The Le Raj curry house in Epsom is surely among the UK's most prestigious curry houses.

The acclaimed restaurant has won praise and lifelong fans from figures including Johnny Depp, Heston Blumenthal and David Cameron, while its Owner Enam Ali has helped propel British Curry onto the global scene.

Ali launched the British Curry Awards in 2005 and has seen it grow to be recognized as the "Curry Oscars" in the UK with frequently star-studded attendance.

The eminent Curry man told the Comet that one of the keys to understanding the rise in Curry houses in the UK was the impact of UK cuisine on its counterparts from South Asia.

"There were so many things that were being untold created during my generation," he said.

"The British people have helped create this wonderful industry and cuisine.

"When I compare what is happening here and where I come from, it's nothing like it. How does this happen? How does it work?

"It's totally different and something unique.

"There's a lot of misperceptions and I want to correct that and make sure credit goes where it's due for British curry dishes. That was my goal," Ali added.

Decades since his arrival in the UK, the curry magnate has helped influence the conversation about this diffusion of culinary techniques and tastes between Britain and the Indian subcontinent.

Nevertheless, there are numerous examples of cuisine still considered "Indian" by many people that are in fact fusion foods impacted directly by British influences.

"For example the poppadom: we never ate this as an appetizer in India," Ali pointed out.

"It was a replacement for bread and butter. When the first generation of my countrymen came here, they went to Indian restaurants and found this, sherry, wine and so on which were not there in India or Bangladesh."

Other classic examples according to Ali include Chicken Tikka Masala — famously invented in Scotland — and the onion bhaji.

"Look at the onion bhaji. How come it's like a cricket ball here? That doesn't exist in India.

"I looked at that and we found out that it came from the onion ring, whereas in India it's more like fried onions.

"A big Indian chef told me you can't make UK-style round onion bhajis without the large, round onions that are found here. In India they are more like shallots."

Ali said that today an increasing number of restaurants back in India have since begun incorporating British curry techniques and dishes from the Tikka Masala to appetiser poppadoms into their menus.

The explanation behind this is surely 20th and 21st century globalization.

Yet the rise in British-style curry has involved a two-way transfer of cultures.

"Curry may have been born in India but its rise to greatness in the UK was thanks to a demand for certain styles and flavour from people here," Ali said.

"It's an example of globalization. It has speeded up recently and I think it's important we tell that story.

"I have been accused of attacking the 'brand' of India. But all I'm doing is trying to tell the truth," he added.

The Epsom curry man reflected on three decades of witnessing the rise of British curry from his perspective in Epsom.

One aspect he is particularly proud of, he said, was its deep roots in local communities.

"British curry has grown up in our local communities surrounded by the people.

"It's about being part of the community and contributing to it. At Le Raj people consider it to be their restaurant rather than ours.

"It's just just our restaurant but hundreds of restaurants like ours which support people locally across the country," Ali said.