bats

Not a swerve at all. Still on topic really. When I have to go to Toronto I usually stop at a supermarket as the produce is often cheaper and fresher than we get here. We have no cut price stores, corner shops so cheaper shopping involves 85km worth of gas. You have reminded me of one place in Peterborough so I'll look in there today but it's pretty shabby. It looks as if they just polish the floors without cleaning them, shinny dirt.

Veggie chilli on the menu tomorrow. Beans and more beans.

not2old

Snobbish

Then do not go to my favourite grocery stores in Ajax or Pickering

Quality with price is key, not the appearance or who owns & operates or the fact that you may bethe only white English speaking person in the stores

scot47

Chick Pea and Potato Curry is good.

not2old

Good one

home made from scratch that's doable for less than $1 Cdn/person (70p British money) for a 18 oz serving/person all in, including home made nann bread + a cuppa tea with milk

Recipe, serves two $0.815/person

Off the shelf one 28 oz can chick peas $0.88 (No Frills)

One medium/large potato $0.20, not peeled, boiled & cubed

Small diced onion $0.10

Curry paste/powder $0.25

Water

Home made nann bread $0.10 (flour, salt, baking powder, water)

2 x cups tea with milk $0.10 ($0.05/person) from a box of 144 Tetley tea bags for $4.97


.

bats

No not snobbery, my concern is hygiene. If the public part isn't looked after then it's unlikely the back rooms will be. I'm really not concerned with how people look and certainly not bothered about colour. Shame on you for thinking such a thing.

not2old

not at all, I said what I said because its what I mean, and because from my personal experience 'is the way it is' in my part of Ontario.

dave_j

Hmm... hygiene.

This reminds me of something that might bring a smile to those with a moderately strong stomache, others might be reaching for a bowl.

I studied for my degree in Bradford. I applied when it was still a College of Advanced Technology and before it became the tourist curry capital of the UK. However at that time you could still eat authentic indian and pakistani cuisine in small authentic cafes serving the immigrant population and very good it was.

Years later, and a little more affluent, I was travelling with a colleague and extolling the wonders of Bradford curries and suggested that we stop in Bradford for lunch.

I won't tell you where we ate, but it was one of the more upmarket restaurants and one I wouldn't have afforded as a student. As I recall we both thought that a chicken dish would go down well. We were both looking forward to a tasty mouthful when my colleague left to visit the loo. He returned with a worried look on his face. Apparently the corridor leading to the toilet had been lined on the floor with dead chickens.

I thoroughly enjoyed the meal but we didn't go back and I think my advice as a gourmet fell several points.

We both lived and suffered no ill effects in fact I don't ever remember anyone suffering as a result.

BristolUK

Assuming they still had their clothes on, probably no worse than all that uncovered meat in the butcher's, sharing space with the flies.

I remember a Honeysett cartoon from Private Eye. Butcher's shop.
"A pound of mince and six flies please."

Oakvillian

I promised to find my dal makhani recipe... here, eventually, it is. Can't remember where it originally came from, it's on an index card in a box in the kitchen, covered in scribbles and what I hope is tomato paste...

3/4 cup black gram lentils (urad dal)
1/4 cup dried red kidney beans (rajma)
1 medium onion, chopped
about 2 inches of ginger root, finely chopped
5 or 6 garlic cloves, crushed
1 teaspoon chili powder
small can of chopped tomatoes
2 teaspoons cumin seeds
1 tablespoon garam masala (pre-mixed is OK, unless you habitually make your own)
a good glug of veg oil
2 fresh green chilies, finely chopped (optional)
1/2 cup of cream (very optional but yummy)
salt

Soak the lentils and beans in water overnight, then drain and rinse thoroughly.

Put the lentils, beans, a pinch of salt, half the chili powder, and half the ginger in a pan with about 3 cups of water, bring to the boil and simmer for 45 minutes to an hour, until the beans are soft and the lentils are beginning to fall to pieces.

Meanwhile, towards the end of that cooking time, heat a heavy pan over medium heat. Add cumin seeds to the dry pan and toast for a couple of minutes, then add the oil, onion, the remaining ginger, and the garlic and fry for 5 min or so til the onion begins to colour.

Throw in the tomatoes, remaining chili powder, and the fresh chilies if using. Bring to a boil and allow to reduce slightly.

Add the cooked beans & lentils to the onion mixture, stir well, and add a little water if the whole thing looks too thick. Stir in the garam masala. Simmer for a few extra minutes. Stir the cream through just before serving.

Completely delicious with fresh naan (usually from the supermarket, but I did make it fresh once and cook it on a pizza stone in the oven, that was relatively simple and much, much nicer - I think I used Madhur Jaffrey's recipe here Madhur Jaffreys Naan Bread Recipe - Food.com)

Oink

That looks very nice and almost identical to my red lentil dahl. I add a big teaspoon or black mustard seeds, some freshly chopped coriander/cilantro and small pinch of ground black cardamom seeds at the end of cooking. I also puree my onion, garlic and ginger into a paste. Instead of naan, I eat it with homemade chapati. Tasty.

bats

It does look delish. I'm very fond of dhal and I'll give this a try I like the idea of red kidney beans in it too.

caretaker

I like lentil soup but only make it rarely. Years ago I shovelled up about 6 sacks of red lentils at an inland terminal near town after a night-time loading mishap on the tracks, to mix with maise and other pulses and grains for carp bait, but washed some and ate them. I should make a tour of the 2 nearest terminals again and check. That's about the cheapest eats around, and the cheapest bait. I've found yellow and green peas, chick peas as well as lentils. I have to make a conscious effort to only buy the quantity of beans, etc needed for the recipe I'm making or they will invariably get old and go into the bait pool. I hate losing $5 worth of other ingredients because I didn't replace $3 worth of beans left in an undated jar.