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Unveiled: the fantastic 2025 MFDF Awards shortlist – cast your votes now

The 2025 Manchester Food and Drink Festival Awards shortlist has been announced, and Therme Manchester, the UK’s first urban wellbeing resort under construction in TraffordCity, has been confirmed as the headline sponsor. 

The winners will be revealed at the MFDF Awards Dinner at New Century Hall on Monday, January 26 and the region’s food and drink fans are invited to vote for the winners now via the MFDF website. 

These are the most prestigious and longest standing awards in the North West and celebrate the region’s exceptional hospitality industry, with 128 nominees this year across 16 categories.

This year Therme Manchester is headline sponsor – a transformational large-scale wellbeing destination (imaged above) which will feature pools, saunas, waterslides, and wellbeing therapies set to complete construction in late 2028 and welcome 1.7 million guests in its first year. It promises a groundbreaking approach to nutrition, hydration, food sustainability and support for local producers, 

MFDF Awards Director Alexa Stratton-Powell told me: “As we welcome Therme Manchester as a partner it’s an opportunity to celebrate the next chapter for our world-class city region and champion the talent and communities that make it extra special. This year’s list of nominees is a phenomenal example of this innovation with talent from all quarters of Greater Manchester to celebrate -from takeaways in Trafford to Michelin star meals in Ancoats.”

It does look an exceptional list. Here it is in full:

Pho Cue
Panchos Burritos

AFFORDABLE EATS VENUE OF THE YEAR (sponsored by Therme)

Noodle Alley 

56A Faulkner Street, Manchester, M1 4FH

Pho Cue

52A Faulkner Street, Manchester, M1 4FH

Cafe Sanjuan 

27 St Petersgate, Manchester, SK1 1EB

Hong Thai 

140 Oldham Road, Ancoats, Manchester, M4 6BG

Seoul Kimchi 

275 Upper Brooke Street, Manchester, M13 0HR

Double Zero 

368 Barlow Moor Road, Chorlton-cum-Hardy, M21 8AZ

Wow Báhn Mì 

132 Oldham Road, Ancoats, Manchester M4 6BG

Rabbie’s Thai

Civic Centre, Wythenshawe Manchester, M22 5RQ

Last year’s winner: Nell’s Pizza, Manchester

TAKEAWAY OF THE YEAR

Ceresis

166, Northenden Road, Manchester, Sale, M33 3HE

Ad Maiora

84 Tib Street, Manchester M4 1LG

Home Chinese

16 Chorlton Street, Manchester M1 3HW

Viet Deli 

22 Blackfriars Street, Manchester, M3 5BQ

Pancho’s Burritos

Arndale Food Market, 49 High Street, Manchester, M4 3AH

Rack

Arndale Food Market, 49 High Street, Manchester, M4 3AH

Mughli Charcoal Pit

30 Wilmslow Road, Manchester, M14 5TQ

This & That 

3 Soap Street, Manchester M4 1EW

Last year’s winner: Fat Pat’s, Manchester

Old Fire Station
Kerb Wine

CAFE OR COFFEE SHOP OF THE YEAR (new for 2025)

Cafe Sanjuan

27 St Petersgate, Manchester, SK1 1EB

Oscillate Coffee

52 Flixton Road, Urmston, M41 5AB

Federal Cafe Bar 

194 Deansgate, Manchester, M3 3ND

Just Between Friends Coffee

56 Tib Street, Manchester, M4 1LG

Sipp Coffee

105 Beech Road, Chorlton-cum-Hardy, M21 9EQ

à bloc

38 Stamford Park Road, Altrincham, WA15 9EW

The Old Fire Station Bakery 

47 Albion Place, Crescent, Salford M5 4NL

Something More Productive

9 Egerton Crescent, Withington, M20 4PN

WINE OFFERING OF THE YEAR (new for 2025)

