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Legendary chef reveals his cheap weeknight curry pie dish – including takeaway leftovers tip
All year for our Cheap Eats feature we’ve talked to chefs across the UK, from Northern Ireland to Norfolk – and this week our focus is on London.
Today we speak to our seventh chef of the week –restaurateur, multi-Michelin star winner and TV regular Atul Kochhar.
Hi Atul, what is your go-to cheap eat to cook at home when you have a night in?
The chicken tikka pie served in my restaurants is one of my absolute favourite dishes to cook at home.
It’s one of those dishes that’s quite simple and can be cooked to various different levels, whether you’re cheating with the pastry and/or filling, or whether you’re making everything from scratch, as we do at the restaurants.
One tip for easily making any curry pie at home, however, is using cold, leftover curry.
The flavours will be more matured and it will be less saucy and thus easier to work into the pastry without making a huge mess. It’s a real crowd pleaser.
Can you tell us your favourite places in London to get a meal for two for less than £40?
The Royal AlbionHounslow – west London is home to many pubs serving Indian food, including The Royal Albion. The pub does a roaring takeaway trade, but it’s worth visiting to eat in for the comfortable atmosphere and the theatre of the tandoor dishes served.
It’s the grill dishes that The Royal Albion really excels with, including their whole tandoori roast chicken, which costs just £11.95, or the mixed grill loaded with two lamb kebabs, chicken tikka, tandoori chicken wings and succulent lamb chops.
The DJ’s KitchenIsleworth – A takeaway space set up during lockdown, DJ’s Kitchen was launched as a side project from a successful DJ. The team are doing genuinely very exciting things with chicken, predominantly serving contemporary riffs on classic chicken dishes from around the globe, with a deeply comforting American twist.
The butter chicken burger, for instance, is loaded with butter chicken gravy, and the tandoori chicken burger has a boneless tandoori chicken thigh alongside tandoori mayo and a green and mango chutney.
The Lass O’Richmond Hill – One of the best pubs in Richmond, The Lass O’Richmond Hill is a serene spot on the edge of the park with a fireplace and comfortable sofas. The food offering takes British pub food to the absolute next level, using exceptional produce and using interesting cooking techniques.
There’s even a specific barbecue menu, all prepared on a kamado grill on the garden terrace. The Sunday roasts are definitely the main draw here. It’s a great place to take the family and to enjoy great food together.
How did you get into cheffing?
As a child, my parents ran a successful catering company, and that’s definitely where my love of cooking developed from. My professional cooking career began at The Oberoi group of hotels in India, where I became sous chef. I loved it there and had the huge responsibility of leading a team of 18. During this time I also gained a diploma in hotel management.
In 1994 I moved to London to lead and open Tamarind restaurant, which was the first Indian restaurant in the UK to earn a Michelin star. Eight years later, I set out to open my own restaurant, which was awarded a Michelin star in 2007, before pursuing other independent ventures and growing the Atul Kochhar Hospitality Group.
We’ve spoken to lots of top chefs – check out their cheap eats from around the country here…