currycouncil.com

British Airways plane grounded by, er, curry

2008-07-02T18:26:00.008+01:00

A British Airways jet had to be grounded for an emergency evacuation after panicky passengers thought they smelled poison gas - which turned out to be a broken container of stinky curry.

The flight from Belgrade to London had to land as travellers thought they were under attack from terrorists.

But an official investigation revealed the fumes had escaped from a giant container of curry spices in the cargo hold.

"The smell spread from the package of an aromatic food spice," confirmed the Serbian Ministry for the Protection of Human Environment.

"The chemical that was found in the cargo hold of the airplane did not leak out. It was sodium-selenite. But the smell did not spread from there."

Dozens of passengers had to flee the plane after it was returned to Belgrade and contained on a special emergency runway at the airport.

Emergency workers wearing breathing apparatus helped screaming passengers off the plane before the source of the fumes was discovered.

Source : TheDailyTelegraph

Emergency call for 1,000 new chefs to save our curry houses

2008-06-28T16:32:00.007+01:00

The heat is on to save our national dish and Ministers have sprung into action.

Curry houses are in crisis because of a shortage of chefs to cook chicken tikka masala. Now Business Secretary John Denham has said he wants 1,000 British curry chefs trained as soon as possible.

He is giving the catering industry emergency funding to set up courses in ethnic food.

The Government will also hold a "curry summit" to discuss ways of saving the industry.

Indian restaurant owners have warned they may have to close because Bangladeshi immigrants who do the cooking are banned under new rules requiring them to speak English.

There are fears the £3.2billion industry could collapse.

Mr Denham said: "The deal will encourage owners to train home grown talent rather than rely on workers from abroad."

But Bangladeshi community spokesman Foysol Choudhury, from Edinburgh, said: "Our chefs don't need to speak English. Their curry talks."

Source : Mirror

Curry house outrage over website

2008-06-27T17:20:00.006+01:00

The owners of a Tooting curry restaurant say they are outraged after being named and shamed on the Government's UK Border Agency website this week for allegedly employing illegal workers.

The shame campaign is part of a Home Office new strategy to stop people smuggling, but Mirch Masala on Upper Tooting Road insists it is innocent and refuses to pay the £10,000 fine dealt out after a police raid on March 31.

Manager Hassan Shahzad said: "We would never employ illegal workers. We have six branches - we could not afford it. The officers behaved very badly. They were shouting because they wanted to scare the people. I was scared myself."

Officers claimed they found two illegal workers but Mr Shahzad said one worker had given him fake identification and the other was a delivery boy not employed by him.

During the raid, a man in his 30s, who Mr Shahzad said was a worried customer, broke two legs after officers chased him onto the roof and he fell to the ground.

Mr Shahzad said he is appealing against the fine and hit out at the Home Office, which he claimed refused to confirm workers' immigration status because of the Data Protection Act.

He said: "I tried to call their helpline to check people's documents, but they just said we can't tell you. I'm so angry."

The Home Office refused to comment on the allegations, but said all 58 businesses named on the website were found guilty and that arrests were based on intelligence.

Mr Shahzad said the reputation of his business had been tarnished by the fine, imposed on May 16, and said the raid scared his customers.

An Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) said this week it was still investigating whether procedures were properly followed during the raid.

Source : Epsom Guardian

Chocolate curry proves imagination goes a long way

2008-06-26T11:03:00.003+01:00

A unique chocolate curry invented by a Wales restaurant has boosted word-of-mouth across the country, suggesting innovation can be helpful in boosting a hospitality institution's standing.

The brainchild of two brothers, Mohammed Ahmed and Abdul, the invention is a concoction of chicken, vanilla and white chocolate, dubbed "the Indian alternative to the battered Mars Bar", according to the Swansea Evening Post.

Proprietors of the Moods Indian Cuisine restaurant in Llanelli, the pair were inspired by the fact chocolate has been used for centuries in savoury dishes and cooking, with Mexico pioneering the exotic chocolate and chilli combination.

Restaurant manager and co-owner Mr Ahmed told the publication: "It is different, which is what we set out to do. We wanted to break away from the old traditional image of Indian cooking and stand out from other restaurants."

The report relates how the two chefs wanted to put their cooking skills to the test and see what the result turned out to be.

An entrepreneur named Willie Harcourt-Coose recently featured on national television for his campaign to open up his own chocolate factory using chocolate sourced from abroad, telling the Telegraph chocolate "can be used in anything from gravy, casseroles and Bloody Mary, to suckling pig".

