Curry Diary 1. Kala Bhuna

There is something about Indian Cuisine that keeps me going back for more, and there is so much choice that its impossible to keep track of them all. And then I thought about it some more and realised that it wasn’t impossible to keep track of them at all. I just needed to keep a log of my curry journey. Some sort of Curry Journal, a Curry Diary even. Ta da.

So here we are. Entry one. And as curries go, this one is a cracker.

We Begin With The Anecdote

This is possibly the greatest experience of Indian Cuisine that I have ever tasted. I first encountered Kala Bhuna, what, two years ago now and it took a while to sink in.

It was an after work thing, you know what its like. Someone says “fancy a pint” and before you know it you’re finishing your third pint and its now your round. Then some one says “Is anyone else hungry?” And as if by magic, you’re sat looking a menu.

I don’t know London that well, but those in the know know about Drummond Street, and though it no longer is what once it was, it still remains a treasure trove of Indian and Indian style eateries, and so that is where we went. And at random, from all of the options, we chose the Drummond Villa, and an excellent choice it was too.

There were a few of us, so the pickle tray was mandatory for starters, and for my main, I have no idea what I ordered, this being before I thought to journal my curries, but it was almost certainly lamb something.

Whatever it was that I had, I no doubt had it with chips and mushroom rice. Looking back on the old photos, the one above probably wasn’t the night that introduced me to the Kala Bhuna, but I’m intrigued by what was served in the metal tray. There is rice, and naan, and portions of four other dishes. It looks amazing.

But thats not why we’re here. We’re here because on one such lovely evening the waiter recommended the Kala Bhuna, and one of us said yes. It wasn’t me, but I realised my mistake when the food arrived.

The Kala Bhuna is a dark curry, almost black, indeed, Kala Bhuna means black roast, and I was intrigued. I did have the opportunity to dip a chip in what was left of the sauce and was immediately impressed. I made a mental note of the name with the firm conviction that I would have this the next we came. I didn’t.

You know what its like when someone suggests a pint after work, and then a curry after pints, and then some more beers after the curry. With the best will in the world, you’re not going to remember two words like Kala Bhuna, or Saveloy Sausage. Saveloy Sausage is a story for another time, though.

And so days became weeks, weeks became months, months became years. Every Indian restaurant I visited, and there were a few, I scanned the menu looking for something vaguely similar to what I recalled of the Kala Bhuna, but I had no luck. Until, that is, about a month ago when I finally spotted it on the menu, and ordered it.

It arrived with a smile, the chiefs favourite dish. Blackened and spicy. But not hot spicy, its a contradiction in a dish, there is almost no heat to begin with, but the intensity of flavour, the heat grows toward the end. By the time you’re licking the bowls and plates clean, it really does have quite the kick to it.

It is now my curry of choice, though I’ve only been in to London twice since discovering it, but it is now also my London Curry Bud’s curry of choice.

We Say Something About The Curry

A bit of quick research tells me that Kala Bhuna is a traditional Bangladeshi meat curry originating from Chittagong. Kala means black in Bengali, and the name comes from the dish’s signature dark blackish-brown color, achieved by slow-cooking the meat with lots of onions and spices until it caramelizes deeply.

Bhuna is a South Asian cooking style where ingredients are fried and reduced until the spices are richly flavored and the sauce thickens. It is usually made with beef or mutton, though I have only had lamb, and is cooked with mustard oil, fried onions, ginger-garlic paste, and a blend of spices like chili, turmeric, cumin, coriander, and whole aromatics. It is slow cooked after frying, making the meat very tender and infused it with a rich smoky flavor.

I rate this 10/10. Bonza!

Enjoying Kala Bhuna

I don’t live in London. I only go there for curry, and work sometimes, so I did some more research on where to find a good restaurant that serves Kala Bhuna near where I live in Lancaster. There aren’t any. Infact, when I searched London menus for Kala Bhuna, only two came up, and the first one was Drummond Villa.

Its seems that if I’m going to be enjoying Kala Bhuna at home, I’m going to have to learn to cook it. Its a good job that I love cooking almost as much as I love eating.