STUDENTS chopped through 350kg of onions today as they took part in an attempt to break the record for the largest curry in the world.Seven teams of Suffolk College catering students raced against each other to see who could prepare 250kgs of vegetables in the quickest time.

STUDENTS chopped through 350kg of onions today as they took part in an attempt to break the record for the largest curry in the world.

Seven teams of Suffolk College catering students raced against each other to see who could prepare 250kgs of vegetables in the quickest time.

By the end of the day each team of five students plus a tutor had prepared the amount of vegetables an average family of four would eat over a whole year.

Tracey Bailey, promotions manager for the college, said: "It was a great task for the students to be involved in and a fun day for everyone.

"It is not every day that some of our students can be involved in an event as big as this one!"

Gas company Oxygen sponsored the event, which was held today at the college in Ipswich.

It took four hours to boil enough water to cook the three-and-a-half tonne vegetable curry and the whole process lasted all day.

The dish was cooked in a specifically made pot measuring 7ft high by 6ft wide, made by Hunwick Engineering in Halstead, Essex. Asda supplied the ingredients.

Chefs Manik Miah, from the Maharani restaurant, on Norwich Road, Ipswich, college lecturer and restaurant owner Sanayor Miah and Enram Rahman, from Bournemouth, took on the challenge of cooking the dish.

The Ipswich town mayor, Penny Breakwell, weighed the dish shortly after 5pm and will send the measurement to Guinness World Records to see if a new world record has been made.

Portions of the curry were then sold to hundreds of students and onlookers for £1 with all proceeds to be sent to the mayor's charities. It is thought that around £10,000 has been raised for the Ipswich Wildlife Group, East Anglia's children's hospices and the Ipswich branch for Amnesty International.

Mrs Breakwell said: "It has been a wonderful event and I am so pleased the college have gone for this record. I truly hope everyone involved will have broken the record today.

"I am doubly pleased the event has been held as hopefully it will have raised lots of money for great causes."

List of ingredients:

350kgs potatoes, 350kgs onions, 350kgs carrots, 7kgs green chillies, 70kgs peppers, 70 heads of cauliflower, 30kgs frozen peas, 100kgs dried mashed potato, 30 A10 catering tins of tomatoes, 1kg turmeric powder, 6kgs curry powder, 5kgs crushed almonds, 2kgs coconut powder, 2kgs garlic puree, 2kgs fresh coriander, 3kgs dried coriander, 80 litres natural yoghurt, 80 litres cream, 5 litres oil and 5 litres lemon juice.

nWhat's the secret of a good curry? Write to Your Letters, Evening Star, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich, IP4 1AN or e-mail eveningstarletters@eveningstar.co.uk