CLICK ON IMAGES TO ENLARGE. REPEAT IF REQUIRED.
Yesterday evening we dined with Elizabeth, Danni, and Andy at Sanjha restaurant in Southampton’s suburb of Shirley.
My interest was aroused when the others pronounced their meals a little hotter than anticipated. Then I made a start on my lamb mirchan ma ke, served with egg rice and a plain naan.
Wow!
Regular readers will know of my penchant for the flavours of hot chilies. I’ll invariably opt for a naga dish if there is one on the menu. ‘A dish for customers with iron lined stomach. Cubes of lamb cooked with a blend of red chilli powder and fresh green chilies.’ Thus was my choice as described by the restaurant.
Most of the Indian restaurants with which I am familiar are, in fact, Bangladeshi. This is why I had never come across my meal before. The restaurant is Punjabi, and to be highly recommended.
The manager told me that he would never eat red chilies. The item in question only appeared on the menu to satisfy the men coming out of pubs later on, and up for a challenge. As we left, he volunteered to make it milder next time. I surprised myself by saying that would be a good idea. Cobra beer and water had not extinguished the fire.
It is many years since a burning sensation has accompanied evacuation the morning after a curry. I was mildly apprehensive about this, but can happily report that there was no such experience.
This afternoon we trained, generally tidied up, dead-headed, and watered roses, until the mid afternoon sun, becoming hotter and raising far more of a sweat than last night’s curry, persuaded us to take our own water on the patio.
There is still more to be done,
but we hope that this corner will please Pauline.
This evening Mr Pink’s fish and chips were paired with Garner’s pickled onions for our dinner. Jackie drank Peroni and I finished the Cairanne.
Lamb mirch maarke, wow! Sounds like a lot of chillies in the name itself ? (mirch means chili) The place where I come from (Mangalore), there is this famous dish called ghee roast. As the name suggests, dripping ghee, fiery red gravy ..yum ?
Thanks very much, Rekha
Brave man
Thanks, Geoff
I hope you enjoyed the meal, despite the heat. I enjoy spicy foods, too.
That little corner is charming.
Thank you, Merril. I did enjoy the meal 🙂
🙂
A hot number!
Is Shirley High Street still the home of an unusually large number of charity shops?
I expect so – it is apparently called the mutant mile. Thanks, Leslie
You made me chuckle over your intestinal fortitude! I was relieved for you I can tell you 🙂 Pauline loves that little corner – it looks beautifully welcoming, no thoughts of being barbed at all! I spent a few moments with your header photo this morning – it is so beautiful, capturing grandmotherly tenderness so perfectly. (I tested to see if I was reading too much into it – I imagined Jackie looking down at her Sudoku book, solving her current puzzle and it didn’t fit at all) 🙂
I’m still having trouble with randomised headers. Pauline’s corner was the one I wanted. Many thanks, Pauline
The header I’ve had for the last two or three posts is your close up shot of Poppy and Jackie hugging – it made me think you had solved that issue. There’s a button to push in the ‘Header’ section of your WP dashboard………
Thanks. I’ll try that
Mmmm! I like my meals on the hot side, too. They don’t seem to like me much anymore. ?
Bad luck, Leslie. Thanks a lot
That made me feel chilli-er.
🙂 Thanks a lot, Bruce
the world is warming – our winter temperature today is 12ºC – 19ºC. No wonder your garden is blooming with such urgency.
Pauline said, “You made me chuckle over your intestinal fortitude!” Me too! That was hilarious. I love spicy food too. The hotter the better!
Your garden is looking stunning Derrick! Sitting on the patio with a cool something in your hand and looking out over it must be a delight at the end of the day.
Certainly is, Anne. Many thanks
Sanjha Chulha (ch as in touch), meaning shared brazier, is the more popular name for restaurants out here. Green chillies are notoriously fickle in their punch. Sometimes, even one is enough to fry up the tongues (and sometimes the backsides) of an entire household. Hope you had loads of fun!
