Friday, 5-15, The Village

Posted on June 18, 2010 by Hector

A Curry before the Bon Accord

This was the pre-Birthday Celebration Curry-Heute: Jonathan’s birthday was back in April in München and coincided with the Volcano. Tonight the masses were due at The Bon Accord to finally and formally celebrate his 40th.
When Mr Holden and Mr Taylor were up a month ago they were taken to The Village by Dr Stan and they raved about the Chapli Kebab starter. When a man from Bradford says this is a good Curry House and raves about a starter, one takes it seriously.
The Chapli Kebab hails from Afghanistan and is made from minced meat. Dr Stan and Jonathan both ordered this: Hector was permitted a taste. One could describe it as something like an Indian style schnitzel. Very tasty with the spice and the coriander to the fore. Next time I will be tempted.

As we were under a bit of pressure to get to The Bon Accord Hector wondered why starters were being ordered at all.

The main course took an age to arrive from the perspective of this commentator who had to wait whilst others ate.

For a complete change, Hector ordered the Saag Gosht. This is a very dry and herby dish, enough to me me a ‘happy old Hector’. The Mustard leaves are not as tart as the equivalent Palak (Spinach) version.

Dr Stan had the Village Lamb Desi Korma: it was the brown version tonight. Jonathan had the Lal Lahore which appeared to have more tomato than I remember from the start of the week when I nearly had this dish.

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A Beginner’s Curry

Posted on June 17, 2010 by Hector

A Curriculum for Excellence!

Hector has been asked for his recipes many times over the years. Some have logged into this Blog to access that which has been posted already. This Curry-Heute was something different, a lesson.
The Sixth Years are leaving within two weeks, they have been involved in a variety of activities designed to prepare them for life after school. A semi serious suggestion was made to the organiser that I might do a Curry demonstration, this was taken up.

Today five chaps and the school nurse were present at the boarding house. The latter was a distinct advantage in case of accidents. Ah, the world of Risk Assessment and Health and Safety…

A chopping we will go…

A mass chopping of onions was soon underway with an appropriate number of accompanying tears. It is a sad thing to leave school, the emotions were high. Six people chopping onions simultaneously, madness! The Masala was taking shape some twenty minutes later after the Ginger and Garlic had been added to the heated oil and onion mix.

When the tomatoes were added along with the spices and herbs the aroma was beckoning very recognisable. The chaps were making their first ever Curry and they realised it was going to be something special. One chap had never peeled a potato in his life before today. Some had clearly been in a kitchen ‘watching with mother’.


The question of Rice was also addressed. Mass cooking Rice for six people is something that needs care. There was multiple rinsing then the microwave was put on full blast for much longer than anticipated.

In the end there was a large bowl of Basmati cooked properly. Each chap then brought their pot to the table. The proof is in the eating.
Some found it hot and dived for the fridge.

Cookie was in his element. He ate for Scotland.

Hector learned something today…

To see six Curries prepared with identical ingredients turn out differently was most interesting. The most impressive looking Curry was the one prepared in the Wok.
The better the pot, the better the Curry!

How often do you eat Curry?

This is a question asked frequently. The answer lies within this Blog.
The term ‘Curry’ is a mere convenience. It is cooking in an Asian style. Indians eat this food every day, if they are fortunate. Why can’t we? In 1994 in my visit to Sri Lanka I did try to eat Curry for breakfast, lunch and dinner. In the end twice per day was sufficient.
The search for the equivalent of Indian home cooking (Desi) continues. After all, in India there are no ‘Indian Restaurants’.

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D/Phyeley : A Village phenomenon

Posted on June 14, 2010 by Hector

Hector saw the lights of Bradford, but the Curry was over a green hill far away…

A Curry-free weekend. Well almost. The Field Centre at Malham had Local Lamb Curry on the menu on Saturday evening. From where was this being sourced Hector enquired. It turned out that it was the Lamb that was local, not the Curry. So, not a Desi as one would hope, but an in-house ‘catering for children’ style meal. Hector had three platefuls.

