pining for the tropics

If you know where to look in Cape Town, fine Indian dining and the ingredients required to replicate it are at hand. Fresh curry leaves? Easy, brought in from Durban several times a week. A vast and dazzling array of dried spices, secret and not-so-secret mixes, and sacks of rice in suitably picturesque printed cotton? No problem. Choose from dozens of shops, replete with ceiling high stacks of stainless steel tinware, and the heady scent of authenticity.

The rest of Asian cuisine is rather more of a challenge.