Biryani was foremost in Hector’s mind on the last visit to Curry Pot (139 Dumbarton Road, Glasgow G11 6PR) earlier this year. Today, with no Weekend Special to distract, mission accomplished.
Chef Suriya greeted from the kitchen as I entered the otherwise empty premises at 15.00.
Biryani, I’ve not had it – pointing to the graphic on the wall. Biryani is not in Curry Pot’s house menu, so no price would be known until the end.
Vegetable Biryani – I clarified – with no Capsicum.
We never put Capsicum in our Biryani – was the honourable reply. However, the dreaded Ballast does appear here in a Curry or two.
What does it come with?
Raita.
Raita of course is the standard, universal accompaniment. But not in this city. When Biryani was first encountered, back in the 1970s, it was always accompanied by a Masala. People in Glasgow were out for a Curry, that made it so.
Can I have a Curry sauce, you choose.
Sorted.
A citizen of a North American nation studied the menu posted in the window. She came in and ordered Chicken Tikka Masala (£8.50), so last week. She took a seat at the adjacent table, an audience.
Vegetable Biryani
I know my capacity for Rice, from the outset it was apparent that this was a step beyond. Two could comfortably have shared this as a complement to respective Curry choices.
The array of Vegetables in a Biryani is well established: Potato, Cauliflower, Green Beans, Peas and Carrots. Add to this traces of Fresh Coriander and what I took to be Tarka or Dry-fried Onions.
The Sauce arrived moments later.
Normal Curry Sauce – was how it was identified, after asking.
To me this looked to be a blended base Sauce, I had hoped for something more grand, demanding even, but I had not been specific.
A small lake was created in the middle of the plate to accommodate the Sauce. Thin, Shorva-esque, this would add the required moisture and a tangy bitterness to the main event. The Seasoning was just enough, the Level of Spice would build.
As they must, the Texture of the Vegetables varied. The Cauliflower and Carrots had retained a slight firmness, we don’t want mush. The Potato had been further cooked and on cutting, exposed some infiltration of Spice. The Onion added a gum-like Texture.
With further eating, any lingering sharpness gave way to an overall Earthy Flavour. I had hoped for more. The Carrot gave off a slight Sweetness, the Cauliflower, its own distinctive Flavour, Aloo Gobi, this was not.
Since visit #2 of #9, it is the Mushroom Rice that has been celebrated here. I had considered that the Biryani would be presented as an enhanced version of their Mushroom Rice, not to be.
The hoped for – wow – was not achieved. Maybe I just have to accept that the Mushroom Rice at Curry Pot is the ideal accompaniment to their Curry.
The Bill
£10.95
The Aftermath
An hour later, the Cumin Seed dislodged itself, it has been a while. Thereafter, the afterglow and many hours of an impressive blend of Spice that had not been apparent at the time of eating.