Pasta Primavera House Style and a Mixed Day

May 10, 2013 1 Comment

Today was guaranteed to be a mixed bag kind of day, and as I get ready to sleep, ok scribble some lines and sleep, I try and resign myself to its inevitable mixed quality. Pasta, especially a spring time Pasta Primavera is what works for such mixed days.

SP1medIt is on days like this I appreciate the words of wisdom from Scarlett O’Hara that promise that tomorrow is another day! It always is, especially in spring when the mornings are bright or rainy. I cherish both, I love the soft spring rain, walking through patches and puddles sometimes arriving with wet hair to work much to the chagrin of some of the people at work, mostly my lovely assistant. As I say, you can take the girl out of Kolkata, but not Kolkata out of the girl.

Pasta Primavera (House Style)

To this end, today’s offering is a simple pasta dish, that I wish to call Pasta Primavera (housestyle). Yes, it is my take on a very springy pasta dish, that I have cobbled together with the new tender asparagus, corn and new fresh green peas. Chopped in lots of chives and muddled all of these together with some parmasan, garlic and olive oil. If your mom is a pasta lover like me, this simple dish full of complex flavors might be what calls her name.

Either way wishing you and yours a wonderful weekend with fresh flavors, good food and lots of love.

 

 

Print
Pasta Primavera (House Style)

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

A simple pasta toss with garlic and olive oil as a lot of yard to table vegetables.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup of dried pasta (any shape, I am partial to bow-ties)
  • Salt to taste
  • 3 tablespoons oil
  • 11/2 tablespoons butter
  • 6 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 1/2 cup chopped tender asparagus
  • 1/2 cup fresh green peas
  • 1/2 cup corn fresh or frozen
  • 1/2 cup chopped chives or garlic chives
  • 11/2 tablespoons minced thyme
  • 1 lime or lemon

Instructions

  1. Cook the pasta in plenty of water and salt for about 7 to 8 minutes or al dente per package instructions.
  2. Heat the oil and the butter and add in the garlic and gently cook stirring frequently until the garlic is a pale toffee color and very fragrant.
  3. Add in the red pepper flakes, stir in the asparagus, green peas, corn and cook for about 3 minutes.
  4. Stir in the pasta, working quickly to let the pasta and the ingredients coat well. Add salt to taste.
  5. Add in the chives, thyme and squeeze in the lime or lemon juice.
Schema/Recipe SEO Data Markup by ZipList Recipe Plugin
http://cookinginwestchester.com/2013/05/pasta-primavera-house-style-and-a-mixed-day.html

 

 

 

 

 

Filed Under Garlic, Local and Backyard Cooking, Thyme, Uncategorized Tagged With Asparagus, Chives, Corn, Garlic, One Dish Meals, Pasta, Spring, Vegetarian, Weeknight Cooking

Spice Stuffed Baked Baby Eggplants – Masala Dum Baigan

April 4, 2013 Leave a Comment

Stuffed Pickle Spiced EggplantsThis recipe is called Bhabi’s baigan (older SIL’s eggplants) by my family.

It was an accidental attempt to remake something that I had tasted when visiting my husband’s family in Northern India. I have gotten a better handle of their flavors these days, however interestingly enough this supposed recapture became quite a hit. It cooks for just a little on the stove and then gets finished off in the oven, gently simmering and softening in its own sauces.

In fact, this has gotten a nod from a lot of purists if I do not tell them of my unconventional ways.

My husband is the oldest in his family, so I have been the undisputed Bhabi or elder sister-in-law to almost every family member his generation and now I even have an eggplant recipe to show for it.

It has been a week where I have been trying to stay on top of things. That is the only way I cope with multiple priorities, to my credit, I do it better than some, but I still get exhausted. Today, my bright note of the day was a mention for the book. It often is like the kids doing something interesting, like getting an essay right, it brightens my day.

So now back to the eggplant, I realize we call these eggplants baby eggplants, the only problem being I thing they really are mini eggplants, because they do not grow any bigger and tend to get small and seedy if left alone too long. So, I snag some anytime I see the really tender varieties in the India grocery store. They can be made with Japanese eggplants as well, you will just have less of a “cute” factor! Well, to be honest, the taste might be a tad different since you will be changing the spice to eggplant surface area, ratio.

