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A cracking curry

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A cracking curry

Postby Gillthepainter » Tue Jul 09, 2019 5:46 pm

You can't beat it really.
We've just had a super curry abroad in Catalunya - a new restaurant called the Bay Leaf.
Impressively, the owners have lived in Spain for 30 years and speak so many languages, inclusive of Catalan, Spanish, English etc.

Far better than restaurants back in Cheltenham, which disappoint nowadays, we went twice.

Popadoms - onion, pickle yoghurt dips.

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Chicken phal for Tony
Chicken tikka masala for me = phal hot anyway
Vegetable side dish and aloo gobi. Tarka dahl usually ...................

This occasion was vindaloo and chicken chilli masala

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No rice, so we tend to have sauce left over.

I can still remember it.

Thin naans, that weren't the least bit podgy stodgy

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Hmmmmm - we didn't like that very much did we ;)

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What's your choice and memorable curry?

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Re: A cracking curry

Postby Binky » Tue Jul 09, 2019 6:44 pm

The best curry we ever had was in Singapore. It was a long time ago, but the memory lingers.

The worst curry is from our local pub, who boasts about 'home made curry'. It's absolutely vile made from left-over vegetables and a bottle of cheap curry sauce.

We make our own curries and they are rather good. We use Madhur Jaffrey and The Three Sisters. Our all-time favourites are vegetable bhuna, aloo gobi, sag aloo, lentil dhal, naan bread and mushroom rice. Luckily, there is a nice little Indian restaurant about 5 minutes drive from our house - that's where we're likely
to go if in need of spicy sustenance.

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Re: A cracking curry

Postby Stokey Sue » Tue Jul 09, 2019 7:23 pm

Living in London I’m rather spoiled for choice - Rasa Kerala restaurants, two branches one veg, one omni just up the road; various branches of Dishoom; Darjeeling Express; Grus Todiwalla’s Cafe Spice Namasté and many others. Oh, and in central London Chettinad on Percy Street, near Tottenham Court Road Station

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Re: A cracking curry

Postby Binky » Tue Jul 09, 2019 8:15 pm

I see you're not mentioning the Brick Lane curry houses.

Is that because they are not that good? (I've often suspected this.)

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Re: A cracking curry

Postby Amyw » Tue Jul 09, 2019 9:00 pm

Funnily enough I made chicken curry at work tonight . Quite inauthentic as cooked in slow cooker and more of a random selection of garlic ginger and spices with coconut milk, but the guys really enjoyed it .

My go to from our local very good Indian is a chicken jalfrezi with peshwari. Naan. I love naan bread and if given the choice I’d rather have that with a curry than rice. They also do a really good aubergine curry

I haven’t made it in ages but I like this Jamie Oliver curry https://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/chi ... ken-curry/. Sainsbury’s used to do a really good Thai red paste I haven’t seen for a while

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Re: A cracking curry

Postby Stokey Sue » Tue Jul 09, 2019 10:24 pm

Binky wrote:I see you're not mentioning the Brick Lane curry houses.

Is that because they are not that good? (I've often suspected this.)

They used to be utterly a-m-a-z-i-n-g 40 years ago you could eat yourself stupid on wonderful food for little more than the price of chips. No point going anywhere else (unless you were near the Post Office Tower, when you went to Grafton Street)

I couldn't find a curry house on Grafton Street last time I looked, and I think it died some time ago

I haven't been to Brick Lane in years, I wouldn't know where to go now and there are far fewer places, and they aren't cheap as chips though I believe there are still a few good places. I should do a recce. In Whitechapel, behind the Royal London are still the Lahore Kebab House and Tayyabs, feeders of generations of medical students, and Lahore Kebab House is still highly recommended, possibly the best place to go for the real Brick Lane vibe (though Brick Lane was largely Bengali, and the Lahore is Pakistani)

There's also karadekoolaid's old favourite, the India Club in the Strand

When I worked in Uxbridge we'd go to places in Southall and Wembley that were very good, don't know any names, aminly aimed at Asian customers. THE place is supposed to be the Brilliant in Southall but while I've never had anything awful there, I've had 3 meals in a row that were pretty meh.

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Re: A cracking curry

Postby Gillthepainter » Wed Jul 10, 2019 7:13 am

That link looks good, Amy. Thank you.

We used to venture to Southall when we lived in Kew. In google, it looks like there are still rows of restaurants there.

When you talk about best curry, Binky, it would have to be the Red Fort back in the day.
But a later visit (still a long time ago) wasn't nearly as good.

My regular homemade dish is Nigel Slater's chicken with spices - it's a curry really.
So easy, but very very good - clipping from 2001.

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My first taste of peshwari naan was fantastic.
But I've never had a decent one since so have given up and stick with plain.

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Re: A cracking curry

Postby Binky » Wed Jul 10, 2019 11:41 am

The only problem for me with Nigel's recipe is the use of curry powder. Unless you can get a really good one (and you won't know until you've opened the tin) it can make or marr a recipe.

We have relatives in Yorkshire and, when visiting, have access to an Asian supermarket where the prices are super low. We buy huge sacks of basmati rice and bags whole spices. These grind very easily (and OH likes to do that), so we don't buy curry powders at all.

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Re: A cracking curry

Postby Joanbunting » Wed Jul 10, 2019 4:27 pm

The only way I can get a decent curry is by making it myself, but even then finding the spices and other ingredients is tricky so I tend to rely upon Rafi's Spice Box in York who are the saviours of curry missing expats.
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Re: A cracking curry

Postby Gillthepainter » Wed Jul 10, 2019 5:53 pm

Funnily enough, Joan, I had one of the best "au curry" meals in France. It's not all mediocre over there as I'm sure you know.
Cognac to be exact.
The chef special was mussels au curry, and was an absolute delight. I'm not saying it was h-h-hot, but nevertheless.

