Hindi means hot and Masala is of course, a spice blend. Garam Masala traces its roots back to Persia where ‘Garm’ is the Persian word for hot and ‘Masaleh’ is the word for ingredients. Garam Masala made it over to India with invasion of the Islamic Kings. This spice blend adds tremendous flavor and heat to a dish. The heat generated from this masala is unlike the burn you get from chilies. It feels more like warmth being introduced to your body – perfect for now as it starts getting colder.

Garam Masala is used whole as well as in its powdered form. When used whole (khada) the spices are added at the start of the dish preparation. It is crackled in hot oil thereby adding its flavor to it. The food cooked in this medium thus better absorbs the flavors as it simmers. The best example of this is Rice Pilaf, made fragrant and aromatic with the addition of the whole spices. When used as a powder, it is usually sprinkled over the dish right at the end of the preparation just before taking off the flame for service. Garam Masala powder serves the purpose of adding flavor and aroma.

As the flavors are so volatile, the store-bought Garam Masala blends over a short period of time lose their flavor and aroma. A true food aficionado makes his or her own Garam Masala blend and grinds it fresh to ensure maximum flavor. By toasting the spices mildly before grinding, one can guarantee better flavor and aroma. It is well worth the extra effort.

The components of the ‘Classic’ Garam Masala are cinnamon, cardamom (both green and black), cloves, bay leaves and black peppercorns. In terms of proportions, every cook in India has his or her own recipe. Chefs also bolster their Garam Masala blends with the addition of other basic spices such as cumin, coriander seeds, Nutmeg and Mace. Through trial and error, you will arrive at your own Garam Masala blend that works best for you.

The following recipe has a high proportion of peppercorns and is bolstered with cumin. This blend is perfect when making red meat curries.

2 tablespoons cumin seeds

2 tablespoons black peppercorns

1 large stick cinnamon

1 teaspoon cardamom

1 teaspoon cloves

3 - 4 medium dried bay leaves

Toast the ingredients slightly in a skillet till the spices turn a light brown.

Allow to cool and grind to a fine powder in a spice grinder. It is best to grind your spices whenever you need to use it to get the best flavor. Store left over spices in an air tight jar in a cool dark place.

Happy Eating!

Source: Examiner.com

Recipes from the Bombay Brasserie: a date with posh spice

At the Bombay Brasserie, London’s veteran hotspot for A-list curry eaters, the quality of the namedropping is only outdone by the food itself

Squashed between two west London hotels, high Edwardian on one side, the other considerably less grand, the Bombay Brasserie presents a rather unprepossessing face to the world. True, it has a large chandelier suspended over the doorway and a mini mosaic pool with a water feature, both of which hint at something beyond the average Indian restaurant, but the narrow steps guarded by grimy greenery and black railings are no giveaway at all to the magnificence within.

And the Bombay Brasserie is magnificent. Not only for its longevity and its looks (somewhere between royal palace and five-star hotel), but also for the constant place it holds in London’s ever-changing social life. Banks may collapse, fashions fade and recession threaten, but the Bombay Brasserie carries on unscathed, providing succour to a core section of A-list society. If you want to catch a glimpse of Michael Winner, Ozzy Osbourne, Woody Allen, Elizabeth Hurley or Bruce Springsteen having dinner, this is the place to do it. And – unusually, given the often cavalier attitude to food exhibited at many celebrity hangouts – the Bombay Brasserie is also the place to eat excellent authentic Indian food.

When the restaurant opened in 1982 the owners, the Taj Group, wanted to showcase Indian food in London,’ says Arun Harnal, the director of operations, who has been at the restaurant for more than 20 years. 'They felt that no one else was doing that.’ The first menu they produced was based on the kind of cuisine available in Bombay: spicy Goan dishes, Gujarati food, tandoori from northern India, and dishes inspired by the street food and beach stalls of the city itself.

'This kind of food had never been done in London before, especially in this type of environment,’ Harnal says. 'The dining-room looked like the last days of the Raj with palms and wicker chairs, paddle fans and sepia prints of colonial types at play.’ In this palatial setting, ensconced in a rattan chair with Singapore sling to hand, you sensed, as one critic noted, 'what it was like to be the Nizam of Hyderabad and his totty out on the town’.

