If you're interested in stocking up on elusive spices or expanding your ethnic food horizons, make a short trip up Walnut to the International Food and Spices Market. The market, which stocks Indian and Pakistani groceries as well as electronics, luggage and video rentals, makes Middle Eastern cuisine accessible to any level of culinary proficiency. If your skills are exhausted at take-out, you can pick up something from the brief selection of prepared foods. Dabble in microwaving? The freezer has an abundance of puncture-the-plastic-film-and-microwave options. And if you're kind of a rock star in the kitchen, or you're just feeling bored and/or ambitious enough to actually cook, you can pick up all the fixings for a homemade meal.
Since the prepared food options are few and lack descriptions in English, the freezer case is an attractive alternative for Middle Eastern food novices. I went in without much familiarity in the area and left with a tasty dinner for two. The meal was highly praised, yet cost less than $15 and took a minimum of time and effort to prepare --- attractive, right? Most of the dishes in the freezer have descriptions in English and a picture of what you're getting on the box, so it's really not difficult to find something that suits your fancy.
My dinner consisted of Chhole (chickpeas in a mildly spicy sauce, $2.99), Alu Paratha (spicy potato bread, $2.49) and Kofta Curry (vegetable dumplings in a spicy and barely sweet curry sauce, $2.99). Notice the trend? Most foods are at least a little piquant, so it's a good idea to pick up some bread and a container of plain yogurt to allay the burn (dairy products in general serve this purpose, if you were unaware). I also got a bottle of thick, rich mango juice ($2.49) and some Punjabi cookies ($3.99) to round out the meal.
Right next to 7-Eleven, the International Food and Spices Market is an unassuming little oasis of Indian and Pakistani fare. Whether you're planning a dinner party or looking for lunch, you will find what you're looking for at the market. So go with a grocery list or an appetite and indulge your taste for the region's famously pungent cuisine.
