Now that it is finally warm, everyone is going nuts trying to cram as much as they can into that 48 hour window that is the weekend. So grateful was I for the sun, I willingly worked in the garden for a five stretch this past Saturday (something I would have literally bet my life would never ever happen).
For many of us, an integral part of weekend joy is cooking and having friends over, especially when dining al fresco is in the cards. Part of being a good host is relaxing with your guests and not stressing too much about the cooking. The difficulty lies with knowing what short cuts are acceptable, and which are off limits. Platefuls of delicious Moccia salami or a Les Amis Du Formage selection of cheeses – Fuck Yeah! Costco buckets of potato salad or M&M egg rolls – Hell No!
For the longest time, I would have categorized all pre-marinated meat in the ‘Hell No’ category. The horrors of seeing candied Maui Ribs being lifted from industrial vacuum packs with their mucous brown marinate – fuck, I can’t even continue with this thought. So I have always ignored all those Indian meat shops with all their bbq offerings, even though turnover was brisk, and the smells were awesome.
Well, my prejudice and ignorance has cost me years of delicious eating. I recently sampled some of the great products at Fraserview Meat Shop in the ‘real’ little India (which everyone knows is on Fraser street, not Main), and let me tell you, I was floored.
The store is utterly awesome – and its shares its space with a video shop, which alone would send Jonathan Gold into a rapturous tizzy for authenticity points. I think they are Halal (the picture of the Aga Khan would suggest so) and they have a huge selection of chicken and goat. I picked up tandoori marinated chicken, lemon chicken with nigella seeds, and a spicy chicken tikka.
I got home, threw them on my gas grill (sorry Keith Talent, but I guess this means you’ll never come by), made some side dishes. Voila – instant easy going dinner party! The marinates were absolutely perfect – alive with a fresh spiciness and brightness (and a slow burning heat in the case of the tikka), perfectly seasoned, but still tasting of chicken. And great value too! (I don’t want to use the word ‘cheap’ here, which is an abhorrent sentiment). If you have not already done so, do yourself a favour, and give that little Indian meat shop a try. I bet you’ll be amazed too.
Fraserview Meat Shop
6657 Fraser Street | Vancouver
604.327.1724
~ Canucklehead
