By: Michael Hawkins

Michael Hawkins — Sat, 05 Feb 2011 00:16:52 +0000

Great to hear from you Kate! That’s so cool you got introduced to it way back then. Coming from Thompson, Manitoba – Sudbrury’s sister city in the Nickel biz – I knew a lot of East Indian families up there but my parents weren’t nearly as adventurous as yours. I had to wait until I was on my own to discover it for myself. Now hooked!

By: Kate R.

Kate R. — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 23:41:05 +0000

When I was a kid in Halifax, my parents were friends with some Indian families. We were often invited to pujas (religious ceremonies), holiday parties and such and food was always a major part of it. I’ve had the best of north and south Indian prepared by home cooks. My mother tells the story of trying to imitate the Indian recipes. She went to Sobey’s (this would have been in the 70′s) looking for a lime. She asked the produce manager who asked her to describe it. She said like a lemon only green. He didn’t have a clue what she wanted. Then we discovered Iqbal’s grocery on Robie Street that carried all the Indian staples. Not sure if it’s still there.
Anyway, now stores routinely carry fresh coriander and ginger and most stuff you need. Just recently, in Sudbury, I found kokum (a dried prune-like fruit that is salty-tangy), kalonji (nigella seed), black chickpeas, ajwain (a thyme-like spice) and even fresh methi (fenugreek leaves) but no fresh curry leaves. Planning a black chick pea curry for the weekend. They’re supposed to be more nutritious than the pale ones (also called Kabuli chick peas) Sweet creamy ataulfo mangos are in season (from mexico). Still trying to find some papadums so I can nuke them a la Hawk. Maybe this pork curry too. Wish I could have you all pop over to Sudbury for a spicy feast. Thanks for indulging the blonde chick’s passion for Indian.

Comments on: Curry. The Whole Story.

By: Michael Hawkins

By: Kate R.