British Bengali chefs are out to conquer India with British curry

Surma Times Report: It may sounds like selling ice to Eskimos and coal to Newcastle … but curry to India? Well, Indian diners can tuck into British Bengali fusion curry, when the Taste of Britain Curry Festival sets up base with food festival at the five star luxury hotel, Hyatt Regency Chennai (formerly known as Madras), India.
This Great British food promotion has an endorsement from the British Prime Minister, David Cameron. In a message of support to the organiser, he said: “Curry, which of course originated in the Indian subcontinent, is now one of the most popular foods in the UK and has become part of the British way of life. And, those involved in the industry enliven our high streets, boost local economies and contribute to local communities.
“I would like to congratulate the enterprising spirit of Curry Life Magazine in promoting the British curry industry in the UK and India.”
A team of the UK’s best British Bengali curry chefs will be producing 60 dishes, many high street favourites including British Chicken Tikka Masala, Balti and Jalfrezi. Also on the menu, Brit’s all time favourite dish ‘Madras’ named after the city, which still top the chart of the British curry restaurants.
Hot, mild, creamy or dry, any way you like it, the fact still remains: CURRY has come to be the UK’s number one national food. The curry now outsells even fish and chips. Some twelve thousand restaurants in the UK, majority of them run by people of Bangladeshi origin, cater to ever-increasing love of curry.
The Taste of Britain Curry Festival, which returns to Chennai, India, after successful showcase in Kolkata and Hyderabad. Mr Bharat Joshi, British Deputy High Commissioner in the city, also has lent his weight to the festival, which takes ‘curry’ back to its spiritual home for the ten-day foodathon at the Hyatt Regency Chennai from 6-14 March 2015.

The word ‘curry’ is taken from the Tamil word ‘kari’ meaning sauce. Now, the word of curry, considered as complete cuisine and emerge as ‘Curry Cuisine’ in the UK.

Mr Joshi said: “Food joins cultures and peoples together, and that is certainly true of Indian Food in Britain which is the country’s favourite. So I’m delighted to welcome the Taste of Britain back home to Chennai, where the word curry itself originated. The festival will showcase the diversity and sophistication of modern Indian sub-continental food from across the UK”.

The delegation will include celebrity Michelin Star chef Mark Poynton who has recently appeared in the BBC series of Great British Menu. This is first ever trip to India and he will be whipping up a gourmet storm at the Hyatt Regency Chennai by showcasing the unique, cutting-edge gastronomy that earned him his Michelin Star and three AA rosettes in the UK.

Mark Poynton said: “I’m really looking forward to showcasing high quality British food in India using a menu of fresh, original dishes full of vibrant flavours. I’m sure diners will be impressed.

“I am a very big fan of curry and what really excites me even more is that I will be with a team of best curry chefs from the UK. I am really looking forward to working alongside them and flying the flag for British cuisine in India. Hopefully we will get a chance to try some of the local dishes too.”

To mark the arrival of the Taste of Britain team in the city of Chennai, the British Deputy High Commission is organising its National Day annual event to celebrate Queen’s Birthday. The elites of the city will be invited to tuck into dishes prepared by the visiting UK chefs to memorable celebration of Her Majesty’s Birthday.

Festival founder and the Editor of Curry Life, Syed Belal Ahmed, said: “Taste of Britain Curry Festival promotes the skill and creativity of British Bengali curry chefs.

“Curry is as British as strawberry jam and cricket and we’re keen to promote that to the rest of the world, including India.”