main content Hot contest for Curry Chef 2005 winner

The Curry Chef of the year competition which brings taste and food safety together came to a dramatic end yesterday when the winner was announced. Sarawar Uddin Khan of Kosturi in Station Approach, Hayes scooped the coveted curry chef of the year title for a second time in almost as many years with his cleverly created chicken dish.

“Good cooking is not just about taste and culinary skill. It is also about preparing and handling food safely without using too much artificial colouring. The competitors blew away the myth that Indian food is simply about korma and tikka masala dishes. It is about much more than that and the standard of cooking was very high” said Clive Davison, Head of Commercial Services.

Sarawar Uddin Khan bowled over the judges with his ‘Jujeh Limu’, stuffed chicken in a lemon and yoghurt sauce. One of the judges noted that the “dish was beautifully constructed and was delicately flavoured bringing out the flavour of the chicken. The accompanying dishes of paneer in a rich gravy and paratha flavoured with thyme seeds were both unusual and exceptional.”

The Hayes based Chef said, “I am absolutely delighted to have won this competition again - which inspired me to start my own business. Eating is a social occasion and we therefore carefully prepare each dish so that the taste is as good as possible.”

All the 74 Indian restaurants and take-aways in Bromley were invited to enter the competition that is organised to celebrate Indian cuisine and promote good standards of food hygiene. Eleven chefs took part, some restaurants entering more than one chef. The chefs cooked in their own kitchens and a panel of 5 judges tasted the food and awarded scores for presentation, aroma, texture and flavour.

The kitchen was inspected by a Food Safety Officer who awarded a score for the chef’s knowledge of food hygiene and the standards of food safety in the kitchen. The winner achieved a high score for food hygiene and a high score for the dishes that he cooked for the judges. This is the third year that Bromley Council’s Food Safety team have run the competition.

ENDS 

For media enquiries, please contact Andrew Rogers, Communications Advisor, on 020 8461 7670 or email Andrew.rogers@bromley.gov.uk or Rosemary Fordham, Food Safety Officer on 020 8313 4678