Curry has woven itself into the fabric of British culinary culture with its wide range of tastes that appeal to all palates.
From creamy Kormas to fiery Vindaloos, it’s estimated that we consume over 100 million Indian takeaways annually.
There are around 10,000 curry houses in the UK, accounting for two-thirds of our total takeaway restaurants and there’s even a National Curry Week. It’s fair to say we love our curries and I include myself in that.
So I was excited to discover a new and extremely simple way to cook authentic Indian dishes at home. The BANG! Curry kits are the brainchild of Shelly Nuruzzaman who spent her early childhood in Brick Lane at the heart of London’s Bangladeshi community. Brick Lane is known as the Curry Capital of London and as you wander its streets, the air is filled with the aroma of spices. And it’s hard to chose where to eat – everyone has their favourite.
Inspired by these exotic streets and cooking from an early age with her family, Shelly has created a range of Brick Lane-inspired meal kits. We tried the Onion Bhaji and Chicken Tikka kits. I’ve cooked a fair bit of Indian food so I know it’s something of a laborious process – it takes time and effort. So to discover these lovely little kits is something of a revelation.
Three simple steps are all it took to create these two delicious dishes. For the onion bhaji, you mix the two sachets, which include spices and flour and add water. Chop and an onion, stir through and fry. I shallow-fried mine and have to admit being a bit dubious about how good the result would be. What a surprise! Deliciously authentic onion bhajis created in minutes.
The chicken tikka comes with an ingenious invention. One of the sachets includes a dried onion base made up of onion, ginger and garlic. No need for all that chopping, simply soak it in water for five minutes and you’re ready to go. The other sachet contains the spices for your dish which are mixed with water and the ingredients of your choice added to the pan. We chose chicken and a small tin of tomatoes. Again we were blown away by the result. A tasty, authentic dish that took no time at all.
Choose from kits to suite all tastes and spice levels, including Madras, Korma, Makhani, Bunka, Tikka and Jalfrezi as well as Biryani, Dahl, Bhaji and Pakora. All kits are produced and packaged in the UK using high quality, sustainably sourced spices. Cooking Indian food at home has never been easier.
Find out more and order online at www.bangcurry.com
Words by Sandy Cadiz-Smith
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