In the heart of Bradford – the Curry Capital of England, Colin Burt, Chef Trainer at Bradford College’s International Food Academy (IFA) is aiming to break the Guinness World Record for the biggest bhaji in the world, in partnership with award winning restaurant Prashad.

The man-sized starter will put Bradford firmly on the international map, as Colin and his team have ambitious plans to cook and carry the record breaking onion bhaji on a specially created ‘bhaji barrow’ through the streets of Bradford, on the 28^th September to coincide with Positive Bradford Day.

A staggering 5 sacks of onions (125 kg), 6 bags of chickpea flour (12kg) and 250 bottles of rapeseed oil (250 litres) (donated by Wharfe Valley Farms) will be used to make the epic bhaji with a selection of secret spices added to the special mix.

The previous Guinness World Record for the largest onion bhaji in the world was held by a community group in the West Midlands, which weighed in at a staggering 84.26 kilograms.

Chef Trainer, Colin plans to tip the scales with a bhaji that weighs a whopping 95 kilograms and measures a staggering 68cm in base diameter, bulging out in the middle to 73cm with a height of 26cm.

It will take four men to lift the giant sized snack into a special cooking vessel.  Colin enlisted the help of the Engineering Department at Bradford College, when he realised there was no conventional cooking equipment big enough to house the belt busting bhaji.

Engineering Lecturer Perry Rushby and Engineering Technician Mark Spiers came to the rescue by creating a cooking vessel big enough to fry the world beating starter, which Colin and the team have fondly named ‘Big Bertha’.  A special rack, ‘sky hooks’ and handles have also been designed to lower and raise the monster bhaji in and out of the boiling oil.

With over 250 bottles of rapeseed oil used to cook the super-sized snack, Bradford College Health and Safety officials Brian Kendrick and Tracy Michael’s were called in to avoid a towering inferno sweeping through the seven story Westbrook building, where the record attempt will take place.  

Colin explained: “Lowering the beast of Bradford into the boiling oil has to be done gently to avoid the oil bubbling up.”  Colin added: Even ‘Big Bertha’s’ capacity might be tested to the limit during this process.  It’s at this point that the greatest danger lies. If the hot oil should spill out onto the boiling rings, which have five bottles of butane gas attached to them… well you can imagine it could be rather unpleasant to say the least.”

Elaborating further Colin Burt smiled and added: “Rigorous test have been carried out to ensure we don’t set the building on fire when the super-sized snack is snared by Bradford’s Big Bertha!”

This is the latest in a string of ‘curry loving initiatives’ to emerge from International Food Academy, including the search for the UK’s Junior Curry Chef Competition, which will be hosted at Bradford College.  Earlier this year the Academy also hit the headlines, when it came to the rescue of the curry crisis, with a range of innovative new courses that focus on specialist qualifications in Asian and International cuisine – ranging from Apprenticeships, to Degree programmes.

Hospitality and Catering Apprenticeship programmes are available through City Training Services, part of the Bradford College family.

This follows the announcement that restaurateurs throughout the country are facing an unprecedented ‘Curry Crisis’ and are struggling to find skilled chefs due to a tightening of immigration laws.

Commenting on the world record attempt, leading restaurateur, Prashad’s Bobby Patel said: “Working with the International Food Academy and getting involved in the world record attempt, encapsulates the essence of the College, forward thinking and encompassing Yorkshire.”

Bobby added: “It’s great to see the College has pulled in a fabulous team and we are proud to a part of this amazing feat. Positive Bradford is truly the future and we are privileged to be a part of this fantastic city.”

Prashad perfected the perfect curry to reach the final of Gordon Ramsay’s hit Channel 4 TV series ‘Ramsay's Best Restaurant’ beating off stiff competition from more than 12,000 eateries nationwide to win the hearts and minds of the nation with their infectious enthusiasm for vegetarian cuisine.

The Lord Mayor of Bradford, Councillor Naveeda Ikram and a series of celebrity chefs have been tipped to witness the attempt to smash the current world record.

Commenting on the world record attempt, Chef Trainer Colin said: “The beast of Bradford ‘sky hooked’ in Centenary Square is creating lots of excitement for everyone involved in the world record attempt. The monster bhaji will be paraded around the square in its ‘barrow’ before being ceremoniously weighed and measured in front of the Lord Mayor. We hope it will be a day to remember and put Bradford firmly on the map.”

In a city that is renowned for its rich cultural heritage and multicultural population – a dish that has become a national favourite, looks set to unite a nation.