Shimla Spice – established in 1998, and with its flagship restaurant in Keighley – was the vision of three brothers, who from a very early age wanted to make a name for themselves in the culinary world.
They began their quest in the highly competitive London restaurant scene and worked their way up to head chefs and managers, before returning ‘home’ to Keighley and setting up their first eatery.
It was an instant success and its reputation mushroomed.
The brothers opened a second restaurant in Shipley in 2006, with a launch event attended by Chico of X Factor fame. And next year will see the opening of a 200-seater branch across the border in Lancashire, with more restaurants set to follow in the future.
Shimla Spice has won an array of national and regional awards, including Keighley News Restaurant of the Year twice. It was the Spice Times ‘Best Indian Restaurant in Yorkshire’ in 2010, and was also among winners in the inaugural Keighley News-backed Keighley Business Awards earlier this year.
And in previous years it has helped Bradford win the Curry Capital of Britain title.
Here, Shimla Spice presents the recipe for the hugely popular dish chicken masala.
Keighley branch manager, Faisal Hussain, said: “It is a dish which is mainly cooked in Asian homes on a weekly or even daily basis, and it is ever so popular with the English clientele at Indian restaurants.
“It is served in Indian restaurants all over the world.”
Recipe Chicken Masala (serves four) Ingredients 8lb chicken breast, diced 2 large Spanish onions 4 cloves of garlic 1 chunk of ginger, ground 1 tablespoon of coriander and cumin seeds, ground 8 tomatoes, small chunks 1 tablespoon of garam masala 1 tablespoon of chilli powder Half a tablespoon of salt Half a tablespoon of turmeric powder 4 green chillies 1 teaspoon of fenugreek leaves Method 1. Heat the oil in a pan 2. Add the onions and fry until they start to turn brown 3. Add a little water 4. Add the tomatoes, ginger and garlic, and cook for eight to ten minutes 5. Add the coriander and cumin seeds, chilli powder, salt, turmeric powder, garam masala and fenugreek leaves 6. Add a little water while stirring and cook for ten minutes 7. Add the chicken and chillies and cook on a low heat 8. Put the lid on the pan for about ten to 15 minutes; keep stirring so the spices don’t stick to the pan 9. Add the coriander leaves and stir them into the chicken and spices Why not try the recipe yourself and let us now how you get on?
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