Ad Hoc

28 Edge Street, Manchester, M4 1HN

Higher Ground

Faulkner House, New York Street, Manchester M1 4DY

The Beeswing

KAMPUS, 24a Minshull Street, Manchester, M1 3EF

Salut Wines 

11 Cooper Street, Manchester, M2 2FW

Reserve Wines

1 Eagle Street, Manchester, M4 5BU

Flawd Wine

9 Keepers Quay, Manchester, M4 6GL

Where the Light Gets In 

7 Rostron Brow, Stockport, SK1 1JY

Kerb

49 Henry Street, Manchester, M4 5DH

House of Habesha
Stockport Underbank

FOOD TRADER OF THE YEAR

The Little Sri Lankan

House of Habesha

Kargo MKT, Salford M50 3AG

Baity

Kargo MKT, Salford M50 3AG

Rita’s Reign

Piccadilly Street Food Market, Piccadilly, Manchester, M1 1LY

Rack

Arndale Food Market, 49 High Street, Manchester, M4 3AH

Taiko Ramen

1 Eagle Street, Manchester, M4 5BU

Thatziki 

Kargo MKT, Salford M50 3AG

Little Scarfs 

17A Lower Hillgate, Stockport, SK1 1JQ

Last year’s winner: Honest Crust, Manchester

FOODIE NEIGHBOURHOOD OF THE YEAR

Stockport

Urmston

Levenshulme

Chorlton

Monton

Salford

Altrincham 

Sale

Last year’s winner: Prestwich

Balance Brewing & Blending
Littlewoods Butchers

INDEPENDENT DRINK PRODUCER OF THE YEAR

Balance Brewing & Blending

Unit 10, Sheffield Street, Manchester, M1 2DN

Pod Pea Vodka

Ten Locks, Fairhill Road, Irlam, Manchester, M44 6BD

Stiff Tea Brewing Company 

3 Hoyle Street, Manchester, M12 6HG

Sureshot Brewing 

5 Sheffield Street, Manchester, M1 2DN

Runaway Brewery 

9-11 Astley Street, Stockport, SK4 1AW

Track Brewing Co

Unit 18, Piccadilly Trading Estate, Manchester, M1 2NP

Seven Bro7hers

Unit 63, Waybridge Enterprise Centre, Daniel Adamson Road, Salford, Greater Manchester, M50 1DS 

