{"id":612,"date":"2025-09-12T12:57:07","date_gmt":"2025-09-12T12:57:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.artauk.com\/blog\/?p=612"},"modified":"2025-09-12T12:57:07","modified_gmt":"2025-09-12T12:57:07","slug":"indian-food-awards-arta-guide-top-curry-dishes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.artauk.com\/blog\/indian-food-awards-arta-guide-top-curry-dishes\/","title":{"rendered":"Indian Food Awards: ARTA\u2019s Guide to Top Indian Curry Dishes"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Funny thing about curry in the UK, ask ten people what their go-to dish is and you\u2019ll probably get ten different answers. One swears by a tikka masala, another won\u2019t budge from a hot vindaloo, then there\u2019s the mate who\u2019s all about a rich lamb rogan josh. Curry isn\u2019t just food anymore, it\u2019s like a part of British life. Which is probably why the Indian food awards get everyone talking every year.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These nights, like the ARTA Asia Curry Award, aren\u2019t just for show. They\u2019re not about who\u2019s got the biggest kitchen or the fanciest tablecloths. It\u2019s about the dishes that make people stop mid-bite and go, \u201cWow, that\u2019s special.\u201d When your curry ends up in that mix, it\u2019s not just another dish on the menu, it\u2019s suddenly in the same conversation as the best curry in Asia or the ones crafted by the top curry chefs Asia has trained up.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Why the Awards Actually Matter<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Think about customers scrolling on their phones on a Saturday night. They see a long list of curry houses, all claiming to be the best. But if your place has \u201cshortlisted for an Asian cuisine award\u201d or \u201cserving award-winning curry Asia has recognised\u201d next to the name, you\u2019ve already won their trust before they\u2019ve even walked in.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It\u2019s not snobbery, it\u2019s reassurance. Diners just want to know they\u2019re going to get something worth their money. An award, or even a nomination, does half the convincing for you.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>What the Judges Are After (and It\u2019s Not Just Spice)<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A lot of people think awards go to whoever makes the hottest curry or the fanciest-looking plate. Not true. Judges are usually after:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Proper balanced flavour. Spice, sweetness, depth, everything in its right place.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\n<p><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.artauk.com\/blog\/how-to-create-a-signature-dish-for-restaurant-awards\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">dish<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> that feels real. Heritage, culture, or even your own spin on something classic.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\n<p><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A plate that looks like someone cared when they served it. Doesn\u2019t have to be fancy, just thoughtful.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\n<p><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.artauk.com\/blog\/award-winning-restaurant-consistency-quality-control\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">consistency<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Can you make that same curry just as good every night of the week?<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\n<p><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">At the end of the day, it\u2019s not about being clever. It\u2019s about putting heart into the food. That\u2019s what stands out.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>The Curries That Always Get Noticed<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You won\u2019t be surprised to hear chicken tikka masala keeps showing up in the winners\u2019 lists. Same with lamb rogan josh that melts on the fork. Those dishes never go out of style.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But here\u2019s the shift, judges are giving more love to dishes that don\u2019t feel so heavy. Lighter, fresher, healthier. A dal with spinach and turmeric. A coastal-style prawn curry that feels clean and bright instead of rich and heavy. Those are the plates that are starting to catch attention at the Indian food awards.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>What Top Curry Chefs in Asia Keep Doing Right<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The chefs who keep popping up on stage don\u2019t have magic tricks. They just:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Listen to what their diners actually want.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\n<p><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Pick fresh, good-quality stuff, even if it\u2019s harder to get.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\n<p><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Stick to their roots but aren\u2019t scared to modernise a little.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\n<p><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">That\u2019s it. No big secret. Just care, patience, and a bit of courage to tweak things without losing the soul of the dish.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Even Being Nominated Means Something<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Not everyone\u2019s going to walk away with a trophy. But here\u2019s the thing, even getting your name on the shortlist changes things. The local paper writes about it. Customers brag that their local made it into the ARTA Asia Curry Award. Your team feels proud. And suddenly, people see your restaurant in a different light.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sometimes that little line, \u201cnominated for an Indian food award\u201d, does more for business than the actual prize.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Back to Your Own Kitchen<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">At the end of the day, it all comes back to the food you\u2019re putting on the plate. Every curry you serve is a chance to show what you\u2019re about. Awards like the ARTA Asia Curry Award aren\u2019t some faraway dream; they\u2019re built on the dishes chefs are already making every night up and down the country.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So the curry your regulars always rave about is the one you should put forward. Who knows? That is the dish that carries your name into the same room as the best curry in Asia.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>FAQs<\/b><\/h2>\n<ol>\n<li><b> What are the Indian food awards about?<\/b><b><br \/>\n<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> They celebrate curries and restaurants across the UK, judged by people who really know the cuisine.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b> Do small restaurants ever win?<\/b><b><br \/>\n<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Yes. Loads of family-run spots have beaten big names before.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b> How do I enter?<\/b><b><br \/>\n<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Most awards, like ARTA, let you apply online. Some even allow customers to nominate you.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b> What curries usually impress judges?<\/b><b><br \/>\n<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Classics like tikka masala and rogan josh always do well, but lighter, fresher dishes are catching on.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>\u00a0Is it worth entering if I don\u2019t win?<br \/>\n<\/b>Definitely. Just being shortlisted can get people talking and bring more diners through your door.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Funny thing about curry in the UK, ask ten people what their go-to dish is and you\u2019ll probably get ten different answers. One swears by a tikka masala, another won\u2019t budge from a hot vindaloo, then there\u2019s the mate who\u2019s all about a rich lamb rogan josh. Curry isn\u2019t just food anymore, it\u2019s like a &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.artauk.com\/blog\/indian-food-awards-arta-guide-top-curry-dishes\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Indian Food Awards: ARTA\u2019s Guide to Top Indian Curry Dishes<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":48,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-612","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-restaurant-awards"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.artauk.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/612","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.artauk.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.artauk.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.artauk.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.artauk.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=612"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.artauk.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/612\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":613,"href":"https:\/\/www.artauk.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/612\/revisions\/613"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.artauk.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/48"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.artauk.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=612"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.artauk.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=612"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.artauk.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=612"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}