Hi friends ,

I was in a new Asian supermarket last week and saw this on the shelf ... something I read on here ( maybe from Natterjac ) about how nice this stuff is made me buy a jar but I have no idea what to do with it or how to use it .. if any of you use this sauce would you be kind and let me know how / what to do with it please.

Thanks in anticipation      

My wife and I had a delicious takeaway delivered from Sakib Spice whilst in UK recently .. I would recommend it to anyone !!

Hi fellow forum members ..

Could somebody help me out please. I'm curious as to the best way to par cook my potatoes for a chicken vindaloo so that they have that BIR flavour ... I am making a huge assumption here that there is a particular way to cook them so they don't end up tasting like a couple of boiled potatoes thrown into a curry ( which it could be although as I remember those potatoes in BIR vindaloo were a treat ). Any assistance would be appreciated ..

My Bangladeshi friend showed me this and I was impressed because a) it's tasty and quick and b) a biffa like me can cook it time and time again and it always turns out nice.

You'll need : to serve 4 as a generous side dish

200g red lentils washed under cold water in a sieve for at least a couple of minutes
half an onion chopped smallish
3 cloves garlic sliced
1/2  teaspoon Panch Phoron
5 tablespoons of cooking oil
1 bay leaf
1 + 1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1/3 teaspoon cumin powder
2 dry chillies
water
2 tablespoons of fresh coriander chopped fine

In a wok : heat the oil over a highish heat and add 2 chillies and bay leaf , fry for 30 seconds or so and add the Panch Phoron , fry until you hear the seeds cracking / popping and then add the onion and garlic , fry until you can see the edges of the garlic and onion have caught a bit ( don't stir too often ). Add lentils and fry stirring often for about 5 minutes ( you'll see the lentils turning yellow ), add turmeric , cumin and 1 teaspoon of the salt and fry for a further 2 minutes. Add enough water to cover the lentils with a layer of water around 1cm thick over them. Cook uncovered for 20ish minutes until you can see that the lentils are no longer round but are soft and hard to distinguish as lentils ( most of the water will have been absorbed by now ) add the 1/2 teaspoon of salt you have left and the chopped coriander and cook for a further minute or two.

It's that simple and cheap as .. well lentils