garam masala

I had these humble vegetable cutlets for the first time as a little kid in one of the bougiest places on earth: Bombay's Willingdon Club, India's first country club. It famously used to boast a sign on the door that said "No Dogs Or Indians." The super-secret recipe after the jump.

This recipe comes to us from Manjit Gill, head chef at Bukhara in New Delhi, India. Bukhara won The World's 50 Best Restaurant's "Best Restaurant In Asia" award in 2006 and 2007, and we're delighted that Chef Gill loaned us his signature lamb dish, as well as the history behind it:  

I've spent a lot of time cooking and writing about Indian food, and a lot of my Indian food writing time on why not to order, eat or even acknowledge chicken tikka masala. That's right, with all due respect to bangers, mash and the people who love them, England's inexplicably lofty population of Indians won out. Chicken tikka masala takeaways are among the most popular dinner options in England. But it's not really Indian food.