Michelin Star Chef arrives in Dhaka for curry festival Celebrating Britain’s national dish, the curry, InterContinental Dhaka brings you a Michelin star chef Dominic Chapman to celebrate British Curry Festival for a week starting October 21

The humble curry is not just comfort food in South Asia, but also the national dish of Britain. So much so, that Britain’s curry industry is now £4.2 billion.

Now, we have a chance to not only taste curry made by a Michelin star chef Dominic Chapman, but also see if your mom can make it better.

Dominic Chapman, who worked with Heston Blumenthal for four years at the three- Michelin- starred Fat Duck and is now the head chef at Michelin-star The Royal Oak, is in Dhaka’s InterContinental hotel for the British Curry Festival.

Over the last two decades, the British curry festival has made trips around the globe to all over Asia, a little known fact however is that the first curry house in the UK was opened by a Bangladeshi.

According to Frances Jacks, communications director at the British High Commission in Dhaka, said that the first curry house in the UK was opened in 1810 by an enterprising Bengali traveler.

Over 10,000 curry houses across the UK and more than 90% are run by people of Bangladeshi origin, she also said.

“A person in the UK spends over £30,000 annually on eating curry,” Jacks said.

After having their first British Curry Festival in Dhaka at the erstwhile Dhaka Sheraton in 2001, the festival is making a comeback after 12 years.
The festival will raise awareness for business opportunities available to Bangladeshi companies that are looking to export in the United Kingdom, the organizers said.

There are 12,000 curry houses and employs 12,000 people in the UK, ideal for local companies to tap into, organizers said at the press conference.

“The British had no respect in the world when it came to food. Today it’s all changed, and one of the main reasons for that is the curry industry,” said Lord Karan Billimoria, life peer of the UK House of Lords and also former president of the British Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

According to Lord Billimoria, the British were successfully able to market its food globally because of the spices and recipes rooted in South Asian immigrant culture.

The festival will not only have Michelin star chef Dominic Chapman but 5 other award-winning chefs Jalal Uddin Ahmed, Jafor Solim uddin, Syed Zohurul Islam, Utpal Kumar Mondol and Moloy Halder.

According to Chef Jalal Uddin Ahmed, North India’s Chicken Tikka Masala in particular dominated the curry industry in Britain.

“I added a little bit of lime to the Onion Bhaji, little tweaks have been made to merge the flavours of both Britain and Bangladesh, and that is essentially what we do in British curries, keep both sensibilities intact, ” said Chef Ahmed.

The festival also presents an opportunity for the local and international chefs to learn valuable techniques from one another.

“It will be an exchange of flavours throughout the weeklong festival, and the chefs at the InterContinental Dhaka can learn techniques from the chefs that were brought in, and vice-versa, through this festival,” said Belal Ahmed, editor of Curry Life Magazine UK.

According to additional managing director of City bank Sheikh Mohammad Maroof, the festival will challenge negative perceptions regarding Bangladesh and highlight the positive influence the country can offer. “Through the festival, we are seeing how Bangladesh adds value to the UK, and their lifestyles.

The curry festival will be held on October 21-26.

The price for a meal at the festival is Tk. 7,500+, available only during dinner. Buy one, get one free deal available for select cards.