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Prize winning
Abu Taher
A restaurateur from Lee-on-Solent is celebrating winning second
prize in the prestigious annual International Indian Chef of the
Year competition.
In a tense final ceremony in Edinburgh, Abu Taher from the Lee Tandoori
restaurant walked away with second prize in a competition which
attracted over 5000 entrants.
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| Abu
Taher (right) and colleague Shabaz Khan Shinwari |
Mr Taher said:
"I am very happy. I am a little bit disappointed because I was not
first but I am pleased with what I have got."
The competition
was won by Veena Verma from Birmingham who pockets the £1000
prize money: "I am proud because I have been cooking since I was
a child, it's a long-standing hobby of mine." she said.
Queen Margaret College in Edinburgh was the venue for the final
in which competitors cooked for three hours in the college's training
kitchens.
| "Gone are
the bad old days of six pints of lager and the hottest curry
you can have. This is not something to drop in on, this is a
quality cuisine to go out and savour of an evening." |
| Lord
Fraser of Carmyllie |
They
had to produce two meat or fish dishes and two vegetarian meals.
which was displayed on a table with a large golden elephant with
five burning candles.
The judges were naturally complimentary about the standard.
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| Edinburgh
- venue for the competition final |
One of the judges, Lord Fraser of Carmyllie said they were looking
for a combination of flavours, freshness and textures, adding that
this year's food was "outstanding".
Organisers say the competition is the only one in the world open
to men and women, amateurs and professionals of all ages, nationalities
and ethnic groups.
Click
here to hear about Abu's curry making secrets and to try one of
his recipes.
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