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That's a good point, Binky.
Nigel does make a mention of that in the recipe too.

My current dried mix I've decanted into a jar in the cupboard. But haven't kept the label.
Unfortunate, as it makes really good sauces.
I think I got it at a food market, but can't remember.

I'll make my own when it's finished, as I've got a lovely recipe for a paste blend that sits forever in the fridge.

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Re: A cracking curry

Postby Amyw » Wed Jul 10, 2019 7:04 pm

Gillthepainter wrote:That link looks good, Amy. Thank you.

We used to venture to Southall when we lived in Kew. In google, it looks like there are still rows of restaurants there.

When you talk about best curry, Binky, it would have to be the Red Fort back in the day.
But a later visit (still a long time ago) wasn't nearly as good.

My regular homemade dish is Nigel Slater's chicken with spices - it's a curry really.
So easy, but very very good - clipping from 2001.

Image


My first taste of peshwari naan was fantastic.
But I've never had a decent one since so have given up and stick with plain.


No worries Gil. I’ve made that Nigel Slater recipe before and very good , to be fair never cooked a bad Nigel dish.

Peshwari naan are heavenly . The one I get is unbelievably buttery and fragrant with those gorgeous crispy edges and pillowy middle

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Re: A cracking curry

Postby Joanbunting » Wed Jul 10, 2019 9:40 pm

I really can't stand what the French call curry. It is always incredibly bland, made with mild curry powder and usually contains cream or , worse coconuts milk.

I also dislike mussels with cream .
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Re: A cracking curry

Postby Alexandria » Thu Jul 11, 2019 12:39 pm

Gil, The Painter,

The Three Best Authentic Indian Restaurants in The Madrid Capital are:

1) Michelin Starred Chef Atul Kochar´s Madrid Restaurant Benares ( His Michelin Starred Restaurant is in London, not Madrid )

2) Tandoori Station - The ambiance is a train .. Quite extraordinary.

3) Swagat, located close to the British Embassy, is truly lovely and the Laboral Lunch Menu is 13 Euros.

The Bayleaf, Tossa de Mar - Costa Brava:

What turns me off about The Bayleaf, is that they served you Pappadum in a yellow plastic bread holder ! ( Your 1st Photo ) :thumbsdown :thumbsdown

Sorry dear, this is poor taste.

Glad you had a lovely time in The Iberian Peninisula .. :wave :wave :wave
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Re: A cracking curry

Postby Stokey Sue » Thu Jul 11, 2019 1:56 pm

I don’t mind the French and Italian use of a soupçon of curry powder as a flavouring, as I don’t expect the end result to bear any real resemblance to Indian or Thai dishes, it’s gone off and become its own thing, more resemblance to an English breakfast kedgeree than actual Asian food.

I do object to UK pubs serving curries that bear more resemblance to school dinners than anything even vaguely authentic, the chef must surely have had plenty of opportunities to taste a decent curry?

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Re: A cracking curry

Postby Alexandria » Thu Jul 11, 2019 2:44 pm

Gil,

It is Benares, by Restaurateur & Executive Chef
Atul Kochar, who also has a Michelin Starred
Indian Restaurant in London.

( Problem with the configuration I
suppose )
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Re: A cracking curry

Postby Joanbunting » Thu Jul 11, 2019 3:59 pm

I would go back to Benares any day Alexander. Wonderful food but spoilt by loud ill mannered customers . I would take earplugs next time.
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Re: A cracking curry

Postby karadekoolaid » Thu Jul 11, 2019 4:00 pm

My best curry ever?
It´s probably a toss-up between Chutney Mary, in 2001, and Moti Mahal, (now unfortunately closed) in Covent Garden. The chef was formerly chef to the Indian Prime Minister, so he had some serious curriculum. All I can remember were the Tandoori Prawns, which were served with a herby, minty, spicy butter. Oh, and the Black Chicken Masala from the India Club is still excellent

I try to avoid curry houses these days. Same old, same old, chicken, prawns or meat, bhoona, madras, vindaloo...

I thoroughly enjoyed Masala Zone in Covent Garden when I went there, too.

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Re: A cracking curry

Postby Stokey Sue » Thu Jul 11, 2019 4:44 pm

Love Masala Zone, last time went for lunch on my own and they made a bit of a fuss of me as there was a large and rowdy Indian family that they thought might have spoiled it for me, but they weren’t that loud and I wasn’t holding a conversation.

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Re: A cracking curry

Postby Sakkarin » Thu Jul 11, 2019 5:23 pm

A year ago I made a spreadsheet comparing all the local Indian takeaways. A year on, I just got my nearest takeaway's price list through the door. I was shocked to see that their prices have gone up by more than 25% in the last year. That coincides with my noticing that the dollar and euro are both a ttheir 2008 crash levels against the pound. Make of that what you will.

Anyway back to currification, my favourite two are both Lahorish. Best London Indian meal I've ever had was Lahore Kebab House. The local Taste of Lahore's Methi Chicken is the best single curry I've ever had, and their keema naans are to die for.

Best masala dosa I've had is another local place, Claypot.

Cafe Spice Namaste was very good, but the food arrived cold, so they forfeit. Mind you, that was back in 2001.

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Re: A cracking curry

Postby Alexandria » Fri Jul 12, 2019 12:21 am

Joan,

I believe you maybe referring to the one in London.

I am referring to the Chef´s Indian Restaurant in the Madrid Capital.

It is not Michelin Starred however, quite wonderful.

Have a lovely summer.
Barcelona, soulful & spirited, filled with fine art, amazing architecture, profoundly steeped in culture & history, and it engages all your senses, and food fancies.

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