This my friends way back when I was 19 (1997) was my first experience of Indian food. Having been out on the road all day repping I was starving. Having not left my torn my ACL for the first time I was conscious of eating too much during the day and being sat in a car visiting customers on the south of the UK.

I’d seen a restaurant a number of times on Coleshill High Street opposite a family run butchers & florist. The restaurant appeared to always be busy (as the high streets were back then). All these people can’t be wrong can they ? After a long day and week I decided to give it a go.

Pathia stood out as it said it was a ‘hot & sour dish’. Having liked sweet & sour dishes from our local Chinese I thought I’d give it a go. Wow….hot….you’re not kidding I thought as I got stuck in. Perhaps not my best choice looking back but it opened up my mind to a whole new experience.

So here we are, many years later and it’s still one of my favourite dishes.

I’ve always been a firm believer that food should create memories. I’m not in a fortunate position to dine out regularly or eat at ‘fine dining’ locations. On the odd occasion I have I believe it should be based around memories.

One of my best food memories was way back in 2010. We escaped to Cornwall for 5 nights to deal with grief ( I won’t go into the grief). This was early October and the weather was amazing, almost as if it was meant to be.

One evening we sat in Watergate Bay in Jamie Oliver’s restaurant Fifteen watching the tide roll in underneath us eating some stunning Italian food based on local produce. The next night we visited Rick Steins restaurant St Petroc’s bistro – mind blowing.

Food should be about memories as I’ve said but also for me it’s escapism. Escapism from reality. Just for a moment…….everything else is forgotten.

Back to this dish before I get too sentimental. Recipe taken from Dan Toombs.

Ingredients- 4 tbsp of rapeseed oil, 1 small onion diced, 2 tbsp of garlic and ginger paste, salt to taste, 2 tbsp of mixed curry, 1 tsp of chilli powder, 2 tbsp of sugar, 1/2 cup of tomato purée mixed with water ( 2 tbsp of purée the rest water) 2 cups of base sauce, chicken ( precooked) 1 tbsp of mango chutney, 1/2 tsp of tamarind paste, juice of a lemon, red food colouring to make it look authentic and 3 tbsp of chopped coriander to garnish.

Method – heat the oil in boil it’s nice and hot. Add the diced onion allowing it to cook and colour for 5 minutes or so.

As the onion takes on colour and cooks add the garlic and ginger paste so it sizzles for a minute or so.

Add the curry powder, chilli powder and sugar giving it a good stir to coat the pan.

Stir in the tomato purée followed by the base sauce.

Leave this for a few minutes to caramelise around the edges then add the rest of the base sauce making sure to scrape all the goodness back into the sauce. As you can see the dish is flavoured with amazing oils!!

Add your chicken allowing it to warm through and your food colouring.

Let this cook for 5 minutes.

To finish, add the mango chutney, tamarind paste and lemon juice stirring whilst you are.

Garnish with the chopped coriander.

I served mine with mushroom boiled rice. The rice was cooked then allowed to sit and steam prior to starting the Pathia so it was nice and fluffy by the time I came to eat it.

If you’ve read my ramblings I really appreciate you taking the time to do so.

Big love ❤️