Support Great Australian Curry Cook Off With Opportunity International Australia
Curry lover? The 2017 MasterChef champ Diana Chan went head-to-head with MasterChef guest judge, Ian Curley, recently in an Opportunity International Australia curry cook-off at Canvas House in South Melbourne. And Australians have now been given the opportunity and challenge to support this cause and cook curry at home (hold your own event) to end poverty! A popular fundraiser last year, this year is even bigger.
The event kicked off Opportunity’s annual Great Australian Curry fundraising campaign which aims to raise funds to help families in developing countries build income-generating businesses. How good is that!
Before the event Opportunity Chief Executive Officer, Meredith Scott, said, “It’s fabulous that Diana Chan and Ian Curley are competing in a curry cook-off to motivate Aussie families to raise funds to help end poverty. “I can’t wait to watch such extraordinary chefs cook exotic curries. I’m hoping they’ll inspire me to up the ante on my own curry making skills. “I’d like to thank Diana and Ian for spicing up the night for us and also the caterers, the team behind Babu Ji and Piquancy,” she added.
An epic cook off for a great cause! It was a close call but ultimately Ian Curley won the cook off with his stunning Hiramasa Kingfish Curry.
Register your curry event to raise funds for Opportunity International online.
About 60 keen curry lovers attended the convivial Great Australian Curry Cook Off in Melbourne.
The Great Australian Curry is an annual fundraising campaign where Opportunity invites families across Australia to cook a curry, share it with friends and raise funds to help families journey out of poverty. Opportunity uses the funds to provide families in India, Indonesia and the Philippines with small loans to build businesses, earn regular incomes, educate their children and break the cycle of poverty in which their families have been trapped for generations.
Ending global poverty is the aim.
Opportunity’s micro finance lending partners are assisting 5.8 million families in predominantly rural and remote areas by providing financial inclusion and support, including loans of a few hundred dollars each, to work their way out of poverty. And they support millions more with community development programs to address other barriers to ending their poverty journey.
The week following the launch is World Anti-Poverty Week (14 – 20 October) and the aim is that the cook off will prompt a wave of curry-based gatherings to be planned during October and November in support of the work Opportunity undertakes to end poverty. Diana Chan and Ian Curley are two iconic chefs and their participation and promotion is a key event to kick start curry lovers around the nation into action.
According to Ian Curley, “It’s one way we can give a hand up to families less fortunate than ours. “It’s important for us to not lose focus of how lucky we are, just the simple fact of where we live. I'm very blessed to have a healthy family and to live In Australia with the opportunity to do the work I love. “When I travel to India and other developing countries I see lots of people who don't have the same opportunities as I have, so I'm conscious that you always have to give something back,” he added.
Diana Chan says she loves that Opportunity helps families end poverty. “I also love that I can contribute to ending poverty through my cooking skills. “I think it’s a good reminder to let Aussies know something so humble and simple as a curry can be shared with so many families around the world. It’s bringing people back to their roots and reminding them that having a shared meal is really important,” she added. Ian Curley says he loves that curry is a family dish. “When you put a steaming curry on the table everybody can dig in and share it. Cooking is all about bringing family together and a wholesome curry really is one of the most home-loving and nutritious dishes to feed your kids.”
Both chefs determined they would use seasonal produce and plenty of spices. “A good curry comes from the base or paste,” Diana says. “Spices are essential—fennel, cumin, turmeric, curry leaf and cinnamon cloves for meat-based curries and cardamom, cumin, fennel and mustard seeds for fish curries.” Ian Curley agrees. He believes spices are everything to making a tantalising curry. “The spices, the flavour, the whole experience inspires me,” he says.