1,700 Indian cooks working in Tokyo!
Saturday, May 5, 2007
Japanese warm to real curries and more
It's happening all over the country: Gourmands are ripping apart freshly baked naan bread and using it to mop up fiery-colored curries containing wicked concoctions of true Indian spices. Yes, authentic Indian food is now widely available all over Japan.
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| Hema Parekh, a leading teacher in Japan of all styles of Indian cuisine; and a bowl of chana masala (chickpea curry) and bhatura (fried bread). PHOTOS COURTESY OF HEMA PAREKH and IE NO HIKARI KYOKAI | |
According to A.P.S. Mani, who heads Indian Community Activities Tokyo, "there are 1,700 Indian cooks working in the Kanto region (Tokyo and surrounding areas) and 500 in the rest of Japan, while there are at least 800 Indian restaurants in the country."
But this is surely the tip of a chilled lassi (Indian yoghurt drink) iceberg that includes the widespread availability of Indian spices and ingredients in shops, and growing interest in Indian cookery.
