Kitchen Spy Uncovers Spicy Secrets

A curry lover has penned a book that literally 'lifts the lid' on the secrets of the Indian restaurant trade after posing as a delivery man to gain access to a busy city kitchen.

Dave Loyden spent three years working undercover in Aberdeen to discover the spices and ingredients that give restaurant dishes their "unique" tastes and aromas.

The married father-of-one, 46, only abandoned his mission when things started getting "too hot in the kitchen" and he risked being exposed as a 'mole'.

Loyden has now turned his research into book "Undercover Curry". Dubbed "Spice Catcher", it  reveals for the first time the tricks, techniques and closely-guarded trade secrets Indian chefs "don't want people to know".

Speaking yesterday, David said he hoped the 154-page book would "debunk the myth" that British Indian restaurant curries can't be reproduced at home.

He said: "I've been a curry enthusiast for decades and after each of my frequent Indian restaurant meals I would get to wondering just how those marvellous flavours and aromas were obtained.

"With the passage of time the need to know became an obsession, especially as the chefs refused to divulge their secrets.

"I considered myself a competent curry cook but just couldn't replicate the flavours at home. Even so, I knew it had to be possible."

To get the "knowledge", David left a highly successful career as the owner of a courier firm  in Aberdeen to perform kitchen deliveries and menial tasks at his favourite Bangladeshi restaurant.

Slowly he started to win the trust of the restaurant's staff and was allowed into the kitchen to help in the food preparation, making sure to take a mental note of all he saw.

"The staff thought I was there to earn a wage but all I was after was the knowledge of how to make curries the way they did," said David, who now divides his time between the UK and Brunei, South East Asia.

"I would give up my mornings to come in and peel garlic or prepare veg, scanning the kitchen for prime locations to investigate, taking sneaky peaks inside food tubs and observing chefs at work.

"It took three years living this other life to get what I came for and I did it just in time as near the end they were on to me and gave the important tasks to other people."

The author claims that by following the instructions in Undercover Curry, anyone can whip up a restaurant-quality Indian meal at home "within minutes".

He added: "This is not your standard cook-book full of pretty pictures. Instead, it's packed with arcane, hard-won knowledge that will allow curry lovers to put together fantastic meals and serve them at restaurant speed at home.

"Though the book reveals for the first time in print ingredients that British Indian restaurants use to make their sauces, it also outlines the preparation and cooking processes that are central to the whole operation.

"You do your core preparation in advance, freeze, and then for weeks ahead quality meals can be on the table within 10 to 15 minutes from starting."

David says he is now working on a follow-up title -  but wouldn't be drawn on the subject.

"It's top secret," he said.

Undercover Curry: An insider's exposé of British Indian restaurant cookery is available now, priced £12.99. For more information, visit: www.undercovercurry.com

Curry Saving £ Tip - The British Curry Club

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

The British Cury Club is offering Daily Star and the Daily Express readers a 2for1 deal valid at over 1200 curry houses nationwide to celebrating national curry week.

Perfect for any occasion, who can resist the magic of a madras, a creamy korma or a juicy jalfrezi. However hot you like your dish, there’s a great curry experience wafting for you this month.

Once you register your details here, you can view the directory to see where you want to go for that vindaloo”is it gonna be your local or gonna try somewhere new”.

You can also upgrade to their unlimited 2for1 membership for three, six or twelve month at a discounted rate any time until 15th December 2010.

You can also find other great local and national curry saving offers on our Money Off Vouchers page.

Viceroy - Bollington - Review

T 01625 573 006
A 22 Ingersley Road, Bollington, Macclesfield, Cheshire, SK10 5RF 
W http://www.viceroyindian.com/

Octobers curry fixture had us travelling to Bollington, near to Macclesfield on a cold dark autumn night. Marf had arranged the trip, which unsurprisingly was a short drive from his house.

There were some late arrivals due to some temporary roadworks on route, but it was a fair attendance from the council, with 6 of us present. The usual AWOL suspects were Dayo (who couldn’t come as City were playing a few days later and he isn’t allowed out 2 days within the same week) and Andy (who used his forthcoming marriage as a financial excuse).

We were all pleasantly impressed with the location and adequate car parking facilities. We were greeted and shown to a large waiting area where we were reacquainted with a dear old friend - Mr Bombay Mix. Several pints of Cobra (£2.80 a pint) soon arrived to help wash it down and we could not help but notice the steady stream of visitors arriving at the bar area to collect their takeaways.