Source: Caterer.com

Fat content of a curry revealed

2008-06-26T10:55:00.004+01:00

A single Indian takeaway can contain more saturated fat than the recommended daily amount, new research has shown.

It might be time to rule out the lazy nights in on the sofa, stuffing down chicken tikka and naan bread after consumer group Which? tested the calorie, sugar and saturated fat content in Chinese, Indian and pizza takeaways. They found the average Indian curry contained 23.2g of saturated fat - 3.2g more than a woman's recommended intake.

The report showed that Chinese takeaways didn't do much better. Although the meal is lower in saturated fats, it has three times as much sugar as an Indian takeaway. One portion contained over 19 teaspoons of sugar.

Neil Fowler, Editor of Which? commented: 'We don't want to be killjoys when it comes to takeaways, but we would like people to be aware of just how much of their daily food intake comes in just one meal.'

Takeaway shops are not legally bound to provide nutritional content for their food, making it harder for consumers to know how many calories or how much salt the food contains.

Source : MarieClaire

Charity dinner raises £10K for new homes

2008-06-24T17:12:00.005+01:00

FOOD lovers tucked into three-course meal and raised more than £10,000 to build 15 homes for the poor in Bangladesh.

Dukinfield-based charity, the Just Help Foundation, arranged a fund-raising night at the Blu Spice Indian restaurant on St Albans Avenue, Ashton to raise the much-needed funds for poverty-stricken families in one of the most poorest countries in the world.

This was the second successful charity dinner organised by Mizan Rahman who has already helped to raise almost £20,000 for victims of the cyclone in Bangladesh in December.

Said Mizan: "We want to raise money to build 25 houses for distressed people in Bangladesh, especially those whose family sacrificed their lives in 1971 (when Bangladesh fought for independence from Pakistan).

"The money we have already raised has paid for blankets, oil, rice, medical treatment and we are hoping to roll the project out in other countries.

"However the money from our latest charity event will go towards building homes.

"One home costs £750 to build. That is the cost of new TV or a sofa for many people in England, but to those in Bangladesh it’s a new sustainable home.

"The money raised on the night will help to build at least 15 homes, but we still need more funds to build another 10."

Already 12 businesses across the North West have pledged their support with the Warrington Rest in Hyde and Blu Spice in Ashton agreeing to pay for one house each.

Mr Rahman, who is a news reporter for Bangla TV and a former Bangladesh national hockey player, added: "After such a successful night were many people donated generously, I hope to organise another dinner and raise enough funds so we can complete all 25 homes."

Special guests on the night included Bangladesh’s Assistant High Commissioner Asad Alam Siam and mayor and mayoresss of Tameside, Councillor Jack Davis and wife Carole.

For more information or to donate visit www.justhelpfoundation.co.uk

Source : Stockport Express

Curry Spice Could Prevent Diabetes and Obesity

2008-06-23T17:42:00.004+01:00

Turmeric, a common Asian cooking spice found in many curries, could help prevent obesity and improve blood sugar control, new findings suggest.

Turmeric has a long history, and has been used in the past to reduce inflammation, heal wounds and relieve pain. Now, scientists from the Columbia University Medical Center in the US say it could also have a role to play in reducing diabetes risk.

Obesity and inflammation play a big role in many diseases, including the onset of both obesity and Type 2 diabetes. But the researchers say that stocking up on Turmeric makes you less susceptible to developing Type 2 diabetes – probably because of curcumin, an anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant ingredient in turmeric.

They discovered that turmeric-fed mice were less susceptible to developing Type 2 diabetes, based on their blood glucose levels, and glucose and insulin tolerance tests. They also discovered that turmeric-fed obese mice showed significantly reduced inflammation in fat tissue and liver.

And the researchers also found that eating Turmeric on a regular basis led to significant weightloss, even when eating the same or even more calories.

Source : KeepTheDoctorAway

2007/2008 Indian Restaurant League Table

2008-06-23T10:12:00.021+01:00

The Curry Council visit a different Indian Restaurant each month and provide an overall score (out of 10) on their experience. The score is based upon food, service, atmosphere, value and originality.

Click Here to enlarge the table above

The 2007/8 league table will be updated on a monthly basis.

Only the restaurants visited in the last 12 months are included in the table, as we only want to compare restaurants that have been recently visited by the Curry Council.

The scores that were awarded in earlier reviews from our previous visits (pre 2007) may not truly reflect the current situation at any of the restaurant (as the chefs, owners, food, menu's etc, can regularly change).

Please use the Reviews menu bar (to the left) to navigate to detailed reviews, contact details and photos for each restaurant.

