Tag: Curry News

Canary curry

On By Daniel FordIn Curry News1 Comment

Kanapina, Reuters Plaza, Canary Wharf

Lunchtime has just got better for the finance guys and gals in Canary Wharf. Kanapina, serving what it describes as Indian street food, has opened up just outside the entrance to the Jubilee Line. The stall offers a choice of roti roll or nanga salad bowl to which you can add fillings such as Chicken Tikka, Lamb Sheekh Kebab, Dal Vada, Shahi Paneer Tikka (all £4.85) or Beef Pondicherry (£5.25). There are tasty chatnis and salads to add as well and lassis such as mango or or pineapple & coconut.

Kanapina, Reuters Plaza, Canary Wharf. Tel: 020 7519 6288. Open: Mon-Thurs 11.30am-6.30pm, Thurs-Fri 11.30am-10pm, Sat-Sun 11.30am-5.30pm.

Kapadina

Spice market

On By Daniel FordIn Curry NewsLeave a comment

Desi’s Indian food stall, London, SE10

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Sometimes you want a curry on the move. It could be a good fill up or simply a snack. I’ve tried both at Desi’s Indian food stall in the covered market. Run by wife and husband team, Anu and Bemal, the delicious food is available on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. The potato and onion bhajis (four for £1) are simply the freshest I have ever tasted. Mixed, rolled and cooked in front of your eyes, you will get a crunch you won’t recognise from your usual restaurant bhajis (most double fry them because of time) and the generous filling is cooked to perfection. But don’t linger because there are samosas to be tried (lamb, chicken or veg, two for £1.50) before the mains. There is Chana Masala and Aloo Mutter (both £4 with rice) or the old favourite Chicken Tikka Masala (£5 with rice) but I say go for the Lamb Rogan (also £5 with rice). Cooked on the bone as it should be if you want the tastiest meat, it is smothered in a thick, dark sauce. Be prepared for some finger lickin’.

Food lessons from Goa

On By Daniel FordIn Curry NewsLeave a comment

1. If you have fish curry go for fresh not frozen. Getting fresh fish in your curry at home is not easy, of course, especially in restaurants. For cost and convenience most fish we get while out will be frozen (there is a bizarre fad to import tilapia, a Bangladeshi freshwater fish!) so if you find a restaurant that uses fresh, locally caught produce then treasure it. The difference is huge. Or you can always visit the fishmonger and cook your own.

2. Kolhapuri is a dish worth searching out. This dish, originating from a city called Kolhapur in Mahatashtra, is all over Goa, but I’ve never seen it on a menu here for some reason. As hot as a Vindaloo, as tasty as a Tikka Masala and as fresh as a Balti, this is the best dish I have ever tasted. Needless to say, I’d recommend you try it if you find it. Or better still ask the chef from your local curry house (especially if he’s from Maharashtra) to whip one up.

3. Vegetables don’t need to be consigned to side dishes. Most of us order our curry, rice and nan and, then, almost like an afterthought, we add some vegetables. Goa, like most of India, has a lot of veg-only restaurants, and they make you realise that veg doesn’t have to be an afterthought. Veg (make sure it’s fresh) is great for absorbing the spices and because the dishes are not as filling as meat equivalents you can eat more curry. What’s not to like?

4. Vindaloo is a Goan dish. Vindaloo is normally associated with six pints of lager and a metaphorical arm wrestle among friends to eat the hottest curry. It is, in fact, a dish that was born from Goa, when local spices were added to a vinegar-based dish brought to the area from the Portuguese. The most likely explanation for the name is that it is a cross between Vin (vinegar) and aloo (Hindi word for potato). The traditional meat used is pork, this being one of the few areas in the country where this meat is used extensively. While our restaurants still use a bit of vinegar the original recipe soaked the meat heavily in it.

5. A spicy omelette makes a great snack. Bored with your usual cheese omelettes? Masala omelettes can be whipped up in a couple of minutes. One egg, a chopped chilli, some chopped onion and a bit of salt and pepper. Cook, fold over in tissue and eat on the move.

6 Curry is not just for dinner. Parathas, stuffed with paneer, cauliflower and potato, plus pickles and raita, make a fine alternative to a fry up. I’m sure your local greasy spoon will oblige if you ask them nicely…

Whisky man

On By Daniel FordIn Curry NewsLeave a comment

There’s a interesting new blogger in town… Whisky Pubs checks out, as you might have guessed, pubs and whisky. As a big lover of pairing curry and whisky I’ll be following him with interest. KD will also be reviewing a few restaurants for us…

Good food, good causes

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There are a few good reasons to like Green Chillies in Blackheath Road. The staff are always friendly for starters, and the food consistently hits the spot (Green Chillies was highly commended in the takeaway category in the Greenwich Curry Club Awards 2012). But they also care about the community in which they operate. They have been involved with supplying freshly cooked food to homeless people in London for some time and now they are looking to link up with some organisations on their doorstep. Bench Outreach, a Christian charity in Deptford, work with alcoholics, drug users, ex-offenders and homeless people, and many of these could soon be enjoying some tasty Sub-continental meals.

