Even Amrik Singh-Sandhu refuses to eat the fiery chicken tindaloo on the menu of Jasmin, opened by his parents, Anant and Jasbeer, 43 years ago at Adelaide's Hindmarsh Square, but that doesn't stop one in 10 diners from giving the dish a red-hot crack.
The Singh-Sandhu tale is as piquant as the spices they use in their cooking. Jasbeer and Anant were born to Indian parents but lived in Malaysia. They moved to Australia in 1978 following riots between the Chinese and Malay population in Kuala Lumpur in the late 1960s.
Jasbeer, who died 12 years ago, and Anant, also known as Mrs Singh and now 92, opened a small Indian takeaway with 20 tables and a "Coke fridge in the middle as the main decoration", according to Amrik. Then the eatery just "took off".
Source: Jasmin
We even have a couple of dishes on our menu that even I don't eat, such as the tindaloo, which is too hot. It comes with a warning but it's got a cult following.
"Back then there were only about 20 Indian families in Adelaide and everyone knew each other. There was no racism, the Australians were incredibly welcoming. We were taken as a curiosity in a way," Amrik says.
"We were only one of two Indian restaurants in Adelaide and there were two schools of thought: those who liked fruit curries that their grandmothers used to make or those who liked what we ate at home."
They stuck to their guns and didn't compromise on flavour or spice. "We even have a couple of dishes on our menu that even I don't eat, such as the tindaloo, which is too hot. It comes with a warning but it's got a cult following."
While Anant (who was taught to cook by her mother) retired from the kitchen a couple of years ago, she is still very much involved as a "food taster, problem solver and purveyor of new ideas".
She also oversees quality control with their long-standing chef, Ukrainian-born George Bondarenko, and Amrik's sister, Sheila.
Amrik says the multi-awarded business expanded a couple of years after opening when the premises below came up for lease and they literally cut a hole in the floor to connect the two rooms and reopen as a 70-seater restaurant.
Despite fears they would never fill the space, Jasmin has flourished, even attracting successive Indian cricket teams with international names such as Sachin Tendulkar, matched only by the likes of Elton John, Billy Connolly and various Australian prime ministers and premiers.
British celebrity chef Marco Pierre White says of the traditional north Indian cuisine, "I had without question most probably the best Indian meal in my life."
We don't just have a pot of meat and a pot of sauce. Here we cook everything from scratch.
Among the swag of signed cricket bats, is a menu favourite: Punjabi lamb tandoori, which has businesspeople rolling up their sleeves to chew on the lamb cutlets that have been marinated in yoghurt, coriander, chilli and Anant's special blend of curry powder, and slowly cooked over charcoal.
Butter chicken is also on the menu, along with lesser-known dishes such as chicken livers cooked in chilli, coriander and turmeric, and blue-cheese naan. There's also an extensive drink list, which includes a single malt whisky from Bangalore.
"Our point of difference is we don't just have a pot of meat and a pot of sauce. Here we cook everything from scratch. It takes a good two to three hours to make a dish. Here you feel the flavour," Amrik says.
The butter chicken at Jasmin restaurant. Source: Jasmin
"We've just signed another lease so we'll be here for a bit longer. It is like a theatre every day where the people who come in are like the actors. It is a lot of fun.
"My parents took a gamble and I'm glad they did."
Tuesday–Saturday: From 5:30pm
Friday from 12pm
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