Category: Prashad

Traditional Cooking Methods

Written by bobby@prashad.co.uk on 2nd February 2016. Posted in Prashad, Vegetarian Cuisine. No Comments on Traditional Cooking Methods

Here at Prashad, we are completely committed to developing menus that embrace tradition. We have processes in place which have been passed down through three generations and are keen to keep these going.

Some examples of this are:

Garam Masala
This mixture of aromatic spices is an integral part of any good Indian restaurant – it is essentially like signing off your dish whilst giving it that extra flavour kick in the process.

At Prashad we use our great grandmas recipe which has since been passed down through the generations first to Kaushy and then more recently to Minal. When Kaushy and Mohan first moved to England, the Garam Masala mix had to be improvised to include as much flavour as possible whilst using the techniques available in England rather than the traditional Indian ones.

The process in England starts off with the raw spices arriving from Leicester – we order our spices in specifically from Leicester because they are known for having a significant Gujarati community meaning the best spices suited to our cuisine are available there. Once we have received the spices, we start by hand picking all the bad bits from the spices before they are thrown into big pans and placed into the oven. They will remain in the oven on a low temperature for anything up to 2 weeks – this is done overnight to reduce disruption to the restaurant service. Heating the spices on a low temperature will gradually heat the spices releasing the oils and flavours.

The spices are then bagged up again and taken back down to a specific stone mill in Leicester – this mill has been used since Prashad opened. Kaushy is the only person permitted to enter the mill and she oversees the procedure to ensure there is no contamination and she gets the correct mixture of spices for the Garam Masala. In this process, she checks the coarseness of the mix by hand.

Once that has been done the Garam Masala is brought back up to Bradford, and used in the majority of dishes. The mix can be used as a top spice, stirred in or sometimes in the cooking process.

Ready mixed Garam Masala contains around 5 to 6 spices whereas Kaushy’s blend uses contrasting quantities and levels of up to 22 spices.

Shrikand
This is a decadent smooth luxurious dessert that has been served at weddings throughout Gujarat for hundreds of years. The process we use has been used in our family for generations. We start of by making our own yoghurt, before hanging it in muslin bags and then pressing to extract every drop of water before caramelising with cardamom and pistachios. This ensures that the Shrikand is creaming and has the perfect tangy kick.

Traditionally we cook with as many fresh ingredients as possible, and this is still the case today. At Prashad, you will never see a member of the kitchen team standing doing nothing as there is always fresh garlic and ginger to peel.

Imperfections add character to a dish, here at Prashad we firmly embrace this and quite often you will hear the beating of a pest & mortar in the background, this is being used to crush certain spice mixes for various curries and also for our very own special tea masala.

Steaming is a process which the kitchen loves to use, especially with todays ever increasing focus on healthy eating. Minal will usually try and create steamed amuse bouche’s which pack seasonal flavour.

There are no short cuts, we take the long way around and take our time, this is directly transferred into taste and experience.

We’d love to have you visit! You can book online here

Privacy Policy

Written by bobby@prashad.co.uk on 10th December 2015. Posted in Prashad. No Comments on Privacy Policy

Privacy Policy

Welcome to Prashad Indian Vegetarian Cuisine.

We understand that privacy online is important to users, especially when conducting business. This statement governs our privacy policies with respect to those users of the Site (“Visitors”) who visit without transacting business and Visitors who make use of the various services offered by Prashad Indian Vegetarian Cuisine. (collectively, “Services”) (“Authorised Customers”).

“Personally Identifiable Information”

Refers to any information that identifies or can be used to identify, contact, or locate the person to whom such information pertains, including, but not limited to, name, address, phone number, fax number, email address, financial profiles, social security number, and credit card information. Personally Identifiable Information does not include information that is collected anonymously (that is, without identification of the individual user) or demographic information not connected to an identified individual.

What Personally Identifiable Information is collected?

We may collect basic user profile information from all of our Visitors. We collect the following additional information from our Authorised Customers: the names, addresses, phone numbers and email addresses of Authorised Customers, the nature and size of the business, and the nature and size of the advertising inventory that the Authorised Customer intends to purchase or sell.

How does the Site use Personally Identifiable Information?

