Taste of Britain Curry Festival Takes Off!

Last night the Taste of Britain Festival took off in spectacular fashion as diners of Dhaka descended on the Dhaka Sheraton Hotel for a sample of the food that has captured the psyche and culture of 
the British public over the past 50 years.

Guests heard from guest speakers Ghulam Mohammed Quader, Honorable Minister of Civil Aviation and Tourism, Special Guest Safique Alam Mehdi, Secretary Minister of Civil Aviation and Tourism and HE Nick Lowe Acting British High Commissioner in Bangladesh who joined festival organisers Syed Belal Ahmed and Nahas Pasha of Curry Life Magazine and Ahmad Bukhari Hamzar, General Manager of Dhaka Sheraton Hotel.

Virtues of the anglicised dish were extolled by speakers as guests heard that curry is not only responsible for contributing 4.2 billion to the British economy it also unites nations and possesses beneficial attributes hitherto unrecognised by the average Brit out on the town for an ‘Indian’.  “It would seem that curry has ingredients to spice up health, said Gen Manager. Madrasses and Vindaloos appealed to the taste of the more hot blooded males in the UK whereas women preferred the creamier kormas. Curry had not only become hugely profitable and popular, it had also helped to “cement the relationship between the two great countries of Bangladesh and Great Britain,” said Mr Hamzar.

Belal Ahmed, Festival Director described how Curry Life Magazine was promoting Bangladeshi cuisine and restaurants up and down the country, in the Middle East, India and Europe. “Different cultures, food and faiths have settled in Britain and made an exciting mix of multiculturalism,” he said, “We want to celebrate the success of the curry industry with the people of Bangladesh.”

For HE Nick Lowe, fresh to Bangladesh from the curry capital of Britain in Tower Hamlets, the evening brought on a touch of nostalgia for the vibrant curry houses of Brick Lane. “We couldn’t feel more at home than we do now,” he said. The cultural values – . He talked of the unique input of

The Chief Guest and minister for Civil Aviation and tourism – “somehow or other curry has won the hearts and the minds of the British people,” he said. “We must be proud of that and the fact that leadership has been given by the Bangladeshi community. Curry has become an asset for our culture because it brings investment to Bangladesh in hotels, motels, restaurant and tourism.”

Chefs Pintu Rozario, Amitaba Pal from Bangladesh and India joined the British Fusion chefs Partha Mittra, Shahidur Rahman and Abul Monsur on the stage before guests enjoyed a banquet of famous British/Bangladeshi dishes with kormas, baltis and vindaloos in abundance. But where was the chicken tikka masala? – anyone wanting  to taste the jewel in the crown of this peculiarly British incarnation of Bangladeshi  cuisine will have to wait until tonight when the famous dish will be served up in abundance in the Vithika restaurant .  Long live curry!

The Taste of Britain Curry Festival Took Kolkata by Storm – Can We Do the Same in Bangladesh?

In a Kolkata steaming in the hottest pre-monsoon April for 52 years, as a volcano wreaked havoc in the skies over faraway Britain, the Taste of Britain Food Festival was launched at the 5-star Hotel Hindustan International. In true coals to Newcastle fashion, the event aimed to introduce the public of Kolkata to the famous institution of British curry, highlighting one of the greatest culinary success stories of our age.

It was no accident that Kolkata was chosen as the venue for a festival that featured British/Bangladeshi chefs. The economic centre of West Bengal, it was the former capital of the British Raj, it’s the place where the British received their penchant for Indian food; in short it’s where curry was born.

As local and national media assembled for the press launch of the 10-day Taste of Britain Festival, there was a palpable buzz of excitement in the air. The focus of attention was our four master chefs from Britain and Bangladesh selected from across the UK to present their successful signature dishes for the delight of city gourmets.

We’d been told that Kolkatans, renowned for their love of food and dining, were a bit sceptical as to what Bangladeshis from the culinary wastelands of Britain could possibly teach Indians about their own cuisine? And not only food – we’d even brought our own version of an Indian beverage; Bangla Premium Beer, brewed to an old Bengali recipe - in Manchester, UK.

Production teams, journalists and food critics lined up for interviews as the imposing figure of the Partha Mittra, executive chef of the Bengal Dynasty in Chester, took centre stage to explain that British curries tend to use less ghee, colour and salt than Bengali recipes. Softer on the palate and milder, they are more flavoursome and healthy with the quality of ingredients being of paramount importance, he told journalists.

Meanwhile, top UK chefs; Abul Monsur of Taj Cuisine in Chatham, Ataur Rahman Harun of the Taj Mahal in Stevenage and Pintu Rosario, of the Dhaka Sheraton presented their individually created signature dishes of rosemary infused Chicken Dumplings, a quintessentially English Roast Lamb Jardaloo, Broccoli and Rosemary Meat Ball Curry and Balti Fish Exotica dishes to an eager posse of reporters.

