The Hairy Bikers: Why We Love British Curry

Deputy Editor Kayleigh Rattle caught up with the chirpy duo to find out why they’re such big fans of the nation’s favourite dish…

Tell us a bit about why you like curry…

Dave: We love everything about it! First of all, it’s incredibly regional. Secondly, thousands of years of alchemy, spices, and herbs have gone into creating this culture, which is absolutely fabulous. I remember coming to London as a student and going to my first curry house in 1977 in New Cross in South London – I just couldn’t believe it! It was just the most interesting food I’d ever tasted and I spent my grant working my way through the menu.

What’s your favourite type of curry to cook at home?

Dave: I’ll often cook a saag gosht [lamb and spinach curry] as I love the combination of flavours, but I tend to slow cook mine with mutton and add the fresh spinach just at the end.

Si: I love anything cooked in a tandoor, I think the whole process is fantastic. I don’t own a proper clay oven, but I’ve worked out a way of making my own in a wood fire oven and it’s just epic!

Which British ingredients work best in a curry?

Dave: Venison is great. The first time I tried it was at Vivek Singh’s Cinnamon Club. A lot of his spices and marinades are very light and work subtly with the main  ingredients. Guinea fowl is also fantastic with curry and you get an amazing stock from the bones as well.

Si: Venison also pairs really well with tamarind in a curry. You’ve got the earthiness and the gaminess of the venison and an acidity and slight sweetness from the tamarind – it’s just so great!

Dave: Cauliflowers are also brilliant, especially in aloo gobi [potatoes and cauliflower]. My tip is to find a British cauliflower the size of of a gorilla’s head – then it’s just perfect!

Do you have a preferred spice?

Dave: It’s not a spice as such but fresh curry leaves are brilliant! They add a bit of magic. We have a recipe for a Keralan king prawn curry and when you fry the curry leaves off it adds such flavour.

Si: I bought some hanni the other day. It’s a form of asafoetida [a plant from the fennel family]. I got it from a store called Brighton Grove Food in the west of Newcastle, which I’ve been visiting for years. Honestly, something just happens when you add it to curry – it’s amazing! I always come back with some panch phoron (Indian five spice blend) too. It’s especially great with French beans, garlic, onion and chilli.

Where else do you source your produce?

Dave: When I lived up north I used to go to Bradford a lot to get my ingredients – you can get anything
there. At the moment I’m living in Kent and there’s a great shop in Rochester where I pick up a lot of my fresh produce. It’s all about buying staples such as coriander leaves in bulk.

Where in the UK is good for a curry?

Dave: I love Ackbar’s in Bradford. You get giant naans like a tree which hang in front of you at your table and you just tear pieces off. The food is stunning. Sirus Todiwala’s Café Spice Namasté in Tower Hamlets, London, is also great. The head chef is from Goa and we just go in there and eat whatever the chef wants to feed us. We also love Atul Kochhar’s Michelin-starred Benares in Mayfair. That’s the great thing about curry; you have everything from Michelin starred food in Mayfair to curry houses in Bristol and Bradford – it’s right across the board. The last place we went to as a pair was Urban Tandoor in Bristol – it’s a cracker!

Si: It’s very, very busy but the curry and staff are great and we had a wonderful time. In Newcastle there’s a restaurant that’s been there for an incredibly long time, called Sachins. It’s always brilliant.

How has the curry scene evolved in the UK over the years?

Si: There are certainly more vegetarian curries around. There’s a small chain of Indian restaurants specialising in this type of food called Rasa. They serve predominantly veggie cuisine and they also have dosas.

Dave: Sree Krishna In Tooting is a south Indian restaurant which has lots of veggie dishes. It has been there for donkey’s years! I remember going there as a student, it was the first time I had a masala dosai [rice and lentil flour pancake filled with potato masala].

And what are your top side dishes?

Dave: I will always go for a stuffed paratha and I love a tarka dhal, a saag baji, a saag paneer and even a saag gosht. Add a saag aloo to that too!

Si: It’s very difficult to choose a favourite, but I like a chana dhal. What generally happens is that it becomes a bit of a buffet when we’re together! I’ll pitch in with three choices, Dave will order another three and it works really well!

What do you like to drink with your curry?

Dave: I’m a Kingfisher beer/Cobra man traditionally, but at Atul Kochhar’s Benares we tried the wine pairing tasting menu. Or, if you’re looking for something non-alcoholic, go for a mango lassi.

Si: Oaky wines also work well, especially those with a buttery finish – Atul has got it perfectly right there!

What advice would you give to anyone cooking curry for the first time?

Dave: Knock out a balti! There’s a reason why they work so well in restaurants – they’re just so quick and simple to prepare. Basically, you get a pan that’s like a wok, add the ingredients, then the gravy, and serve. Another simple dish to get you started and a favourite of mine is a bit of a faux tandoori. You just need to combine diced lamb, chicken or prawns with some yogurt and a tandoori masala spice dry mix. Pop it in the oven as hot as you can get it and just serve with naan bread, a squidge of lemon and some salad. It’s fantastic, especially when served with an obligatory ice cold beer!

The Hairy Bikers’ Mediterranean Adventure by Si King and Dave Myers (£25, Seven Dials) is out now. Photography by Andrew Hayes-Watkins