Eating Around the World - Without Leaving Abu Dhabi

We used to go to another Indian vegetarian restaurant at Al Wahda called Kamat . Near our apartment is Sangham , which is a good substitute for Kamat.  We ordered a tiffin that featured sauces with the colors of the Indian flag.  Also some Indian filter coffee.  An Indian tour guides once told me that there is no such thing as coffee in India without milk. We were the only non-South Asians in the place.

Had dinner at Goto King on Hamdan Street. Unexpectedly good daing na bangus .  Nice and crispy.  Also some Bicol laing. I love reading the menus such as " ampalaya corn caren. "  Pretty sure they meant it to read " ampalaya con carne ."   On the way back to the apartment, bought some piyaya and pan de sal (3 for AED 1or $0.27).  Best deal in town.  Also some povidone-iodine for our C19 mouthwash.    

Watched Vir Das, Indian comic on Netflix.  During one skit, he talked about Parle-G.   It's a cheap cookie that's well-known all over India.  3 AED or about $0.90.  One of the most trusted brands in India. We enjoyed it with some Jordanian fig jam with nuts.  Also some tea.  Dutch gouda .  Apparently, India is the world’s leading market for biscuits.

I came across something called isabgol in the nuts and spices section. Just learned that it's the Hindi term for psyllium husk, the stuff used for treating constipation.  I guess it's a common folk remedy for South Asians.

 I tried making spiced mangoes a few years ago. I was underwhelmed with the results. Spotted spiced mangoes in the salad section at Lulu supermarket.  Bought a few grams of it. The label actually read "BBQ Mangoes Salad Spicy".  Now how do you barbecue a mango? The mangoes looked like crinkle cut french fries and were sprinkled with red pepper flakes. A few slices of green pepper and black olives.  Some neutral-tasting oil as well.  It's a salad after all. It was all quite good and worked well as a dessert after our dum biryani .  We'll buy it again.

Marita used to hate cloves.  She said the taste reminded her of dental cavity fillings. But she's recently acquired a taste for it as well as for another dental filling tasting spice - star anise. They're two of the more exotic spices used in our recent order of dum biryani which she bought at Lulu supermarket. Lulu supermarket is probably one of the most underrated food places in the UAE.  Their RTE preparations cover a fairly wide range of international cuisines.  Culinary travelers will no doubt be intrigued just walking through the aisles. You can indeed travel around the world - or at least good part of it - without leaving this supermarket.

It's perhaps fitting that my first post in this new blog is on Indian food. Over 80% of the UAE population consists of expats, with South Asians (Indians, Pakistanis, Bangladeshis and Sri Lankans) accounting for most of them. Filly Chicken Restaurant and Grill , which is very near our new apartment at the WTC Burj Mohammed bin Rashid Residences, serves a lot of South Asian favorites. Last night, Marita bought takeout chicken tikka with rice, Malabar chicken fry and mango lassi from Filly.  It came with carrots, jerjer , hummus, yogurt, and slices of orange and lemon. Total price: AED 44 or $11.88.  You simply can't beat that price.  We couldn't finish everything so we will most likely get at least 3 meals out of it. Filly's delivery person actually brought the orders straight up to our apartment on the 34th floor and left them outside our door. We've decided to try more menu items from Filly.  A rather intriguing one is their "Nutella Poratta".  It's