Print
Spice Stuffed Baked Baby Eggplants – Masala Dum Baigan

Prep Time: 45 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes

Yield: 8 servings

Serving Size: 1 to 2 eggplants

My variation of spice stuffed eggplants inspired by the flavors of northern India.

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds baby tender eggplants (about 15 to 20)
    • For the Spice Filling
  • 2 teaspoons panch phoron (Bengali Five Spice) powdered
  • 2 tablespoons Greek yogurt
  • 1 teaspoon amchur (dried mango powder)
  • 3/4 teaspoon red chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
    • For the coating base
  • 3 tablespoons oil
  • 1 medium red onion, cut into a dice
  • 1 tablespoon ginger paste
  • 2 tomatoes, cut into a fine dice
  • Salt to taste
  • Cilantro for garnishing

Instructions

  1. 1. Cut the eggplants halfway, almost all the to the top but do not separate from the top. Repeat the same on the other side, so in other words, cut into quarters.
  2. 2. Make a paste with the panch phoron powder, yogurt, amchur, red chili powder and salt.
  3. 3. Gently smear generously into the eggplants. Note, depending on the size of eggplants you might need more spice mixture, in which case increase in the same proportion mentioned.
  4. 4. Set this aside for about 30 minutes.
  5. 5. Heat the oil on medium heat for about a minute and add in the onion and cook for about 3 to 4 minutes, until the onions are fairly soft.
  6. 6. Add in the ginger and the tomatoes and cook until the tomatoes are nice and soft.
  7. 7. Pre heat the oven to 350 degrees and line the eggplants in a single layer in a casserole.
  8. 8. Top the eggplants with the freshly prepared sauce and bake uncovered for 45 minutes. The eggplants should be nice and soft with a thick coating sauce that has meshed and married the stuffing spices.
  9. 9. Serve the eggplants with chapatis.
Schema/Recipe SEO Data Markup by ZipList Recipe Plugin
http://cookinginwestchester.com/2013/04/spice-stuffed-baked-baby-eggplants-masala-dum-baigan.html

 

 

 

 

 

Filed Under Cilantro, Masala - Listing by Spices, Panchphoron, Regional Indian, Uncategorized Tagged With baby eggplants, baked dishes, Eggplants, North India, Slow Cooking, Summer, tomatoes, Vegetarian

Gujiya – Traditional Indian Stuffed Dessert Crescents

March 27, 2013 Leave a Comment

Guj1medSo, honestly speaking I often do not realize when we pass through festivals, particularly Indian ones. Let’s face it, today for Holi, instead of celebrating with a riot of colors and fanfare, well I had half a day at work and spent a decent amount of time working in our PTA records. However, all things considered, I did make some Gujiya. These are a traditional dessert for Holi, and I might be posting this at the eleventh hour, but at least I did it right in terms of food! What I mean by that is that as far as I know I actually made something traditional on the right day.

I have been getting better at this and the true reason for this is that this year my kids are into celebrating things, anything one can think off, earlier this year they even wanted a cake for MLK’s birthday.

So, I have been trying to keep up with the Jones, or really the calendar to indulge their whims. In keeping with these whims, we have today the Gujiya or sweet Indian style empanadas. I am not sure about the empanadas, but they really do look like empanadas and my kids seem to like the name as for my husband, he was so confused by it, that it took him some time to realize that I was making gujiyas.

IMG_5032-horz

This week is about Holi and actually later in the week, it is about Easter and their birthdays. Yes, they both have birthdays within a month of each other and this year we are combining them. Two parties, same location, two cakes different friends still almost the same investment of overhead. So still easier.

 

Guj2medNow back to Holi it as big a festival as Diwali, where people celebrate with colors to welcome spring.  In our house growing up, once I was done with playing, we had a ritual of going over to my grandmother’s house to offer her the felicitations of the season with abir. Specifically, doing a pronam (touching her feet) with the abir. So, abir is the dry powder, which is dissolved with water to make the colors of holi, that is then put into squirt containers and sprayed onto people. However, the dry powder is used in this case as a symbolic gesture. While my grandmother always had an elaborate meal for us, she did not necessarily have anything typical demarked as a “holi” food. She certainly did not have anything bhang based. Bhang is a potent alcoholic drink that is also very typical of Holi.

