Food: London’s Authentic Indian Curries

The first curry recipe written in Britain dates back to 1747, a decade before British colonialisation of India even began. Our commemorative dish for Elizabeth II’s ascension to the throne was coronation chicken, a cold curry. Britain has clearly been mad on curry for a long time but most of us know little beyond our local takeaway menu. There’s a whole world of curry to discover and there’s no better place to start your spicy journey than in India.

India is a huge and diverse country with each region having its own traditional curries. It borders Afghanistan, Pakistan, China, Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Sri Lanka and Myanmar with each influencing culture and cuisine across India. There’s a lot to taste and try and you can find many of these delicious dishes in our curry-crazy city.

Bengal

The Bengal region straddles eastern India and Bangladesh and is known for its big bold flavours and fish.

Bengal sits on the Ganges delta and fish is its dominant protein. Food is a huge part of Bengali culture; they have a saying that “fish and rice make a Bengali”. Though they’re famed for their desserts, Bengali people also love curries like biriyani and macher jhol.

Macher jhol (above) is a little more watery than British curries. It’s a stew seasoned with ginger, onion, mustard oil, coriander, cumin, turmeric and most importantly, chillies.

Potatoes thicken the stew, tomatoes add colour and it’s topped off with fresh delta fish. The resulting broth is seriously spicy and packed with flavour. If your tastebuds are tempted then Roti Chai off Marble Arch does the best Macher Johl in London.

Goa

Goa in western India owes its cuisine style to Portuguese colonialists and settlers.

Goa’s hot curries were mellowed for the weaker European palate using coconut while Portuguese dishes were spiced up for Goan tastes.

That’s how the belly-burning vindaloo came into being; it was originally a Portuguese dish with two main ingredients of wine and garlic, “vinho” and “alhos”.

Goan coastal curries tend to feature fish, seafood or veggies. Udid methi (above) is an unusual raw mango curry and Woodlands vegetarian restaurant in Marylebone, Hampstead or Piccadilly does a brilliant version.

Ma Goa in Putney has a great, ever-changing menu showcasing the Portuguese influence on Goan cuisine. Try its catch of the day curry koyla machli, the prawn-filled jingha masalachi or if you’re daring enough, the original porco vindaloo. For good measure add a few sundries such as the unique Goan chorizo and yummy paneer samosas. Palms of Goa in Soho does great seafood curries but its best dish is the famous Goan xacuti – a mouthwatering lamb curry made with vinegar and coconut.

Punjab

Punjab is a region crossing northern India and Pakistan that’s famed for its diverse cuisine.

It’s home to some of our most popular imports such as tandoori, tikka, butter chicken and rogan josh.

Naan bread is also a big export; the state is actually known as “India’s bread-basket” due to its high wheat production.

Punjabi cuisine is big on vegetables, lamb and fish as the Punjab area of Muslim Pakistan doesn’t eat pork and the Hindi Indian side doesn’t eat beef. Dishes use fenugreek, garlic, onion and ginger extensively and lentil dals and potato (aloo) dishes are popular sides.

Punjabi curries have proven their popularity in Britain so it’s worth exploring some lesser-known dishes. Punjab in Covent Garden has a phenomenally extensive menu featuring baigan ka bharta, a legendary dish made with roasted mashed aubergine cooked with smoked spices, and methi gosht – succulent lamb cooked in fresh fenugreek. Southall is London’s go-to for Indian food and Raunka does brilliant and unique Punjabi dishes like saag lamb and amritsari fish (above). If you fancy splashing out head to Zaika in Kensington for the succulent lamb nihari gosht.

South India

Southern Indian covers five states, with Tamil Nadu actually giving us the word kari, and it’s reputedly home to India’s hottest curries.

Its cuisine is characterised by lentils, rice and spices but most of all veggies. South India is a vegetarian heartland that shows exactly what mouthwatering miracles can be created by teaming fresh veg with the likes of cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, tamarind and lots of chilli.

South India is known for its bread-like bites: flatbread dosas and spongey idlis made with rice and lentils, potato doughnuts called vadas (above) and savoury pancake uttapams. South Indian curries usually come as soups or stews like sambar and rasam or as thali, a tapas-like range served on banana leaves with rice.

Sagar has one of London’s best South Indian menus. You can sample every single buttery bread the region has to offer as well as traditional southern curries. Gaylord – arguably London’s most famous Indian restaurant – does beautiful thali for both vegetarians and meat-lovers.

 

by Jo Davies

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