WHEN Gurkhas settled in the UK they brought their traditional cuisine with them.

Nepalese restaurants have sprung up all over the UK over the years and the latest edition is the Quayside Bar and Gurhka Restaurant in Colchester.

Fans of the cuisine can also sample the Everest Gurkha Bar and Restaurant in Broomfield Road in Chelmsford.

Chitraj Limbu has opened Quayside Bar and Gurhka Restaurant with his business partner, and fellow Gurkha, Yubaraj Khatri in September and they serve the unique cuisine from their home country.

Halstead Gazette: Chitraj and business partner

Gurkhas are soldiers from Nepal who have been an integral part of the British Army for the last 200 years.

They are celebrated for their fighting ability and courage and many have settled here in the UK, including Colchester and Thurrock.

Chitraj is originally from a remote village in Nepal and he grew up eating traditional Nepalese food.

He says: "I have memories of curries when I was a child living in Nepal. It was always a curry served with chutney and plain rice. It would be chicken, pork, vegetable, or lentil.

"Nepalese curry is similar to Indian curry but more mild. Spices include gundruk and sinki which are added to lentils and dried vegetable called jimbu can be added to rice in winter months to flavour it when it is not possible to grow vegetables."

Halstead Gazette: Quayside Bar and Gurkha Restaurant on the Hythe, Colchester.
 Chicken Curry and boiled riceNepal is set against the backdrop of the Himalayas surrounded by India, China and Tibet. These influences are reflected in the food.

Nepalese dishes are generally healthier than most other South Asian cuisine, relying less on using fats and more on chunky vegetables, lean meats, pickled ingredients and salads.

Common ingredients found across Nepalese cuisine include lentils, potatoes, tomatoes, cumin, coriander, chillies, peppers, garlic and mustard oil.

Chitraj's father was a Gurkha who served in Borneo in 1963. Chitraj joined the Gurkhas in 1975 along with his two brothers.

He says: "I went to school in the town and it was popular to join the army then where my hostel was in Nepal was the recruitment centre. My two brothers joined the Gurkhas too and I rose to Major and served for 30 years."

He was based in Hong Kong then moved to the UK in 1993. When Hong Kong was handed over to China he was moved with 147 Gurkhas in 1997 to Colchester where he worked as an administration officer for the 156 Provost Company. He was award an MVO in 1998 and an MBE in 2001.

Chitraj, 59, says: "I moved with my wife Joghumari and four children. My wife does the cooking in our house and it is the same types of curries which I ate growing up.

"I had the idea to open a Gurkha restaurant three years ago and I thought perhaps it could be popular in the town."

Gurkha's are currently being denied a full British Army pension to those who served before 1997. For Chitraj opening a restaurant was a chance to generate income to see him through retirement.

Halstead Gazette: Chicken Curry, chilli chicken and boiled rice

He says: "I won't retire until I receive a full pension and so the restaurant is a plan b for me, if it goes well then hopefully it will mean a better life for me and my family."

In September Chitraj opened the Quayside Bar and Gurkha restaurant in Haven Road with his business partner Yubaraj.

They have combined the business with the cab company Everest Cars which Yubaraj launched in 2008. It means that customers to the restaurants can get home easily after a night at the restaurant.

Chitraj says: "I wanted to start the business before I retired but couldn't find the right premises for the right price until this one came up and now I employ seven members of staff."

"It is picking up. I always thought it would be popular because of the Gurkha residents and with the garrison close by.

"One of my favourite dishes is the chilli chicken and the Tibetan dumplings called momo. The food is influenced most by Indian cuisine so if people like Indian food they will like Nepalese food. It is quite healthy and we do not add any sugar and it is full of vegetables."

There is no active Gurkha regiment in Colchester but there are Gurkhas serving in the regiments and a community of Gurkhas in the area.

"We have regular customers including people from the Gurkha community and they are very supportive."

The Quayside Bar and Gurkha restaurant can be contacted on 01206 793222.

Chilli chicken

Ingredients:

Chicken fried in egg and corn flour batter

Oil

Mixed peppers

Garlic

ginger

Salt

Sugar

Tangy sauce made with ketchup, chilli sauce, vinegar, mustard oil and spices

Chopped coriander

Method: First heat the oil in the pan. Then, stir-fry mixed pepper with onion. Then, add deep fried chicken with corn flour batter. After that, add ginger and garlic paste. Once it is toasted properly, add the red sauce made with ketchup and chilli sauce. Add some chopped coriander to it. Cook rice with hint of oil, lemon and salt.

Chicken curry

Ingredients:

Oil

Whole Mixed spices

Garlic

Ginger

Onion

Tomato

Salt

Diced chicken

Mixed powder spices

Chopped coriander

Method: First heat the oil in the pan. Add cinnamon stick, cloves, bay leaf to it. After, add onions. Once the onions are fried brown, add ginger garlic paste. Then, add turmeric powder and chilli powder. After that, add mixed spices to it. Then, add tomato paste to it. Once the sauce is heated properly add a cup of water. And after the sauce starts boiling, add raw diced chicken to it. Keep stirring in interval for 10 minutes. Check if the meat is cooked properly by cutting one of the piece. Add some chopped coriander to it. Cook rice with hint of oil, lemon and salt.