London: Indian foodies can look up to an authentic British gourmet storm next month when some of UK's finest chefs set up base in Chennai and roll out 60 dishes like British Chicken Tikka Masala and Balti during a food festival that takes ‘curry' back to its spiritual home. Though it sounds like selling ice to eskimos and carrying coal to Newcastle, Indian diners can tuck into British curry during the Taste of Britain Curry Festival from March 6-14.
A team of the UK's best curry chefs will be putting up the show which would include high street favourites such as British Chicken Tikka Masala, Balti and Jalfrezi. Also on the menu will be ‘Madras'—named after the city -- which still tops the chart at British restaurants. Curry, the word traces its roots from the Tamil word ‘kari' meaning sauce, has become UK's top national food; some 12,000 eateries cater to the growing love for the Indian food. The festival has even been endorsed by British Prime Minister David Cameron, who praised the organisers for “promoting the British curry industry in the UK and India.”
“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,” said Cameron. Britain's Deputy High Commissioner in Chennai, Bharat Joshi, has also lent his weight behind the festival. “Food joins cultures and peoples together, and that is certainly true of Indian food in Britain which is the country's favourite. So I am delighted to welcome the Taste of Britain back home to Chennai, where the word curry itself originated,” Joshi said.
The festival returns to Chennai after successful shows in Kolkata and Hyderabad.
The team for the fest includes celebrity Michelin Star chef Mark Poynton, who recently appeared in the BBC series Great British Menu.
This would be his first trip to India, where he will be whipping up a gourmet storm by showcasing the unique, cutting-edge gastronomy that earned him his Michelin Star and three AA rosettes in the UK.
“I am sure diners will be impressed,” says Poynton. Festival founder Syed Belal Ahmed said: “Taste of Britain Curry Festival promotes the skill and creativity of British curry chefs and this is also a celebration of the amalgamation of two very diverse cultures.
“Curry is as British as strawberry jam and cricket and we are keen to promote that to the rest of the world, including India.”
