Curry could cure the common cold - Daily Telegraph

You probably knew it from your own experience but the DT article (19th Jan 2011) suggests that fenugreek, a common ingredient of curry, could be a 'winter fix-all elixir'.

Well worth a read, if you're looking for an excuse to go out for a curry soon...

The trouble with Salt n' Garlic

Cooking without garlic is unimaginable for some. Italian chef Antonello Colonna says “to eliminate garlic is like eliminating violins from an orchestra.”1 The problem is that it has a very strong, predominating and permanent flavour – it hangs on the breath for hours. Garlic is seen as integral to indian cooking, salt too, in balancing a dish, better defining the spices. However, the combination of garlic and salt can quite often undermine a dish if used too liberally.

My Jaipuri curry at Jaipur, Southsea, lost the gentle woody taste of cinnamon, the toasty crunch of cumin seeds and the buttery perfume of bay leaves as a result. Only warm bitter cloves registered. Salt n’ garlic lamb - fine, except where other ingredients are compromised. Across the indian restaurant scene there has to be a little more respect shown to, in essence, the world’s greatest and most various cuisine.

Spices in a curry will be more evident the longer left to blend. Restaurants cannot keep customers waiting but they musn’t feel pressurised into rushing. There will continue to be a compunction to offer ‘traditional’* curry to satisfy the masses who won’t order anything that isn’t CTM (easily abbreviated, instantly recognisable, reputedly tasty) but chef’s could still cut menu’s (out with the English dishes for one!) and have time to prepare special sauces in advance as well as concentrating more on spicing.

Joe public like salt and garlic but if only they could taste the difference.

In truth a number of curry house chefs aren’t the masterchefs they claim – most can cook meat and veg OK but many can’t get flavours and aromas from whole spices or herbs, typically fenugreek. A solution? Use more powdered spice, be generous with herbs, take time to taste one’s effort, make sure not to throw in too much salt and garlic! Everyone would sleep better for it. There are time and monetary costs involved but an over reliance on garlic and salt could keep the Indian fare in Britains 7000+ curry joints from being considered worthy of it’s name.

*the irony being these dishes are usually the least authentic on offer

1 'Is Garlic Essential in Italian food' - Napa Valley Regsiter: June 26, 2007

Curry To Dye For

Enter an Indian Restaurant and you’re unlikely to come across the Weightwatchers brigade, especially if they’re seated sideways on. The food is widely considered cholesterol high, low brow, for beer guzzling vulgar types. Even Tandoori dishes - meat grilled in the oven and served with side salad no gravy - have been taboo, until recently at least.

Ten years ago in Surrey if you went for curry and opted for a Tikka item you would probably have been served luminous pink/glaringly red pieces of chicken, lamb, mutton dressed as, tainted with food dye. Tarnished and contaminated in fact. Following a stream of scares someone suggested, half proved artificial colourings caused allergies, asthma, migraines and even cancer. Therefore, the Surrey Curry Club was established to combat the use of unnatural colourings in regional curry dens. Curry chefs with a conscience were encouraged to join and commit to the complete removal of food dyes from the cooking process.

"Our advice to restaurants serving curry is to either follow the manufacturers instructions and measure carefully, use spices which also have colouring properties such as tumeric or paprika, use natural colours like beetroot, or to stop using artificial colours altogether" 1 reads part of the manifesto. To date 61 restaurants restaurants have signed up since the outset which can only be for the good.

Reasons why restaurants may not be listed range from: The restaurant not complying with all Trading Standards Legislation or with all Environmental Health requirements to the trader simply not being interested in becoming a member. When this is the case suspicions that too much artificial colour is being used are raised, indeed this is the main reason for restaurants not being on the list 2.

"It doesn’t improve the taste” said the waiter on patrol Thursday lunch at Halewi, Addlestone. Obvious but worth repeating. Nor does it really add to the appearance of a dish, like applying facial cosmetics, it doesn’t create the sort after 'natural' look. People want to be Mother nature's children and increasingly wish to eat mother nature's food.

My Jalfrezi at Haweli had a truly appetising and colourful appearance. Lightly browned hunks of chicken tikka sitting prettily in a tomato orange gravy with golden strips of caramelized onion, deep green chilli fingers and bright red slivers of pepper. Hot, sour and sweet, healthy. I felt better for it.

In addition to being unhealthy there are times when over use of food dye has actually ruined my curry, several CTM’s have tasted chemical. There continue to be die hard exponents of food colouring in the Indian Restaurant trade - the phosphorescent green garlic naan breads of an inner city Cardiff joint spring to mind –however, initiatives like the Surrey Curry Club seem to be inspiring a shift away from this outdated, good for nothing and no one tendency.

As for Weightwatchers, they should try Amaya in Knightsbridge for a 400 calorie lunch and tuck into some salubrious tandoori chicken.

1 Surrey Curry Club, Surrey County Council
http://www.surreycc.gov.uk/sccwebsite/sccwspages.nsf/LookupWebPagesByTITLE_RTF/Artificial+Colours?opendocument

2 Surrey Curry Club, Surrey County Council
http://www.surreycc.gov.uk/sccwebsite/sccwspages.nsf/LookupWebPagesByTITLE_RTF/Membership?opendocument