When I go to Southall, I make sure I have a nice meal there. This time, it was chole bhatura, a North Indian combination of spicy chickpeas (chole) with fried soft flatbreads (bhatura), at Rita’s Samosa House. I love the spicy tamarind sauce that comes alongside.
I also like to buy nibbles to eat at home, like these pakoras. There were pakoras of potato, onion, aubergine, cauliflower, and stuffed whole chilies. These were purchased from Ambala Foods.
Also for home are a boxful of mangoes. It’s the season for the king of mangoes – Alphonso mangoes. They were so delicious – sweet and heavily perfumed. I can’t imagine using them in any recipe; they’re perfect just as they are!
Sure, it’s a bit of a trek from central London but it’s a fun place to visit for the day!
Rita’s Samosa House
112 The Broadway
Southall, Middlesex
UB1 1QF
Wed, 21 May, 2008 at 01:40
nice-looking food, I like your photos! Thanks for visiting my blog =)
Wed, 21 May, 2008 at 08:02
mmm, everything looks so good
Wed, 21 May, 2008 at 09:11
Mmm I love Indian food. I am asking an Indian friend of mine to pass me on some genuine Indian recipes that I want to try out at home. Also I totally agree w you- when you get delicious luscious mangoes you don’t want to do anything else but eat them pure as they are! That’s what I feel particularly about mangoes, more then any other fruit!
Wed, 21 May, 2008 at 15:35
Ooooh, those Pakoras look awesome! Never had them before… the stuff inside, are they in little pieces mixed together?
Thu, 22 May, 2008 at 08:15
Spicy tamarind chutneys are the best! I have yet to taste an Alphonso mango and am quite envious of your huge box.
Thu, 22 May, 2008 at 20:55
noobcook: And thank you for visiting mine!
kat: It is! I love going to Southall!
MariannaF: I love the recipes provided by Route79! It was a good start for me – and I’m going to delve into Madhur Jaffrey’s recipes next.
Danny: These were pieces of the vegetable, dipped in the lentil flour batter, and then fried. They are totally awesome!
Gastronomer: I’m starting to look for a nice chutney to eat with my pakoras at home – I love the ones at the restaurants! And ah, but you see, I am very jealous of your ability to procure mangosteens at a cheap price!
Sat, 24 May, 2008 at 04:05
Su-Lin, these look amazing. That’s it, you’ve convinced me, intractable central-Londoner that I am, to make the trek out to Southall. It’s the mangoes that’ll do it to me every time. (I have an unhealthily obsessive relationship with mangoes. My therapist tells me we’re making progress, though.)
But what’s the best way to get out there? Do you drive? Or is public transpo the way to go?
And while we’re on the topic of mangoes – any tips on sticky rice? I’m feeling a coconut sticky rice-a-thon coming on…
Sat, 24 May, 2008 at 18:37
Adriana:
It’s entirely possible to drive there but as I don’t have a car, I take public transport. If you’re close to Shepherd’s Bush, you can take a 207 or 607 (the latter is preferable as it’s an express bus) all the way to Southall. If the traffic’s good, it’ll take about 45 minutes. A faster alternative is to take a mainline train from Paddington.
If you click through to the mango box photo on Flickr, you’ll see a little discussion on current mango varieties and their availability in the next few months.
As for Thai sticky rice, I learned to make that recently at a cooking school in Chiang Mai! Let me get the recipe for you…
Right, put 1/2 cup coconut milk, 1-2 tbsp sugar and 1/4 tsp salt in a small pot and bring to a boil. Take off the heat. Add 1 cup of hot steamed sticky rice and mix together well. Let cool and serve with the mango.
Mon, 26 May, 2008 at 11:18
Okay, now you’ve really done it. I’m sitting here trying not to weep because I am currently mango-less. It’s very sad. A trip out to Southall is now not just a fancy but an urgent necessity.
Next weekend, I’ll hop the train from Paddington and have a little urban adventure going to a part of the city I’ve never seen. Very exciting! Hey, you know me, I like to live on the wild side.
Su-Lin, you are the best. Really. Thanks for being such an intrepid guide through the food jungles of London. Your pith helmet and walking stick are in the post.
Now to hunt down the sticky rice…
Mon, 26 May, 2008 at 19:02
Adriana:
no problem! Actually, if it’s closer for you, I’ve heard that Tooting has lots of mangoes too. However, I’ve never been there before. Hope you get your mango fix soon!