Michelin star for Veeraswamy

Veeraswamy, the oldest Indian restaurant in the country, has recently received a Michelin Star, fittingly as it celebrates its 90th birthday. The restaurant, which has hosted Charlie Chaplin, Winston Churchill, Indira Gandi and, of course, the Greenwich Curry Club, has put on a special menu to celebrate. Here are the highlights …

“The rare Royal Indian dishes we have created to celebrate the 90th anniversary include Asafjahi Lamb Pasanda from legendary kitchens of the Nizam of the Hyderabad, where Edward Palmer [the restaurant’s founder] was born; Shahi Raan from the Patiala Palace and Shahjahani Badami Chicken – a sophisticated Moghul recipe to remember Edward Palmer’s great grandmother, a Moghul princess.”

serveimage.jpg  serveimage.jpg
The Veeraswamy then and now…

Curry joke 12

The bosses at ITV are thinking of moving that famous soap opera from Manchester to Bradford. It’s going to be renamed Coriander Street.

Curry tip 12

For that little bit extra when cooking sweet and sour dishes such as Dhansak and Pathia, use jaggery instead of sugar for your sweetener. If you run out of jaggery then brown sugar is better than white sugar.

Curry joke 11

My friend had a nasty cold last week but he ate a spicy curry and he was Raita as rain afterwards.

Curry tip 11

Venturing into the world of using fresh fish for your curries? Fresh fish should have shiny eyes and body and slippery wet skin.

Curry joke 10

The chef in our local Indian is always dancing when he cooks. But the food is delicious so nobody can Saag-ue with his approach.

Curry tip 10

Onions form the base of almost all curries so you’ll be chopping a lot of them. Follow these steps for frustration-free chopping.

1. Cut onion in half through the stem before peeling.
2. Cut off stems and peel.
3. Slice the onion long ways but do not cut it all the way through to ensure it is still held together. You can help with this by pinching it together with your thumb and forefinger. The end result, if you were to pick up the onion, would be a fan shape
4. Twist the onion around and slice in the other direction, this time cutting all the way through.
Hey presto, nice small chunks of onion.

Curry joke 9

My friend always orders too much when he goes for an Indian. The other day he ordered a Chicken Saag, a Lamb Bhuna, two side dishes, a naan and pilau rice. I told him it was was an Aloo-dicrous thing to do.

Curry tip 9

Put a piece of asafoetida in the same container as your chilli powder to keep it fresh for longer.

Curry joke 8

A man was so hungry that he ate his curry too fast and got a bit of lamb stuck in his throat. Luckily he was okay after the waiter gave him a Chapati on his back.