Forget cranberry sauce, I have mango chutney
When you think about it, a lot of Christmas imagery feels very random. If it’s not a Coca-Cola-inspired Santa Claus, it’s a Dr Seuss Grinch, and amid it all the story of the Nativity, juxtaposed with the vaguely pagan tradition of decorated fir trees.
Basically, it’s a big mess of a festival. But one thing most of us can count on is tucking into a big roast dinner on Christmas Day – typically turkey with all the trimmings.
I normally choose to work on Christmas Day, much like Ebenezer Scrooge. This means the roast dinner is my husband’s job and I get away with minimal contribution. If he is lucky, some years I might boil the kettle for the gravy.
Obviously, this arrangement works well for me. But according to a survey by Instantprint, almost one in six of us would rather have an Indian takeaway than a traditional Christmas dinner.
So this year, I ordered a takeaway over the phone and my husband got the day off. Well, sort of. He still had to go and pick up the takeaway on his bicycle while being buffeted about in strong winds. It’s the thought that counts.
The takeaway we ordered was from Curryish on Newland Avenue. I’ve been there before so it was a tried and tested choice, although it was surprising how many other places were open if I’d fancied trying something different.
Despite the icy gales, the food was still scalding hot when it was unpacked at home. Truly, a Christmas miracle. It was now a glaring problem became evident, I’d accidentally ordered far too much.
In total, for two people, we had vegetable biryani, sag aloo, passander, tarka daal, paneer tikka, two frankly gigantic naan breads, and four onion bhajis.
First up, I dipped my naan into the tarka daal. The bread was a beautiful, fluffy texture and tasted very freshly baked.
The daal was buttery and full of garlic flavour. It was lovely, but probably best to enjoy in small helpings because of how rich it was.
I was surprised by how much I enjoyed the biryani rice; it had such a complex, aromatic flavour and, although I could not tell you the names of the herbs and spices that went into that dish, they complemented each other wonderfully.
The passander was a bit of a rogue choice for me. I do not normally choose creamy curries, preferring a more tangy gravy, but I thought the ground almonds in the sauce would lend themselves nicely to the festive occasion.
It was very creamy, very sweet – almost like the piña colada of curries – but undeniably delicious. It did not go with the other things I had picked, which had their own strong flavours, but I was glad to choose something different for once.
The humble sag aloo has always been a firm favourite of mine and I was not disappointed in the slightest. Every perfectly spiced mouthful filled me with nostalgia.
I was so stuffed, I only managed a mouthful of the paneer. It was declared excellent and promptly put away with the rest of the leftovers.
Overall, the meal was a huge success and there was plenty left for Boxing Day. As I crunched into my final onion bhaji, I found I did not miss Yorkshire Puddings in the slightest.