Bundobust shakes up menu this January with pioneering meat substitutes

Indian street food specialists Bundobust has announced an exciting partnership with plant-based meat producer, Meatless Farm – and it promises bold new meat-free horizons for 2022.

Inspired by its Gujarati roots, the Bundobust offering has always been 100 percent vegetarian, with around two thirds of the menu completely plant-based.

This new partnership marks the restaurant’s first venture into meat substitutes, with Meatless Farm’s plant-based chicken and meatless mince allowing the Bundo team to explore more traditionally meat-focused Indian dishes.

Look out for Butter Chicken, a vegan spin on the decadent, creamy classic – only with one of Meatless Farm’s new products (chicken) as the centrepiece.

Expect all the rich, tomatoey goodness of traditional butter chicken with plant-based kick of chilli and fenugreek.

This is a dish with a rich heritage, hailing from 1950 and the founders of the Moti Mahal restaurant in Deli and made famous by chance, using tandoori chicken in a butter rich and tomato gravy. 

Another highlight is the Keema Matar, which transforms the mince and pea combination into a plant-based delight.

You’ll get a deeply flavoured spiced curry, cooked in a classic, dry-fry Karai style with cinnamon, bay leaf, onion, and chilli. Try it with a puri, they suggest, for added deliciousness.

Meatless Mince can also be found in the Shami Kebabs – the lentil patties spiced with ginger, green chilli, kewra water and mint, served with pickled red onion and a red pepper chutney on the side.

Speaking of sides, when it comes to accompaniments, the Mushroom Pilau Rice is a simple dish of mushrooms, cumin, and lemon with classic basmati rice.

“These specials are something we’ve been working on for months,” said Mayur Patel, co-founder at Bundobust.

“We experimented with a selection of meat substitutes, and Meatless Farm products lent themselves best to Indian food.

“We’ve got a longstanding relationship with Ben Davy at Meatless Farm, and our chefs utilised his expertise on how best to cook with their products.

“This is a collaboration that enables our chefs to truly offer something new to our customers.”

The new menu, which includes a Bundo Does Meat Combo and more, is available for a limited time only.

“These dishes are different to our usual Gujarati influenced menu,” said Marko Husak, co-founder, Bundobust.

“It was so much fun working with our chefs using their regional expertise and heritage to create some more traditional curry house dishes.”

Bundo is also welcoming in an exclusive alcohol-free beer, thanks to a collaboration with low and no specialists, Mash Gang.

Brut Luxe is a special vegan 0.5 percent brew made with Nelson Sauvin hops and white oak on a lager base, on tap for a limited time only. 

Another drinks collaboration comes in the form of Cloudwater Soda’s Spiced Fruit Chaat – a low-cal adult soft drink made with mango, pineapple, passion fruit, and Mosaic hops – to the menu.

And for anyone looking to banish the winter blues with a cup of something warming, Bundo’s Vegan Chai offers up a comforting blend of oat milk, massala and sugar.

The new menu is available from 7th Jan for a limited time. All dishes will be available individually, or as a Bundo Does Meat Combo for Two, available at Manchester Piccadilly and Bundobust Brewery for £31.