Curry king's special marinades

Chef Patrick Chapman has made a career out of his love for Indian food This is my 44th trip to India. My love for this country began a long time ago. In 1715, my grandfather was working with the East India Company. At that time India was not separated. But it all began with Alexina Lemonn, my great grandmother. The family was based in Lucknow at that time. They later shifted to Agra. In 1902, she met my grandfather. He was a private in the Indian army. I spend most of my childhood in my grandparents' place. As she had spent her childhood in Lucknow, she knew of Indian spices and condiments. She used to spend hours in the kitchen, grinding the spices to the right consistency. My liking for Indian cooking began then,”says Patrick Chapman. "I loved the all the Indian curries she cooked especially the stuffed green chilies. It was basically minced meat, fried with various spices, stuffed in the green chillies and deep fried in oil.” After college, he dabbled various professions. He spent six years flying jet planes for the Royal Air Force (RAF) and set up his own lighting and sound company. But he continued cooking for his friends and family. In 1882, he launched Curry Club. Now the Club has 10,000 members from across the world. He has written 36 books which feature recipes from China, Thailand, Middle East and America. Most of his books are about curries. No wonder he is known as Britain’s Curry King. “The food from UK is very bland. I love to have Indian food at least six days in a week. Like my grandmother, I make my own garam masala and other spices.” For this festival season, Chapman has tied up with Barbeque Nation, the casual dining restaurant chain. He will be presenting 14 new marinades from his repertoire in the three outlets in the city. Chapman said, “The menu is drawn from Mediterranean, American, oriental, Asian and the Indian sub-continent. I have made these marinade recipes especially for Barbeque Nation. A lot of time and planning has gone into it. One can taste various marinades like Yorkshire Marinade, Worcestershire Marinade and the Spanish Valencia Marinade. There are also other marinades like Arabian Marinade, Persian Marinade, American Texican Marinade, Albuquerque Atomic Marinade, Jamaican Jerk Marinade and so on.