Weekend Project Brewing Co  

Hulme Lane, Lower Peover, Knutsford, WA16 9QH

Last year’s winner: Cloudwater BrewCo, Manchester

INDEPENDENT FOOD PRODUCER OF THE YEAR

Long Boi’s Bakehouse

40 Forest Range, Manchester, M19 2HP

Holy Grain Sourdough

253 Deansgate, Great Northern Mews, Manchester M3 4EN

Littlewoods Butchers

5 School Lane, Heaton Chapel, Stockport, SK4 5DE

Lily’s Vegetarian Indian Cuisine 

85 Oldham Road, Ashton-under-Lyne, OL6 7DF

Wong Wong Bakery

32 Princess Street, Manchester M1 4LB

Pollen Bakery 

Cotton Field Wharf,, Manchester M4 6FQ

Half Dozen Other

Unit 17 Redbank, Cheetham Hill, Manchester, M4 4HF

Mayya Bakery 

32-34, Duncan Street, Salford, M5 3SQ

Last year’s winner: Great North Pie Co, Wilmslow

Gladstone
City Arms

NEIGHBOURHOOD VENUE OF THE YEAR

Fold Bistro & Bottle Shop

7 Town Street, Marple Bridge, SK6 5AA

Stretford Canteen

118 Chester Road, Stretford M32 9BH

The Pearl

425 Bury New Road, Prestwich, M25 1AF

Lupo

Mountheath Trading Estate, Unit 65 Ardent Way, Manchester, M25 9WE

Cantaloupe 

71 Great Underbank, Stockport, SK1 1PE

Tawny Stores

1 Upper Hibbert Lane, Marple, SK6 7JQ

The Perfect Match 

103 Cross Street, Sale, M33 7JN 

Gladstone Barber and Bistro

Unit 3 Pattern House, Castle Street, Stalybridge, SK15 1NX

Last year’s winner: Bar San Juan, Chorlton-cum-Hardy

PUB OR BEER BAR OF THE YEAR

Victoria Tap

Victoria Station Approach, Manchester, M3 1WY

Runaway Brewery 

9-11 Astley Street, Stockport, SK4 1AW

City Arms 

46-48, Kennedy Street, Manchester M2 4BQ

The Marble Arch Inn

73 Rochdale Road, Manchester, M4 4HY

The Magnet Freehouse

51 Wellington Road North, Stockport SK4 1HJ 

Café Beermoth

Brown Street, Manchester, M2 1DA

North Westward Ho 

19 Chapel Walks, Manchester, M2 1HN

Track Taproom 

Unit 18, Piccadilly Trading Estate, Manchester, M1 2NP

Last year’s winner: Mulligans, Manchester

Service is important
Hinterland

GREAT SERVICE AWARD

Tast Catala

20-22 King Street, Manchester, M2 6AG

Atomeca 

1B, Deansgate Square, Owen Street, Manchester, M15 4YB

Higher Ground

Faulkner House, New York Street, Manchester M1 4DY

Adam Reid at The French 

16 Peter Street, Manchester M60 2DS

Maray

14 Brazennose Street, Manchester, M2 6LW

Federal Cafe Bar 

194 Deansgate, Manchester, M3 3ND

Blacklock Manchester

37 Peter Street, Manchester M2 5GB

Kallos Cafe & Wine Bar

3 Bankside Boulevard, Salford, M3 7HD

Last. year’s winner: Schofield’s Bar, Manchester

LOW OR NO OFFERING OF THE YEAR (new for 2025)

Nell’s Pizza 

22 Minshull Street, Kampus, Manchester M1 3EF

Cloudwater Brew Co 

7-8 Piccadilly Trading Estate, Manchester, M1 2NP 

Dishoom 

32 Bridge Street, Manchester, M3 3BT

Red Light 

4-2 Little David Street, Manchester, M1 3GL

Blinker Bar

64 -72 Spring Gardens, Manchester, M2 2BQ

Hinterland 

16-20 Turner Street, Manchester, M4 1DZ

Lina Stores 

17 Quay Street, Manchester, M3 3HN

Speak in Code 

7 Jackson’s Row, Manchester, M2 5ND

Schofields Bar
Bangkok Diners Club

BAR OF THE YEAR

Stray 

1 Eagle Street, Manchester, M4 5BU

Schofield’s Bar

Sunlight House, 3 Little Quay Street, Manchester, M3 3JZ

Red Light

4-2 Little David Street, Manchester, M1 3GL

Speak in Code

7 Jackson’s Row, Manchester, M2 5ND

Pray Tell 

Unit 6 Stanley Square, Sale, M33 7XZ

Renae

45-47 Thomas Street, Manchester, M4 1NA

Libero

2A Kings Court, Railway Street, Altrincham, WA14 2RE

Flawd Wine

9 Keepers Quay, Manchester, M4 6GL

Last year’s winner: Hawksmoor, Manchester

NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR

Cantaloupe

71 Great Underbank, Stockport, SK1 1PE

Bangkok Diners Club 

17 Blossom Street, Ancoats, M4 5BR

Stow

62 Bridge Street, Manchester, M3 3BW

Kallos Cafe & Wine Bar

3 Bankside Boulevard, Salford, M3 7HD

Café Continental 

5 Melbourne Street, Stalybridge, SK15 2JE

Winsome

74 Princess Street, Manchester, M1 6JD

Royal Nawaab Pyramid

The Pyramid Kings Valley, Stockport, SK4 2JU

Kung Fu Noodle 

48A George Street, Manchester, M1 4HF

Last year’s winner: Skof, Manchester

Mary-Ellen McTague
Mana

CHEF OF THE YEAR

Rosie Maguire (Higher Ground)

