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Tag: Curry News
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
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.
Where did that spice come from?
Spices in the supermarket, spices in the corner shop, spices online. Is there anywhere you can’t find spice in the UK these days? Thankfully for spice lovers, probably not. But ever wondered where it all started. It was, of course the huge British East India Company, who traded with, then ran India for many years. Discover how we got all our spices and what the early traders thought at the National Maritime Museum’s Traders Gallery, which has only been open for a few weeks. The gallery is open daily from 10am-5pm and entry is free.
Become a curry chef
Fancy yourself as a bit of a curry chef? Now’s your chance to learn from some of the best. Cinnamon Kitchen (see review) is offering masterclasses from executive chef Vivek Singh or other curry kings such as head chefs Abdul Yaseen (Cinnamon Kitchen) and Hari Nagaraj (Cinnamon Club) in the surrounds of one of London’s best Indian restaurants.
Dates
Saturday 21 January: Detox with Abdul Yaseen
Saturday 25 February: Curry, classic and contemporary with Vivek Singh
Saturday 24 March: Seafood special with Rakesh Ravindran
Cost: £175
Bookings: events@cinnamon-kitchen.com
Curry tip of the week 2
To avoid it breaking up when stirring, use a firm fish when cooking a fish curry. Monkfish or cod works well. Even tuna.
Monsoon beer tasting
Monsoon beer is a relatively new beer trying to break into the Indian food market. From Christchurch, New Zealand, you’ll only find it in a handful of places at the moment, but it’s good so expect it to spread its wings to a curry house near you soon. The Greenwich Curry Club felt that it was its duty to have a beer tasting and curry night…
Monsoon Original Pilsner (5.6% abv)
Appearance
Head: average • Lacing: fair • Body: hazy • Colour: straw
Aroma
Hops: average • Malt: average • Yeast: average • Aromas: alcohol, apple
Flavour and palate
Body: medium • Texture: slick • Carbonation: soft • Finish: twang
Drinkability and experience
Flavour duration: average • Sweet: light • Acidic: light • Sour or bitter: moderate • Off flavours: butter
Best curry dishes…
Hot and spicy, lamb
Monsoon Strong Pilsner (6.5% abv)
Appearance
Head: frothy/lasting • Lacing: fair • Body: clear • Colour: amber
Aroma
Hops: light/average • Malt: light/average • Yeast: light • Aromas: alcohol, banana, liquorice
Flavour and palate
Body: medium • Texture: slick • Carbonation: soft/average • Finish: twang
Drinkability and experience
Flavour duration: average/long • Sweet: light • Acidic: moderate • Sour or bitter: light/moderate • Off flavours: butter
Best curry dishes…
Chicken, lamb
Monsoon Organic Pilsner (5% abv)
Appearance
Head: frothy/large • Lacing: sparse/fair • Body: hazy • Colour: straw
Aroma
Hops: light/average • Malt: average/heavy • Yeast: average • Aromas: alcohol
Flavour and palate
Body: medium • Texture: slick • Carbonation: soft/average • Finish: twang
Drinkability and experience
Flavour duration: average/long • Sweet: light • Acidic: light/moderate • Sour or bitter: moderate • Off flavours: salty
Best curry dishes…
Mild dishes, chicken
Many thanks to the Mitre Hotel for hosting the event. The curry was ordered from Le Popadom. And very good it was too.
Cinnamon and a kick
As many curry fundis know, whisky is a great drink to share with your favourite food due to the spicy notes in the drink. Cinnamon lovers will be pleased to discover Fireball, a Canadian liqueur made with whisky and a heavy, heavy dose of the spice. At 33% abv it certainly has a kick too. I suggest trying it with a fragrant biryani.
The Royal Curry Club 