A soon as Marg was free we sped straight to The Village. A starter for a change. The D/Phyeley had been spotted previously on the menu. When one ‘Google’s’ this, The Village on-line menu appears. Whatever it means, it must be unique?

We were advised that it was lentil and yogurt based. Perhaps it was, in reality it was like cold sponge with flour balls covered in yogurt. Not wonderful.

And so straight in to the main event. Hector ordered a hot Lamb Lahore, Marg the Lamb Tawa.

The Lamb Lahore immediately hit the spot.

Marg started the Tawa then stopped. ‘There are chillies in this’. Had the chef spiced up the wrong dish?

We swopped the entire meals, so Hector was now in charge of the Lamb Tawa, Marg the Lamb Lahore.

The Lamb Tawa immediately hit the spot.

‘There are chillies in this’, the lady declared once more. So there were. No error had been made. Marg was simply being tested, a real curry after the safety net of Butter Chicken elsewhere.

Hector can verify that both dishes were in good form.

We then went to the King’s Theatre to see Spamalot. It is a musical! …with songs, and dancing…and the occasional Monty Python scene re-enacted from the movie.
Fear not, a theatrical Blog is not about to be born.

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A Clydebank Curry-Heute Take-Away?

Posted on June 10, 2010 by Hector

It must be the ‘New’ Café Punjab!

As a resident of this town for many years, New Café Punjab (24 Alexander St, G81) Clydebank, has satisfied those moments when there is no time or desire to cook, but the taste buds are taking over. After Hector did his Curry Course at Anniesland College some eight? years ago, the tutors said that I would never buy another take-away. They were right, nearly. A couple of years later I popped into this restaurant in Alexander St and realised they had moved. I asked how long they had been at their new premises: that is when I realised it had been years.

I have been as a sit-in customer rarely. They do sell the buffet. Not necessarily my cup of tea.
The take-away dish of choice for Hector has tended to be the Lamb Rogan Josh. At the New Café Punjab this has been different from the normal overdose of tomatoes: the sauce here is creamy and served with nuts. Other dishes have been tried, but Hector keeps coming back to this. But not tonight!

The staff at New Café Punjab always recognise me, so it is somewhat ironic that I was spotted taking the photo outside by a young waiter who did not know me. Suspicion was aroused; the Blog was explained. There was an extensive chat about the best Curry Houses in the UK. I have yet to experience Manchester, the waiter has yet to experience Bradford Curry. München was mentioned, one has to plant the seed that curries can be excellent outside of the UK.
The Tea Time Specials have the Tikka dishes plus sundries at £8.50, or ‘tender lamb’ as the waiter described it at £7.50. The latter suits me, Tikka Lamb? I am not in Crawley!
Lamb Bhuna was suggested but then the South Indian Garlic Chillie was proffered:  – A spicy dish with rich garlic base, blended with South Indian Chillies.
Now just look at what you get for £7.50!
A choice of Pakora or Onion Bhaji. Hector chose the Vegetable (Chicken or mix £1.50 extra) Pakora, look at the plateful: this is a meal in itself. So, why the minuscule portions in restaurants where one is paying almost this much just for the starter?

Two complimentary Poppadoms and Spicy Onions are included. From the choice of Rice, Nan or two Chapaties (sic), Hector chose the Chapattis… no Vegetable Rice tonight.

Hector asks why given the proliferation of Curry Houses do people go to those awful take-away shops selling pizza, fish and chips etc? Surely one must get a better curry from a restaurant?
As I left a familiar face was walking down Alexander St. Had the Lady of the House been present when I ordered, the above conversation would not have happened. The early bird gets the interview.

I have never had a bad Curry from the New Café Punjab. I was not disappointed tonight. There tends to be sameness about the curries presented in this house, the same basic underlying taste, the sauce one presumes. Tonight the dish was sweeter than the norm. It was probably the saltiest curry I have had in a while. This is not a negative statement!
After a relaxing hour gap the Pakora is set to be devoured. You cannot do this in a restaurant.

There is no next scheduled visit. A late night return from a trip will be the likely stimulus. Time will tell.

