Bringing new flavours to Poland

Kartikey Johri

Kartikey Johri is the man behind the newly opened Masala Grill Bar on Kuźnicza street.

Despite Indian food being hugely popular in the UK, its flavours and dishes may be new to Polish people. I spoke to Kartikey about the grill bar and the type of cuisine they are trying to bring to Wroclaw.

GG: Hi there Kartikey, nice to meet you. Surely you must be happy to have your restaurant open after all the hard work getting it set up?

KJ: Well yes of course! Actually though I'm not using the word 'restaurant' here – our place is very much a grill bar. Why a grill bar? Because we have charcoal grills which help to enhance the flavour of the food and they are the main attraction in our open Kitchen.

The premises was originally a shop – it was long procedure and it involved a lot of teamwork to change things. So its great to be open!

GG: Indian takeaways are pretty much embedded in British culture and they have been part of British life for several decades. Will you be doing something similiar here?

KJ: Yes! Our hole in the wall take-away service is primarily aimed at students. Students are often In a rush and need to eat on the move. They also need to look at their budget. It's for this reason we will be offering some kind of package with a curry and a soft drink for a competitive price.

We will also soon be launching a lunchbox service whereby takeaway food can be delivered to your work's office. It is essential that the food is delivered hot, and we are doing a lot of research to find what's the best way of delivering the meals quickly whilst keeping the food hot. This is especially important now as we are in winter and its rather cold!

GG: I see over there in the Kitchen you have some special ovens that I believe are used to cook naan breads. What are they called?

The ceramic oven we use to make the naan breads is called a Tandoor. They require a lot of ventilation and we had to think very hard to work out how to accommodate them in our live Kitchen. Right now we just have plain naan breads but very soon we will also have garlic ones. In January we will have even more varieties!

Naan bread being cooked in Masala's tandoor oven

GG: Some people accuse the Polish business system of being riddled with bureaucracy that slows down the process of starting your business. Have you encountered any problems yourself?

KJ: Well … in the Polish system there is some bureaucracy, but in India its actually worse! In Poland if you have all of your documents ready, then there is a good chance that you can get your permit or the next required document on time. However, to get all the necessary papers together to do this can be time consuming.

GG: What will be the biggest challenge for you?

KJ: The biggest challenge will be convince the Polish people here to embrace a new, different style of food. Our place is not a traditional grill and bar. The Indian 'base' of the food is there - with the flavours and spices. However, here the Indian food is fused together with continental food and ideas. Some people say that for example “You can't do a tikka masala in that way!”. But we think “why not?” We want to do something radical and different and our chefs are cooking classic dishes in a refreshing independent style.

GG: What kind of atmosphere do you want to generate within the grill bar?

KJ: In the grill bar I want to stimulate as many senses of the body as possible, starting with sight. Polish people see India as a very colourful country and we wanted the atmosphere inside Masala to reflect that. We have many different coloured lamps and seats in the grill bar which make this possible.

Masala's colourfull lamps

Next, hearing. The music we play also adds to the atmosphere. We play blended Indian fusion music rather than older typical Indian music.

Smell is also an important contributor to the atmosphere, and each dish has its own alluring smell.

And of course, taste! Every dish here in Masala has a different taste.

GG: How difficult has it been for you to source all the Indian ingredients so that you can make something with an authentic taste?

KJ: One problem we had was that we assumed that certain foods here in Poland (e.g. yoghurt) would be the same as we have in India. This didn't turn out to be the case and we had to think what to do. However we tackled the problem by making things like yoghurt and cheese ourselves. Most of the spices that we can't get here we import from either Germany or London. We are purchasing daily, so everything is fresh – we don't freeze anything.

GG: You've lived in Poland now for twenty years or so. What first took you here, and what's kept you here?

KJ: I wanted to study computer science in India, but unfortunately it wasn't possible to find a place there. It was then that I saw the opportunity to study in Poland with a stipend. I applied and was successful, so it wasn't just by chance that I came to Poland. When I first arrived times were difficult for the country, but despite this I have enjoyed everything here. I knew things would improve and be more like they are today. Now I have a Polish wife, children and I'm settled here.

I've always liked Poland. Whenever I've travelled back to India for a short period, after one week or so I begin to want to return. My wife, my children, my friends and all the aspects of my daily life are here.

GG: Thanks kartikey, and best of luck for the future!

Satish Arey

I also spoke to Masala chef Satish Arey, to find out a little more about Indian food.

GG: What would you say are the essential Indian spices?

Oh, well in India we use many spices so I could mention lots! Cardamon, black pepper, cumin, thurmaric, tamrind and corriander are just some of them. Actually, in English the word 'Masala' means spice mix and in India there are many, many varieties.

GG: Could you mention a dish from your region that you particularly like?

Chicken Byriani is typical from my region. It's cooked with onions, tomatoes, herbs, spices and chicken together with rice in a covered pan. This way all the flavours and ingredients infuse together and the aroma is fantastic!

GG: In the UK sometimes beer is used in the batter when we are making fried fish. Do you do this as well for your pakora?

No, actually we don't use beer in the batter. We typically use flour with some water and pinch of red chilli to add some spice. We do use alcohol in our cooking sometimes though - there is a popular lamb dish that is cooked with rum.

GG: How difficult is it to adapt to the different weather here in Poland?

KJ: Well actually my region in India can be too hot sometimes! However the problem at the moment here is leaving the warmth of the place I work in to the cold outside. Its a big drop In temperature and its difficult to get used to. I am enjoying my time here very much though!

GG: Thanks, have a great time here in Poland!

Masala Grill bar can be found on Kuznicza street (3-5) just off the corner of the Rynek.

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