Curry King To Lager Lord

2008-06-22T19:58:00.005+01:00

FIRST he put the spice into our curries and now he's giving our lager a bit of kick.

Indian entrepreneur Charan Gill knows what makes the Scots tick.

Having arrived in Glasgow from a tiny Punjab village at the age of nine with virtually no English he went on to build a multi-million pound empire as our undisputed curry king. He sold his Ashoka chain for £16million and has now teamed up with a Bavarian premium lager brewer in Glasgow's East End.

He said: "It is a really exciting new venture. I heard about the West Brewing Company from boss Petra Wetzel and when she told me she needed investment I was delighted to get involved. West is the only Scottish lager brewer apart from Tennent's and is at the premium end of the market.

"We have six different kinds of lager and the on-site bar restaurant is going well. We are developing off-site sales by getting the lager into bars around Glasgow and are negotiating with a major distribution firm.

Charan, 54, encapsulates the entrepreneurial spirit of the Indian subcontinent. It is on course to overtake Japan as the world's third biggest economies within a decade.

Critics see outsourcing call centre jobs to India as the death knell for our service industries.

But thousands of Scots are taking advantage of increasingly strong trade links between the countries.

Charan was brought here by his father but it was his grandfather that inspired him to become a millionaire.

He said: "He told me that success was measured in terms of money and it stuck with me all my life.

"Things were tough when I was growing up. My father had left the village a few years before us to move to Scotland and work on the buses.

"My earliest memory was landing at the airport and seeing this bleak, grey sky and feeling the rain." Charan was so eager to earn a wage he ignored the advice of his headmaster and got a job at a Clyde shipyard.

He said: "Eight years at Yarrow's made me streetwise and introduced me to the Glaswegian culture. It was a great experience but I always knew one day I would work for myself."

By 1974 he was working in the Ashoka restaurant in the evenings after his shift at the yard.

By 1983 he was employed full-time there. He used wacky marketing ploys like finding a man called Rick Shaw to deliver takeaways and having a curry delivered by helicopter as he walked the West Highland Way.

He became a partner in the business and bought out most of the others. By 2005, the chain had 17 restaurants and was turning over £12million a year.

Charan sold up to concentrate on property development.

He said: "I just woke up and felt I had done what I set out to do."

Source : SundayMail

Brits get curried away with it

2008-06-20T14:09:00.005+01:00

According to sales data and a national survey of 962 people commissioned by the UK’s leading online takeaway provider, Britain’s most loved takeaway is Indian. Tikka Masala is the Nation’s favourite takeaway meal.

According to a national survey of 962 people by the UK’s leading online takeaway service, the Indian takeaway is the favourite British takeaway; beating Chinese and Pizza into 2nd and 3rd place respectively.

Indian takeaway meals are preferred by 30.4% of the public, with Chinese and Pizza finishing in 2nd and 3rd place, with 27.4% and 26% respectively. Thai food finished fourth, with 3.7% of the votes. Southern Fried Chicken and Kebab takeaways also featured on the list of Britain’s favourites.

Manchester order more Indian takeaways per person than any other city in Britain according to the stats, which show that the favourite Indian meal was the Tikka Masala, voted for by 16.4% of the participants. The Korma finished 2nd in rank, with 15% of Brits opting for a milder curry, whilst the 3rd placed curry was the spicier Madras, accounting for 10.6% of the nation’s votes.

If 16% of all UK adults eat one Tikka Masala per week, this would be worth £53.7 million per week to the takeaway industry, or £2.79 billion per year.

Source : responsesource

Curry favour with super spices

2008-06-18T16:06:00.007+01:00

No doubt you’ve heard the buzz about “super foods” such as blueberries and pomegranates.

Thanks to new research at www.ars.usda.gov/nutrientdata/ORAC, now all eyes are on “super spices.”

Using a scale to measure the oxygen radical absorbance capacity or ORAC, scientists have discovered that a variety of commonly consumed herbs and spices contain high amounts of health-promoting antioxidants that relieve inflammation and ward off heart disease and some types of cancer.

The McCormick Web site ( www.mccormic k.com) is already busy getting out the word: 1 teaspoon of curry powder contains nearly the same amount of antioxidants as 1/2 cup of red grapes.

Curry powder is actually a complex blend of up to 20 spices, herbs and seeds. Commonly used ingredients include cardamom, chili peppers, cinnamon, cloves, coriander, cumin, fennel seed, fenugreek, mace, nutmeg, red and black pepper, poppy seeds and sesame seeds, saffron, tamarind and turmeric, the spice responsible for giving curry powder its warm, rich yellow-gold colour.