The original reservations book, and an archive of photos of celebs enjoying themselves among the potted palms, is a fascinating record of who was indeed out on the town, with or without totty, nearly 30 years ago. 'Look here,’ Harnal says, turning the pages reverently. 'There’s Bob Payton, he used to come here with Peter Langan, and there’s Loyd Grossman on December 16 1982, and there’s Loyd back again on the 19th.’

We work our way down the rows of names: Terence Conran, Michael Caine, Rory Bremner, Grossman again (January 5 1983), Barbara Broccoli, Lord Litchfield, Ms J Lumley, 'and look, Loyd Grossman’, Shirley Conran, Uma Thurman, the Merchant Ivory team (the Heat and Dust crew had their wrap party here in 1983), Madhur Jaffrey, someone called Viva whose fiancé had proposed to her in the restaurant and who had spotted (how annoying must that have been for the proposer) Stevie Wonder across a crowded room and asked him to sing a song for her. He did. 'Andrew Lloyd Webber… every night during Phantom of the Opera he’d be sitting in the bar waiting for a table… oh look, Loyd Grossman [February 20 1983].’ We pause over an entry reading 'Mrs Honey and Dr Dodge’ (who on earth were they, and what were they up to?).

The 15th anniversary was conducted by VS Naipaul, Michael Caine, Martin Bell, Mickie Most and Paul Gambaccini; Dave Allen cut the cake. You would be hard put to find a more incongruous collection of people; the only one missing is Mr Grossman, but no, he’s back again in March… along with Jerry Hall ('still married to Mick then’), Kenny Everett, Graydon Carter and John Major (how satisfying if he had been there with Mrs Currie; but sadly, history, or at least the reservation book, does not relate).

Today, things are slightly different. Loyd Grossman doesn’t seem to be in so often (which could go either way, according to your point of view), and the restaurant has lost its raffish, polo-playing atmosphere and become a rather more businesslike venue. But that hasn’t stopped a new stream of punters pouring through, including Goldie Hawn, Anthony Hopkins and Trevor Nunn. Celebrities regularly call on the culinary skills of the Brasserie’s grand executive chef, Hemant Oberoi, who oversees the menus for the Taj Group. In 2007 Liz Hurley flew him to Rajasthan to cater her wedding, and more recently he has cooked for both President Bush and Hillary Clinton.

And the food has lost none of its star quality; last week the restaurant was named Best in London at the British Curry Awards. 'We still have 30 per cent of what was on the original menu,’ Harnal says. 'But now people want something a little different. We still cook proper Indian food, the forgotten dishes of rural India, things like murg khatta pyaz [chicken cooked with pickled onions], dum ki nalli [slow-cooked lamb steak with spices], and masala seabass.’ All this is courtesy of the charming executive chef, Prahlad Hegde, the holder of a lifetime achievement award from the Good Curry Guide.

In November 1982, when the Bombay Brasserie was ready to launch, the company consulted an astrologer as to which would be the most auspicious day to open. 'Don’t think of doing anything in November,’ he advised. 'December 10 is the day for success’ so they delayed the launch until then. It seems that the stars – astrological as well as social – are still favourably aligned.

The Bombay Brasserie, Courtfield Road, London SW7 (020-7370 4040; bombaybrasserielondon.com)

Source: Telegraph

If you enjoyed reading this article , click here to read a Bombay Brasserie Recipe.

Bombay Brasserie recipe: scallops flavoured with curry leaf on tomato chutney

Seafood recipe from the Bombay Brasserie, London’s hotspot for A-list curry eaters.

