Ready Meals

Ready meals in an Asian grocer are a long way from a supermarket microwave tray. The Indian ones are home-style curries cooked slowly, sealed in foil pouches and heat-treated so they keep in the cupboard without a fridge. The Sri Lankan ones come in tins and jars, often the vegetable curries that take longest to prepare at home. Both are useful for students, for late shifts, for the office drawer and for anyone who misses a dish they grew up eating.

There are three shelves. Indian ready meals cover Punjabi and North Indian favourites such as dal makhani, dal tadka, chole, sarson da saag, kashmiri dum aloo, pav bhaji and paneer dishes, along with Gujarati patra. Sri Lankan curries include polos curry, fried brinjal curry, cashew curry and green jak curry. Baked beans and tinned pasta keep the British side of the cupboard stocked with beans on toast, macaroni cheese and spaghetti.

A foil pouch heats best in a pan of boiling water for about five minutes, or emptied into a bowl, covered and microwaved. Tinned curries go straight into a small pan. Either way, a quick fresh finish transforms them: a spoon of ghee, some chopped coriander, a squeeze of lemon or a fried onion tarka.

Ready meals sit in the tins and ready meals department. To make a full plate, add basmati rice, a stack of poppadoms and something from pickles.