National Chip Week – Connoisseur’s Curry Sauce

No Comments » - Thursday 18th February 2010

National Chip Week – Connoisseur’s Curry Sauce

You’ve probably guessed by now that here at Cobra we love curry… I mean really love it. We honestly can’t stop eating the stuff; from Vindaloos to a nice creamy Korma, we’ll eat the lot. One thing that has always left us a little disappointed though is fish and chip shop curry sauce – it never quite hits the spot or gets the taste buds tingling in quite the same way that a proper curry does.

Well, it seems we’re not the only people that are partial to some curry sauce with our chips – research has shown that almost a fifth (17%) of Brits admit to loving nothing more than dipping their chips in curry sauce… now that’s a lot of people!

So, in celebration of National Chip Week we have joined forces with renowned Indian chef, Cyrus Todiwala, to create the only curry sauce fit for a true curry fan!

Connoisseur’s Curry Sauce

Glistening with gold leaf, the Connoisseur’s Curry Sauce uses only the finest ingredients on the market, including Morel mushrooms costing £150 per kilo, and is worth a whopping £36 a portion – 36 times the price of your bog standard curry sauce found in your local ‘chippy’. I tried some the other day at Cyrus’ restaurant and it was so delicious I ended up eating it with a spoon! This supreme curry sauce definitely has the ‘wow’ factor and as far as I’m concerned should be crowned king of the curry sauce.

Now, we appreciate that not everyone will want to spend that kind of money on curry sauce so feel free to swap the morel mushrooms for some shitake – oh, and the gold leaf is optional too. Plus, what’s even better is that the sauce can be kept fresh in the fridge for up to five days, so you can enjoy it at your leisure!

As always you can find the recipe here so open a bottle of King Cobra to share with your friends, get some of your favourite chips, tuck in and enjoy!

Tags: Cobra, Cyrus Todiwala, King Cobra, National Chip Week
Posted in Recipes |

No Comments » - Monday 15th February 2010

Cyrus Todiwala’s Connoisseur’s Curry Sauce

“To celebrate National Chip Week I’ve teamed up with Cobra beer to create this rich, unique and luxurious curry sauce which is guaranteed to both complement the great British chip and tantalize the most discerning of taste buds. Even better, this simple and versatile sauce can be easily stored in your refrigerator for up to five days and makes a delicious cold dip as well“ – Cyrus Todiwala.

Cyrus Todiwala’s Connoisseur’s Curry Sauce with King Cobra Ingredients:

- 2-3 fresh or dried morel mushrooms

- 50gm ground almonds

- 1 tin coconut milk

- 2 heaped tbsp butter

- 1 or 2 green chillis (depending on taste) – slit into 4 lengthways

- 2 garlic cloves – peeled and very finely chopped

- 1 small banana shallot – very finely chopped

- 1 heaped tsp good English smooth mustard

- 1 level tbsp madras curry powder

- 1 heaped tbsp fresh coriander – chopped

- 1 sheet gold leaf

Equipment:

- 1-2 litre capacity casserole or saucepan

- Strainer

- Blender/ liquidizer

- Wooden spatula

- Heat resistant scraper

- Bowl

- High spirits (for the enjoyment)

To serve:

- A portion of your favourite chips. For the ultimate homemade chip, why not try Heston Blumenthal’s triple-cooked chips

- King Cobra – best served shared and ice cold

Method:

- Clean and chop your morel mushrooms into very tiny pieces. If using dried morels, soak them for a while (or as instructed on your package) drain and chop

- Puree the ground almonds with the coconut milk and set it aside ready for use

- Take the casserole or saucepan and heat it on a medium flame

- Add the butter and, once melted and foaming, add the mushrooms and sauté for a minute or two. Drain over a small bowl in the strainer

- Return the butter to the pan and add the slit green chillis. Sauté for a minute or two, then add the finely-chopped garlic

- As soon as the garlic turns pale add the finely-chopped shallots and continue to sauté for a couple of minutes until the shallots turn pale

- When the shallots turn pale add the chilli powder, incorporate the pureed almonds and coconut milk – stirring until well blended

- Bring to a boil and simmer for three to four minutes before adding the mustard paste

- Remove from the cooker and add the sautéd mushrooms. Keep mixing until the mustard settles down – this might take a minute or two

- Check the seasoning and see that it is to your liking

- Now add the chopped coriander and stir it in – ensuring the mixture is blended into a smooth sauce

- Finally, garnish with a flourish of gold leaf before serving with a portion of your favourite chips and a glass of ice cold King Cobra.

