A particularly noxious Indian takeaway lubricated with copious amounts of cheap cooking oil and
Perhaps marginally less traumatic- by this stage sheer hunger was imbuing me with the courage to face my nemesis afresh. Coupled with the fact I had a dozen naan burning a hole in my kitchen counter, bequeathed to me by the upstart wrapstars at itsWallahWallah, this surely called for a feast.
Volumes like these require an army- as we all know, armies march on their stomachs, and mine are a crack team. Utter the words ‘ready meal’ though, and the greedy gluttons go all le snob. Time to pull out the big guns- my own kitchen arsenal and a trusty copy of Manju Malhi’s ‘Classic Indian
Unpacking the box didn’t inspire me with any more confidence. Black containers, plastic film lids- so far, so standard. But as I dished up dahl and stirred a sizzling tarka, a veritable olfactory assault emanated from the microwave- and most pleasing it was too. Curry leaves, roasted cumin, ginger- the primal scents of real scratch cooking, not the idle ignominy of instant.
But a pretty perfume only gets you so far. Looks help- and peeling back the film revealed a rather dishy dish. No smooth gloopy gloop here- these sauces were a bit rough and ready, proudly wearing their whole spices on their sleeves. Decanted into ceramic, with a quick gussy-up of fresh coriander, beef madras and chickens korma and tikka masala were ready for a night on the town- or table.
And so, dinner was served. And so, the hungry crowd was appeased- indeed, delighted. As you’d hope
Donald Russell Beef Madras, Chicken Korma, and Chicken Tikka Masala frozen ready meals retail at £4.50- £4.90 for 250g. To order, visit www.donaldrussell.com
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Manju Mahli’s Classic Indian Recipes is published by Octopus, RRP £10