Dil Raj Indian Parson Lane Clitheroe - 9th July 2015

I met up with a friend, who had recently moved to a house just outside Clitheroe, with the Dil Raj being his favourite Indian restaurant in the town.   Dil Raj is only small with a tiny bar and seating area and the menu is a typical Indian menu with the dishes made using vegetable oil, not butter ghee which is great.

I kicked off with a poppadum with the usual chutneys (avoiding the yogurt one) my favourite being chilli pickle   I had onion bhajia, which I had eaten before I remembered to take a photo, but they were delicious, light and not stodgy which they can sometimes be.

I ordered two side dishes for mains, to get some variety, one being channa masalla (chickpeas) which I asked for extra hot and the waiter said they would add some naga paste, the naga being one of the hottest chillies in the world.   The dish was also served with fried red dried chillies on top, it was really tasty and the heat right up my street (my husband says I'm a "fire-eater").   When I ask for a hot curry in many Indian restaurants, they tend to ruin the dish by throwing in a load of chilli powder, but the spicing and heat here was well balanced.   I also had mushroom bhajia with loads of freshly cooked mushrooms which also had the red chillies on top, but was a mild but very tasty dish.

I had boiled rice and side salad which I always like with curry and shared a very nice bottle of Cave de Turckheim Gewurztraminer vegan friendly wine, which really compliments spicy food.   I will definitely return as it is a good place to meet up with my friend.