Tags: Cobra, curry, Cyrus Todiwala, King Cobra, National Chip Week, Recipes
Posted in Recipes |

No Comments » - Tuesday 9th February 2010

CurryCouncil.com announces their Restaurant of the Year

Here at Cobra we love anything that encourages people to eat more curry – whether that’s trying great recipes, enjoying excellent takeaways, visiting top Curry houses, the lot. So, when the guys at CurryCouncil.com let us know about their Restaurant of the Year Awards we just had to tell you know about them.

The CurryCouncil.com’s annual award honours the best restaurants in the Manchester area, as voted by their members. Finalists were chosen from a list of eleven South-Manchester-based restaurants and visited by the CurryCouncil in 2009. Each restaurant was then rated in the following areas: atmosphere, value for money, originality and most of all; exemplarily food and service. A complete list of contenders is available here.

This year’s winner is (drum roll please)…. The Purple Pakora, in Poynton, Stockport. David Marchbank-Smith, co-founder of CurryCouncil.com, paid tribute: “The awards are designed to recognize the very best Indian restaurants in the South Manchester region. The team at the Purple Pakora have created a stylish contemporary dining arena which is complemented with exemplary food and a high standard of service. ”

Check out their site for more reviews, recipes and other great curry news!

Tags: awards, Cobra, curry, Curry Council, Purple Pakora, review
Posted in Restaurants |

1 Comment » - Monday 1st February 2010

Come Dine With Me – Curry Dinner Party

We love Channel 4’s Come Dine With Me in the Dr Spice household – it’s one of the only times we all sit and watch TV in relative silence. However, as you’d expect, there’s always a big debate on what we’d serve for our guests.

Despite being a house of curry fanatics, Indian food is rarely mentioned as the top choice for cuisine – preferring, instead, to go for an old French classic or something equally as predictable. Obviously, being a curry fanatic I’d definitely do all three courses as Indian dishes matched of course with the only beer brewed especially to go with Indian food – Cobra beer.

For inspiration I’ve nabbed a few of one of my favourite Indian chef’s, Anjum Anand, recipes for the basic reason that they’re really tasty, simple and most of the ingredients can be found in the local supermarket!

One of the great things about Indian food is that it can often be prepared well in advance, leaving you time to talk to your guests rather than being cooped up in the kitchen slaving over a hot stove!

I would do the following:

Starter – Aktar Islam’s Tandoori Salmon

Just because this recipe from F-Word Best local Restaurant Lasan’s in Birmingham is low in fat certainly means it’s not low in taste! Simple and easy to prepare this makes a cracking starter served with some mint yoghurt or Raita.

Main Course – Jamie Oliver’s Southern Indian Crab Curry

As you’ll have seen in my past post I love Southern Indian food so this dish ticks that box nicely. There’s also something fantastically decadent about crab – not many people eat it on a regular basis so it feels special and will make your guests marvel at your taste and sophistication.

Dessert – Anjum Anand’s Indian Brioche Pudding with Cardamom and Saffron “Cream”

I think it’s best to let Anjum explain this one:

“This dessert is my easy, cheat’s version but it is still luscious and moreish. You can serve it as it is simply garnished with some fried cashew nuts, toasted almonds or pistachios or with the caramelized apples for an added dimension or with any other fruit you like.” – My mouth is watering just thinking about!

Drinks – Cobra of course! In particular I’d go for King Cobra – looks great, tastes great and goes wonderfully with curry!

Finally, here are my top tips for a successful dinner party:

- Prepare as much in advance as you can – get marinating several hours before your guests arrive. Not only will this develop the flavours but it’ll also save you rushing around when you have guests to entertain!

- Set the table the night before – your day will be manic and stressful enough so why not cut yourself some slack

- Make sure you have all your extras (naan, chutneys, Raita etc) prepared and on the table before your guests arrive

- Ensure you’ve put your Cobra in the fridge before you start – nothing will put a dampener on the evening more than serving warm beer to your guests

- Don’t forget to drink in moderation – no-one likes a drunken host!

- Above all, enjoy yourself! Relax, chat to all your guests and most importantly don’t panic – it’ll all be ok, there’s always a takeaway if it all goes horribly wrong … no-one will notice the difference!

So guys, no excuses – what are you waiting for? What would you cook?

Tags: Channel 4, Cobra, Come Dine with Me, Dinner Party
Posted in Recipes |