The art of spice blending is a natural part of cooking in India, where home cooks develop their own signature curry powder that they grind fresh, as needed. Commercially available curry powders were a British convenience food used to approximate the taste of regional curries.

Source :KansasCity.com

How To Join Us

2008-06-16T16:26:00.004+01:00

The Curry Council are an exclusive group of friends, who meet once monthly for a curry at a chosen Indian Restaurant in the North West.

The prophecy of the Curry Council is an ancient path and becoming a Curry Council member requires the most profound commitment and astute mind.

From the beginning of their training a Curry Council member is expected to adhere to a strict code that includes concepts such as rational curry thought, patience, and benevolence.

Unfortunately, Curry Council membership is strictly on an invite only basis and membership is currently closed.

However, please feel free to contribute to the site or ask any curry related questions. Either by using the 'Contact Us' button or by adding your comments to an existing curry news story or restaurant review.

Thank you for supporting www.currycouncil.com.

Indian restaurant serves up curried rhubarb

2008-06-16T11:27:00.005+01:00

An Indian restaurant is crumbling the boundaries of cooking - by making a curry out of rhubarb.

Cooks at the Bollywood Lounge in Wakefield, West Yorks, think their rhubarb and chicken curry with rhubarb relish will be a winner.

Owner Ali Nazrul said: "As Wakefield is at the heart of the rhubarb triangle, we wanted to honour it. Rhubarb and chicken curry may sound unusual but tastes great."

Ali has called the curry Joy Wakefield. He said: "Joy in Bangladeshi means celebration and we are celebrating Wakefield's famous vegetable."

Source : Sunday Mirror

Commons starts inquiry into points-based system

2008-06-11T16:18:00.006+01:00

The House of Commons has started an inquiry into the points-based migration system, which was introduced in 2008. The home affairs committee, which has Keith Vaz, Labour MP from Leicester, as its chairman, will investigate the implementation plan of the new points-based migration system, especially its impact on particular groups and sectors like catering and restaurant businesses. The inquiry will also assess the introduction of new sponsorship arrangements. "There have been many concerns raised about the new system, including the information provided to businesses about their requirements and the delay in processing applications. The catering industry has also raised major concerns about the effect they believe this system will have on their employees. It is vital that we look at the validity of these concerns," Mr Vaz said.

The £3.2 billion British curry industry comprises mainly of restaurants serving primarily Indian, Bangladeshi, Pakistani, Sri Lankan, Nepalese or modern fusion cuisine. Most of the staff for these curry houses is recruited from South Asia. The new points-based immigration system has left no route for hiring of kitchen staff from South Asia as immigration of low-skilled workers from outside the European Union has been closed.

There are more than 25,000 unfilled vacancies in kitchens of curry houses and some of the restaurants even faced the threat of closure. over a lack of staff, according to the curry house owners.

Source : Howrah.org

Curry Announcement: Mousam

2008-06-10T09:49:00.004+01:00

The June curry is to be held at the Mousam Indian Restaurant in Gatley.

Please refer to your individual email/SMS invites for the exact details and confirm your attendance to Paul Day ASAP.

The review will be published soon

Food chains export Indian palate

2008-06-08T19:31:00.005+01:00

International food chain companies like McDonalds, Pizza Hut and Papa John's are exporting Indian menu to the world markets.

McDonalds' Pizza Mc Puff and Aaloo Tikki burger and Pizza Hut's Tandoori Chicken Pizza are part of the Indian menu of international food chains that's making the world bite into it.

International food chain companies like McDonalds, Pizza Hut and Papa John's customised their menu for the Indian market and after wooing the Indian taste buds, they are now taking this Indian menu to storm the world.

Papa John's developed the Chicken Tikka Pizza in India and is exporting it now to the middle eastern markets boosting revenues of stores abroad.

''Papa's Chicken Tikka Pizza, which the operators of Papa John's in the middle east exported from India and launched with great fanfare, is a huge hit in the middle east. It is adding half a million every month in the sales of 50 restaurant operators in middle east,'' says Tapan Vaidya, GM, JIP India.

Pizza Hut is another food chain company that is exporting its Indian customised Tandoori Chicken Makhani and Tandoori Paneer Makhani Pizza to US, UK and Caribbean markets.

''They had a fabulous run over there. About 5 per cent of the sales - that's what I am told - was really coming from the Indian recipes that were exported to the US and UK,'' says Anup Jain, MD, Pizza Hut.

