Know Your Way Around: Indian/Pakistani Superstore

I visited Kashmiri Superstore in South Leeds, one of many food hubs for Indian and Pakistani ingredients. Let me show you around and tell you what you need. You might need a trolley for this!

Just returned from the Kashmir Superstore in South Leeds which sells everything Indian & Pakistani. I started my chef career here; the first restaurant kitchen I cooked and trained in was Punjabi. Let me show you around and tell you what you need for anything SOUTH ASIAN - you’re going to need a trolley for this one! 🇮🇳 🇵🇰

First of all, let’s talk RICE. Ditch the supermarket rice, buy it someplace where it’s being bought often. If you’re going for basmati rice, you’ll find many brands but South Asian families tend to be loyal to a particular brand. If you want to be showy, get the extra long grain rice, which is especially adored in Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan. And not to worry, you can buy smaller quantity packs. If you go for one basmati rice, I personally recommend choosing a basmati rice that has ‘Pakistani’ anywhere on the bag. Generally, if there’s Arabic script on the bag, it’s likely Pakistani. Pakistani rice goes through an ageing process, which hardens the rice and develops an exquisite aroma. Because of the risk of pest contamination during ageing, you’ll pay more but it’s worth it. You’ll also see some bags of rice with the number ‘1121’ written proudly on the bag - this is a particular breed of basmati rice which is known for its superior quality. Now let’s move to South India…