Our kitchen is headed by Chef/Owner, Ravi Gandhi.  Punjabi food runs in his genes!  He is a third generation restauranteur and Chef, who has regularly been featured as part of India's top 20 master Chefs & cuisine experts in various publications.   Chef  Gandhi has also done consultations for other restaurants in London, and the Middle East and also has been the President of 'AHAR' (Association of Hotels And Restaurants) for three consecutive years. He has been conducting cooking classes for the 'Mumbai Festival', an annual event organized by the Ministry of Tourism, India.  In Mumbai, he was the pioneer in creating the first ever 'Low Calorie Punjabi Food' menu!

After successfully running 'The Great Punjab' group of restaurants in India for the last two decades, Ravi Gandhi brings you Indian food, the way it's meant to be!   Authentic North Indian style cuisine served with sophistication in Sydney at Raavi's Cumin – Taste the Indian Experience'.

CUMIN'
'Cumin' is the dried fruit of a small herbaceous plant and is one of the most typical spices in India.  It is an ingredient of most curry powders and savoury spice mixtures, and is used in gravies, grills – especially lamb – and chicken dishes.   It gives bite to plain rice, vegetables and even bread!

Other than it's usage as an essential ingredient for cooking purposes, 'Cumin' seeds, a very good source of iron, have also traditionally been noted to be of benefit to the digestive system.   They are also considered to have anti-carcinogenic properties.

Although the small 'Cumin' seed looks rather unassuming, it packs a punch when it comes to flavor, which can be described as penetrating and peppery with slight citrus overtones.

'INDIAN CUISINE'
Indian cuisine is as diverse as its people and geography.  Over the centuries, each new wave of settlers brought with them their own culinary practice which, with time, blended into the Indian cuisine as it is known today.   Most Indian cuisines are related by significant usage of spices, such as cumin, mustard seeds, turmeric, fenugreek, coriander, red chilli powder and asafoetida.  Another very important spice is the ' garam masala' which is usually a powder of five or more dried spices. 

 Wheat is a staple diet of Northern Regions.  Food from North India is characterized by its thick gravies.   Chillies, saffron, milk, yogurt, cottage cheese, ghee and nuts are common ingredients. People of  Punjab were traditionally farmers, and they built their own clay ovens to cook meats and kebabs, now known as the ' tandoor', hence the name 'tandoori chicken'.

Britain has a strong tradition of Indian cuisine that originates from the British Raj. In the late twentieth century Birmingham was the centre of growth of 'Balti' houses, serving a newly developed style of cooking in a large, wok-like pan, with a name derived from the Portuguese Balde, meaning 'bucket'. Indian food is now integral to the British diet: indeed it has been argued that Indian food can be regarded as part of the core of the British cuisine with 'Chicken Tikka Masala' as their National dish!

Here at 'Cumin', we bring you a blend of traditional methods and modern techniques to serve you the finest Authentic Indian cuisine.