We use Personally Identifiable Information to customise the Site, to make appropriate service offerings. We may email Visitors and Authorised Customers about research or purchase and selling opportunities on the Site or information related to the subject matter of the Site. We may also use Personally Identifiable Information to contact Visitors and Authorised Customers in response to specific inquiries, or to provide requested information.

With whom may the information may be shared?

We may share aggregated information about our Visitors, including the demographics of our Visitors and Authorised Customers, with our affiliated agencies and third party vendors. We also offer the opportunity to “opt out” of receiving information or being contacted by us or by any agency acting on our behalf

What choices are available to Visitors regarding collection, use and distribution of the information?

Visitors and Authorised Customers may opt out of receiving unsolicited information from or being contacted by us and/or our vendors and affiliated agencies by responding to emails as instructed, or by contacting us.

Are Cookies Used on the Site?

Disclosure of Personally Identifiable Information to comply with law. We will disclose Personally Identifiable Information in order to comply with a court order or subpoena or a request from a law enforcement agency to release information. We will also disclose Personally Identifiable Information when reasonably necessary to protect the safety of our Visitors and Authorised Customers.

How does the Site keep Personally Identifiable Information secure?

All of our employees are familiar with our security policy and practices. The Personally Identifiable Information of our Visitors and Authorised Customers is only accessible to a limited number of qualified employees who are given a password in order to gain access to the information. We audit our security systems and processes on a regular basis. Sensitive information, such as credit card numbers or social security numbers, is protected by encryption protocols, in place to protect information sent over the Internet. While we take commercially reasonable measures to maintain a secure site, electronic communications and databases are subject to errors, tampering and break-ins, and we cannot guarantee or warrant that such events will not take place and we will not be liable to Visitors or Authorised Customers for any such occurrences.

How can Visitors correct any inaccuracies in Personally Identifiable Information?

Visitors and Authorised Customers may contact us to update Personally Identifiable Information about them or to correct any inaccuracies by emailing us.

Can a Visitor delete or deactivate Personally Identifiable Information collected by the Site?

We provide Visitors and Authorised Customers with a mechanism to delete/deactivate Personally Identifiable Information from the Site’s database by contacting us.

What happens if the Privacy Policy Changes?

We will let our Visitors and Authorised Customers know about changes to our privacy policy by posting such changes on the Site. However, if we are changing our privacy policy in a manner that might cause disclosure of Personally Identifiable Information that a Visitor or Authorised Customer has previously requested not be disclosed, we will contact such Visitor or Authorised Customer to allow such Visitor or Authorised Customer to prevent such disclosure.

Links:

This web site contains links to other web sites. Please note that when you click on one of these links, you are moving to another web site. We encourage you to read the privacy statements of these linked sites as their privacy policies may differ from ours.

Second Recipe Book Launched

Written by bobby@prashad.co.uk on 21st September 2015. Posted in News, Prashad, Recipes. No Comments on Second Recipe Book Launched

Monday, 21st September, 2015

We’re delighted to see ‘Prashad at Home’ on the shelves. This is our second cookery book, and quite different to our first with new recipe styles and beautiful imagery of India throughout.

August and September has seen Kaushy (author and mum) busy signing books, and to see the book on the shelves at Waterstone’s was especially pleasing!

You can also buy the book at plenty of other stores in addition to our own website.

Mother’s Day, the busiest day of the year at Prashad

Written by bobby@prashad.co.uk on 11th March 2015. Posted in Prashad, Recipes. No Comments on Mother’s Day, the busiest day of the year at Prashad

Wednesday, 11th March, 2015

As the world has just celebrated International Women’s Day and with Mother’s Day approaching this weekend, we thought we would ask the important female figures at Prashad, Head Chef Minal and Founder Kaushy, about how their strong and supportive mum’s have influenced their success.

Minal “I’ve always been heavily influenced by my mum, she’s been my number one supporter since I first stood in the kitchen and shares my ambition to be one of the UK’s leading veggie chefs. She taught me the basics of cooking and I still put into practice her cooking techniques every day.”

Kaushy “Anyone who has the Prashad cookbook will already know about my amazing grandmother and the influence she had on me growing up with her in Pardi, India. She was the most generous person I have ever known and her ‘cooking with love’ ethos is something I try to reflect everyday whether cooking for my family or for our lovely customers in the restaurant.”

