Gunpowder, Soho: dinner party menu
Pack some punchy flavours into your next dinner party menu with recipes from this Indian restaurant in London’s Soho
When Harneet Baweja opened Gunpowder in Spitalfields with his wife Devina in 2014, the aim was to bring home-cooked Indian dishes to London in the intimate, 20-cover restaurant. Having grown up in Kolkata, the pair saw a gap in the market for menus that celebrated the intricacy of Indian cooking. Chef Nirmal Save from Mumbai helped realise their vision, and they’ve since opened Gunpowder Tower Bridge, started offering at-home meal kits and takeaways, and launched a third restaurant in London’s Soho.
The latest offering, located on historic Greek Street, brings innovative new dishes to the table – Telicherry pan-fried mackerel with mango pachadi, Chettinad duck skewers and Scottish mussels pulimunchi, to name a few – in an ornate, elegant ex-jazz club setting.
Alongside the flavourful food menu is a selection of specially crafted martinis, featuring a saffron-infused option (see below) and a new twist on a classic espresso martini, as well as a wine list that focusses on natural bottles from Portugal and Spain. gunpowderrestaurants.com
Menu decoder
Garam masala
A ground spice mixture roughly translating to ‘warm spices’. It differs between regions, communities and even households but it usually contains cumin, coriander, cardamom, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, peppercorns, fennel, mace and bay leaves.
Deggi mirch
This is a blend of kashmiri chillies and red peppers, giving it a deep red colour and warm heat.
Chaat masala
Another ground Indian spice mixture that’s often used in the street-food snack chaat. It’s zingy and sour from dried mango and tamarind powder, and contains a host of other toasted and ground spices.
Kasoori methi
Dried fenugreek leaves – the flavour is reminiscent of celery and fennel.
Mustard oil
This is an oil made from pressing mustard seeds. It has a pungent, nutty, hot flavour.
Gunpowder recipes
Golda chingri
At Gunpowder, garam masala is made by pan-roasting cinnamon, cloves and cardamom until fragrant. It’s then pounded into a powder.
Maa’s Kashmiri lamb chops
These griddled lamb chops are fantastic served with a zingy mint chutney and watermelon salad to cut through the meaty richness.
Mustard malai broccoli
Mustard oil adds a pungent, nutty and hot flavour to this vibrant veggie dish, served with a creamy makhani sauce.
Gunpowder saffron martini
Cointreau and saffron gin give an orange hue to this punchy martini.
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