5th may 2011 : shopping delights and a meal for two

Younger daughter, GG, was involved in the school summer concert on Wednesday. She forgot to take her concert clothes with her. Surprised? I certainly was not. This necessitated a trip to Wakefield at six in the evening to 'deliver' her clothes . We then decided to make a short trip to the Continental store in Leeds : a treasure trove there indeed. The variety of 'exotic Indian' frozen food on offer was amazing. Just a few of the goodies that made the trek home with us.

Jam, fish curry, daal or karkadeh (egyptian drink)?

with daal? or with fish?

or pitika (mash) with mustard oil, green chillies and coriander? ?

No fussing around. Washed, peeled ready to cook. Luxury indeed.

stir fried with ginger? or in a fish curry?

Roasted rice with sugar, coconut and sesame seeds

Variation I guess on the Assamese roasted rice of handoi guri or pitha guri. My Keralan friends eat this as snack mixed with mashed banana and made into balls. As I will be the only family member willing to give this a try, the choice is endless - Assamese style or South Indian style.

But too late to cook that evening, dinner for two at the Aagrah in Wakefield was compensation for the 'running' around that evening. One of the very few restaurants that serves Kashmiri dishes. Just a simple meal of Lahori macchli (spiced batter fried haddock pieces) followed by Shab Daegh (lamb cooked with yoghurt, turnip and fenugreek leaves) , Daal Piaz (Chana daal cooked with spring onions, tomatoes, fresh coriander and green chillies) and fresh hot off the tandoor naan. Delicious.

Pictures taken with a mobile phone camera in a dimly lit setting - does nothing to make the food appetising.