We did, Uma. Thanks for the information – I knew you would be enlightening
I like hot food, too, going in, but if it burns coming out, well that dish never gets ordered again… I do like your new header…
Many thanks, Lisa
Very hot chilli & curry dishes, I have always believed that the meat used therein, is not the freshest, the best way to ‘kill’ the flavour is plenty of the hot stuff and no one will know that the food is a bit ‘iffy’ and the stomach; (for those that have them) is so busy trying to extinguish the fires it couldn’t care less!
Why else would anyone use curries and chillies if not to disguise the freshness of the food. I note too that these type of dishes seem to originate in countries that are hot; India, Mexico et al, and refrigeration was non existent . Waste not want not!
Texans seem to be very fond of red hot chilli sauces I’m told.
I like to taste the freshness in my meats, I’m not particularly fond of ruining the delicate and / or robust flavours of well cooked meat.
Whilst your beliefs may have held good once, that is no longer the case. The hot curries I normally eat do not disguise the complex flavours, although this one probably did. The meat, however, was very tender, Thanks Brian
Are you? can you? be sure? Is there proof? Perhaps in the United Kingdoms of Great Britain; but I will not vouch for the States of Australia, not for one second.
Tough cuts of meat can be made tender if cooked long and slow enough.
The proof is in the ‘eating 🙂
if you say so………….
I love Indian food, too, and a bit spicy, as well. Lassi helps take the edge away… it’s the yogurt in it that soothes the tongue.
Thanks a lot, Rose
You did make me giggle with the heated curry and the morning after … I’m very happy there was no afterburn!
Many thanks, Osyth 🙂
The curries prepared in the state of Andhra Pradesh are really hot. Special red chillies are used. My cooking is not very spicy though I do use spices like black pepper, coriander seeds and so on. When we were in London two years ago we saw many Indian restaurants but did not go there 🙂 In pounds , it becomes very expensive for us. We are vegetarians and we used to go to the supermarket and get tomatoes and cucumber and fruits, bread, milk and jam and tomato sauce and we used to eat them. We really enjoyed it. Regards, Lakshmi
Very many thanks, Lakshmi
Clif likes it hot, too, and isn’t happy with spicy food unless his face is red and sweaty. Me, not so much. But each to his or her own. 😉
Absolutely, Laurie. Many thanks
I like spicy, but my system has an automatic feedback button if it is too ‘piquant’. I get the hiccups immediately. Bugger to get rid of too!
Thanks a lot, Gwen 🙂
I enjoy different regional tastes from India too Derrick… but not necessarily the extra spicy! I’m glad all is well with the alimentary canal.
Your garden is looking lovely ?
Very many thanks, Val 🙂
Whenever you visit India, you are welcome to visit us, I shall get my cook to make food cooked with Bhoot Jholukia ( Naga Chillies ).
Great thought, Alexius. Unfortunately, I’ve left it too late for such a journey. Thanks very much
The red chillies anecdote was funny. I am glad you survived the experience painlessly 🙂
🙂 Thanks very much, Geetha
Most welcome Derrick 🙂
So, you loved the Punjabi food. 😀 I love them, too… I love spicy food, especially with green chillies…
That’s good, Maniparna. Many thanks
The restaurant curried your favour with excellent flavours.
I am presently marinating beef ribs with a dry rub. For some reason Beef ribs are the one BBQ dishes I have the most trouble getting to come out consistently. So this evening meal will be a bit of a surprise. 😀
Many thanks, Joseph. I trust your meal was good
“a burning sensation has accompanied evacuation the morning after a curry”. what a delightful way of describing exquisite pain.
Thanks a lot Paol
A restaurant near here serves a “spicy chicken stromboli” that will asking why God has forsaken you.
Very many thanks, Elizabeth
I like spicy red chili peppers in General Tso’s sauce on deep fried chicken chunks. I have had spicy Mexican food. The guy I date likes spicy Thai and Indian dishes. I usually order more mild versions.
I loved the corner dedicated to dear Pauline! The lighting, white chair and pink flowering vine are charming! ?
Many thanks, Robin