Over the past 38 years, chef Stephen Singh has had a front row seat to the unfolding of Indian food history in Australia.
Singh, who was born in India and migrated to Australia from the UK in 1985, opened one of Sydney’s first Indian restaurants in Lavender Bay that same year. Called Indian Empire, the venue was an instant hit with non-Indian locals and celebrities (like Paul Hogan and Molly Meldrum) who were curious about Indian cuisine.
Back then, the land down under was quite a different place to what it is now. Sydney's Indian community was quite small. Australians were only just starting to adopt the term ‘multicultural’ as part of their everyday language and Indian cuisine was somewhat of a newcomer on the Sydney food scene.
“When I first came to Australia in the 1980s, there were not a lot of Indian people here,” says Singh. “There weren’t many Indian restaurants in Sydney either. As far as Asian restaurants go, it was mostly Chinese.”
Stephen Sing (far right) with his team at Lavender Bay's Indian Empire in 1997. Source: Supplied
How Indian cuisine in Australia has changed since the 1980s
Singh recalls the first curry dish he made at Indian Empire was prawn Malabar curry. The mild flavours of butter chicken and Rogan Josh were also ‘gateway’ dishes that helped people become familiar with the cuisine.
“Compared to people in the UK, Australians didn’t eat a lot of spice in the 1980s. Back then, customers would say ‘don’t put garlic in our food because it smells’ ‘or I want my dish without turmeric'.”
Singh never relented to such requests and stayed true to the flavours of Indian cuisine. Instead, he tells SBS, “I used traditional recipes and cooked everything from scratch using fresh ingredients”.
The chef’s success blossomed and soon, he opened a second restaurant in Sylvania: Royal Punjab. “We were always busy. There was a recession in 1988 and interest rates reached 22 per cent. But we were always full.”
Around 2000, Singh sold both businesses to travel and do other things. Then in 2001, the chef moved to the NSW South Coast and opened in Huskisson.
Arron Singh makes his father's secret butter chicken recipe at Taj Indian, Huskisson. Source: Supplied
Taj was the only Indian restaurant in the predominately ‘white’ area and, as his family recalls, Singh was Huskisson’s only Indian-born migrant.
“I remember that people initially said ‘I don’t know about that Indian restaurant in town’,” says Arron, Singh’s son who’s now aged 30. “But eventually, people really embraced it.”
Singh says he took it all in his stride, motivated by a belief that “it doesn’t matter where you run a restaurant. If you give diners fresh food made with fresh ingredients like ginger, garlic, mustard leaves, cinnamon and cardamom, it makes a lot of difference. I believe that is the reason why Taj is still going strong 23 years later”.
Back then, customers would say ‘don’t put garlic in our food because it smells’ ‘or I want my dish without turmeric'.
Over the years, Taj has become a Huskisson institution and family centrepiece. Arron is now the head chef and owns the restaurant, while his dad plays a leading role as the figurehead of the family-owned business.
Today, Taj’s menu is almost the same as it was when it opened. There’s Bombay beef, seekh kebab, chicken tikka and palak paneer kasuri (homemade pieces of cottage cheese, cooked in a thick gravy of English spinach and an assortment of spices and tomatoes).
The menu also features Singh’s famous butter chicken, made with a secret recipe he created in the late-1980s. As the menu’s description of the dish states: “due to its popularity its remained unchanged throughout the years”.
“I love cooking butter sauce recipe,” explains Arron. “It’s both technical and simple at the same time.” The dish isn't as sweet as most butter chickens around, providing enough spice to warrant a small sip of water in-between mouthfuls. However, it is mild enough to appeal to most customers.
Arron explains the biggest changes to the menu have been recent. In the past year, he has introduced local diners to malai kofta (spiced mash potato balls stuffed with peas, almonds and sultanas then lightly fried simmered in a creamy sauce).
(L to R) Arron and his father, Stephen Singh stand outside their family's restaurant in Huskisson. “I really hope Taj succeeds at least three generations of family. To help make that happen, I plan to just keep cooking good, fresh food – just like my dad,” Arron says. Source: Photo by Yasmin Noone
“Twenty years ago, everyone just ordered the butter chicken but now, there is a strong demand for more vegan options so we added kofta to the menu.”
People probably wouldn’t have eaten goat if we put it on the menu years ago. But customers are embracing it now and everyone wants to try new dishes.
Goat masala has also made its way on the menu. It’s a dish that Singh’s mother (Arron’s grandmother) used to make in India.
“People probably wouldn’t have eaten goat if we put it on the menu years ago. But customers are embracing it now and everyone wants to try new dishes.”
“Indian food is also not ‘different’ any more. People have tried the food before and loved it. This has [motivated them] to learn more about the culture and better understand the people behind the cuisine.”
Arron expects that as time passes, the menu may expand to feature more vegan dishes and regular specials. But his aim for the future is to preserve his father’s traditional recipes and celebrate his legacy.
“One day, I hope to have kids. When they are older, I would love to pass down the restaurant to them, along with all the knowledge and recipes I’ve acquired from my father.
“I really hope Taj succeeds at least three generations of family. To help make that happen, I plan to just keep cooking good, fresh food – just like my dad.”
