Pakistan

Summers Under the Tamarind Tree, by Sumayya Usmani

Summers Under the Tamarind Tree, by Sumayya Usmani

There’s a quote on the front cover of Sumayya Usmani’s book, Summers Under the Tamarind Tree: Recipes and memories from Pakistan, from Madhur Jaffrey that states simply that “this book is a treasure”. It’s placed front and centre, right at the top, a badge of some considerable honour. It’s difficult to comprehend the thrill Usmani [...]

Books

Shimla Kebab House, Bradford

Shimla Kebab House, Great Horton Road, Bradford

Bradford is rightly famous for it’s Asian restaurants. There are some very, very good places, ranging from the ambitious restaurant groups like the Aagrah or the Mumtaz, right through to tiny back street cafes. Some are outstanding, cooking exceptional food, but – whisper this very quietly – some are terrible, serving little more than vaguely [...]

Eating out

Gosht Achar, or lamb curry

Achar Ghosht curry

India and Pakistan are home to some of the world’s best pickles, all types of fruit and vegetables preserved in a fiery mix of spices, citrus juices and oils. The best are little more than sliced chillis with lime, oil, mustard and turmeric. They’ll blow you away. Literally. In Hindi, ‘achar‘ means pickle, and gosht [...]

Food & drink