I had to take herself to Lidl late this afternoon, and browsing (as one does) I noticed the last remaining pack of Deluxe Lamb Rogan Josh.. "Nothing ventured, nothing gained", I thought, and added it to her trolley. When I got home I read the label more carefully, and was surprised (and pleased) to read "Succulent chunks of lamb in a spiced onion and tomato sauce, served with saffron rice". Now that last part did surprise me, so I checked the ingredients list, and sure enough saffron was listed -- OK, it came last, but it definitely appeared.. Ignoring completely the cooking instructions, I cooked the curry in my copper-bottomed frying pan with additional oil, g/g paste and kasoori methi, and the result was fine (well, better when I added lots of salt and some Khanum mixed pickles). But the rice was outstanding. I had microwaved it for three minutes in the original packaging after removing the film, covering it with a pre-warmed plate, and as I had eaten the rogan josh with a paratha, ate the rice by itself (well, with a little pickle). And it was truly superb. Not swamped with turmeric, as supermarket pulaos so often are, but delicately spiced, real basmati rice, and a definite hint of saffron. Well done Lidl.
** Phil.
Waitrose will be gutted Phil ;D
Quote from: Garp on May 09, 2018, 10:05 PM
Waitrose will be gutted Phil ;D
The good Mr Waitrose apparently does not feel that the demographics of Bodmin are such as to justify honouring us with a branch of his eponymous emporium, preferring instead to grace the glorious cathedral city of Truro with his hallowed presence ...
Maybe Mr Waitrose is worried about the pirates from the Jamaica Inn, Or the beast up on Bodmin moor ;D
Quote from: Peripatetic Phil on May 10, 2018, 06:12 AM
Quote from: Garp on May 09, 2018, 10:05 PM
Waitrose will be gutted Phil ;D
The good Mr Waitrose apparently does not feel that the demographics of Bodmin are such as to justify honouring us with a branch of his eponymous emporium, preferring instead to grace the glorious cathedral city of Truro with his hallowed presence ...
Well there's no branches of Waitrose in Scotland Phil so I don't what that says about our demographics!
Quote from: Stephen Lindsay on May 11, 2018, 08:57 PMWell there's no branches of Waitrose in Scotland Phil so I don't what that says about our demographics!
In this case, I don't think that demographics are the issue -- it is simply that the Waitrose kitchen failed to come up with a deep-fried Mars Bar that the management felt was of a quality that would reflect well on the brand ...
hi Phil was it their own make?
Ed
Yes, it was Edwin -- Deluxe is just one of many pseudo-brands that Lidl stock, all of which are in fact Lidl products. Finished it up this evening, by the way, with the remains of a Thai red chicken curry, and it was just as good as I described it on first opening.
** Phil.
Quote from: Peripatetic Phil on May 09, 2018, 09:00 PM
...it was truly superb. Not swamped with turmeric, as supermarket pulaos so often are, but delicately spiced, real basmati rice, and a definite hint of saffron. Well done Lidl.
I'm sorry but I beg to differ. I guess we can't all share the same tastes. I bought Lidl's rogan josh when it first came out, perhaps a year ago,. It's roughly twice the price of their standard chilled curries, like CTM, korma and Thai red. I didn't feel it was any better and I certainly didn't notice the rice being anything special.. But after reading your glowing review, I decided to give it a second try. The meat sauce part is good but so are Lidl's other curries. The rice strikes me as near-identical to the passable yellow rice included with the non-deluxe curries. I don't find it very pleasant at all
Fair enough; all I can add is that I have never eaten a better supermarket pulao rice. I am minded to see if they do "Deluxe pulao rice" as a stand-alone side dish now.
** Phil..
Quote from: Peripatetic Phil on May 13, 2018, 06:59 PMDeluxe is just one of many pseudo-brands that Lidl stock, all of which are in fact Lidl products.
Checking to see if Lidl offered saffron rice as a stand-alone side dish, I came across the "
LIdl Food Academy (https://www.lidlfoodacademy.com.cy/recipe/%CF%83%CF%85%CE%BD%CE%BF%CE%B4%CE%B5%CF%85%CF%84%CE%B9%CE%BA%CF%8C-%CE%B1%CF%81%CF%89%CE%BC%CE%B1%CF%84%CE%B9%CE%BA%CF%8C-%CF%81%CF%8D%CE%B6%CE%B9-%CE%BC%CE%B5-%CF%83%CE%B1%CF%86%CF%81%CE%AC%CE%BD-2/?lang=en)" site, where I found :
Quote
Aromatic rice with saffron and pine nuts -- Ingredients for 4-6 portions
2 tbsp butter, Milbona
2 cup basmati or jasmine rice, Golden Sun
2 tbsp pine nuts, Alesto
4 cups hot vegetable stock, Cusina, or hot water
1 sachet (0.1 gr) powdered Kozani saffron,
Deluxe
Freshly-ground pepper, Kania
Salt (optional), KYPARI
All of
Milbona, Golden Sun, Alesto, Cusina, Kozani, Kania and Kypari are Lidl "pseudo-brands", used to create a sense of ethnic authenticity for what are in practice own-brand ingredients. What "Deluxe" is doing there I have no idea, since it does not qualify any particular ingredient.
** Phil.
Quote from: Peripatetic Phil on May 15, 2018, 11:39 AMWhat "Deluxe" is doing there I have no idea, since it does not qualify any particular ingredient.
I imagine it's a formatting error since the saffron logically is what makes it deluxe due to its cost and the "Deluxe" is in the general vicinity of the saffron.
Yes, I think you're right, Santa; there is a trailing comma after "saffron" that could well indicate that the "Deluxe" was intended to be run on. I now realise that I was wrong in including "Kozani" as one of Lidl's faux-brands; it is, of course. a type of saffron, and the pseudo-brand "Deluxe".
** Phil.
--------
Quote from: Corrected
2 tbsp butter, Milbona
2 cup basmati or jasmine rice, Golden Sun
2 tbsp pine nuts, Alesto
4 cups hot vegetable stock, Cusina, or hot water
1 sachet (0.1 gr) powdered Kozani saffron, Deluxe
Freshly-ground pepper, Kania
Salt (optional), KYPARI