Special Dishes listed on the blackboard at the bar

It was a very cosy traditional place which combined the old with the new and it created a nice atmosphere. There were a few mod cons, such as a large Plasma on the wall showing the latest music videos. This TV was situated over a large water feature containing what appeared to be Koi carp which you passed on your way into the main dining area.

We were seated within the main part of the restaurant and again it was of note how busy the place was for a midweek night. Along with us rabble were young couples enjoying a romantic meal along with families and children, which goes to show what a popular eatery this is for the locals.

Fresh plain popodums and 6 dips (60p a Pop and £1.30 for the chutney tray) were served and soon devoured. Certain council members felt that the presentation could have been improved as the dips were given to us in a large tupperware style plastic bowl, but that was overlooked as soon as the dips were tasted.

Unusual Presentation

A variety of starters were ordered by all, including a Bangla Tikka (£3.25), which was described as spicy hot marinated chicken, barbequed in a flaming clay oven. This was a delicious and substantial starter with 4 large pieces of tasty chicken which packed a pleasant kick. The Channa chicken and Chicken Chat Puree (Both £3.55) were also thought highly of by the Council too.

Bangla Tikka Starter

Whilst waiting for the main dishes to arrive, there was a very grown up conversation between the council members regarding the recently announced government decision concerning child benefit cuts to high wage earners. Beany got very animated and even announced that it would hit him hard and may even curtail his curry visits as his £100k salary would struggle to cover his £25 monthly treat.

This unusual topic of chat soon got back to normal (lads weekends to Newcastle / Iceland / Play golf etc) when the mains arrived.  The waiter surprisingly didn’t appear to know which curry was which whilst serving, and after a minute or so of confusion the correct curries were delivered to the right people. 

We were all impressed with the generous portion sizes and got tucked into various courses consisting of both old school dishes, such as Chicken Tikka Madras, and some Viceroy Specials which had been noticed on the Specials board as we had been awaiting seating.

Most of the food was lovely and we had some hot and tasty nann breads to go with it.  There was a small mix up with the waiters originally bringing out garlic naan breads rather than the plain ones which we previously ordered.  The error was rectified by the waiters and some hot plain naans were quickly substituted from the kitchen.

Marf had the Chicken Gur-Khali (a very spicy dish cooked in mustard oil and hot tomato chilli sauce with peppers and onions) which he described as being a nice dish with lots of fresh cooked peppers and onions, but he felt that it was a tad too sweet for his liking and didn’t quite match the description within the menu.

Woodman chose the Balti Exotica (a combination of chicken, lamb and king prawn, cooked in a medium balti sauce authentically prepared with fresh herbs and spices) and he was extremely pleased with his choice although he felt that a couple of extra prawns would have been nice.

Chicken Gur-Khali

Jord unusually forgets to breathe in

All in all a good night was had and with the bill at £23 a head it worked out at a reasonable price too. The council also noted that the Viceroy have a Sunday specials menu with a variety of Indian and English meals ranging from £4.95 for children up to £9.95 for adults, which would undoubtedly be exceptional value for money. Maybe the council should ditch the yearly WAGs curry and take the kids to somewhere like this? It would certainly save on cost and the conversation would probably improve too.

Curry Saving £ Tip - Taste Card

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

The tastecard gives you 50% OFF at 3500+ restaurants throughout Manchester and the rest of the UK.

There are many local Indian restaurants featured heavily amongst the large array of eateries available on the tastecard.  Most of these Indian restaurants either offer a 2 for 1's on main courses or 50% off the food bill.

 
The Manchester Evening News, in association with CityLife, are offering FREE 3 month tastecard membership.  They do not take any payment details and this no strings attached offer is recommended by the CurryCouncil as a great CURRY saving offer.

The card can normally cost up to £69.99 per year, so this is a quite a SAVING.

Click here for more details and to sign up.  Remember to be quick though as these offers are usually not available for long.

Curry Saving £ Tip - Jalfrezi (Bramhall)

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

The highly rated Jalfrezi in Bramhall (Stockport) currently have an Early Diners Special which offers a four course meal for just £10.99.

The deal is available Sunday to Thursday 5.00pm til 7.00pm.  The full details of the offer are below.

 

Visit our Money Off Vouchers page for details of more super curry-saving offers on a local and national basis.