Shaun Moffat (Winsome)

Adam Reid (Adam Reid at The French)

Matt Bennett (The Pearl)

Mary-Ellen McTague (Pip)

Patrick Withington (Erst)

Jamie Pickles (Stow) 

Jack Fields (Restaurant Orme) 

Last Year’s winner: Tom Barnes (Skof)

RESTAURANT OF THE YEAR

mana 

42 Blossom Street, Ancoats, Manchester, M4 6BF

Skof

3 Federation Street, Manchester, M4 4BF

Adam Reid At The French

16 Peter Street, Manchester M60 2DS

Winsome

74 Princess Street, Manchester, M1 6JD

Higher Ground

Faulkner House, New York Street, Manchester M1 4DY

Stow

62 Bridge Street, Manchester, M3 3BW

Erst

9 Murray Street, Ancoats, Manchester, M4 6HS

Cantaloupe

71 Great Underbank, Stockport, SK1 1PE

Last year’s winner: Where The Light Gets In, Stockport

The shortlist reflects the incredible culinary diversity of Greater Manchester

HOW TO GET INVOLVED

The shortlisted nominations have been compiled by the MFDF Judging Panel, taking into account award submissions from the hospitality industry. The panel is made up of the region’s leading food and drink critics, writers, and experts. The awards are now open to public vote on the MFDF website. 

As well as the public vote, a  mystery shopping period will now commence where judges will visit nominated venues in some categories or an anonymous dining visit and will score venues based on their experiences. 

The mystery shopping and public voting period will end at midnight on January 12, 2026 when the polls will be counted and combined with the judges’ scores and the winner of each category will be chosen. 

The MFDF 25 Award Winners will be announced at the MFDF Awards Dinner on Monday 26th January and tickets can be purchased by emailing isabella@foodanddrinkfestival.com.

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Gomo meets Bullgogi – a tale of two Koreans fermenting their own cool culinary K-Pop

On the surface Eddie Kim and Jae Cho share little more than the same nationality – Korean. The first is a poet, raised in Seattle, striving to craft the perfect kimchi on a small batch scale in Glasgow; the second an entrepreneur who has made his fortune in London since arriving as a student – with a mini-empire that now includes nail salons as well as Tiktok sensation corn dogs.

These are chicken sausages deep-fried in a cornmeal batter. Manchester got the taste for them after the arrival of Jae’s Bunsik brand two years ago. That viral success prompted Jae to open the UK’s largest Korean barbecue restaurant less than 100 metres away across Piccadilly Gardens, which is where I meet him on its launch day. The original Bullgogi is in Notting Hill; Mark II occupies the former M&S site on the corner of Mosley Street. 

Jao Cho of Bullgogi
Eddie Kim of Gomo

What strikes me immediately as Jae and I chat in a window booth, the trams rattling past outside, is the boyish 47-year-old’s smile, a mirror image of Eddie’s a week before in an artisan coffee shop in Glasgow’s upwardly mobile Southside. We had first rendezvoused outside his Gomo Kimchi shop/cafe, which he has just quit for a purpose-built facility to service delis, restaurants and Asian supermarkets around the city. A weekly production of 30-40kg is hardly big league, but a step-up from his debut efforts in a tiny flat kitchen during the lockdown. 

“Do you know what Gomo means, Jae?” I ask. “Father’s sister – his paternal aunt,.” replies the man who knows cool branding is important. When creating Bullgogi back in 2019, he inserted an extra letter L into Bulgogi, the classic marinated, grilled beef dish, emphasising the Bull as a symbol of strength and vitality alongside Gogi, the Korean word for meat.

Eddie’s Aunt, I mean to tell him, had her own vitality, competing as a speed skater for South Korea in the 1964 and 1968 Winter Olympics. But it was for her prowess as an epic creator of kimchi that Eddie sought his Gomo out as he launched the fledgling business that would keep him afloat in his new city. 

