It’s dark and cold outside; we are stuck in our bubbles and tired of cooking. Comfort food is needed. The warming spices and flavours of Indian cuisine are called for in times such as this. Enter Curry 2U. Many will remember it from the Granville Island Market. What you may not know is that it has its roots deep in Vancouver’s culinary community. Curry 2U is owned and operated by Shaffeen Jamal, the same Shaffeen Jamal who with his family (his mother is Chef Krishna Jamal) owned the legendary Rubina Tandoori (one of Vancouver’s first, and for many years best, traditional Indian restaurant), Rubina Grill and Tamarind.
Now he is bringing the comforting flavours of his family’s Butter Chicken and other Jamal family favourites to your door in a once a week meal delivery service. “I started the delivery service back in 2006 to reach the seniors in our community. As time progressed, I got requests from international students at UBC and SFU who were missing home-cooked meals. They became an important component of our regular clients. When our lease on Granville Island was up, we turned to becoming entirely an online home delivery service. The pandemic has meant that the international students have not all returned and those that have are watching every penny as they are not able to work part time. Of course the seniors are locked in and it is so sad to see them withering away,” says Jamal.
Curry 2U works a little differently from standard takeout out. There is a menu that changes weekly and people sign up on Curry 2U’s website to receive it via email on Saturdays. Orders must be placed by 10 a.m. the following Wednesday morning and the meals are delivered anywhere in the Lower Mainland by Mr. Jamal on Thursdays. You can order for one meal or enough for a whole week, the choice is yours. In addition to offering individual dishes Curry 2U also offers value-priced combo meals, and a tiffin delivery service.
“Rubina Tandoori’s famed Butter Chicken, and our family recipes for Daal and Chana Masala are on the menu every week. We wouldn’t dare remove them as there’d be an outcry,” says Jamal. The menu offers plenty of vegetarian as well as meat dishes. In addition to the aforementioned Butter Chicken, you might find Lamb Curry, Cumin Potatoes, Coconut Curried Corn or Fish Goa Curry. Each weekly menu contains a selection of 10 dishes.
Add a little spice to a dreary winter by ordering Indian comfort food from Curry 2U.
Menu for Delivery on January 7
Media release and images provided by Nancy Wong, Culinary Communications.
