Indian food is well integrated with British culture so I was pleased to see an elderly, white-haired Indian gentle selling samos outside the Immigration offices for 15 pesos each. Nice they were, too, and he'd sold his stock within the hour. His pitch is to the left of the BID entrance beside the railings. Something to look out for next time you're waiting for someone to stamp your passport.
The only Indian restaurant I ever got a chance to try over in the Philippines was a pale shadow of what we get over here, but then again what we get here is very much tailored for British tastes and would probably not qualify as authentic in Indian terms. What I have found harder is sourcing spices like Jeera and ground Dhania, I know they must have Coriander over there they call it cilantro but I've never seen the seeds which are essential for a good Kashmiri curry. I cook an awful lot of Indian dishes all the time and I really fancied being able to do the same at home in Manila, trouble is Ana is not fond of curried dishes but then again she's not really tasted one of my better ones as she does most of the cooking when she has been here in the UK.
The one and only time my wife craved for a curry was when she was pregnant. Normally she wont touch it.
My Chicken Kashmiri curry is something that Ana should like, I know the kind of flavours she likes, the 'curry' version of a Kashmiri is very different from what most UK restaurants serve which is a Korma version made with vast amounts of cream and very few spices, my curries by contrast are rich in flavour but low in fat, however Ana has a bit of a mental block and considers 'curry' as somehow 'dirty' food. strange. Anyway this next trip I am taking the essential spices for my own masala that I've been developing for the last 30 years, it's a very simple mix but very effective and can be used as the base for several styles (with some spice variations) from a simple Bhuna to Jalfrezi and my favourite Kashmir style, my definitions of flavours are based on Scottish Indian restaurants from the 70's 80's and 90's rather than the current UK trends in Indian food. I have always found the interpretation of Indian cuisine in England very different from the original styles of those restaurants that started up in Scotland in the mid 70's, but sadly even they have changed radically over the years. There were a couple of fancy Indian restaurants in Manila that I knew of, one for sure has shut down, it was based in Mall of Asia at the Seafront in Pasay, thought about trying that place but never managed to, the style is just not popular over there, funny that when they are so fond of stew like dishes in general, and of course they are not afraid of a bit of chilli heat either. As an aside taking powders of any kind through customs is potentially fraught with the danger of misinterpretation at customs, so all the items I am taking are in unopened retail packs, unless anyone can point to Philippine laws against the import of such items?
Spices were available at Kashmir restaurant in Mabini. In Subic Bay Freeport you might try Gourmet Garage - I just bought some garam masala there (made in the UK). You might also check out Rama Mahal for a meal, actually run by a Nepalese. Curry pastes are available in delis. You can also enquire at this website: http://www.marketmanila.com/ also this place may be still around http://www.tajgrocery.com/about-us.htm Coriander seed is easily available but cilantro not so common in smaller towns. Farmers Market in Cubao has it. It is known as wansoy or unsoy. There are a couple of nice hole in the wall Indian places in Makati. There is also a middle eastern cum indian place towards the top end of UN Avenue near the rail station that may stock the appropriate stuff. Can't rememer the name.
Here's a trick to get an almost decent curry using curry powder available in the Philippines - heat a little oil in the pan then fry the powder until it become aromatic, then add onions and once they're cooked add meat, stir and add liquid. Cook until done. BTW, you can get Thai Red, yellow and Green curry pastes at Puregold in Subic Bay Freeport.
Yes that was exactly my thought I certainly won't be taking poppy seeds, you can measure the opiate levels in people who have just had a roll covered in poppy seeds.
Thanks for that we usually eat at the Korean place at the corner of Remidios circle but I will need to drag Ana down to the other end, shame I never knew about the Kashmir Indian place, we lived in Malate for a long time not that far from Mabini. Cilantro as in fresh coriander leaf I am sure I have seen in SM certainly would need that for authentic curry, I might leave most of the spices here then.
I was rather surprised that I couldn't find coriander seed in Cubao yesterday. I'm told Uniwide has a good selection of spices so will check that out. Unfortunately the Philippines is not very adventurous with herbs and spices, even the famous 'Bicol Express' - approximately a shrimp/prawn curry tend to be rather wimpy.
I found a spice section in Makro in Las Pinas the other year but they were still missing essentials, if I remember correctly it was the Cumin that I could not get, plus it was a long way to travel and Makro over there is not the same company as the European one anymore, prices are not that good. My masala is made from :- Ground Corriander Ground Cumin Chilli powder Turmaric Mustard Seed and Coarse ground black pepper Corriander Seed are additionally used in my Kashmiri curry I tend not to use cloves except as an addition to the basic masala for some beef dishes. Regards frying the spices you have to be careful not to burn them best thing is either to fry dry spices for a short short time 30 seconds or so, or to add water to the spices to make a paste then fry the paste in along with your fried onions. Definitely a required stage to release the flavors properly. Coriander leaf is added right at the end as a garnish although it is particularly nice mixed in if the curry is fairly liquid. My curries are anything but wimpy
I found that when I did the cooking there would be little left over for me to eat so I started producing real curries, knowing that Filipinos tend not to like hot dishes. Unfortunately all that happened is that I was success in adjusting their taste-buds.
My lot tend to use quite a bit of fresh chillies in cooking it's the other spices in Indian cooking that put them off. Ana generally prefers Chinese and Korean style food and everyone except the kids loves Kimchi, hard to get Kimchi anywhere near as good in the UK. However I am going to have a stab at cooking a good curry when I am over this time.
