Father of three Dan Toombs always guaranteed his children
a hot reception when they got home - because he fed his family
curry every day for a YEAR.
Dan, 47, began making his own Indian dishes after becoming
fed up paying out for takeaways.
The family even had turkey with spices and
Bombay potatoes on Christmas Day and now they love their
Madras and korma treats.
The festive recipe was one of the 365 the merchandising
boss had challenged himself to cook. He even launched a blog of his
progress and now has 30,000 followers on Twitter.
Dan, who lives with his wife Caroline, 40, and their three
children Katy, 15, Joe, 13, and Jennifer, nine, claims
his recipes are much healthier than takeaway versions and none of
his family has put on any weight in the last year.
He was born in California but moved to Britain 18 years ago
and developed a taste for curry while visiting
takeaways and Indian restaurants near his home
Dan said: 'It started out as a hobby but then I got to a
point where I wanted to learn more and become better at cooking
Indian food.
'My children took a while to get used to having Indian
food every day but then they grew to love it.
'It's a massive misconception that Indian food is
unhealthy. When it is cooked in a restaurant with lots of oil and
butter it is. But when cooked at home it is very good for
you.'
Dan began to try and recreate the meals at home using
curry cook books but was disappointed with the results.
He soon realised the British takeaway food he loved was
actually far removed from the traditional recipes he was following
in cook books.
Dan, who uses ingredients bought from local independent
shops, launched his blog called 'The Curry Guy' and started
cooking.
Throughout his challenge he learned 500 recipes, based on
meals he had eaten in takeaways and not on their traditional
counterparts.
He wrote them down and has now self-published 'How to make
British Indian restaurant style meals'.
Dan added: 'When I first came to Britain I tasted Indian
food and loved it. You can't get it in California so I had been
missing out.
'I tried cooking at home but I had no idea there was a
difference between traditional Indian recipes and the takeaway
version.
'I have learned a lot doing it. That was the whole idea. I
have never been to India, I just love the food, but I would love to
go one day.
'Through my blog I have been given recipes from people all
over the world and been invited to cook with chefs at a few
restaurants, so I am very grateful.
'My favourite dishes are rogan josh and the jalfrezi. They
are very simple to make and very tasty. It's been a great
experience for us and my kids have even begun to cook
too.