I hope such a story might persuade Jae to road-test Eddie’s current batches to showcase at Bullgogi. Its fermented cabbage sides are as excellent as the meats I and opposite foodie Davie have just grilled at table but pale beside the Gomo jar I brought back from Scotland.

Creating kimchi the Kim family way
My home-made bulgogi with Gomo kimchi

The power of Gomo in the Korean Diaspora

“It took persistence to get to this level for Eddie. In his own words: “When my 큰고모 (eldest paternal aunt) emigrated from Seoul to St Louis, Missouri her mother sent her with kimchi sauce/starter and a handful of uncertainty. In a strange country, and at the time unable to even get the right ingredients but desperate for a taste of home, she prepared the wrong kind of cabbage in a bleached out bathtub and used the starter from her mother to make kimchi in a cleaned out garbage bin, buried in the backyard. And it was delicious. Her family, her siblings (my father included), wept at the strange familiarity. 

“Most of us don’t know what it’s like to miss home in that way. But most of us understand the power food has to bring people together, to keep us grounded and filled with warmth from the inside out… Kimchi is not only that food for my family, it’s the foundation of virtually every meal we ever cook at home. Doesn’t matter if we’re having roast turkey or prime rib or seared tofu, you’ll always find a dish of kimchi included amongst the spread.

“As the years have passed, with the elder members of our family ageing, it occurred to us that we were in danger of losing the flavours, the kimchi, we grew up eating (albeit a far cry from the garbage bin kimchi my Gomo first made stateside). The thought made me sad and despondent, like a slow fading away of self. I decided I needed to learn to make Gomo’s kimchi, even if it would never taste exactly the same way she makes it —which she still does in her mid-70s, I might add.”

As we walk the sandstone streets of downtown Govanhill a memory of his aunt’s skating days puts into perspective how far we have come to today’s global Corn Dog, K-Pop and Korean cool. “When my aunt went to the Olympics she had only ever skated on the rough, thick ice of ponds. When she encountered the slick competition rinks she recalled ‘I was slipping all over the place at the start.”

The right cabbage is essential
Gomo’s finished product

Eddie masters the sacred art of kimchi

Her nephew was hardly on solid ground when it came to following in the family’s fermenting tradition. So that’s why when he moved to Glasgow in 2020 he pestered his Gomo from afar to teach him. “The tricky thing about kimchi is that it can be difficult to know exactly how it’s going to turn out.  It takes time and experience to learn what kimchi tastes like at different stages – something I hadn’t fully appreciated and probably the reason my aunt was so resistant to teaching me in the first place.”  

His beautifully branded jars reflect his artistic side (he studied for a poetry masters in Seattle); their presence on shelves across the Southside and beyond, his collaboration with other small producers, are testimony to his sense of shared community. Check out Glasgow’s Taste The Place initiative, which Eddie has been part of.

 

Jae Cho’s journey from Japanese to Bullgogi 

This may seem a world away from the sleek 165-cover Bullgogi restaurant that has landed in the heart of Manchester. But a Korean creative playfulness is at work here, too. Grilling your own meats at table is fun… and  negotiating each booth’s digitally interactive menu via mounted tablets. No corn dogs, mind. That’s for the Bunsik demographic.

I asked Jae why the launch restaurant of what was to become his Maguro Group was Japanese. “Well, one of my grandparents was Japanese and I love the food.” 18 years on Maguro Sushi in Maida Vale is still going strong, though one early devotee isn’t seen these days. “Paul McCartney, who lived in St John’s Wood, was a regular and, as a vegan, always ordered the avocado maki and a salad.”

At the original London Bullgogi Spurs football legend Son Heung Min often popped in to  support his native cuisine and heightened its profile. Jae smiles that smile again: “Is it too much to ask Manchester United to sign a Korean star? They’ve not had one in the squad since Park Ji-sung in the Noughties.”