Now, I do not have a recipe for bhang, however the gujiya recipe that I share here is indeed a traditional north Indian dessert from Holi. The sugar in this recipe is fairly reduced, but I feel that this actually helps the deep rich filling to shine.

 

 

Print
Gujiya – Traditional Indian Stuffed Dessert Crescents

Ingredients

    For the Pastry
  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • pinch of salt
  • 2 tablespoons semolina (sooji)
  • 4 tablespoons ghee
  • Water to mix to a firm dough
    • For the filling
  • 3/4 cup crumbled khoya (I used store made 1/2 pound)
  • ¼ cup grated coconut (unsweetened)
  • 3/4 cup coarsely ground pistachios and almonds
  • 1/3 cup milk
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup chopped raisins
  • Oil for frying
    • To finish
  • 3/4 cup water
  • 1 cup sugar

Instructions

  1. Mix together the flour, salt and semolina. Mix in the ghee into the dough and then add enough water to mix well until the mixture forms a smooth but manageable dough.
  2. Cover with cling wrap and chill for an hour.
  3. In the meantime place the khoya, coconut, ground nuts and milk and begin mixing until the mixture softens.
  4. Add in the sugar and continue cooking until the mixture is well mixed, it will be soft but not too moist. Mix in the raisins.
  5. Remove the chilled dough from the refrigerator and break into lime sized balls and roll into a 3-4 inch circle.
  6. Add about 2 tablespoons of the khoya mixture to one side of the filling and cover with the dough to form a plump crescent. Seal the edges. I did not flute them, but I recommend this in future, it ensures a better sealing.
  7. Heat the oil in a wok and gently fry the crescents on medium heat until they turn a honey gold color. Set them aside to cool slightly.
  8. In the meantime, make a thick syrup by boiling the water and sugar for at least 15 minutes, it should be coating consistence. I did not want a very sweet coating, so I used a pastry brush to coat the gujiyas, but you can dunk them in the syrup.
  9. Remove and let them dry out and enjoy them warm.
Schema/Recipe SEO Data Markup by ZipList Recipe Plugin
http://cookinginwestchester.com/2013/03/gujiya-traditional-indian-stuffed-dessert-crescents.html

Filed Under Regional Indian, Uncategorized Tagged With Gujiya, Holi, Khoya, North Indian, traditional Desserts, Traditional Indian, Vegetarian

Tangy Lentils tempered with Curry Leaves and Red Chilies

January 5, 2013 4 Comments

 

If you are expecting the first post of the year to be reflective, this one probably will not disappoint terribly.  These lentils were one of the last meals that I had made for all of us. Simple, nourishing and full of the citrusy fragrance of curry leaves.

I did not think that I would post before I reached back to the US, on the 7th, but I guess I missed the space and was sorting through some pictures when this recipe called my name.

Chances are I would love have a steaming bowl of these lentils waiting for me once I return, but one of the downsides of being the houses resident chef is that nothing really waits for me until it is made.

This trip to India, was interesting for me since I actually did not stop in Kolkata, but rather was in Delhi and spent a lot of time travelling. I will share my travels with you over time as I do, in my own lop-sided way.  Landing at the airport still brought with me the tightening of my chest knowing that there was no Dad waiting in anticipation for my call letting him know that I had arrived. Some glimses of emotion will not go away.

  I did not really explore much of the food scene in Delhi, but did make stops at Nirula’s where I loved their ice-cream sunday and savored their chole bhatura but was rather disappointed by their chili chicken. Not surprisingly, Indo-Chinese remains a Kolkata speciality.

A meal at Sarawana Bhavan, left me almost returning for more the next day. Those flavors rocked in their finish and clean and pure simplicity. The kids loved their dosa so much they actually had one and a half each. I enjoyed my Thali, cannot help wondering why all restaurants do not have a thali concept. For those unfamiliar with a thali, it is the India version of a plated meal where all the course are served together in small bowls on a large plate called the Thali. I did some stops at Old Delhi, this one I will cover at a later point.

Now, that I have stimulated your senses do I really expect you to get excited about a simple dal recipe, actually I do. Lentils on the Indian table have a hallowed presence. They are both the simplest and the the deepest of meals, soulful and comforting. This recipe has notes of South India, in their simple flavors. It gets done almost effortlessly in the pressure cooker. This version is made with Tuvar Dal or Pigeon Pea lentils, also known as Arhar Dal.

