when i am missing home i usually make a rip down to raavi.
it is famous for it’s grilled meats but since i am not a huge fan of meat (particularly lamb) i usually find myself dabbling in its vegetarian and lentil offerings. there is also the tandoori roti (flat leavened bread baked in an earthenware oven) that i am particularly partial too. i definitely like roti more than it’s white flour constituting partner called naan. as a child i was fascinated by tandoors (the place where naans, roti’s and the numerous types of pakistani breads are made and sold). the jouney home from school often involved a stop at the tandoor to get fresh roti. i loved these trips to the tandoor watching in fascination as the tandoor wala would take a ball of dough, roll it out, slap it onto a solid cushion with a moistened surface which he would then lower into the oven in order to transfer the roti to the rounded wall of the oven in startlingly fast pace. he would watch over the roti whilst repeating the process with dough balls lined up in front of him. the roti would cook on the heated wall swelling unevenly in places with the pressure of the heat. once it was toasted all over the tandoor wala would prise it out with a steel rod whose end is shaped like a spatula. he’d then toss the hot roti across to another man who would roll it up in a sheet of newspaper and hand it over to the customer. even now every time i return to visit pakistan i am impatient to go to the tandoor – there is nothing better than a roti hot from the tandoor accompanied by a cup of strongly brewed tea.
but i digress, to return to raavi. for veggie lovers i’d recommend the okra, lentils and spinach dishes. and for those who like a bit of meat with there veggies there is the murgh chana masala (chicken and chickpea) and the chicken karahi (chicken with a stir-fried masala of tomatoes and fresh green chilli and garnished with julienned ginger) that are really good. i am afraid i cannot give you a vote on the lassi as i am one of those pakistani’s upon whom the love of this creamy drink is lost. other than that raavi will give you a bit of a taste of home (for those of you who come from the sub-continent) and some good curry (for those of you who like it).