In preparation for the big ‘M’ day we thought we’d share one of our all-time favourite family curry recipes that sets the tone for a great feast.

Food bloggers are waking up to vegetarian cuisine!

Written by bobby@prashad.co.uk on 20th March 2014. Posted in News, Prashad, Vegetarian Cuisine. No Comments on Food bloggers are waking up to vegetarian cuisine!

Thursday, 20th March, 2014

The last 12 months have been amazing for all of us here at Prashad – we’ve won prestigious awards, such as a Bib Gourmand and Best Indian at the Oliver Awards 2014; we’ve had lots of exciting visitors (from Drighlington Primary School to MP Ed Balls); and Minal and Kaushy’s food has continued to receive glowing reviews from all our customers. But it hasn’t just been a good year for us, it’s been a good year for vegetarian cuisine in general!

We’ve said before that veggie cuisine is coming more to the foreground of fine dining, and when we reached out to food bloggers recently, we received a fantastic response, particularly when it came to reviewing recipes from our cookbook. We’ve noticed a massive increase in the amount of veggie bloggers over the last year, but we’ve also seen a lot of general meat-eating foodies starting to embrace veggie alternatives on their blogs – which even a few years ago would have been a ‘no-no’ for most of them.

We love that vegetarianism is growing in popularity, and that even non-veggies are more open to and excited by vegetarian cuisine, because it means that we can welcome even more people into our constantly growing Prashad family.

Take Two: Drighlington Primary School students visit Prashad to learn about asian culture and cuisine

Written by bobby@prashad.co.uk on 28th February 2014. Posted in Events, News, Prashad. No Comments on Take Two: Drighlington Primary School students visit Prashad to learn about asian culture and cuisine

Friday, 28th February, 2014

This time last year, when we were still newcomers to the village of Drighlington, we were approached by a teacher from Drighlington Primary School called Mr Leigh about the possibility of his year six students visiting the restaurant as part of a topic they were studying on Asian culture. We weren’t sure what would happen when 54 children descended on us but we decided to give it a go and the visit was a great success! So, when we were asked if the students could visit again this year, we were happy to oblige.

Once again, we had a fantastic time when the children visited this morning and they created a great buzz in the restaurant. We gave them the opportunity to try our chilli free bhajis and “ask us anything” – which can be risky! – but this year’s students had as many interesting questions as their classmates from last year.

We talked about Asia and in particular India, Bangladesh and Pakistan where most of the kind of Asian food that is served in the UK comes from. The children learnt that not all spices are hot to taste and they were intrigued by the décor in the restaurant, in particular some of the vintage pieces sourced from India such as the Rajistani doors used to make our bar area. They also learnt how to say “yellow” in Indian and our Head Chef Minal was thrilled when she came out of the kitchen to hear all 60 children chime “Namaste!” at her!

Goldman Sachs 10,000 small businesses roundtable event at Prashad: Inspiring the next generation of Business Leaders

Written by bobby@prashad.co.uk on 28th January 2014. Posted in Events, Prashad. No Comments on Goldman Sachs 10,000 small businesses roundtable event at Prashad: Inspiring the next generation of Business Leaders

Tuesday, 28th January, 2014

When our Owner and Operations Director Bobby Patel took over his parents’ business 10 years ago, he wanted to take their vision for unique, amazing food built on solid family values into the next generation. One of the most valuable things he’s done on the journey of taking Prashad from a small eatery in Bradford with a cult following to a nationally recognised, multi award winning ‘destination restaurant’ with a best-selling cookbook, was to take part in the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Programme at Leeds University Business School.
On the programme, Bobby met life long mentors and friends who inspired him and he learnt how to bring ‘corporate world’ principles to a small family business whilst retaining everything that is special about it, from social responsibility to excellent customer service.

Last week, Bobby hosted a roundtable event in Prashad’s corporate function room to reflect on the success of the entrepreneurs who have taken part in the Programme so far. It was attended by Shadow Chancellor Ed Balls and Goldman Sachs’ Chief Economist as well as high profile business owners, graduates and journalists.