Scallops flavoured with curry leaf on tomato chutney

For the scallops

16 king scallops, without shell

2 tbsp lemon juice

¼ tsp turmeric powder

1 tsp curry leaves, pulverised in a blender

1 tbsp vegetable oil

For the tomato chutney

2 tbsp vegetable oil

2 tsp ginger and garlic paste (3 cloves of garlic, peeled, and ½cm of peeled ginger pulverised

in a blender or pestle and mortar)

1 tsp red chilli powder

½ tsp turmeric powder

8 medium tomatoes, quartered

2 tbsp gram flour, roasted (by dry-stirring for

a few minutes in a warm pan)

for tempering the chutney

2 tbsp vegetable oil

1 tsp cumin seeds

¼ tsp mustard seeds

8 whole dried red chillies

8 curry leaves

to decorate

16 curry leaves

8 cherry tomatoes

Preheat the oven to 180C/gas mark 4. Place the scallops in a bowl and mix with the lemon juice, turmeric and curry leaves until well covered. Season with salt. Heat the oil in a pan and sear the scallops on each side. Remove the scallops from the pan, and place in an ovenproof dish to cook for 3-5 minutes in the oven. Remove from the oven, set aside and keep warm.

To make the tomato chutney, heat the oil in a frying-pan and sauté the ginger and garlic paste for a few minutes. Add the red chilli powder, turmeric and tomatoes and cook for 10 minutes. Mix the gram flour in eight tablespoons of water to make a thin paste, and add it to the cooking tomato mix. Simmer for five minutes. Blend the tomato mix and strain through a sieve. Season with salt, return the mix to the frying-pan, and cook for a further 10 minutes.

To temper the spices, heat the vegetable oil for a few minutes, add the spices one at a time to the hot oil, then mix in with the tomatoes. Spoon the tomato chutney on to a plate, and gently lift the scallops and place them on top of the chutney.

Garnish each scallop with a toothpick skewered through a crisply fried curry leaf and half a cherry tomato.

Wine choice 2009 Bush Vines Chenin Blanc, Zalze, Western Cape, South Africa £5.99, Waitrose. Chenin made from old vines is one of the Cape’s USPs. I am not sure why something this good is so cheap. Don’t tell the winery – just revel in the lush, tropical flavours that temper the spice of this dish while the trademark chenin acidity counters the rich scallops.

Source: Telegraph

Cobra Beer plans integrated push around Curry Week

LONDON - Cobra Beer is to run an integrated advertising, digital PR and retail campaign highlighting its sponsorship of National Curry Week from November 22 to 28.

From the start of the week Cobra ads will run in The News of the World and The Sun, and there will be radio promotions in Manchester, London and Birmingham.

The campaign will feature top Indian chefs, including Anjum Anand from BBC programme 'Indian Food Made Easy'.

Cobra's website will carry a recipe from Anand as well as filmed "cook-alongs" from amateur curry chefs, while social media activity will include a Twitter game - Twindaloo - and a dedicated "We Love Curry" page on Facebook.

PR activity will focus on equipping people to cook curry from scratch at home, and the brand will be on promotion in the big four supermarkets and the Co-Operative.

National Curry Week will see many of the 9,500 Indian restaurants in the UK host dinners in aid of contributing to the alleviation of poverty and suffering in South Asia and worldwide.

Cobra is refocusing on its Indian heritage after falling into administration earlier this year following an attempt to widen its appeal.

In May the UK arm of Cobra was acquired by a joint venture consisting of Molson Coors and Cobra founder Lord Karan Bilimoria, called Cobra Beer Partnership.

Kevin Wallace, brand director of Cobra Beer Partnership, said: "Our aim is to help strengthen further the association between the brand and curry eating occasions, both by equipping Brits to cook Indian cuisine in the home, and building upon the brand's prominence in Indian restaurants and curry-houses.

Source: Brandrepublic

Indian Ocean scores hat-trick at curry 'Oscars'

A TAMESIDE restaurant scored a hat-trick after being named the best curry house in the north west for the third time at a glittering ceremony celebrating the best in the spice industry.

The Indian Ocean Restaurant based in Ashton-under-Lyne has proved that good things come in threes, by being named best restaurant for the third year in a row at the prestigious British Curry Awards.

The honour recognises 'the continued excellence of the Indian Ocean experience, including its food, service and public profile.'

The British Curry Awards are amongst the highest honours available in the spice industry, often being referred to as the Oscars of Asian cuisine.

