Topic: BIR 1983

[Kashmiri Bob]

Found this link for a Leeds student rag from 1983. Clicked/visited and was able to download it as a pdf. The Stranglers were still touring. Perhaps they still are. From page 10 there is a map and several (albeit brief) articles on food. One is called "Currying" with reviews, including the Nafees curry house, which I have mentioned in the past. Interesting stuff. Have tracked my time in Leeds back to 1978-79. I don't even recall madras or vindaloo being available then (at Nafees). Mince and spinach curry was a typical dish. Medium or hot/very hot. The BIR scene was really getting going in the early '80s. The prices though. Gulp!

https://images.app.goo.gl/w8z2TK2E2Cq2fPkm8

Rob

[Peripatetic Phil]

I don't even recall madras or vindaloo being available then (at Nafees). Mince and spinach curry was a typical dish.

No experience of Leeds BIRs at any time, but I can say with confidence that in Chislehurst (Kent) in the late 60's / early 70's one could get many of today's favourites (chicken Madras, chicken vindaloo, etc) but by default they would come "on the bone" — one paid a small premium (maybe 50p) for "off the bone", which almost all of us did as a matter of course.  There were two BIRs in Chislehurst at that time, one the "Maharaja of Chislehurst", the other (on the other side of the road) I no longer remember the name, but I still recall two favourites from there — their egg pulao and their chilli pickle.  Oh, and the "Lotus Inn", a little up the road from the Maharaja, was somewhat discerning in its choice of guests, and if a potential guest turned up looking rather the worse for wear they would be politely told "Terribly sorry, Sir, we are unfortunately full - please try the Maharaja just down the road" !
--
** Phil.

[Kashmiri Bob]

I remember the breast meat premium, but much later in the North West and Yorkshire. Could be just demographic differences. Or, perhaps I wasn't really paying that much attention to curry houses and dish names at the time.  All I recall from the 70's was my mum's homemade curry, which included dripping and sultanas. It was very nice. The only other option was Vesta. My parents opted for a Chinese restaurant mostly. For dessert we always had banana fritters. They were seen as real treat back then.

Rob

[Kashmiri Bob]

My mum's curry recipe from the early '70's. Reckon I will have a go at making this at some point. Sweet  & Sour Pork too. A pickled onion. Hmm.



Rob

[Peripatetic Phil]

Wonderful stuff — I must scan and post some pages from my mother's cookery book notes ...

[livo]

I can't post images using previously successful method of Attachments.  Any advice?

[Robbo141]

Me neither.  I use iPad and even when I reduce image size right down, doesn’t work any more.  Site not very good these days.
Robbo

[livo]

deleted attempts to post images. Frustrating.

I ended up using OCR image to text conversion.

I was trying to upload simple images of this recipe, from a book published in 1970, that very much resembles your mum's handwritten one KB.  It is the recipe I always use to make Curried Sausages.  I boil about 500 g of thick sausages, allow them to cool slightly and then cut them into rondelles before adding to the sauce.  Comfort food extraordinary.  (I usually make a double batch.)


CURRY AND RICE

INGREDIENTS
250 g cooked meat
1 apple
1 onion
1 tablespoon fat
1 tablespoon sultanas
1 teaspoon salt
1 pinch pepper
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons curry powder
1 tablespoon plain flour
1 cup stock or water
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 cup rice (boiled) (see p. 7)



METHOD
1. Cut meat into small pieces, removing all fat and gristle.
2. Cut apple and onion into dice.
3. Heat fat in a saucepan.
4. Fry the onion and apple.
5. Add all the dry ingredients except meat and rice, and stir for one minute over heat.
6. Add water or stock and stir till boiling.
7. Simmer gently for 15 minutes.
8. Add the meat and lemon juice and allow to simmer in the sauce till meat is thoroughly heated, about 10
minutes.
9. Serve on a hot plate, and arrange rice round the curry and garnish with thin half slices of lemon, standing
the lemon up.
10. Grate the yolk of a hard-cooked egg over the rice, or sprinkle with chopped parsley.

[Peripatetic Phil]

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[Kashmiri Bob]

Oh yes, that's it all right livo! Right down to the Vesta inspired rice presentation. We didn't get step 10. Chutney instead of sugar. It was invariably a chicken curry. Would love to see your photos from the book. I recall now mum going to evening cookery classes at a nearby school. She will have almost certainly got the recipe from there. The home menu got much more adventurous thereafter. The norm was liver and onions, with mash and peas, Fray Bentos, also with mash and peas (and gravy). Fish & chips (sometimes from the chippy). Dad would also have tripe and onions, once a week. I never understood how he could eat the stuff, not sure mum did either. Suet pudding, chips and peas, served with several rounds of white bread and butter, was a regular delicacy. All leading up to the obligatory Sunday roast. Didn't change much, except for special days, like pancake Tuesday (always with sugar and Zif lemon juice).

Then the fancy dishes started. The sweet & sour pork, with rice. The spaghetti bolognese served over hot buttered toast. The curry! Large oval plates for this. When I started making my own curry (from recipes here) I bought two such plates, with the intention of making mum's, but never got around to it. Remember breaking one. May still have the other, will have a look for it.

I still use Onion's suggestion for posting photos (imgbb). It's free and works a treat for me. A few clicks and it's done. Resizing not needed. If the photo is uploaded with the wrong orientation it sorts this out too. I think just a username and email address is all that is needed for registration. Don't get any pop-ups or ads with it.

I wonder what curry powder was used. Can't have been that much choice back then.

Rob