Takeaway options give a Real good Indian meal
Friendly Indian and Bengali restaurant is fast gaining a strong culinary reputation
PASSIONATE about authentic cooking, Real Indian is a friendly Indian takeaway in the heart of Yateley.
Having built up a good reputation, the family-run business places a great deal of emphasis on delivering the highest standard of food and service to every customer.
Specialising in Indian and Bangladeshi food, the two chefs, Musfique and Iqbal Ahmed, have more than 25 years of experience between them.
Courteous and welcoming, much effort is directed at the customer’s individual need, for instance by adapting dishes for allergy sufferers.
Real Indian, in Rosebank Parade, just off Reading Road, uses the finest spices and freshest herbs to create its varied dishes.
The menu is packed with a wide range of tempting starters, mains and set deals, including vegetarian options.
Iqbal, who is also the manager of Real Indian, said: “We have been running the shop for four years, but it is the past two years where we have become well established.
“It took some time to get known, but we soon started to see lots of regular customers following a leaflet drop in the area.
“The last couple of years we have been really busy.
“We are a small team and we try and keep our cooking as authentic as possible.”
Mr Ahmed said mild, medium, hot and extra hot dishes were on offer to cater for all taste buds, but his favourite item on the menu was the tantalising hot naga meal.
Naga morich is a chilli pepper that grows in Bangladesh and north eastern India. The popular Bengali dish is cooked in a special aromatic naga chilli sauce.
Customers can chose chicken, lamb, king prawn, tandoori lamb chops or vegetarian naga.
“For two years, I had one customer who would only choose chicken madras,” Mr Ahmed said.
“So one day I suggested he try something different and if he did not like it I would give him the madras on the house next time.
“Since trying chicken naga, he now loves it and only orders that.”
Presented in handy re-usable containers, Real Indian has recently launched eight new starter items.
Joining an appetizing list of onion bhaji, samosa, chicken chat and king prawn puri, comes the new chom chom dish, wrapped in a pancake and prepared with cheese, cashew nuts, sesame seeds and coriander.
Also new to the first course selection is murgh nazakat, succulent skewered chicken delicately flavoured with garlic and nutmeg.
Served in a rich and tasty sauce, baltis are just one of the types of main courses available. The Kashmiri curry originated centuries ago in the area known as Baltistan, now north Pakistan.
Balti cooking also owed as much to China where it resembles the spicy cooking of Azezhuan and Tibet.
For customers who prefer a drier main, tandoori, marinated in spices and grilled on charcoal in a clay oven, is a good choice.
Biryani dishes consist of stir-fried basmati rice, slightly spiced and cooked with chicken, lamb, prawn or vegetables. Persian dishes are a blend of unique spices with a subtle hot, sweet and sour taste. A number of chef specials are on the extensive menu, with descriptions underneath each item to help new customers pick the perfect meal.
For vegetarians, there is a wide range of choices including korma, palex, jalfrezi, dansak and bhuna, plus side dishes such as saag paneer, mushroom bhaji and chana masala. Lemon and coconut rice, is a refreshing change to pilau or egg fried rice, and a dessert menu of ice creams and fruits provides a satisfying end to any Real Indian meal.