Railway Lamb Curry is one of those dishes that arrives with a story attached. It is a comforting lamb curry, and the tale most often told about it involves steam trains, long journeys and dining cars. At our West End restaurant, it sits among our Chef's Specials and is one of the mains in the Maharaja option of our group set menu.
Here is the story as it is usually told, what the dish tends to look like, and how we make ours.
The story, as it is commonly told
The version you will hear most often goes like this. When India's railways were expanding during the colonial era, long-distance trains and station refreshment rooms needed food that could feed a wide mix of passengers. Cooks, the story says, developed a lamb curry that was hearty but not fiercely hot, so it would suit travellers of every background and taste.
Some tellings add that yoghurt or coconut was used to soften the spice, or that the curry was made in a way that would hold up well over a long journey. Others focus on the dining cars themselves, and the idea of a proper, sustaining meal served on the move.
It is a lovely story, and it is widely repeated, but it is hard to say how much of it is documented history and how much has grown in the telling. Recipes for railway curry vary a great deal from cook to cook, and there is no single agreed original. So we share it as the story it is, not as settled fact.
What makes a railway-style curry
Because the dish has travelled so far from its supposed origins, you will find many interpretations. What they tend to have in common is a sense of balance: a curry that is rich and warming rather than blisteringly hot, made for a satisfying meal rather than a test of endurance.
That makes it a good choice for a group with mixed tastes, and a nice middle ground for anyone who finds the creamiest dishes too mild but does not want a Madras or a Vindaloo. If you are curious about how dishes like this vary across the country, our guide to regional Indian cuisine is a good next read.
How we make ours
Our Railway Lamb Curry is a boneless lamb curry with potatoes, yoghurt and coconut milk. The lamb gives it depth, the potatoes make it filling, and the yoghurt and coconut milk bring a rounded richness to the sauce.
It sits on our menu alongside another lamb dish with a similar homely feel: Staff Lamb Curry, a traditional staff-style lamb curry cooked on the bone and slow cooked for a deep, homestyle flavour. If you like one, it is worth trying the other. Our piece on Indian slow cooking explains why time does so much for dishes like these.
At the table, Railway Lamb Curry goes well with pilau rice and a plain or garlic naan to catch the sauce. You can find it on our full menu under the Chef's Specials.
Railway Lamb Curry for groups
If you are booking for a crowd, Railway Lamb Curry is one of the mains in Option B, the Maharaja level of our group set menu. Every guest gets the Maharaja Mixed Starter, one main, pilau rice and plain naan, and the whole party dines from the same option.
Option B also includes Original Masala, Mango Chicken, Chettinad Chicken or Lamb, Staff Lamb Curry, Sizzling King Prawn and Chingri Malai Curry. And if you go for Option C, the Royal level, guests can choose the Maharaja Special Shank or any Option B main, so Railway Lamb Curry is on the table there too. Our guide to how our group set menu works goes through every option dish by dish.
Please tell us about allergies when you book. Our kitchen handles nuts, dairy, eggs, gluten, fish, shellfish, soya and sesame.
Where to try it
You will find us at 19A Charing Cross Road, a minute from Leicester Square tube and a short walk from Soho. It is well placed for a group dinner in the West End, whether you are meeting after work or before a night out.
Bringing a group? See Railway Lamb Curry and the rest of the Maharaja option on our group set menu, and book a table for your party.
