Wednesday, July 06, 2005

A Little Spicy Adventure Part I - Sub-Continental Shopping Spree

Isn't it just so fun to be able to meet up with someone who shares the same interest ie. going crazy over any sort of food, the more exotic the better. Or even sharing the same attitude of "no, you can't touch that plate of food yet until I have snapped up a pic." Oh and the joy of snapping pictures of food/groceries together!

Spicy Adventure - Endless Row of Indian Spices
♥ Indian Food Shopping Spree - Endless Row of Indian Spices!
Ladies and gentlemen, what you are about to read and see is a little food adventure of three cute food frenzies spicing their way around in Sydney. In short, it was a sub-continental spices shopping spree! Saffron and AugustusGloop had already written up some great post so I don't think I need to elaborate any much more now that I am the slowest in posting up about our spicy little adventure in Sydney.

♥ tabeshimashita @ several spots over Sydney on 26 June 2005
Spicy Adventure - Yummy Present
♥ Lovely Mocha Cupcake, a Bankstown Eating Guide and Indian Recipes
I was a little early when I arrived at Strathfield, which supposedly is the Korean precinct in Sydney so I was really surprised to find there are actually quite a few Indian shops there. I was in fact a little nervous. I am a little no good when it comes to meeting up new people. Soon AugustusGloop arrived, sipping and munching on a cup of taro pearl bubble tea. And then I realised Saffron has actually arrived at Gloria Jeans just a little later than I did. I was busy buying myself a cup of caffeine shot so I didn't see her entering the cafe.

Saffron and AugustusGloop (AG for short, to save me typing) are two really lovely and chatty girls. The flip-flop in my tummy soon disappeared after a short chit-chat at the cafe. Before long, a box of mochalicious babies was shoved towards me along with a copy of Indian Chai and dahl recipes from our very dear Saffron. AugustusGloop presented us with a copy of the Bankstown eating guide which just reminds me to remind AG - Hey AG, I am waiting on your Bankstown Food Festival pics! :")

Spicy Adventure - Indian House 01
♥ Indian House, Strathfield
We headed off to the Indian House. Upon entering, we were greeted with the ever familiar aroma of Indian Spices! Oh my, the aroma actually reminded me of my Indian accounting teacher back in high school. Anyhow, I don't think I would have entered an Indian groceries shop without the accompanies of Saffron and AG. It's just a little too intimidating so I am really glad that Saffron had offered to bring us around for a small Indian spice tour.

Spicy Adventure - Indian House 02
♥ Rows of Indian Chutneys and Sauces
I was squeaking already the moment I entered the shop because I saw tubs and tubs of ghee! Forgot to snap a pics though because I was too pre-occupied by all the bottles, tins, cans, packs of Indian goodies! What we have here is an amazing array of Indian sauces and chutneys which Saffron kindly explained to us which one is nice, which one you have with curries. Darn, I should have taken some notes down because it's all mixed up in my mind now. Argh. Talk about declining and age-ing brain cells!

Saffron has also explained about the difference between Indian chutneys and Sri Lankan's. Apparently Sri Lankan's mango chutney leans more towards the sweeter end. Hmmm sounds like something that I would like. Unfortunately, this is an Indian groceries store so we couldn't find any of the Sri Lankan Mango chutney.

Spicy Adventure - Indian House 03
♥ Indian Sweets and Savouries Snacks
Over at the counter is a wonderful showcase of Indian sweets on the left and a mountain pile of samosas. There are of course a lot more stuff than what I have shown here. AG has better and more photos than I do, so pop over to her post to check out all the other spice packs, mixes that I have missed out on snapping.

Spicy Adventure - Chilly Banana Chips
♥ Chilly Banana Chips
Both AG and I left Indian House with a full load of Indian goodies to try while Saffron came out with a pack of extremely dangerous banana chips, what's more it's chilly flavour. *yum* I like it hot!

Spicy Adventure - Chilly Banana Chips is so Moreish
♥ Very More-ish Chilly Banana Chips
I bet most of you would have thought these banana chips were sweet, chewy and slightly sticky. That's what I thought at first too. I was probably thinking about the Thai banana chips. These banana chips are just totally different from its Thai peers. It's crunchy, very spicy and er, very crunchy!

Spicy Adventure - Maya Sweets
♥ Maya Sweets
After Indian House, the three girls hurried off to Maya Sweets which is just next street down. I was attacking Saffron's pack of banana chips as we walked. I am telling you, this chilly banana chips are really really addictive. I am craving it even at this moment!

Spicy Adventure - Maya Sweets 02
♥ Maya Sweets - Pistachio Indian Sweets
This shop has comparably less stuff than Indian House. We checked out the sweets counter but there wasn't too many sweets in sight. According to Saffron, Maya Sweets down at Cleveland Street has a massive and more impressive Indian sweets on display.

Spicy Adventure - Maya Sweets 01
♥ Maya Sweets - Indian Sweets
There were just so many different type of Indian sweets there. I think it will take me years to remember their names. :"p When I first heard we were heading to Maya Sweets. I was in fact imagining highly piled up mountainful of indian sweets on display!

Spicy Adventure - Samosas
♥ AG's Bought a Samosas
AG bought a samosas at Maya Sweets and was very happily munching it as we headed towards the train station to our next stop - homebush. And what was Saffron and I doing? We were munching on that pack of banana chips! I am telling you, once you start digging your hand into that bagful of chips, you find it hard to stop! Oh yes, I am now a banana chips frenzy.

Spicy Adventure - Groceries and Videos
♥ Shri Sivasakthie - Sri Lankan & Indian Spices and Groceries Shop
So the three girls got on the train, immersed so deeply in a conversation about Nigella Lawson that we missed our stop. *Oops* Anyhow, no worries. We arrived safely at a Sri Lankan/Indian Spice shop that has wallfuls of videotapes piled up above the groceries shelves. This is not something you would see in other groceries store, not even Chinese one!

The lady behind the counter was really helpful. She was really patience in answering our questions. She even asked if we were tourists because we couldn't stop snapping pics! Then she started to wonder if the three of us were flatmates since we were doing groceries together! Such a sweet lady :)

Spicy Adventure - Gripe Water
♥ Gripe's Water
Any of you recognise this? Never would I have thought I would spot this in an Indian/Sri Lankan groceries store. I have never seen it in any of the Chinese/Asian/Indonesian stores. Saffron got a little excited when she saw this and asked if any of us had any. And then I got excited because this gripe's water is totally addictive. I got drunk from drinking the whole bottle when I was just around 3! Ha, fond old memories.

Again I walked out of the store with another bagful of goodies. And yes, I bought a bottle of the sweet Sri Lankan mango chutney. I have yet to try out Saffron's dahl recipes with the mango chutney.

It was a fun morning of shopping. I did find a lot of familiar yummies in the shops. I guess South East Asia is really closed to India thus the slight similarity in the food we consume. I also spotted horlick! And red rice which we started eating only about 12 years ago. I never knew it's an Indian thing. I just knew that it's good for your body that's why we are eating it at home.

Anyhow, that's the end of our shopping spree. And yes, we were very hungry after all those walking, phototakings, Q-&-A time, so up next - check out what we had for lunch! Coming up soon. Tomorrow I hope *fingers crossed*

♥ Related Post
♥ Saffron at Writing on a Paper Napkin
Spice Adventures: Part I
Spice Adventures: Part II

♥ AugustusGloop at Grab Your Fork
Spice Up Your Life : Saffron's Spice Tour