When cooking kofta curry place the koftas into the sauce and cover, then wait until they are browned before stirring. This will ensure the koftas do not break up.
Author: Daniel Ford
Daniel Ford is a media entrepreneur, writer, editor and publisher who specialises in launches and re-launches. He is the Publishing Director of media company Chase My Snail. He was previously Editor-in-Chief of GQ (South Africa), Editor-in-Chief of Sunday Life magazine (Independent News & Media) and CEO of the African design magazine Ogojii. He has consulted on digital media, magazines and books in England, India, the USA and South Africa, including creating a glossy print edition of the SABC's TV show Top Billing and branding for the Laureus World Sports Awards. He has written a number of books on fitness, sport and travel, which have been published all over the world, from China to Africa and from Russia to Australia. He loves carefully crafted words, digital and print publications produced with passion. And curry.
Create your own Balti
We’ve all heard about creating your own pizza (bit of this, bit of that) but how about creating your own Balti? Well, that’s an option at Sartaj in London’s West End. It’s a popular pre-theatre place and offers lunch and a theatre-goer special (before 7.30pm) at just £7.50, including unlimited nan bread. Can’t be bad.
So this is how it goes. Choose your base (various choices such as chicken or lamb for £5.50, fish for £6.50 or mixed vegetable for £4.95). You add your sauce for a pound (masala, dupiaza, korma, take your pick). Then vegetables (anything from mushrooms to potato to pumpkin) for a pound a pop. Then you tell the chef your preferred cooking strength (mild, medium, madras or vindaloo hot).
Now that’s got to beat a ‘extra pepperoni with a thin crust’ any day of the week.
Sartaj, 26 Earlham Street, London, WC2 H9LN. Tel: 020 7831 1413. Open: Mon–Wed noon-2pm and 5.30pm-midnight, Thur–Sun noon-midnight.
All change for the drunks
Simply Indian, Aldershot (Takeaway) UPDATE
Since my last visit Simply Indian has become a takeaway because “we can’t continue to deal with the hassle and the drunks.” Very sad because when it was a BYO and I was told enthusiastically, “we just want to concentrate on good food,” this was a great little restaurant.
The guys in charge are still friendly but there is a sense they’ve lost heart. Seeing a shell of what was a nice friendly restaurant is a bit sad and although the space means the waiting area is large, as it would if you convert a restaurant into a takeaway, it feels a bit ramshackle. Shame on you hassle people and drunks.
The basic Chicken Rogan (£5.95) and Pilao Rice (£2.30) was decent enough but this is no longer a place you’d go out of your way to visit.
• Simply Indian, 14-16 Station Road, Aldershot, Hampshire, GU11 1HT. Tel: 01252 330 070 or 01252 336 667. Open: Daily 5.30pm-11pm.
Simply Indian snapshot
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Curry column
Check out the Greenwich Visitor for the most recent curry column.
British Curry Award Winners
Restaurants
Tamarind, Mayfair (Best in Central London)
Shampan 3, Welling (Best in London Suburbs)
Cinnamon Kitchen & Anise, London EC2 (Best Newcomer)
Taj Tandoori, Prestwick (Best in Scotland)
Vujon, Newcastle (Best in North East)
Dower House, Doncaster (Best in North West)
Rilys, Redditch (Best in Midlands)
Bokhara Brasserie, Bridgend (Best in Wales)
Haweli, Twyford (Best in South East)
Spice Lodge, Cheltenham (Best in South West)
Other awards
Shelim Hussain MBE, Eurofoods (Personality of the Year)
Keka Ferdosi (Special Recognition)
Khalid Sami Khan, Lasan restaurant, Birmingham (Culinary Chef of the Year)
Curry one-liners
Curry lover 1: I am going to try Chicken Tarka Masala tonight. It’s meant to be like Tikka but this is a little ‘otter
Curry lover 2: Some man in our local Indian Restaurant collapsed with a heart-attack the other night in the middle of eating. Rumour is he had a dodgy Tikka.
Curry lover 1: Did he fall into a Korma?
Curry lover 2: No, but he was on the Vinda loo a lot.
Curry lover 1: This is getting Phaal-sical.
Curry lover 1: Sorry, I was only Rogan Joshing.
Curry lover 2: At least his Nan was close by.
