Indian Inspired British Dishes

Curry houses on Brick Lane, the curry capital of London.
Photo by Tony Hisgett licensed under CC BY 2.0

Walk down any British high street on a Friday night and you will encounter one or more Indian restaurants full of people enjoying a Friday-night curry. Indian-inspired dishes, such as the ubiquitous chicken-tikka massala curry, top the list of most popular dishes in the UK. However, it is not fair to say this is real Indian food, rather that the ingredients and flavours are inspired by cooking found in the Indian sub-continent. 'Indian food' is a label applied as an umbrella term for diverse cuisine of different origins, but which are perceived by the wider public as 'Indian'. Chefs working in Britain's curry houses are just as often Nepalese, Bangladeshi and Pakistani as Indian. Dishes considered typically Indian, such as onion bhajis, were in fact created to cater for the British market. To find authentic Indian food you have to go a bit further. This does not diminish the popularity of what is known as Indian food and the love of Asian flavours has a long history in Britain that has its origins in the spice trade. Here are two lesser-known Anglo-Indian dishes:

Mulligatawny 
 

Mulligatawny Soup: Photo by Michelle Peters-Jones
licensed under (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

This distinctively-named soup has its translation in two Tamil words "Milagu Tanni" meaning 'pepper-water'. This isn't really a popular soup in England. Most people have heard of it but I hadn't actually tasted it until last year when I bought a packet of the Covent Garden Soup Co. version. This was so delicious that I soon made my own version at home. Again, this didn't last long in my fridge. There are about as many variations on the recipe as there are ingredients in most kitchens so it can be adapted in any way you like. Personally, I really like the taste of recipes that include coconut or apple. It is quite common in Indian cuisine to use fruit in savoury dishes. You can find a recipe for the Covent Garden Soup version here and a vegetarian version here.

Almost anything can be added to mulligatawny....
Photo by Anjuli Aayer licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0

Kedgeree 

Normally enjoyed as the first meal of the day...
Photo by arsheffield licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0

This is actually a breakfast dish. Like Mulligatawny it has many variations but it always contains white fish, such as haddock, and basmati rice. For the health conscious, white basmati rice is in fact a low GI food so it keeps your sugar levels stable, unlike other white carbohydrates.

Some of the typical ingredients for kedgeree, such as white fish, rice, eggs and spices.
Photo by Alan Connor licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

Kedgeree is also suitable as a lunch or dinner.
Photo by Blue moon in her eyes licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0.

Hopefully this brief introduction to Anglo-Indian dishes inspired you to stock your spice cupboard with some Eastern flavour. Good luck with your experimentation!