Mr Balls talked about banks investing in up-and-coming UK businesses and the importance of Enterprise Education while enjoying Prashad’s signature dish Special Chaat, which was served by Head Chef Minal in cocktail glasses, and the Special Thali, which gave guests who hadn’t visited before a variety of Gujarati dishes to taste.

The Sunday Times Food List: We’re continuing to convert carnivores!

Written by bobby@prashad.co.uk on 13th November 2013. Posted in News, Prashad, Vegetarian Cuisine. No Comments on The Sunday Times Food List: We’re continuing to convert carnivores!

Wednesday, 13th November, 2013

We were delighted to pick up a copy of the Sunday Times this week to find a picture of one of our lovely chefs looking back at us on page 2 of their definitive ‘Food List’ of Britain’s top 130 restaurants under £50! The list is voted for by real diners, so we want to say a huge thank you to everyone who said something nice about us – because you’re the ones keeping us in the business of converting carnivores!

We were one of only nine restaurants that featured in the Yorkshire and North East section and the only vegetarian restaurant in our region. Our profile said:

“The Patel family are self-appointed ambassadors for simple flavoursome Gujarati cuisine. They recently moved to bigger premises out of the city and take great pleasure in converting the most hardened of meat-eaters to their cause. Diner’s verdicts: ‘Accomplished and imaginative’; ‘Even my carnivore son thinks it’s fantastic’. Locals come back for: Special Chaat (chickpea, potato and samosa salad).”

Prashad founder Kaushy and Head Chef Minal jointly named Chefs of the Year at the Yorkshire Life Food & Drink Awards 2013

Written by bobby@prashad.co.uk on 8th October 2013. Posted in News, Prashad, Vegetarian Cuisine. No Comments on Prashad founder Kaushy and Head Chef Minal jointly named Chefs of the Year at the Yorkshire Life Food & Drink Awards 2013

Tuesday, 8th October, 2013

Wow, what can we say?! We are absolutely blown away to announce that our Founder Kaushy and Head Chef Minal were named joint Chefs of Year at the prestigious Yorkshire Life Food & Drink Awards 2013 at Rudding Park yesterday.

As those of you who have read Kaushy’s cookbook will know, her Grandma taught her to cook when she was growing up in Gujarat, India, and she has shared her secrets with her daughter in law Minal who constantly strives to innovate with food whilst maintaining the original family values passed on to her. The most valuable lesson that Kaushy’s Grandma taught her was to cook from the heart and that love is the most important ingredient for great taste. She also taught her never to compromise on quality and freshness and showed her techniques for infusing flavours to make sure that every single bite is a taste sensation.

Of all of the awards and accolades we have won in recent years this has got to be one of the absolute best! It is real recognition from the Yorkshire foodie world that the real talent behind Prashad is worthy of their regard. As Bobby said at a recent talk he gave at the restaurant as part of Leeds Business Week, Prashad isn’t about the restaurant or the business or TV appearances or even the Patel family – it’s all about the food. The food dictates everything and it is only because Kaushy and Minal are so passionate about what they do that we are still going strong!

Hold your next Charity Fundraising Event at Prashad and raise up to £500 – Like these Batley Grammar School boys did!

Written by bobby@prashad.co.uk on 20th September 2013. Posted in Events, Prashad. No Comments on Hold your next Charity Fundraising Event at Prashad and raise up to £500 – Like these Batley Grammar School boys did!

Friday, 20th September, 2013

Last week, we hosted a charity fundraising event for two Batley Grammar School students boys who were raising money for a community project expedition to Peru next year. It was attended by 40 people, taking over the whole downstairs of the restaurant and raised around £500 for the trip!

The parents of Sam and Theo, who live locally in Gomersal and are regulars at the restaurant approached us about hosting the event and we were happy to oblige. They told us about all the hard work the boys had been doing to raise money for the trip including car boot sales, car washing, sweet stalls and a Tombola at the Little Gomersal May Day Fayre. They had to keep coming up with new ideas and thought Prashad would be the perfect solution!

We served a four course meal at a discounted price per head so that the boys could raise funds by marking up the tickets and donated prizes for a raffle and silent auction (including a place on one of our sold out cooking courses at The Cooking School in Dean Clough Mills, Halifax!)