Indian restaurant Mahek is as from this weekend  launching a new promotion where clients will get the chance to enjoy over 20 different curries originating from various regions of India.

The curry promotion to run until end of April, follows the success of the biryani and kebab offer in February.

The menu will include four curry dishes each of chicken, lambs, seafood and 9 vegetarian dishes from mainly Punjab, Lucknow, South India, Hyderabab, Maharashtra, Haleem, Bengal, Parsee, Goa, Rajasthan and others, with prices ranging from R75 to R160.

According to Chef Garima, Indian cuisine offers a variety of curries each unique to the taste and with different flavours, encompassing the hot and sour blend, hot and nutty, sweet and hot, bitter and hot, bitter and sour and sweet and salty. Those curry flavours are made up from a variety of seasonings derived and blended from an array of spices.

"The flavour of curries ranges from the freshness and sweetness of highly aromatic curry leaves to the dark pungency of the asafoetida," she said.

The difference in the recipes of each region, she said, depended on the crops and spices available in that particular area. For instance she said, the basic ingredient used in the making of gravy in curries in coastal areas is coconut milk, because coconuts are the main crops available.

With regard to spices, she said, depending on the technique used and in the combination of seasoning, several flavours could be squeezed out from the same spice.

Among the dishes on offer are South Indian Chettinad of chicken drumstick cooked in peppercorn tinged with coconut gravy, Punjabi Rarra meat of lamb chop and mince cooked with whole spices in onion and tomato gravy and Bengali Chingri Malai, a seafood curry of prawns in coconut milk. For vegetarians they can enjoy Rajasthani Gatta of gram flour cooked in a sharp cumin tempered yoghurt gravy and Goan Kaldina of mixed vegetables tossed in a special masala.

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