McDonalds in fact started their entire vegetarian food menu for the Indian market, but some items like Aalo Tikki Burger, Pizza Mc Puff and Mc Veggie became instant hits for exports. McDonalds India is currently exporting three million units of these products combined to European and middle eastern markets. The company is expecting to double the exports to six million by 2013. McDonalds also says that its Indian suppliers are able to pick up bigger margins from exports.

International food chain companies are constantly customising the menu and looking for exports from India. Pizza Hut recently launched Ringo Garlic Pizza, which is soon going to be exported to US, UK and Korea. Subway is also looking to export its Chicken Tikka sub.

Source : NDTV.com

National Curry Week 2008

2008-06-05T18:37:00.008+01:00

www.currycouncil.com are proud to offer our support to the National Curry Week 2008.

2008 is the 11th year of National Curry Week aimed at the Asian sector and the 3rd year of National Eating Out Week for all other cuisine sectors.

The purpose of both events is to promote the variety of cuisines in general, and the ethnic sector in particular and raise money for charity.

The event dates for 2008 are 23rd – 29th November.

Help raise much-needed funds for the world's poor and hungry in a fun, positive way with National Curry Week & National Eating-Out Week 2008. Restaurants, pubs, caterers, schools, gatherings - everyone is welcome.

A week of fun, food and fundraising to help Oxfam tackle poverty and suffering across South Asia.

The 2008 National Curry Week will again invite Indian restaurants, caterers, pubs, canteens etc, all over Britain to celebrate the cuisine and culture with special dinners, record-breaking attempts, raffles, auctions and more, all in aid of contributing to the alleviation of poverty and suffering in South Asia and other parts of the world.

The restaurant industry is known for its great generosity towards charity. Now that annual fund raising is well established for the Asian sector, National Eating Out Week offers a similar vehicle for those in other sectors including Italian, French, British, Spanish, Greek, Mexican and more.

Celebrate the great cuisines available in Britain in 2008 and help raise more money than ever before for Oxfam.

Restaurant, pub, canteen and even sponsor – your support is vital. For information visit www.nationaleatingoutweek.com

You've tried the food, now it's time for Indian wine

2008-06-02T17:32:00.000+01:00

A range of Indian wines is being launched in Britain in an attempt to conquer curry lovers' taste buds with blends designed to complement fiery food.

At a time when competition between French and New World wines is intensi-fying, south Asia's winemakers are determined to overcome what they say is a misconception that wines from India are inferior.

Indage, India's biggest wine company, which makes 12 types of wine and champagne, sees its products as a good choice to accompany the stronger flavours in curry, according to Eastern Eye newspaper. With curry bringing £3.5bn to the UK economy every year, it could prove shrewd marketing.

Indage wines will reach British restaurants within three months and its established brands, such as Chantilli cabernet sauvignon, will appear on supermarket shelves alongside popular French and Italian labels. Deals with two British distribution and bottling companies are being finalised.

Santosh Verma, the director of Indage, said wine experts and chefs had been working together to create a blend that suited curry flavours. The UK marketing strategy will target restaurants and bars as well as retailers. Some bottles will cost as little as £2.99.

Some of Indage's brands, such as Tiger Hill, are already on restaurant wine lists. "People have been enjoying them without knowing their origin," said Mr Verma, adding that it was a myth that subcontinental wine is inferior to its European counterparts.

"India has the perfect soil for grapes. With the Himalayas in the north and Western and Eastern Ghats towards the south, we are taller than any European mountains. Our wines are on a par with any superior-quality wines from any part of the world," he said.

The company has doubled its sales since 2003 and recently won five awards at the International Wine and Spirit Competition, the "Oscars" of the alcohol industry. The Indian wine market has seen a 52 per cent growth in the past year.

Wine festivals in the picturesque Western Ghats valley near Mumbai have been organised and increasing numbers of vineyards are being planted. Sula and Grover, which among India's biggest wineries, have won recognition, the latter earning the honour of "best new world red" from Decanter magazine in 2005 for its La Reserve cabernet-shiraz blend.

A beginner's guide

*Arkavati grapes

Seedless and thin-skinned, this indigenous table grape is one of India's most popular varieties. It is used in white and sparkling wines and white port.

*Arkashyam

Arkashyam grapes are indigenous and can be traced back to ancient times. Previously grown in small quantities for the home market, arkash-yam has experienced a renaissance, providing a base for red wine and port.

*Baramati

Literally translating as "12 rivers" or "12 combinations", baramati is one of the most popular red grapes. Rarely used alone, it is a popular and affordable choice for fortified and blended reds.

*Cabernet sauvignon

One of the most successful French grapes introduced to Indian soil. The country's cabernet blends are celebrated for their ability to complement the fieriest curries.

