After over a year of border closures and travel restrictions, are you itching to explore a foreign culture overseas? We’ll likely have to wait a bit longer before it’s safe to travel, but in the meantime Rahul Ajwani from M&M Food Market in Chilliwack has some suggestions to taste the best of the world… without leaving your kitchen!
- Thailand: Bangkok may be out of reach right now, but you can pick up a Thai Party Pack and pretend you’re sampling street food on Khao San Road! The crispy shrimp appetizers are made by hand, and easy to heat up in your oven or air fryer. Included in each box are six sesame-soy shrimp samosas, six shrimp & veggie purses, six spicy kung pao shrimp rolls, six shrimp toasts and tasty orange ginger sauce.
- Mexico: Hopefully it won’t be long before you can hop a flight to Puerto Vallarta, but until then why not host a Mexican family fiesta with piña coladas (virgin piña coladas for the kids), Chicken Quesadillas, mariachi music and even a piñata! The quesadillas are incredibly easy to prepare in a pan, in the oven, in the microwave or even on the barbecue — so easy your kids can probably do the cooking themselves.
- India: “Our butter chicken is very popular, but I also recommend the Chicken Korma Kit,” Ajwani says. The M&M Food Market signature kit includes cooked chicken, basmati rice, cauliflower and red onions in a mild coconut curry sauce, plus mini naan. Warm the korma on the stovetop and the naan in the oven or microwave, set the table on your back deck, and imagine you’re dining in a rooftop restaurant in Jaipur or Kochi.
- France: If Paris is calling, turn your dining room into a petit French café and pop in an authentic French quiche from M&M Food Store. “We offer a variety of sizes, so you can cook a large Broccoli and Cheddar Quiche for the whole family, a single serve Quiche Florentine for yourself, or pull one or two mini quiches out of the freezer for a healthy snack,” Ajwani says.
Shop online for appetizers, soups, mains and more at mmfoodmarket.com, or read up on recipes and find meal inspiration. Stop by the store at #2 45609 Luckakuck Way in the Cottonwood Mall for great service from Rahul, Manju and Naresh Ajwani and the rest of the staff. Open Monday to Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 8 p.m., Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Follow the store on Facebook for great meal ideas from staff and other customers!