I said I’d mention it to Ruben Amorim if he’s still in a job. Though I wouldn’t put it past Jae to wield his own influence! After all, this was once the teenager who didn’t follow the usual Korean immigration pattern – to the States – because he wanted to study the best English … here. I hope he will also pursue the signing of Gomo Kimchi!

Beef Tartare Kimbap
Some succulent prawns

What should you go for at the Manchester Bullgogi beyond the grill?

My favourite dish from our launch lunch was the Korean Beef Tartare Kimbap – seaweed rice rolls topped with the spicy, sesame-rich  raw beef (with an honourable mention for the king prawns). Regrets? Not ordering enough of the greens, spring onions and pickles to round out the whole experience. You don’t have to go grilled meats.

We’ll definitely return in November for when the full Hansang Set Lunch is on the menu. Inspired by sang (a traditional Korean low dining table), it presents a complete meal on a single tray with a main dish such as Bibimbap, Kimchi Jjigae or Spicy Pork, served alongside a selection of sides. Guests can choose from 10 main options. Other pleasing options include:

Korean Pancakes – Small plates such as Prawn Pancake and Cheese Potato Pancake, designed for sharing.

Signature Noodles – Highlights include Gim Guksu, buckwheat noodles with seaweed and perilla oil, and Kal Bibim Myun, wide wheat noodles in a spicy sauce with tender squid and perilla seed powder.

And to drink?

Well, getting into the Korean swing, Davie and I ordered the components of  a Somaek, a popular beer cocktail made by mixing Soju and beer. Alas, we chickened out and each downed a bottle of our Cass cold brewed lager and shared sips of a Soju called Jinro Chamisul, a “quadruple-filtered spirit with bamboo charcoal and blended with Finnish fructose for a mellow (for that read bland) finish.”

• The best beginner’s guide to cooking Korean cuisine remains Our Korean Kitchen by Jordan Bourke and Regina Pro (Orion, £25). Seek out also, from the US, Korean BBQ by Bill Kim (no relation) and Jang: The Soul of Korean Cooking by Mingoo Kang.

Bullgogi, 6A Piccadilly Plaza, Manchester, M1 4AH. Until October 31 there is 30 per cent off the BBQ menu.


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Lichen the taste – Black Stone Flower delivers a punch in Chettinad Chicken

When you’ve created the Sri Lankan restaurant flagship that is Hoppers the world assumes your roots are in that beautiful but troubled island. Not the case. Karan Gokani hails from Mumbai and his latest cookbook addresses the multifarious cuisines of his native sub-continent. India 101 (Bluebird, £28) lacks the aesthetic edge of Hoppers: The Cookbook, the Hardie Grant/Quadrille production that sprang from the success of Gokan’s three eponymous London restaurants, but it did introduce me to an ingredient I’d missed out on across decades of cooking Indian regional cuisine from a host of cookbooks.

I’m likely to add to my collection with a sudden spurt of authoritative tomes being published, notably Mayfair Michelin chef Chet Sharma’s Bibi The Cookbook (I’m a fan; check out my Bibi review) and Vegetables The Indian Way from Camellia Panjabi, whose 2006 50 Great Curries of India has sold over 800,000 copies. 

I’d be surprised if ‘Bibi’ or ‘Veg’ showcases the lichen known by many names – Black Stone Flower, Kalpasi, Dagad Phool, Parmotrema perlatum. With both medicinal and kitchen uses, it can be found across the globe but only in an obscure corner of Tamil Nadu does it attain its culinary apogee. Chettinad is an umbrella term for 56 villages in the deep south of the region that gives its name to one of India’s great dishes – Chettinad Chicken.

To tackle it I ordered a bag of ‘dagad phool’ via Amazon but delivery was delayed, so I ploughed on without, rather than let my free range chicken thighs pass their sell-by-date. By this time I had found a CC recipe that mentioned this ingredient. Rick Stein’s India suggested, in its absence, replacing it with extra cinnamon.I just followed Karan Gokani’s version (see below). The result a slightly peppery, moderately fiery dry curry. My addition of locally grown (Todmorden, not Chettinad) blue oyster mushrooms didn’t feel a positive in retrospect.