“We hope to be working closely with Bench Outreach to supply hot meals where the need is identified,” said the Green Chillies’ manager Ali Ibn Tawhid. “We are particularly pleased that this is a multi-faith initiative [Green Chillies is a Muslim-run takeaway]. After all, I don’t think someone who is hungry and in need is really going to care about the chef’s religion. We have the knowledge of food – we are thinking healthy biryanis and dhals – and Bench has the on-the-ground knowledge, so we hope this will be a great partnership.”

Meanwhile discussions with the Salvation Army, also in Deptford, have led to an interesting possible link-up beyond supplying food for the needy. The community church has identified a problem with obesity in the area so the Green Chillies staff could soon be providing information and guidance to some of the less privileged families the church works with on how to cook healthy but affordable meals.

Curry to Go

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Curry to Go is the latest incarnation of the curry takeaway at 106 Blackheath Road (it was previously called Medina). The new owners will be open every day from 5pm-11pm and will be hoping to tempt you with dishes such as Balti Duck Tikka Masalla (£8.50) and King Prawn Jalapeno (£9.50) as well as old-school favourites that start from just £3.95 (vegetable) and £4.45 (chicken). There is free delivery over £12 (within 3.5 km) and a free side dish if your order is over £15 and you collect. Tel: 020 8692 2423.

Greenwich Curry Club Awards 2012

On By Daniel FordIn Curry News2 Comments

The 2nd annual Greenwich Curry Club Awards 2012
in association with the Greenwich Visitor


Best restaurant: Gurkha’s Inn
Highly commended: Mogul

Best takeaway: Le Popadom
Highly commended: Green Chillies

Best dish (traditional): Mehak (Chicken vindaloo)
Highly commended:  Gurkha’s Inn (Lamb biryani)

Best dish (innovative): Inde’licious (Curry pizza)
Highly commended: Coriander (Adha Diya)

Best service: Khan’s
Highly commended: Mehak

Best value: Darjeeling
Highly commended: Curry Garden

Special awards
Mogul (Curry and food pairing dinners)
National Maritime Museum (Curry and a pint dinners)

Buy five curries get sixth one free

On By Daniel FordIn Curry NewsLeave a comment

Curry fans will love the loyalty card available from Green Chillies in Blackheath Road, Greenwich. Spend £12 or more on a takeaway (collection or delivery), get your card stamped and enjoy your curry. Do this five times and the sixth curry (up to the value of £12) is free.

Green Chillies, 110 Blackheath Road, SE10 8DA. Tel: 020 8469 1719. E-mail: info@greenchillies.com.

Greenwich whisky and curry dinner

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A whisky and curry dinner will be held in the Mogul in Greenwich Church Street on Wednesday 19 September at 7.30pm.

Five different Indian dishes will be served, and each will be paired with a different whisky. Enjoy whiskies from Auchentoshan, from the Scottish Lowlands to good old Jack D, and dishes such as Goat Korma. Discover how the flavours of this famous drink pairs so well with Indian food.

Whisky writer and editor Daniel Ford (and Greenwich Curry Club man) will present the pairings, explaining a bit of the background of each one.

The evening will be held in the upstairs private dining room. Tickets cost £25. Please call 020 8858 6790 to book as numbers are limited.

The menu

1. A fine Lowland whisky, Auchentoshan, paired with Aloo Tikki.
2. Jack Daniels, paired with a traditional Indian Goat Korma, served with rice.
3. A special surprise malt whisky, paired with Subzi Bhajias.
4. Johnnie Walker Black label, paired with Tandoori Meat Sizzler.
5. A smooth Glenrothes Select Reserve, paired with a delicious surprise dish.

 

Lost Hour Curry Club

On By Daniel FordIn Curry NewsLeave a comment

If you haven’t checked out the refurb of the Auctioneer pub (now called The Lost Hour) yet, Tuesday might be the day to head to Greenwich High Street because it’s their curry club night. From 5pm you can get a curry and a drink (plus rice, nan, mango chutney and a poppadum) for just £5.95, which can’t be bad. Curry choices are Chicken Korma, Chicken Tikka Masala, Chicken Tikka Bhuna, Sweet Potato and Spinach, Chicken Dhansak, Chicken Jalfrezi and Beef Vindaloo. There are side dishes such as Bombay Potato or Onion Bhajis for £1 extra. Nice to see there is tea among the choices of drinks. Thought I’d mention it in case you didn’t fancy a pint…