 

 

Print
Tangy Lentils tempered with Curry Leaves and Red Chilies

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

Yield: 3 to 4 servings

A tangy creations with lentils, tomatoes and a simple South Indian style tempering.

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup tuvar dal (pigeon pea lentils)
  • 1 and 1/2 cups water
  • 1 medium sized onion, finely diced
  • 2 teaspoons fresh ginger paste
  • 2 tomatoes, chopped
  • 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
  • 1/3 teaspoon red cayenne pepper
  • Salt to taste
    • To temper and finish
  • 2 tablespoons oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon black mustard seeds
  • 1/8 teaspoon asafetida
  • 10-12 curry leaves
  • 2 to 3 dried red chilies broken
  • 1 lemon or lime
  • Cilantro to garnish

Instructions

  1. Place the lentils in a pressure cooker, with the water, onion and ginger paste.
  2. Add in the tomatoes, turmeric, red cayenne pepper and salt and stir and cover and cook until pressure for 15 minutes.
  3. Cool and remove the cover and mix the lentils well.
  4. Heat the oil in a small pan for a couple of minutes.
  5. Add in the black mustard seeds and wait for them to crackle. Add in the asafetida followed by the curry leaves and dried red chilies and cook for a few seconds.
  6. Pour the oil into the lentils and mix well.
  7. Squeeze in the lemon juice and add some chopped cilantro.
  8. Serve with steamed rice.
Schema/Recipe SEO Data Markup by ZipList Recipe Plugin
http://cookinginwestchester.com/2013/01/tangy-lentils-tempered-with-curry-leaves-and-red-chilies.html

Filed Under Grains and Lentils, Regional Indian, Uncategorized Tagged With Dal, Gluten Free, lemon, Lentils, Pigeon Pea Lentils, Tuvar Dal, Vegan, Vegetarian, Winter

Red Lentils with Cilantro and Tomatoes – Mooshurir Dal

December 1, 2012 Leave a Comment

 

Today is one of those Fridays, when I am glad this it is Friday. A cold evening, when I am ready for my favorite bowl of red lentils with steaming rice. The great thing about red lentils is that we all love it, especially the kids.

 I am hardly the first person who had referred to a book project as a baby, here is one of my favorite bloggers talking about her book baby. The irony is that this paper creature is a lot like the proverbial baby who induces pride but shortly after her birth (yes, my book is a she, I have a strong preference for girl babies, something that my daughter will proudly confirm). Anyhow I digress, the point is that like my other two babies, I was tired and exhausted in the early days.

These past two weeks have been fun, especially with the kick-off of the two by two event, here is a preview of what this Sunday’s round up will look like, so today I took a break and cooked up a comfort dish from my own book.

Yes, that is one advantage of the book, I can refer to my own favorite recipes. And, yes we have the first video for this blog…

[Read more...]

Filed Under Bengali, Bengali Five Spice, Grains and Lentils Tagged With Bengali Five Spice, Bengali Food, cilantro, Comfort Food, Cooking Video, Dal, Gluten Free, Indian Cooking, Red lentils, Side Dishes, tomatoes, Vegetarian

Stir Fried Beetroot with Ginger, Lime and Toasted Spices – Beetroot Sabji

September 22, 2012 Leave a Comment

 Beetroots and Carrots grace our backyard almost all the year round. Since, they stay under the soil, we have them through early winter too. My usual treatment with beetroots has been to roast them, and then enjoy them usually in a salad.

One of the main reasons I have not thought of cooking them, the way I would most other vegetables is really based on a predisposed idea that I have where I am convinced that beetroots are hard and take a long time to cook. This year, mostly, inspired by several of my friends from Southern India, I took the plunge of inviting this vegetable into the mainstream.

Well, one of the things that I did find, as with other vegetables, fresh dug from the soil beetroots are different from some of their other counterparts that I have found in the stores. They tend to slice and chop up easy. I have also learnt to love and enjoy  the many colors of this vegetable. They offer a beautiful contrast of reds.

I of course, love them in stews, which actually I have been using for a long time, so stet that first sentence where I tell you I do not cook them without roasting them. I do not cook them solo, without roasting them.