*Chardonnay

Chardonnay has thrived since its introduction to India and is the country's most popular white grape.

Source : Independent

Full Recipe for Chicken Chasni

2008-06-02T17:24:00.019+01:00

Apparently it doesn’t taste like an Indian curry. The taste is sweet and sour most probably due to the fact that the two main ingredients are mango chutney and tomato ketchup. However, India may already lay claim to this kind of curry as they have concocted their own hybrid in so called Chinese restaurants up and down major Indian cities. The fusion is known as ‘Chinjabi’ cuisine. But let’s hear it for Scotland’s Chasni which may perhaps be the first of its kind in the UK.

If you can’t get down to Glasgow, do have a go at making one at home. My recipe is below which uses the key ingredients for a Chicken Chasni. I’ll let you decide whether you think the CTM will always be flavour of the month or whether the Chasni is just a flash in the pan.

Chicken Chasni, Serves 2

Ingredients:

3 tbsp sunflower oil
2 onions, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
5cm/2 in piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated
½ tsp ground coriander
½ tsp turmeric
½ tsp chilli powder
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, about 125g each, cut into bite-sized pieces
100g mango chutney
100g tomato sauce or ketchup
5-6 fresh mint leaves, washed and chopped
1 tsp lemon juice

Preparation:

Heat the oil in a saucepan or wok over a medium heat. Add the onions, garlic and ginger and fry, stirring frequently, for 5-7 minutes until they are light brown.

Tip in the coriander, turmeric and chilli powder and stir around for one minute. Stir in the chicken pieces and continue frying, stirring for 5 minutes until the chicken changes colour. Add the mango chutney and tomato sauce and cook for 2 minutes. Tip in 200ml of just boiled water and simmer for a further 3-5 minutes until the chicken is cooked. Stir in the mint leaves and lemon juice and serve with plain basmati rice.

Source : Manjumalhi.co.uk

Sangam II - Didsbury

2008-05-14T23:58:00.007+01:00

T 0161 446 1155

A 762 Wilmslow Road, Didsbury, Manchester, M20 2DR
E enquiries@sangam.co.uk
W http://www.sangam.co.uk/RestaurantsDidsbury.shtml

Visit arranged by: Gary Jordan
Review by: Martin Noble

The May curry was held at the Sangam II restaurant in Didsbury (Manchester), partner to the Sangam III in Heald Green.

7 members of the Curry Council duly arrived (Winfield was AWOL) and parked in the car pack behind the Co-Op. Poor signage had some council members worried that their car's may be clamped. Thankfully, this was not the case.

The restaurant was bright and modern. It's a large venue that can cater for parties of up to 120 people. However, the vast restaurant lacks intemacy due to the sheer size of the place.

Gary Jordan, the organisor of the May curry, had read about the Sangam's "Executive Party Banquet". He promised the Curry Council "a meal fit for a king". Expectations were therefore running high.

The Executive Party Banquet was chosen by all. This offered poppodums with chutney, a mixed shared starter (consisting of Chicken Pakora, Seek Kebab, Onion Bhaji and Fish Tikka), a choice of any main course, rice, a selection of differrnt nan breads, ice cream desert and coffee. This was all offered at a very reasonable price of £15.90 per person.

A regular discussion point for some of our Curry Council members is the old dilemma of "quantity versus quality". The more refined council members are prepared to pay a few extra £'s for the extra quality of meat and food preperation. Other members of the group want as much food as possible at the lowest possible cost.

The Sangam II 'Executive Party Banquet' was the proof of the pudding. The Curry Council have recently experienced great meals at both Shimla Pinks in town and the Jalfrezi Indian Food Bar in Bramhall. Both of which cost a little bit more than the Sangam deal. The extra cost was justified due to the quality of the said meals. Could the Sangam II live up to the high standards delivered so far on our travels in 2008 ?

The poppodums were served and were of a good standard. The chutney & dips portion sizes were very small and quickly disappeared. After prompting, the waiters did regularly offer to top these up.

The mixed starters arrived heaped on two plates (presentation slightly poor). The fish tikka arrived seperately. The food was equally divided up between the group but a couple of items were missing. The Council could not be bothered to alert the waiters that some items were missing, so Mr Jordan missed out on his lamp chop and Andy missed out on his onion bhaji. Unlucky.

A variety of main courses were delivered. Dave and Jord sampled the chicken madras. The lads reported that the Madras sauce was extremely HOT and could be likened to a vindaloo !

The Mix Shaslik was also sampled. The lamb was particularly tough and lacked flavour. The chicken was of an average standard and also tasted a little overcooked.

