Blog
Insights, guides, and stories from the UK curry industry
Durga Puja Bhog: The Vegetarian Khichuri and Labra of the Pandal Kitchen
During Durga Puja, the community kitchen serves bhog: a blessed vegetarian meal of khichuri, labra and beguni cooked without onion or garlic. Here is what goes into it and how British pujas recreate the pandal feast.
Pohela Boishakh in Britain: How the Bengali New Year Plate Crossed Borders
Pohela Boishakh, the Bengali New Year, brings panta bhat, hilsa and Boishakhi mela food stalls to the streets of Britain. Here is how UK Bengali communities celebrate it and what fills the symbolic new-year plate.
Punjabi Sarson da Saag and Makki di Roti: Winter on a Plate in the Land of Five Rivers
Sarson da saag and makki di roti are the definitive winter meal of Punjab: slow-cooked mustard greens with spinach and bathua, partnered by golden cornmeal flatbread and finished with white butter. Here is how it is made and why it matters.
Amritsari Fish and the Tandoori Roots of Punjabi Restaurant Cooking
Crisp, gram-flour-battered Amritsari fish is one of Punjab's great street-side pleasures, born of dhaba culture and the same tandoor tradition that shaped the British curry house. Here is how it is made and why it matters.
Hyderabadi Mirchi ka Salan and Bagara Baingan: The Nutty Gravies That Partner Biryani
Hyderabad's peanut-sesame-tamarind gravies, mirchi ka salan and bagara baingan, are the unsung partners to its famous biryani. They tell the story of a Deccani cuisine where Mughal richness meets Telugu sourness and spice.
Awadhi Kakori Kebab: The Silk-Smooth Skewer That Demands a Hundred Spices
The Kakori kebab of Lucknow is the most refined of all minced-meat kebabs, tenderised with raw papaya and bound with finely pounded mince and a long list of spices. Its silken texture is the legacy of Awadh's nawabi kitchens.
Goan Vindaloo, Properly: Vinegar, Garlic and the Portuguese Carne de Vinha d'Alhos
The real Goan vindaloo is a vinegar-and-garlic pork curry descended from a Portuguese dish, not a contest to see who can stand the most chilli. Here is how to reclaim it from the British curry-house heat menu.
Goan Sorpotel and Sannas: The Pork Stew and Steamed Rice Cakes of a Catholic Christmas
Sorpotel is the vinegary, offal-rich pork stew that anchors a Goan Catholic Christmas, traditionally made days ahead so the flavour deepens. Paired with the soft, toddy-leavened rice cakes called sannas, it is festive cooking at its most soulful.
Chettinad Pepper Mutton and the Roasted Spice Masalas of Tamil Country
Chettinad pepper mutton is one of South India's fiercest dishes, built on freshly roasted and stone-ground spices, stone-flower lichen and the trading wealth of the Chettiar merchant clans. Here is what makes it so distinctive and how UK kitchens can do it justice.
Kashmiri Yakhni and Dum Aloo: The Yoghurt and Fennel School of Wazwan Cooking
Kashmiri yakhni and dum aloo follow a logic unlike almost any other Indian cooking: pale gravies built on yoghurt, fennel and dried ginger, often with no onions or tomatoes at all. We trace the Pandit and Wazwan traditions behind them.
Gujarati Kadhi, Dhokla and the Science of the Sweet-Sour Vegetarian Day
Gujarati cooking balances sweet, sour, salty and spicy in a way few other regional cuisines attempt, from yoghurt-and-gram-flour kadhi to steamed fermented dhokla. Here is the logic behind the sugar-in-everything reputation and the vegetarian thali it builds.
Rajasthani Dal Baati Churma and Ker Sangri: Desert Cooking Without Water
Rajasthani cuisine was shaped by the scarcity of the Thar Desert, where fresh water and green vegetables were luxuries. From baked baati and ghee-soaked churma to dried-bean ker sangri, this is cooking built for preservation and survival.