The Indian takeaways in England are good at ripping people off. Literally every takeaway I've used sells plan boiled rice with random dots of food colouring as 'pulau' rice. This is disgraceful and false advertising. Pulao rice should be basmati rice, it should be flavoured with spices, onions and saffron.
Unfortunately you probably have a better chance at getting better quality food if you eat at the restaurant rather than getting a takeaway. Most often their standards are pretty low since you are not going to go back to the store to return a substandard meal. An even better way to enjoy Indian food is if you have a friend of Indian ethnicity, they can teach you techniques of cooking a lovely meal really simply since they have been cooking it forever and know all the short cuts
When I fancy a curry I normally go to Brick Lane (which is often referred to as East London's Curry Mile) as there are just so many restaurants there all trying to out-do each other so you are nearly always guaranteed a decent meal with proper ingredients.
I've had curries down Brick Lane many times because my brother works around the corner and we often go there on a Friday night. I would say the quality in some of the restaurants is better but they still sell plain boiled coloured rice as pulao. Making your own is cheaper, healthier and more authentic if you know how.
Most of the takeaways are restaurants as well. The standard is just not that high for Indian restaurants. Many of the Indian restaurants received poor ratings from Ofsted and if you are someone like me who cooks authentic Indian meals, you can tell the difference.
Pulao should not be confused with Biriyana, they are completely different dishes. Pepper? Basic seasoning like salt and pepper is needed in all cooking. Saffron is a key ingredient in pulao, it is expensive and this is why the restaurants use food colouring instead.
I've honestly never eaten Indian food before. I've tried just about every ethnic food there is available in America at one point in my life. Except Indian. It just doesn't appeal to me really. I doubt that'll ever change anytime soon.