Overall, the main courses were of an acceptable standard but did not have any qualities that stood out or challenged the tastebuds. The quality of meat and how they were cooked were dissapointing.

A mixture of Nan breads and brown pilau rice, with cloves and cumin seeds, were served. The portions were plentiful and the group were offered extra nan and rice on more than one occassion (to the credit of the waiters). You certainly will not go home hungry after a meal at the Sangam !

The Nan breads were very thin and could almost be compared to Italian style garlic bread. The nan was of an acceptable standard but the curry traditionalist (who would prefer 'good old' fluffy nan breads, the size of a third world country, dripping in butter) may have been slightly dissapointed with this offering.

The meal was finished off with an ice cream desert and coffee. The Sangam offered good value for money but the food quality was of an average standard. The Curry Council left with full stomach's but overall were slightly dissapointed with the food at the Sangam II.

Food 6/10
Service 7/10
Atmosphere 5/10
Value for money 8/10
Originality 6/10

Overall 6.4/10

Chasni curries favour over tikka

2008-05-14T18:25:00.005+01:00

Forget deep-fried, battered Mars bars, savoury haggis and... well, Irn-Bru.

Scotland lays claim to conceiving Britain's most popular dish.

And no, its not fish and chips.

It is Chicken Tikka Masala.

Sanjay Majhu, owner of the Harlequin Chain of Indian restaurants, said the mild curry was created decades ago in a Glaswegian kitchen by Asian immigrants catering to Western palates.

He said: "What they were trying to do was knock up a quick curry, so they used tomato soup.

"And they called it a Chicken Tikka Masala, because once you added the spices to the tomato soup all of a sudden it wasn't tomato soup, it was something else."

"But it's definitely one of those dishes that didn't come from India."

The popularity of Chicken Tikka Masala shows no signs of slowing down south of the border in England and Wales.

But there is a another curry threatening to take its crown in Glasgow.

It is called Chicken Chasni and in Sanjay Majhu's chain of Indian restaurants it easily outsells Chicken Tikka Masala 10 to one.

So just what is in a Chasni?

Sanjay said: "It doesn't taste like a curry. In fact it tastes like anything but a curry.

"In fact, it is more like a sweet and sour chicken, that the Chinese have.

"But it is an absolutely beautiful dish because it has Indian spices running through this sort of sweet and sourness.

"I'm just surprised it has become a number one."

Word on the street has it, a former chef, now a restaurant owner, named Balbir created the Chasni.

I hit the streets of Glasgow to track him down.

And let's just say he was pretty easy to find.

After more than 30 years he is still in the curry trade running a restaurant called Balbir's.

He said the Chasni came from catering for people who did not think they liked Indian food.

"The Chasni that is popular in Glasgow is my recipe. I created it in 1982," he said.

"I tend to experiment a lot in the kitchen. There were people who said, 'I can't eat Indian but I like Chinese', and that's how the Chasni came about.

"I tried a few different versions but the one that became the most popular wasn't the one I liked, it was too mild for me."

Truly Scottish

Having tried the sweet and sour Chasni myself, I wondered just why Balbir's brand of unique Indian cooking is so popular with Scottish diners.

Paul, who's been a customer for years, explained its success.

He said: "Balbir is not a follower. He tends to blaze his own trail and others follow him. If you are here you should come and try one. Because afterwards, you'll try another and another and will never leave."

And while Chicken Chasni is clearly a hit in Glasgow, you would be hard pressed to find it in curry houses outside of Scotland.

So for now, if you're looking for a truly Scottish culinary experience, forget haggis, tuck into a chasni.

Source : BBC

* Click here for Chicken Chasni recipe *

Cobra Beer Bolsters its British Brewing

2008-05-06T18:15:00.000+01:00

London, UK – Cobra Beer, the UK’s fastest-growing world beer in 2007*, has signed deals with Camerons and one other UK-based brewer to brew under licence as the company seeks to accelerate its rapid growth. It has also agreed a further deal with bottling specialists, Quinn Glass Limited. Cobra will continue to brew under licence with Wells & Young’s in Bedford, where it has been brewed since 1997.

The new arrangements will see Cobra brew its original 5% Premium Beer at Camerons (draught and bottled), Wells & Young’s (draught) and one further contract brewer in the north west of England (bottled and in cans). Cobra will also brew under licence in Belgium with Palm Breweries. While Palm will have some responsibility for brewing Cobra 5% Premium Beer, their primary focus will be on brewing and bottling Cobra’s range of other beers – Cobra Zero %, Cobra Light, King Cobra and Cobra Bite. As of 31st July Cobra will no longer brew at Browar Belgia in Poland, which was acquired by SABMiller last August.