What I did with them as usual, is very simple, befitting the rush and run Saturday routine. Yes, we are back to school, with a gusto! I am grateful that the kids love their soccer coaches. Aadi is enthusiastic about going to games for reasons other than just meeting his friend Brian. I am also accepting of the fact, that all of this means a very packed fall. The pace at Anshul’s work has been rather hectic, he has been good about mandated Daddy duties but pretty much left all husband niceties on the table, since outside of the kids weekday routine, he has to catch up with work. So we have not had as much family time as I would like the past couple of weekends.

If your life sounds like it could use a quick fix dish, for any reason or just because, you might want to give this colorful, antioxidant rich stir fry a try.

Print
Stir Fried Beetroot with Ginger, Lime and Toasted Spices – Beetroot Sabji

Ingredients

  • 6 medium sized fresh beetroots (if your beetroots are larger you can use 4)
  • 3 tablespoons walnut or olive oil
  • 3/4 teaspoon whole black mustard seeds
  • 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 1 shallot, very finely chopped
  • 1 tablespoon fresh ginger paste
  • 1/2 teaspoon red chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon white sesame seeds
  • 1 lime
  • 11/2 teaspoons finely minced cilantro

Instructions

  1. Peel and cut the beetroot into sticks about 2 inches by 1/2 cm.
  2. Heat the oil on medium low heat for about 1 minute and add in the mustard and cumin seeds.
  3. When the mustard seed, begins to crackle add in the shallot and ginger paste and cook for about 4 minutes until the shallots are soft and wilted and the ginger is fragrant.
  4. Add in the chopped beets and the chili powder and sesame seeds and mix well.
  5. Cover and cook for about 8 minutes on medium low heat, until the beets are tender crisp.
  6. Cut the lime and squeeze in the juice and stir in the cilantro and mix well.
  7. Serve as a side to any meal of your choice.
Schema/Recipe SEO Data Markup by ZipList Recipe Plugin
http://cookinginwestchester.com/2012/09/stir-fried-beetroot-with-ginger-lime-and-toasted-spices-beetroot-sabji.html

Filed Under Cilantro, Local and Backyard Cooking, Mustard, Regional Indian, Uncategorized, Weeknight Cooking Tagged With Beetroots, Fall, Ginger, Indian, Lime, Sesame Seeds, Stir fries, Vegan, Vegetarian

Spicy Sunday – Ginger and Garlic Paste

August 19, 2012 Leave a Comment

Making a ginger and garlic paste is about cooking rituals, at least for me. It is a kitchen staple and essential and I cannot imagine buying jarred ginger and garlic paste.

The last week and a half the husband had been sick,  joined for a brief period by the daughter. So, I am glad that this weekend, they are all fixed. We had a food filled day and I am so glad to be able to cook and feed real food to the family. I guess, much as I love cook, it tends to be meaningless if there are no happy healthy people around to feed.

[Read more...]

Filed Under Ginger and Garlic Paste, Masala 101, Uncategorized Tagged With Basic Spice Mixes, Ginger-garlic Paste, Spicy Sunday, Vegan, Vegetarian

Baigan Bharta – Char Roasted Eggplant Puree

August 15, 2012 1 Comment

I am grateful for various reasons that I actually waited until this morning to truly formulate this post. Heading out this morning, taking in a truly beautiful day allowed me to pause for a few moments, breathe and remember what was important. Just as grateful as I am for the heady bounty of summer eggplants and tomatoes. The small expanse of the yard as I walked through was a riot of bright yellows, squash blossoms and these pretty black-eyed Susans that are hardy and a consistent harbinger of summer at its peak. I was initially drawing a blank at the name, I guess, I needed that espresso shot in this morning’s coffee.

BBmed

 

My friend Julianna’s quiet comment to me had been, not easy, I actually could not size it up better. The weekend just had not been easy. There I said it!

Baigan Bhartha

Anshul has been sick for over a week. It also coincided with a deadline for the book. Thank goodness, I never wait until the last minute, usually. It gets a little scarier for me with every step, wonder if this is a weird reaction. In fact, this weekend was so crazy I did not have the energy to open the manuscript. To add to the craziness, Deepta to coincide with the fun has a ear infection and since her doctor feels that she should not have fever with this, she just might have introduced a totally different bug to the household. So much for the rest of August!