The glittering ceremony was held at the Battersea Evolution Centre in London last week and was attended by top industry figures and celebrities including host Sir Trevor McDonald, Conservative party leader David Cameron and TV celebrity Chris Tarrant.

David Cameron highlighted the importance of the curry industry in Britain, which is worth £3.5 billion per year, and said that it is important that immigration policy allows the top chefs from the Indian subcontinent to enter Britain and further enhance the quality of Indian food.

The awards are judged on a regional basis and the Indian Ocean beat off stiff competition from across the north west, one of the biggest markets for Asian cuisine in the country.

Indian Ocean Owner Nahim Aslam said: "It is a great honour to be given such a prestigious award any year, but to get it for a third year in a row is particularly special.

"We work hard to produce the best and most authentic food possible, celebrating tradition as well as innovation. I am doubly pleased that a regional award such as this recognises our contribution to the local community. The pressure is on to win again next year!"

Founder of the curry awqards, Enam Ali MBE added: "Our winners represent the cream of the industry and have to achieve something truly memorable to win. We are delighted to see restaurants like the Indian Ocean come back with new ideas year after year and they and their colleagues are driving this industry forward."

Source: Tameside Advertiser

Birmingham restaurant Lasan on The F Word with Gordon Ramsay

A BIRMINGHAM restauranteur hits our TV screens tomorrow as celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay searches for the UK’s best eatery.

Aktar Islam, head chef at Lasan in the Jewellery Quarter, and his assistant Aysan Shaikh, will cook-off against culinary experts from another Indian diner on the new Channel 4 show The F Word’s Best Local Restaurant.

On previous series’ of the aptly-titled The F Word, foul-mouthed Ramsay has invited celebrity families to compete against each other.

But in this new series Gordon is on the hunt for unsung local champions and from thousands of entries has hand-picked two establishments in nine food categories with Lasan winning through in the Indian section.

Birmingham-born Aktar, aged 29, said: “It’s a fantastic achievement to be the only restaurant in Birmingham selected.

“We’ve always known people in Birmingham have been supportive of what we do but this is a good opportunity to show the rest of the country the good food coming out of Birmingham.”

Both teams will cook three courses for 50 diners and the pair who get the most customers to pay for their dishes will be crowned champions of the Indian restaurant category.

The four highest scoring section champions throughout the series will be invited to partake in the show’s semi-finals early next year and vie for a place in the grand final.

Each week the starter and desert are chosen by Ramsay but the mains are selected by the contestant chefs, with Aktar opting for a pan fried fillet of seabass on wilted spinach with new potatoes and Bengali fish broth and rice.

Source: Birmingham Mail

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

address
3-4 Dakota Buildings
James Street
St Paul's Square
BIRMINGHAM
B3 1SD

web www.lasangroup.com/restaurant
email info@lasan.co.uk

tel 0121 212 3664 and 0121 247 8570
fax 0121 212 3665

Tory leader praises UK’s Indian restaurants at British Curry Awards

Tory party leader David Cameron praised Britain’s £3.5b curry restaurant industry for its promotion of community cohesion at the British Curry Awards, now into its fifth year.

Speaking at the event on 3 November at London’s Battersea Evolution venue, the politician said: “The British curry industry is a great success story. It’s shown how people from all backgrounds, with different creeds and cultures, can come together as one.”

Around 3,000 restaurants were nominated for the awards by 43,000 public nominations. An initial judging process then produced a list of 100 finalists. This year’s winners included London’s Bombay Brasserie restaurant, which was voted Best Indian Restaurant in the awards back in 2005.

Source: caterersearch.com

Is the British curry under threat?

New regulations governing the granting of short-term visas are being criticised for threatening the continued success of Britain's curry industry. What's the solution?

Glancing around the room at the British Curry Awards earlier this week, it would be hard to believe that the Indian restaurant industry in the UK is whispering words of crisis.

In the car park, stewards were carefully guiding into place motors that would laugh out loud at a piffling £100,000 price tag. Inside, the dining room was packed to capacity with wealthy Asian business people. The men sported pleasingly rounded, prosperous stomachs and the women wore more gold than you would find at Fiddy Cent's birthday party.