Cobra’s brewing team have already been working hard together with each of the new brewing partners in recent weeks to perfect the recipe and ensure that Cobra has exactly the same distinctive, extra smooth taste.

Chris Edgcumbe Rendle, Business Development Director at Cobra, comments: “We’re really pleased to be working with Camerons and Quinn – they are two of the most highly regarded companies in the British drinks industry. Together with Wells & Young’s and Palm, we now have an exceptional set of brewing partners that can support us and our ambitious sales growth targets in the next few years.”

Billy McKee, Commercial Director of Camerons Brewery, adds: “We’re excited at the prospect of being part of the future of Cobra Beer – one of the UK’s fastest growing premium brands and are proud to have been able to surpass the stringent quality requirements they demand. The unique branding and market position of Cobra means that the brand is destined for exceptional growth and we look forward to a long term partnership supporting these aspirations as a major contract brewer.”

Peter Fitzgerald, Sales and Marketing Director of Quinn Glass, comments: "We are delighted to be working with the team at Cobra. Over recent months we have been focussing on introducing the range of glass bottles and the contract filling at our facility in Cheshire. Cobra quickly identified the environmental benefits offered by Quinn, amongst them a reduction in emissions and road miles when the glass containers are manufactured, then filled and stored at the same site."

Already well established in the UK’s restaurants and supermarkets and 30% year on year, Cobra is now targeting major growth in pubs and bars in the next two years – aiming to achieve 20,000 new accounts by 2010. To help achieve their targets, 2008 will see Cobra’s biggest-ever integrated advertising campaign as part of the brand’s planned £14 million marketing spend for the year.

Source : Cobra

Curry Announcement: Sangam 2

2008-05-06T12:42:00.009+01:00

Our next curry is to be held at the Sangam 2 (Didsbury, Manchester) in May 2008.

The Sangam 2, is a stylish, very modern restaurant located in Didsbury village almost adjacent to the infamous Royal Oak pub.

The owners chose the indian word 'Sangam', which means 'meeting place', to represent the name of their indian restaurant.

Please refer to your individual email and SMS invites for the exact details. Confirm your attendance to Gary Jordan ASAP.

Review to be published soon

Rationing of rice hits Britain’s Chinese and curry restaurants

2008-04-24T12:26:00.002+01:00

Rice is being rationed in Britain as shopkeepers limit supplies to their customers to prevent hoarding. Restrictions on sales in Asian neighbourhoods are reported as emergency measures are taken by governments worldwide to combat the soaring cost of rice and prevent outbreaks of food rioting.

Tilda, the biggest importer of basmati rice, said that its buyers had resorted to restricting their customers to two bags per person.

“It is happening in the cash and carries,” said Jona-than Calland, of Tilda.

“It’s to stop people from hoarding. I heard from our salesforce that one lady went into a cash and carry and tried to buy eight 20kg bags.”

According to Mr Calland, the retailers, who sell to the curry and Chinese restaurant trade as well as to families, are rationing their customers to two to four bags during the current fear over rice shortages.

Us retailers are also rationing rice, including Sam’s Club, the warehouse club operator that is part of Wal-Mart.

Source : Times Online

How curry made us crazy for coriander

2008-04-23T12:45:00.001+01:00

Once we wouldn't have known what it was, let alone what to do with it.

Now we scatter it on curries, bake it in breads and simmer it in soups.

Coriander is the undisputed king of the kitchen as the best-selling herb in Britain.

Spice of life: Eating more curry has propelled coriander to the top of the herb list

The plant, only available in supermarkets for a mere 20 years, now accounts for 25 per cent of all fresh herb sales.

Basil comes in second with 19 per cent. This is followed by old favourite parsley, both flat-leaved and curly varieties.

The country's top ten herb chart was compiled by Fresh Herbs, an organisation representing British herb growers.

"The popularity of coriander is being driven by our love of curry and Asian food," said a spokesman.

"People have developed a taste for spicy aromatic dishes and are experimenting now more than ever with different fresh herb varieties."

Herb sales are said to be up 14 per cent on last year.

The British love of coriander stems from its taste rather than ease of growing.

A less robust herb, it doesn't seem to thrive in a pot on a windowsill as basil or sage do.

It has been cultivated as a commercial crop in Britain and Scotland since the 1970s.

It was supplied to supermarkets in pots and packets from the mid 1990s.

The coriander used in most British curries is a sweet, aromatic Corsican type originally from Syria.

Source : Daily Mail