To smooth out the weekend, I made a whole bunch of comfort meals, one of them includes this baigan bharta, or fire charred, spicy pureed eggplant. There are no set rules to these recipes, so I vary them from time to time, in summer, I tend to add more tomatoes so the dish tends to be darker in color, however one of my favorites. I actually made a stack of tandoori rotis, to go with these and was quite pleased with the results.

Ironically enough, char roasted eggplants are more of a winter specialty in India, and once upon a time I was ok with cooking them in winter, the problem is that the tender summer eggplants have spoilt me, the seedy eggplants usually found off season in the supermarkets do not cut it. Sorry, A&P, even your loyalty percentage off cannot fix this one. The husband has been also very sad that his garden has been withering, well, unfortunately, I cannot help with that one.

Too exhausted to even try, thank goodness for all these automated sprinklers. We have a fridge full of food, well, anyone who knows me does know that I cook to de-stress. I just wish it burned more than fuel, some calories, maybe?

My dear friend Dawn, has been asking me for this recipe for a while. I will say that like with all dishes such as this one there are several variations. In fact, my own kitchen has at least three. The first two are close cousins, I sometimes add the bell peppers and other times I skip that out.

Print
Baigan Bharta – Summer Eggplant for the Soul

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

Yield: 4

Char Roasted Pureed Eggplants in a Spicy Tomato Sauce

Ingredients

  • 2 medium sized eggplants
  • 3 tablespoons oil
  • ¾ teaspoon whole cumin seeds
  • 1 small red onion, finely diced
  • 1 tablespoon ginger-garlic paste
  • 2 tomatoes, blended into a puree
  • 2 green chilies, minced
  • 2 to 3 tablespoons minced cilantro

Instructions

  1. Place the eggplant on an open gas flame on a corner of the grill if you are grilling. If neither of these are options then place the eggplant in a 350 degree oven and bake until soft and then broil until the outer skin is charred. Back to the open flame eggplant, cook until it is soft and the outer skin is completely charred. Set aside to cool.
  2. Heat the oil on medium heat for about 1 minute, and add in the cumin seeds and when they begin to sizzle, add in the red onion and sauté lightly until the onion softens and wilts and finally gently turns pale golden in corners.
  3. Add in the ginger-garlic paste and sauté lightly until the paste is somewhat dry and begins to turn fragrant.
  4. Add in the tomatoes and the chilies and begin to cook this mixture to allow the tomatoes to turn into a thick fairly dry sauce, you should begin to see the oil leaching again from the edges.
  5. While the tomatoes are cooking, peel and discard the charred skin from the eggplant and mash lightly.
  6. Add into the tomato spice mixture and mix well.
  7. Stir in the cilantro and mix well.
  8. Enjoy with your choice of bread or rice.
Schema/Recipe SEO Data Markup by ZipList Recipe Plugin
http://cookinginwestchester.com/2012/08/baigan-bharta-summer-eggplant-for-the-soul.html

Filed Under Ginger and Garlic Paste, Local and Backyard Cooking, Regional Indian Tagged With Baigan Bhartha, cilantro, Eggplant, Summer, tomatoes, Vegan, Vegetarian

Saravana Bhavan – Upper West Side, NYC

June 24, 2012 Leave a Comment

Earlier this year, when the daffodils were blooming and the kids had their spring break, we ventured out to spend a day in the Museum of Natural History. It was also a day when we discovered Saravana Bhavan.

 We have avoided doing too much of the city museums until recently, just not organized enough to get our act together. The kids are however finally a good age to enjoy some of what the museums has to offer. It is important for us to fit some of this into our weekend schedule. So inspired by the wonderful weather we headed into the city.

After three hours of wandering through the exhibits we decided it was time for food. One of the things that I strongly feel is that while museum restaurants are serviceable and will get you an adequate and possibly overpriced meal, it really is a shame to waste a mealtime in the city without trying something unique. We had initially set our sights on Sarabeth’s however en-route spotted Saravana Bhawan. This restaurant is theWest Side branch of theLexington Ave restaurant whose parent is inIndiathereby lending claim to being the real thing! The cuisine is from the Udipi region in Southern India and the fare is what is collectively called tiffin and tends to be the ultimate Sunday Brunch for most Indians. Actually, I should preface this, the restaurant has vegetarian meal options and a wonderful collection of tiffin offerings, which tends to be the prefered choice for brunch.

I tend to get my fill of this since I get into the city for work, but my for my husband this is fairly unique, and his rather greedy glances lured us in.

