Another week, another thrilling new feature here at TATTGOC ... who, since their win at the Scottish Curry Awards 2010 have been putting a considerable amount of effort into sourcing free curry-related products. For who better to be a spicy focus group than the Curry Lovers Of The Year 2010? That's the thinking behind Tastin' With The Tramps, a taste test with a difference in that ... in that ... actually, it's pretty much what you would expect from a standard taste test. So what's first up? An exciting new range of spicy sausages, known as Mr Singh's Bangras. Let's go tastin' with The Tramps! (And special guest tasters The Bulldosa and Mumbai Me A Pony!)

The Product: Mr Singh's Bangras


The Pitch: "A marriage of two of Britain’s great loves – sausages and Indian food, Mr. Singh’s Bangras are quite unlike any other sausage. The Bangra was first created in the 1940s in Shimla by Harnam Singh – organic butcher and chef to the Indian army. The recipe has been passed down through the Singh generations from the foothills of the Indian Himalayas to London. These delicious spicy sausages have been lovingly reproduced by Harnam’s grandson, Daljit Singh and The Cinnamon Club’s Executive Chef Vivek Singh."


The Packaging: Sleek and stylish in a strikingly-designed black sleeve, these generously-proportioned sausages undoubtedly stand out on the supermarket shelf (they're currently only available in Tesco and some other stockists in the south of England but agents working on behalf of Mr Singh were kind enough to send some up north to TATTGOC Towers). Even through the packaging, the inherent spiciness was detectable. Tantalising!


The Process: There was some debate over how best to prepare the Bangras, and whether they should be cooked up as part of a recipe. In the end, TATTGOC's gourmand The Tramp decided it would be best just to fry them and judge them on their own merits. No bread, no mash, no sauce ... just Original Recipe Bangras (consisting of British Farm-assured pork sausages apparently weaponised with cardamom, onions and cloves).

The Tramp sizzled them up on the stove, following the pack advice that it was better not to prick these particular bangers before cooking them, and in ten minutes or so there was a tempting pan full of 12 Bangras. The aroma wafting around the kitchen was mouthwatering, and while there was a fair amount of fat coming off them, it was, y'know, the good kind. Armed with kitchen towel and some bottles of Kingfisher to cleanse the palate between bites, The Tramp marched the test subjects through to the official evaluation area, where Trampy and Bulldosa were anticpating their first brush with Bangras. Three men, 12 sausages ... what was the verdict?


Trampy says: "Wow, there's quite a lot of fat coming off these sausages ... which is great. They've been in my fridge for a few days and I couldn't get over how spicy they smelled. Usually I don't feel sausages are spicy enough for me but these have a real kick to them. They also feel considerably more meaty and substantial than your usual banger, even the premium ones. A triumph!"


The Tramp says: "Mmmm. These Bangras are almost reminiscent of a Spanish chorizo sausage ... it's difficult to single out any flavour but they all work well together and there's a fiery aftertaste. I was pleasantly suprised at how spicy they were. It's a thumbs-up from The Tramp."


Guest taster Bulldosa says: "I've had two so far and ... it's just nice to have a spicy sausage for a change. I think this product could probably carve out a niche. They would probably go down very well in Scotland, although up here we'd probably cook them in batter and eat them with chips and curry sauce. But I would buy them even if they weren't free."

(Guest taster Mumbai Me A Pony missed the formal evaluation session but when presented with the surviving Bangra gave it a thumbs-up, noting its fieriness.)

The Verdict: Spicy, meaty, fiery ... these were the watchwords of the evaluation session, resulting in a unanimous thumbs-up from TATTGOC for Mr Singh's Bangras. Between mouthfuls, the panel did wonder aloud what sort of dishes one could create using such spicy sausages, and what the best accompaniment might be. "Sweet potato mash," suggested The Tramp. "A roll," suggested Trampy. The tasting panel agreed they would also like to try the Date & Apricot Bangra variant, which is either the hallmark of keen, enquiring minds or just a thinly disguised effort to get some more free sausages. For more info about Mr Singh's Bangras, plus details of stockists and availability (and a fun sausage-balancing game), visit www.bangras.com

Do you have a curry-related foodstuff you're launching into the crowded modern marketplace where a recommendation from appropriate enthusiasts might help? If so, drop us an introductory line at trampyandthetramp@gmail.com and see YOUR product featured on ... Tastin' With The Tramps!