It’s National Curry Week. As the curry is now officially Britain’s favourite food, it’s a good opportunity to celebrate all the wonderful fare we’ve imported from the sub-continent (though much of it, apparently, bears little resemblance to what is actually eaten in India, Bangladesh etc.).
national curry week
Now I’ve never ventured further east than Germany so I can’t comment on what “real” Indian street food looks and tastes like. But I’ve been lucky enough to work with some authentic curry producers who assure me that their dishes are a pretty fair reflection of what you might eat in Bangalore or Chennai. Maybe one day I’ll get to see if they’re true to their word. Hope so.
aloo gobi
Working in a kitchen producing Indian food is a delight for the olfactory system – the smells are simply divine. But shooting it can be a real challenge. The problem is that many of the dishes can look very similar and, dare I say it, a bit sloppy.
prawn korhai
So the aim is to explore different angles and textures to make the curry look a bit different and a bit more appetising. Adding colour (coriander, chillies etc.) really helps.
chicken masala
It’s also a good opportunity to marry main dishes with sides (such as naan) and to experiment with very narrow depth of field (lamb dopiaza on nann here). In short, it pays to be creative, to give your images the chance to stand out.
lamb dopiaza & nann
One thing that traditionally goes well with curry is lager (my favourite being Kingfisher). And here’s another challenge waiting for me to conquer – how to get that killer beer shot.
