Re: [CH] UK CHers (and sundry bits)

David Smith (david@dwsmith.demon.co.uk)
Thu, 3 Dec 1998 15:14:20 +0000

Mary wrote

> Most English towns of any size have an immigrant population, usually
> Indian / Pakistani, who run small shops where you can get a good
> range of curry spices and fresh chiles absurdly cheaply.

That's true but watch the quality with some brands. The really cheap
ones, I have found, are also cheap in the quality department. In my
view Rajah, TRS and Natco are the best and most reliable brands
around. They keep the longest and are widely available in areas with a 
sizeable Asian population

I went on a buying expedition to Southall (which is an area West of
London with a large Asian community) recently and came back with
some lovely things. Nan breads so big they wouldn't fit in my oven.
I had to curl the edges up the sides of the oven and even then they
had to go in diagonally!! One would feed about 6 people. Tasty too.

Also got some pickles and chutneys which are new to me. The make is
"The Kitchen Magic", silly name but A1 pickles. I got the sweet and
sour mango chutney and the Punjabi pakora chutney. The mango chutney
is excellent but mild and the pakora chutney is out of this world.
It is quite hot with a chile burn that hits and then lingers for a
while. More of a pickle than a chutney but very pleasant and fresh
tasting  with lots of shredded vegetables. The top 3 ingredients are
garlic, mint and chiles. Oh yes. 

> For restaurant listings - curry not chile, but compatible :-)
> 
> http://www.curryhouse.co.uk/index.htm

Ah that's me at my new home!!! Thank you for the plug. My old URL
still works but will forward you on to the new site. There are some
new recipes and some articles on the UK curry scene there as well.
Not many yet but I'm trying to conduct an e-mail interview with
Meena Pathak of Pataks pickles fame at the moment.

Someone nearly killed me by turning out in front of my car this
morning. My poor car had to be towed away. I needed a chile laced
lunch to calm my nerves. Us Chile-Heads are hard to get rid
of !!!!

cheers,

David


drop in at The Curry House
http://www.curryhouse.co.uk
for curry recipes, articles and a UK restaurant guide