We all love vindaloo – and other curry dishes
When Keith Allen wanted something quintessentially English to reference in his 1998 World Cup song, he settled on the popular Goan curry dish of vindaloo.
It's not hard to see why. If there's one thing the English love as much as their football – and complaining about the weather – it is surely the curry.
As Britain celebrates National Curry Week, we talk to several top curry chefs from around the West Midlands about their favourite recipes.
Shamim Haque, of Eurasia in Bridgnorth says one of the restaurant's most popular dishes is a ginger chicken created by chef Amjad Ali.
"It is comprised of tandoori chicken, cooked with freshly chopped ginger, garlic, bay leaf, green chillis and garam massala," he says.
"The important tip here is to also add a touch of sugar, to counteract the spiciness of the ginger and chillis, providing a beautiful balance of flavours. Its a very unique dish, and perhaps why it's one of our most popular," says Shamim.
At Five Rivers in Walsall, group executive chef Rashpal Sunner describes his lamb rogan josh as his guilty pleasures.
"Its thick, distinctive tomato-based sauce and tender meat makes it an intensely spicy dish, bursting with flavours and aromas which take me back to my ancestral kitchen," he says.
“Punjab is where I come from and that influences us from day to day at Five Rivers. The richness of this area in India provides us not only with the flavours for our dishes, but with a heritage dating back to the time of the Moghuls; creating the taste and flavour of Punjab, from the freshest seafood through to the most delicate of spices, is a continuing inspiration in itself.”
Abdul Mumin of Monsoon in Tettenhall, is fond of the Goan king prawn curry.
"This curry is popular to all sort of curry eater, it's not too spicy or too mild it's got nice medium to mild taste," he says.
Meanwhile, Shuhed Ahmed, of Marigold in Wolverhampton, shares with us his Sylhety Special, a dish of marinated lamb or chicken.
Here are some recipes:
Lamb Rogan Josh, by Rashpal Sunner, group executive chef at Five Rivers in Walsall
Ingredients:
500g lamb pieces
400g chopped tomatoes
100g chopped onions
1 tablespoon fresh garlic paste
1 tablespoon fresh ginger paste
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
4 bay leaves
1 small cinnamon sticks
4 small green cardamom
1 piece star aniseed
5g whole white cumin seeds
1 teaspoon garam masala
1½ teaspoon turmeric powder
½ tea spoon cumin seed powder
½ teaspoon coriander powder
salt and chilli as required
Method
1. Firstly, add vegetable oil into a pan. When the oil is warm add white cumin seeds, cinnamon sticks, green cardamoms, bay leaves and star aniseed.
2. Next add the chopped onions, cook onions until golden brown. After that add the garlic and ginger paste. Once the mixture is brown add the lamb pieces, cook this for up to 25-30 minutes.
3. Afterwards add salt and turmeric powder (mix well) leave for five minutes. Next add the chopped tomatoes and cook for a further 20 minutes. Then add tomato paste. Also add one tea cup of water. Finally add; garam masala, Cumin seed powder, coriander powder. Let this simmer for 15-20 minutes. The lamb rogan josh dish will be ready.
4. Garnishes: Fine chopped coriander and fine long slices of ginger.
Curry recipe from Shuhud Ahmed of Marigold restaurant, Fold Street, Wolverhampton.
Sylhety Special from Shuhed Ahmed of Marigold restaurant, Fold Street, Wolverhampton
Method of cooking 300g chicken:
1. Heat oil in a pan before adding cumin, coriander and mustard seed and stir for 30 seconds until they begin to crackle and pop.
2. Add the chopped onions,green and red peppers to the pan and reduce the heat slightly.
3. While the onions are cooking, mix together the garlic and ginger paste,curry powder, turmeric and a splash of water to make a paste. Once the onions start to go a golden colour, add the paste to the pan and stir well for about 30 seconds to a minute
4. Add the chicken to the pan and fry the meat for a few minutes until you no longer see any raw flesh.
5. Add fresh green sliced chilli,fresh tomatoes and coriander leaf to the pan, stir it up and bring to the boil. Reduce down to a simmer and stir every so often for about 15 to 20 minutes. Have a taste and add salt if required.
6. Sprinkle in the garam masala, stir and allow to cook for a further two minutes. Serve with rice or naan, garnish with diced green chillies and ginger.
Goan king prawn curry, from Abdul Mumin of Monsoon, Tettenhall.
Ingredients:
250g jumbo-sized king prawn, peeled, cleaned, deveined and cut in half
1 peeled onion
10 coriander leaves
5 fresh curry leaves
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 peeled and crushed garlic clove
1 teaspoon peeled and grated ginger
Pinch of mustard seeds
Pinch of salt
200ml coconut milk
1 teaspoon tumeric powder
½ teaspoon gram masala
½ teaspoon curry powder
½ teaspoon cumin powder
½ table lime juice.
Cooking method :
1. Heat the pan on medium heat , add the vegetable oil, followed by mustard seeds, ginger, garlic and onion.
2. Sauté until golden brown.
3. Add salt, king prawns, stir until king prawns are cooked.
4. Add the spices, curry leaf, lime juice, coconut milk and simmer until the mixture condenses and forms a semi-thick sauce.
5. Garnish with fresh chopped coriander leaves and serve with freshly cooked basmati rice.