Over the next few days I shall be a few kilometres from Bradford but not be able to have a curry anywhere, a top up was necessary to get me through the weekend.

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Glasgow – Mother India’s Cafe, at last!

Posted on June 6, 2010 by Hector

This is essentially an Indian-style Tapas restaurant.

The idea is to order a couple of portions each. The portions are smaller than the main dish experience, one should never leave unless one feels fulfilled.
There is a Takeaway Menu, but this has yet to be experienced.

When Marg is free on a Sunday, we go to Mother India’s Café (1355 Argyle St, Glasgow, G3 8AD) for a late lunch. The fact that this is the first posting of this magnificent source of Curry is perhaps testimony to how many free Sundays Marg enjoys.

 

 

 

 

The order is pretty much the same every time we go: it ain’t broken so why fix it?
Marg has a vegetable Pakora, always freshly made. Her favourite dish is the Butter Chicken which she insists has a kick. Hector has perhaps had a taste of the sauce but is far too involved with his own chosen dishes.

 

 

 

 

The Lamb Karahi is ever-present on the menu and is always superb. If the Okra version is available on the specials list then sometimes this is selected. Then, the signature dish of the restaurant: the Machi Masala … this is sublime, the best Fish Curry to be had outside of München.

The rice with lemon and nuts, plus a Paratha were the chosen accompaniments on this visit.

*

A trip to Glasgow would only be complete if Mother India’s Café and a trip to The Village were experienced.

This was an excellent weekend.

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Bier today, Curry-Heute

Posted on June 5, 2010 by Hector

Two barrels of Bock must be accompanied by something special to eat. The consequences of not eating may lead to the destruction of bathrooms.
Yvonne tends not to make Curry when Hector is present: she has now realised that preparation in advance is better than trying to produce a meal halfway through a barrel of Deutschland’s finest.

Aberdeen Angus is the best beef on the planet, and for any antipodeans stumbling across this, the meat is Scottish, not Australian! We were being spoiled, not boiling beef, the good stuff.

Yvonne had spent days getting this organised.

Texts had been sent out to survey the invited few: Apart from Craig, who does not like hot curry?
Hector’s reply was: – Only new born babies…

The meal was prepared to the standard demanded. Aloo Beef was the very fine result. The pot was revisited, the meal was scoffed. There can be no finer compliment.

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The Village Calls…

Posted on June 4, 2010 by Hector

Friday Night is Curry Night?

It is two weeks since Jonathan and Hector sat together and dined in The Village (Nelson St, Glasgow). This had to be rectified, and such was the weekend schedule there was only one window of opperchancity.

This means it is over a month since Hector had the Village Lamb Desi Korma (hot) with vegetable rice. Ah, what a delight.

Tonight it was the turn of the chef who produces ‘the brown’ variety to be on duty. The dish appears in random colours, the texture is inconsistent, the taste varies, some are markedly better than others. This was in top form: the citrus was effective, the quantity perfect and the temperature was steaming hot.

Hector got stuck in whilst Jonathan waited an age for his meal.

Perhaps inspired by the great experience in Crawley six days previously, Jonathan ordered the Lamb Tikka. This was due to come with sauce and rice.

The rice and sauce came along with Hector’s curry, the meat arrived after an uncomfortable period of time. Time to cool down?

We like our food hot, as in straight from the pot hot. I suspect one of us had the better deal.

Jonathan described the Lamb Tikka as dry and tender and not too spicy.
Hector did taste the sauce, for quality control purposes. Could it possible have come out of the same pot as the Lamb Desi Korma? You bet, but it was very sweet in comparison. Ah, the citrus…

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A quick Curry at London Victoria

Posted on May 31, 2010 by Hector

The final day of May was to be the first day that Marg and Hector went on a wander around the City of Westminster, alone. A Curry-Heute was not the plan. We were meant to rendezvous with the Chaps, however, as is reported in the sister blog Bier today, this was not to be.

By 18.00 we had half an hour left in the city. Marg played the ‘I’m hungry’ card; I played the ‘if you mention the C-word’ card. It was very much a situation of where is the nearest Curry house to Victoria Station? Hector spotted it: the Victoria Indian Cuisine (318 Vauxhall Bridge Rd, SW1V 1AA).

