Little India and Getting Ready for the Feast

After my delightful stop at Nathan Phillips Square yesterday I headed over to Little India on Gerrard Street. It's just one of many South Asian neighborhoods in and around Toronto. In fact, we have the largest community outside of India. So what better place to get me ready for the Indian feast I'm making this weekend for the upcoming Weekend Cookbook Challenge - Foreign Food. Don't panic you have until September 4th to figure out which "foreign" cuisine you wish to make.

So first let me take you on a little photo journey....

Some of the shops and restaurants seem unassuming at first glance...

while others have colorful samples of their wares outside. But step a little closer and check out the windows....

jewelry...

funky sandals...

gorgeous saris and cholis...

then take a peek inside...color as far as the eye can see, from jewelry to ready made outfits to....

rows and rows of vibrant silks (I actually bought some a few years ago to make the long skirt I wore to my daughter Joanna's wedding)

My Honey, Ezra, Joanna, Me and Sharron, but I digress....

What I really went for was ingredients for my feast so my first stop was B.J. Supermarket and here's why....

and what I really needed...

papadoms - Indian chips - awesome!!! and so many varieties here...

nan bread to just heat up (I was going to make my Honey go get some from the local Indian restaurant on Sunday, but it looks easy enough to do - I'll be testing it out later today).

Paneer or Indian cheese which I could make myself for the saag paneer (spinach & cheese), but maybe another time, since I'm making 10 dishes as it is.

Aren't these eggplants adorable? They're the size of an egg. And look at this...

Chinese Okra - giant as opposed to the usual little ones I see in grocery stores. No idea what to do with them, but they did look great.

Next stop Surati Sweets...

and of course I had to bring a sample home to my Honey before we send my in-laws out Sunday to get more for the party.

So here's my bounty- spices, curry leaves, mango pickles, mustard oil, Indian raisins (they look a little different and I couldn't resist for my lamb biryani), nan bread, papadom and paneer.....

Now I just have to get the beef, lamb, chicken and vegetables on Saturday and I'm all set for the fun.

Speaking of fun...there's a festival of South Asia this Saturday and Sunday on Gerrard St (Little India) with fashion shows, tasting tables, live music and more. Unfortunately I'll be too busy cooking to attend. But if you happen to be in Toronto and looking for something fun to do - check it out!

Related links: Food and Drink markets weekend cookbook challenge