Curry lover 1: And she gave him a Pilau to rest his head on.
Curry lover 2: They had to revive him with a Chapati on the back.
Curry lover 1: Which was an Aloo-dicrous thing to do.
Curry lover 2: But it worked so nobody could Sag-ue with that approach.
Curry lover 1: And I’m pleased to report he was Raita as rain afterwards.
Curry tip of the week 4
Cabbage can be used as a substitute for onion in curry recipes if you do not like the strong taste of onion.
Courtesy Sweet ‘n’ Spicy phone app
Went to Coventry
Akbars, Coventry
(Review by IF of GCC Coventry branch)
This was not the first visit by to Akbars by the GCC’s Coventry branch but unlike previous occasions we were treated to a surprise. On entering the previously small (15 tables) narrow shop fronted, cramped, old-style restaurant in the run down, edge of the town street, we were pleased to find that it had been transformed into a modern expansive and vibrant venue that had increased its capacity fivefold by extending behind the adjoining properties.Service was attentive but not overbearing and the mix of ages and genders made for a lively and pleasant atmosphere. We were seated at a table for eight with ample room for manoeuvre and were surrounded by groups of various numbers all dressed up for a good time early on a Saturday evening.
The menu contained all the old favourites and was supported with more adventurous recipes. The Tandoori Pollack cooked in 12 spices and Royal Cumin was… delicious. Starters were a decent size and deliciously spiced to set the taste buds up for the main event. Prices ranged from £3.95 to £5.50 with main courses from £9.95 to £14.95 and the general opinion around the table was of good quality food at a reasonable price.Akbars is highly recommended to visitors to this industrial wasteland and emerging university campus.Akbars, 7-9 The Butts (Queen Street), Earlsdon, Coventry, CV1 3GJ. Tel: 024 7622 2213 or 024 7622 8899. Open: daily 5.30pm–midnight.
Akbars snapshot
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Curry tip of the week 3
Do you like cooking curry with spinach but hate the chopping? Freeze a bag of baby spinach then while it is still in the bag simply scrunch it up and it will snap into tiny pieces. No chopping needed.
Hurray! Back to the ’90s
Darjeeling, London, SE13
You could be forgiven for thinking you’d been transported back to the 1990s when you visit Darjeeling in Lewisham. Not because the decor is tired, because once past the garish pink sign that announces the place it’s pretty smart and contemporary.
But, joy oh joy, you’ll be transported back by the prices. Eyes were popping out and gasps were heard from around the table as the menus were opened. “This is the place to order king prawn,” was a good shout. And when the usual, “we’ve ordered too much,” was heard it was decided that this was the place to pile high the table and taste new dishes, even if we had over-ordered (does anyone ever under-order in an Indian?)
And so the dishes came… Malai Lamb Chops (£2.85) marinated in cream cheese and spices, so tasty you’ll be sucking on the bone long after the meat has gone, the favourites Chicken Chat (£2.05), Sheek Kebab and Shami Kebab (both £1.95) and a more unusual Spicy Calamari (£2.85) that was stir-fried with onions, peppers and chilli.
It’s becoming popular for restaurant to have an Old Favourites section in a grid and Darjeeling’s, which starts at just £3.15 for a Chicken Curry, was raided for a Chicken Madras (£3.45). But most in the party opted for something a bit different, including Lamb Randaam (£6.85) a very hot and very red dish cooked with tart tamarind, Chicken Morisa (£6.85) another hot dish with fresh green chillies, Lemon Chana Chicken (£5.35) with chick peas, an ideal order for people who find Achari dishes a bit too tart. Meat lovers should look no further than the main version of the Malai Lamb Chops (£5.60).
But come on, let’s over-order. Add Tarka Dall, Mushroom Bhaji and Bombay Aloo (all £2.05 as side dishes or £2.95 as mains), a good selection of rice (Plain at £1.65, Sabzi and Special at £2.25), nans (Plain at £1.55 and garlic at £1.65) and wrap up with a couple of Chapatis (£1.15).
Is it any wonder the place was buzzing midweek?
Darjeeling, 134 Lee High Road, Lewisham, SE13 5PR. Tel: 020 8473 8222 or 020 8852 5566. Open: daily 5.30pm–11.30pm, Sat and Sun noon–2.30pm.
Darjeeling snapshot
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The Royal Curry Club 