Bridport: Fancy, a bunny curry! (From Bridport and Lyme Regis News)

Bridport: Fancy, a bunny curry!

10:14am Thursday 26th November 2009

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WEST DORSET celebrity chef Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall is on a mission to highlight the delights of rabbit to the nation – and put them in a curry.

To help him, Helen Choudray, of Taj Mahal Indian restaurant in Bridport, has been turning the furry fellas into a tasty tandori, a choice chameli and a meaty madras.

In Hugh’s latest television series the cameras rolled into the restaurant in East Street and customers were asked what they thought of the new meat on the menu.

And as of next week – once Mrs Choudray has been able to find a good source of local rabbit and had the menus printed up – diners will be able to sample Hugh’s latest enthusiasm for all things rabbit.

Mrs Choudray cooked with Hugh’s chef Tim rather than the man himself.

She said: “We made rabbit tandori and rabbit chameli and that is cooked with ginger, mint, garlic and species and we did a rabbit madras.

“He loved the chameli with the warmth of the ginger.

“Quite a few customers had to give their comments. Rabbit isn’t normally something we have on the menu but it was all gone by the end.”

Mrs Choudray added: “I don’t think Hugh likes hot curries according to what I can see, not chilli hot anyway.”

Mrs Choudray said Hugh found the ginger, mint and garlic based chameli dish a delight, but was unlikely to try the world-famous Dorset Blast, a curry made with the now-infamous international scorcher the Dorset Naga chilli that is also making an appearance next week.

Mrs Choudray has already been in the media spotlight for her, and team mate Michael Michaud’s third-placed recipe for the World’s Hottest (edible) Curry national finals in London last year.

Mr Michaud grows the chilli on his West Bexington farm.

For that competition they made a mild and wild meatball and pickle curry which judges thought full of spicy flavour with the added delight of the Dorset Naga for heat.

“We call this the Dorset Blast because it kind of explodes in your mouth.”

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