The place was small. We were sat at a tiny table, for two. The meal was ordered. The meal was delivered. The place filled up, a couple were even turned away because there was only a table for four currently available.

 

 

 

 

 

Hector ordered a Lamb Balti, Marg the Lamb Rogan Gosht.
The portions were fine for London where minuscule is the norm.
The lamb was tough; there was gristle, one piece per portion.

The taste was impressive, the classic ‘did they put sugar in this?’ sweetness.

The taste lingered for hours later. The curry passed the test.

 

 

 

Nostalgia ain’t what it used to be…
Meanwhile a chance to reminisce about the days when I used to go down to London constantly to see Motorhead and stay with Noddy. We always ended up in the same Curry House in Denman St behind Piccadilly Circus, the Maharaja Tandoori (14 Denman Street, London, W1V 7RE). The sign outside says it has been there since 1980. The heritage is unknown apart from this. It still appears to get great reviews. Had a city centre curry been planned, then this would have been the venue.

What would NOT have been planned was the purchase of a curry from Harrods. The Food hall in Harrods sells curry, why?

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Shoreham-by-Sea – The Indian Cottage Tandoori – Is this the prettiest Curry House in England

Posted on May 30, 2010 by Hector

Just passing by

There was one great pub in Shoreham. There was a disappointing one. In between was a Curry House, in a Tudor style building.

There was no Curry-Heute

Indeed it was Fish and certainly not Chips: Cod, in fact.

Hector had to go in a inspect the interior. The waiter was about to say I could take a photo if the customers did not mind…too late.

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Crawley – Ram Sports & Social Club – Lamb Mishkaki, a Kinda’ Curry in Crawley

Posted on May 29, 2010 by Hector

Ram Sports & Social Club (Ifield Avenue, Crawley RH11 7LX) is an unlikely venue for a major taste experience, but within the club house lies the Lal Akash, as is written on the crockery.

Lord Clive had recommended this. He described it as being reminiscent of the very dry lamb curry he had enjoyed so much in the Wee Curry Shop (Byres Rd, Glasgow) a couple of years ago.

A table for eight at 19.30 was arranged.

Hector had the Machi Tikka to start: this proved to be dry, brutally hot and decidedly filling. However, given the ease at which Hector has been putting away a starter and a Curry of late, this would prove not be a problem.

Its Pakora Jim, but not as we know it…

*

Three portions of Junglee Bahji were ordered, this was various vegetables in batter… . This was given the thumbs up by those who ordered it and by those who helped finish it.

Maggie had a huge Chicken Tikka starter, and Lord Clive had an even larger, out of focus Chicken starter.

The dish of the day was Lamb Mishkaki. Lord Clive had had this as a Starter the previous week, tonight it was to be had as a main course. When it arrived (last) it was presented as three portions on a single plate. This did not please Jonathan, Lord Clive or Hector: it was sent back and reappeared with some green accompaniment, and on separate plates.

This was superb! This was not in effect a Curry as one would describe a Curry. This was Lamb Tikka taken to extremes. The meat was much more tender than Lamb Tikka. The marinade process must have taken an age. There was a cluster of Spice and Herb, more than enough to dispel any fear that this would be too dry to eat. The accompanying rice and Paratha worked well. Marg was permitted to sample a single piece of meat. Hector was in heaven.

The remaining five participants had an array of more traditional curry dishes.
Maggie had a Dansak, Dr Stan a Sweet and Sour variant,

Marg had a plate of Campbell’s Tomato Soup, sorry Butter Chicken, Yvonne had the Rogan Josh and Craig had the best Curry of all –  Chicken Methi.

Having hoovered his own meal, Hector rounded up the sauces in all the remaining dishes and tried the lot. This is called quality control.

This is why I am able to write so favourably about the Methi.

Now here lies the dilemma, Dry Curry is what I seek. The Chicken Methi (would Lamb have been better?) had the great taste. We shall be back at the end of June on our way to Egypt. What do I order?

This Methi was excellent!

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