The kids tend to like this fare as well so we went into a very busy and bustling restaurant. This pretty clearly meant slow service. On a beautiful spring day sitting outdoors, the only downside to this was two hungry children, who kept staring at everyone’s food. On the bright side none of the usual coaxing was needed when the food arrived.

We pretty much ended up ordering half their menu, including some unusual items such as the adai with avial (a unique south Indian mixed vegetable curry from Kerela). The coffee, that is also a sweet India style latte is a regional favorite. The food was served in traditional stainless steel multi-compartmental plates and tasted fresh and consistently good. The prices were reasonable, although a little higher than their downtown counterpart possibly to cover the overheads for this upscale part of town. Interesting finishing touches included two to three well spiced chutneys. The restaurant is Kosher and the menu is also chock full of vegan options and is vegetarian.

There were a few coarse stops such as a dessert order getting mixed up and the waitress spilling a tray full of food, which to their credit was very promptly and effectively cleared up. So, maybe Sunday mornings might not be their best service day, the food certainly is as good as it gets in a rather pleasant and authentic styled setting.

If the test of a restaurant is an overall satisfying experience, this restaurant certainly complied.

 Sarawan Bhawan

413 Amsterdam Ave,

Manhattan, NY 10024

 
  Phone: (212) 721-7755
 

 

 

 

 
Saravanaa Bhavan (Vegetarian) on Urbanspoon

Filed Under Restaurant Reviews, Uncategorized Tagged With New York City, Restaurant Reviews, Sarawana Bhawan, South Indian, Vegetarian

Sweet Rice Pilaf

March 28, 2012 Leave a Comment

I first tasted the traditional version of this recipe in an event where my music teacher or Gaan Dida was present. It was a pot luck event and one of her students from Bangladesh had brought this offering. The recipe was a very sweet rice pilaf colored with deep orange, called jorda.

I like the concept and since then worked with it to give it several healthier makeovers, these have not really amended the taste significantly. I have eliminated the clarified butter and food color. I have instead replaced the color with grated sweet potatoes, which actually give the dish a lovely streaked appearance and the sweetness of the vegetable blends in beautifully with the light sweetness of the rice. Mostly, I like the fact that the this could be done fairly quickly with some pantry staples, what I did not like was its dependance on artificial color.

While I have eliminated the clarified butter, I make the recipe with maple syrup, which is actually similar in concept although not quite in flavor to the date palm molasses called notun gur. I am absolutely addicted to maple syrup and use it for anything that I can get away with. It also saves the trouble of making sugar syrup all in all rendering the recipe rather easy to put together for fairly good results.

 

Its lighter sweet taste makes it cross lines between the dessert and savory rice, so I often serve it along with the rest of the meal, alongside the white rice and depending up the palate of the eaters it is either eaten along with the savory dishes or relished on the side as a dessert.

 Bengali Sweet Pilaf

 Prep Time:10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 to 25 minutes

Serves 4 to 6

 Ingredients

 1 large sweet potato

1 cup of dark maple syrup

¾ cup of white rice (basmati or a short grained variety)

1 teaspoon saffron strands

A few pieces of cinnamon

3 to 4 cardamoms

1/3 cup chopped pecans

1/3 cup cashew nuts

1/3 cup dark raisins

 Method of Preparation

 1. Peel and grate the sweet potato and set aside.

2. Place the maple syrup in a large pan and bring to a simmer.

3. Add in the rice and ½ cup of water and heat until the liquid is simmering.

4. Add in the sweet potato, saffron strands, cinnamon, cardamoms, pecans, cashew nuts and the raisins.

5. Cover the mixture and cook on low heat for about 20 minutes.

6. The maple syrup mixture should be completely absorbed and the rice should be a pale saffron color, with darker orange streaks from the sweet potatoes.

7. Arrange the rice on a serving platter and serve warm.

 If desired the syrup can be added with the water into a rice cooker and the rest of the dish can be completed in the rice cooker.

 

Filed Under Bengali, Regional Indian, Weeknight Cooking Tagged With Bengali Sweet Rice, Dessert, Maple Syrup, Pecans, Quick Jorda, Rice Pilaf, Saffron, Sweet Potatoes, Sweet Vegan, Vegetarian
« Older Posts

Finding Vegan

    • Template Customized by Bloggermint