Over the next ten days, excitement generated by the launch of the festival showed no signs of dying down as restaurant bookings went up and up. Festival organisers Syed Belal Ahmed and Syed Nahas Pasha continued to be feted by national and international dailies. As word of the skills of the British/Bangladeshi- based Indian chefs spread, guests included restaurateurs from all over the city; even the Bangladesh High Commissioner to the UK dropped in to find out what the fuss was about. Festival goers were intrigued and enthusiastic but a little bit confused. Their main curiosity was about the Balti dishes said to have originated in Birmingham. People were divided as to whether British curries would catch on in India. Some wondered if they might find anglicised curries a bit on the bland side; Bengali cuisine is famous for its dhal based recipes. It favours sour tasting tamarind or yoghurt flavoured dishes, strong fish steamed with oil and spices, aubergines, ubiquitous mango dishes and paneer.

We’re pleased to report that the vast majority were enthusiastic converts. The festival was pronounced a huge success; sales were up 18%; customer feedback was excellent and people were surprised by the mildness and the flavour of the food. British curries were described as being more healthful, lighter and better presented. Utpal Mondal, executive chef at HHI, expressed a desire to include some of the Balti dishes on the menu in the future (with the addition of a little more spice) and dismay at the team’s imminent departure. It would seem that British curry and the chefs had won the day. As the volcanic dust cleared across the world, the monsoon kicked in to herald our departure.

Take Three UK Chefs ...

Chef Partha Mittra of the Bengal Dynasty in Shotton, Deeside

A former personal chef to the Prime Minister of India and highly respected master chef in the UK and native Kolkatan, Partha cuts an imposing figure on the culinary landscape.

After graduating in Hotel Management in Kolkata, Partha worked at the prestigious Taj Bengal Hotel for 17 years, progressing to the role of executive sous chef. So renowned were his skills that he was selected to become personal chef to the Prime Minister of India who was then Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Travelling to locations like Malaysia and Singapore and cooking for high profile politicians and celebrities including John Major and Hilary Clinton, Partha looks back on this episode in his career as a once in a lifetime opportunity: “It was a fantastic experience to be with the premier of a country,” he says, “Security was very high of course and all dishes had to be checked and of the best quality.”

After being head hunted from India, Partha came to the UK in 2001 where he became executive chef at the Bengal Dynasty in Flintshire and now divides his time between Britain and Kolkata where his wife, mother and daughter live.  His past creations at Curry Life Fusion Festivals have included spicy variations of traditional dishes including spicy flaked fish with sherry and walnut dressing, roasted red pepper soup and his signature dish of Chicken Tikka Lababdar.

Chef Abul Monsur of Taj Cuisine in Chatham, Kent

“Cooking has to come straight from your heart,” says executive Chef Abul Monsur.  If that sounds a bit like a soundbite it’s a philosophy that has never failed to achieve spectacular results for Abul.

Born in Sylhet, Bangladesh, Abul, who is otherwise known as Jewel, first came to the UK at the age of six and learnt his culinary skills in his mother’s kitchen and uncle’s restaurant in Hammersmith, London where he became captivated by the style and techniques of the Bangladeshi and Indian chefs who worked there.

As a young entrepreneur he opened Taj Cuisine ten years ago and has enjoyed considerable success ever since. Winner of the Medway Curry Chef of the Year Award in 2005 and Federation of Bangladeshi Caterers Outstanding Restaurateur of the Year award in 2010, Jewel has showcased his fusion dishes in five-star hotels and top restaurants across the world.

He says a lot of his culinary skills have stemmed from his experience at international food festivals where he has the opportunity to research and learn from other types of cuisine. His speciality fusion dishes include an interesting concoction of flavours including English Lamb Shank cooked on the bone with a hint of mint, aromatic spices, green peppers, coriander, ginger and mustard and Salmon Sharisha, marinated and shallow fried with herbs and spices.

“Techniques of cooking – especially of lamb and fish - are very different in Bangladesh and India resulting in two very different tastes,” says Jewel. “It will be interesting to see how my recipes translate.”

Chef Shahidur Rahman of The Raj Spice and Blue Spice, West Midlands

The embodiment of cool, calm and collected, Shahidur has been running his own restaurant since 1994, opening the highly successful Raj Spice in Rowley Regis in 1997. Also from Sylhet (as the majority of Bangladeshi chefs are) he worked his way up the hard way from the role of kitchen porter in the famous Taste of India restaurant to top-class executive chef.

An entrepreneur and property developer, Shahidur is also an astute ambitious businessman and a family man with four children. Having won several major awards at the Raj Spice including the British Curry Awards 2006-7 and a place in the UK’s Top 100 Restaurants, Shahidur has now spread his talents further afield by opening an up-market 60-seater venue, The Blue Spice restaurant on Stourbridge Road, Halesowen launched earlier this month.

In the meantime lucky diners of Dhaka will be able to sample his famous Fusion and Balti dishes such as Chicken Suka in a tamarind sauce, Chicken Erotica and Mint lamb Bhuna English style: “They’re unusual dishes, but then I’m an unusual chef,” he laughs.