Chicken Stir Fry: Britain’s Favourite Dish

A new survey out this month, indicates that Indian Chicken Tikka Massala has been replaced by Chinese Stir-Fry as Britain’s favourite dish.

The typical Cantonese style dish, usually served with fresh vegetables and noodles, has now become the most frequently cooked meal in the UK. Chicken has always been Britain’s most popular meat and a large appeal of using it in a stir-fry lies in the fact that the average cooking time takes only a few minutes in the wok. Over two thirds of those asked said that a large part of its appeal is that its easier to prepare than standard British cuisine and one in five Brits said they cook it at least once a week.

Asian food has become increasingly popular over the years and now dominates the nation’s favourite meals. Nine out of ten Britons say that their favourite international email is Asian and it has become a major part of the UK’s staple diet. International cuisine is chosen over traditional British dishes in three out of seven nights of the week.

Now that the nation has become accustomed to the taste (and, sometimes, heat) of exotic spices, 50 percent of the population think that classic British dishes have become too dull. Sausages and Mash and Cottage Pie have been replaced by Sushi and Noodles and are now eaten as regularly as potatoes and spaghetti. In addition, more than 25 percent of Brits now eat more Chinese, Japanese and Thai meals than they did 10 years ago.

When asked to comment, Nick Thorogood, the managing director of Food Network said how encouraging it was to learn that children are open to trying new food and tasting new flavours, from different cultures, from an early age. He went on to say, “Our research shows British palates have changed and we now have a penchant for exotic tastes. It would have been unheard of for a typical family to tuck in to regular evening meals originating from Thailand or Japan a decade or so ago. But now it is considered normal to be swapping a cottage pie for a Thai green curry. It shows that what were once considered exotic dishes are now considered everyday cuisine and we are becoming masters of the wok”.

With more and more international cuisine making it onto our supermarket shelves, this trend only seems set to grow. This is great news those who want a varied and easy to cook diet, but potentially bad news for the traditional British menu.

Post via Red Anywere, the top catering company in Brighton.

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