This is a huge business, worth more than £3.5bn and employing well over 100,000 people. The presence of the Conservative party leader, David Cameron provided further evidence of just how important a demographic this prominent and wealthy group is to politicians and the British economy. Yet when organiser Enam Ali MBE gave his opening remarks, the tone was as challenging as it was celebratory. The curry industry is facing a serious threat.

It was not, as one might imagine, being blamed on the recession. It seems to have weathered this storm thanks to the pathological need of the nation for a 'British' curry, expressed perfectly by co-host, Chris Tarrant when he joked "I was in India recently and kept thinking to myself 'it's OK, but not as good as the real thing'".

The menus of many of our beloved curry houses may be a bizarre convergence of Bangladeshi, Indian and Pakistani ex-pat cooking with British tastes, but there are times when only a chicken tikka masala will hit the spot. It is not even the threat from other dining options. Indian restaurants are holding their own against the onslaught of a growing number of alternatives and the days when people will say "I could murder a few pints and a burrito" are still far, far away.

Instead, according to Enam Ali, the challenge comes from the very people who have offered some of the most vociferous support for the industry - the government, and specifically the Home Office. The problem has its roots in a 2005 change to the policy governing the issuing of short-term visas, which made the hiring of skilled chefs from the subcontinent more difficult.

It is not a new story and one that Mr Ali has mentioned at previous events, but the impact is now being felt as there is a new generation of young chefs in the UK who are not receiving the guidance normally given to them by experts from India. He believes that this, combined with the recent tightening of visa sponsorship regulations to include more stringent language requirements adds up to a genuine threat to the long-term health of the industry.

As Enam Ali spoke, my host Wasim Tayyab who I'm delighted to say collected a gong in the 'Best Casual Dining' category whispered in my ear "this is the biggest problem for all of us right now" and at the tables surrounding us others were nodding their heads vigorously in agreement, some rising to their feet to applaud the sentiment of their spokesman. It was obviously an issue upon which every person in the room had a strong opinion.

I don't agree with Mr Ali's argument that the regulations should be revised because "you don't need to speak English to cook a curry." Contributing to British society requires so much more of you than just staying in your workplace. Nor do I think that the will have much more joy with David Cameron. His attendance and words of support were greeted like those of a liberating general, but his polices, if the Conservative Party were elected to government, could potentially be even more challenging.

However, curry houses or Indian restaurants, call them what you will, continue to play such an important part in British cultural life that I believe any threat to their wellbeing is something we should take very seriously. This is not just a challenge to the vibrancy of our dining scene (although I can see nods of agreement coming from the owners of Chinese, Thai and Malaysian restaurants too) it also poses a threat to any area of cultural life where we strive to improve and excel. Be it food or the arts, the policy will undoubtedly have a similar impact.

Source: Guardian

Free Wine at the Dilshad Indian restaurant in Handforth, Wilmslow

The Dilshad Indian Restaurant has just opened in Wilmslow. They offer the ultimate in high quality Indian cuisine. It is located at 140 Wilmslow Road, the restaurant was previously known as "Ocean City".

The Dilshad are currently offering a free bottle of wine for every party dining in the restaurant.

Address: 140 Wilmslow Road, Handforth, Wilmslow, SK9 3LQ
Telephone:  01625 535 888

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

Mango Lounge in Stockport renamed to "Zeera"

The Mango Lounge Indian Restaurant on Higher Hillgate in Stockport has recently changed its name to Zeera.

The restaurant name “Zeera” originates from zeera seeds that are used as an important spice in Indian cooking.


The restaurant now offers a new website, new a la carte menu, privilege club and an online ordering facility. There is an opening offer of 25% off all meals for all diners until 31 December 2009.

The original restaurant was reviewed by the currycouncil in February 2007.

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

T 0161 477 9989
A 106 Higher Hillgate, Stockport, Cheshire, SK1 3QH
W www.zeerastockport.co.uk
E info@zeerastockport.co.uk