Cue the arrival of a large plastic bag of what resembled mottled fungi shavings with surprisingly little scent and I had to go again. This time a triumph, the whole dish lifted into something rich and strange. I hesitate to use the word earthy but can’t find an alternative. With it I served it a chickpea and chard side, date chutney and store-bought paratha.

Black Stone Flower
It enhanced my chicken dish

A perfect primer, India 101 is subtitled Real Indian Dishes Made Simple and ranges widely across multiple cuisines. Taking it one step further is veteran India hand Roopa Gulati with her Indian Kitchens: Treasured Family Recipes from across the Land (Bloomsbury, £26). The Cumbria-raised writer and broadcaster has cheffed in top Indian hotels, including the fabled Taj Mumbai, but for this book she explores domestic kitchens over there, travelling far and wide to coax treasured recipes out of home cooks. This home cook expects the pages of his new copy soon to be as stained as his treasured Meera Sodhas. The first spatters are on page 213. The culprit? Goan short-ribs in Tamarind Masala.

Black Stone Flower – my surprise package

I’m still seeking alternative dishes to showcase my lichen gift horse. Ideally I should take a leaf out of Roopa’s book and roam Chettinad but the budget doesn’t run to that. It seems a perfect fit for a biryani and, of course, tempering, where a whole spice/curry leaf mix is flash-fried to add a final heady flavour to dals and the like. Professionals add to garam masala mixes.

In the wild it is an invasive plant, its black-purple flowers thriving rocks and trees only at a certain altitude at lower temperatures. In its dried form it is hailed for medicinal properties by Ayurvedic practitioners. What attracts me in particular is its ability to lower cholesterol, but maybe the tempering in ghee negates that plus!

Karan Gokani
Chettinad Palace

Chettinad Chicken – the Gokani way

1kg chicken thighs, skinless on the bone cut into 5cm pieces

¼ tsp ground turmeric

1 tsp ginger paste

1 tsp garlic paste

½ tsp each salt and pepper

For the Chettinad Masala

3 dried red chillies, stems and seeds removed

4 green cardamom pods

3-4 pieces black stone flower

1 tsp black peppercorns

1 tsp fennel seeds

½ tsp cumin seeds

1 tbsp coriander seeds

1 cinnamon stick

4 cloves

1 bay leaf

3 tbsp desiccated coconut

For the curry

2 tbsp coconut oil

1 medium red onion

2 tsp salt

2 tsp ginger paste

2 tsp garlic paste

10-12 curry leaves

200g tinned chopped tomatoes

green chillies split in half lengthways, to garnish

re onion rings, to garnish

1 Mix together the chicken, turmeric, garlic and ginger pastes, and salt and pepper. Let it marinate for 30 minutes; better still overnight in the fridge.

2 To make the Chettinad masala toast all the spices in a dry pan for 3-4 minutes until they darken slightly and become aromatic. Transfer to a large bowl to cool. In the same pan roast the coconut until it turns golden and aromatic, being careful not to burn it. Once cooled mu the coconut with the toasted spices and grind everything to a fine powder.

3 For the curry heat the coconut oil in a heavy pan over a medium heat. Add the onion with ½ tsp of salt and cook for 4-5 minutes until light brown.

4 Add the ginger and garlic pastes, cook for another two minutes, then add the curry leaves and the marinated chicken. Increase the temperature to high and cook until the chicken caramelises, about 5-6 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium and add the Chettinad Masala. Cook for a minute, then add the tomatoes and 1½ teaspoons of salt. Continue cooking until the curry thickens and darkens, about 12-15 minutes, adding a splash of water every now and then if the spices begin to stick to the pan.

5 Serve garnished with slit green chillies and red onion rings.

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