Recipe: Chana Daal with Bottle Gourd
Restaurant Review: ilili
But first a quick valentine’s day getaway =)
Happy Valentine’s Day everyone!
Restaurant Review: Indikitch
One of my favorite aspects of NYC (and USA for that matter) is the melting pot of cultures. Where else can you go experience the Chinese New Year, watch the Thanksgiving Day Parade, take salsa to Bollywood dance classes and eat Lebanese or Ethiopian cuisine?! I love it and feel so blessed to be able to experience it all! We take the best every culture has to offer and make it our own. Since immigrants started coming to America, they brought what they knew from their homeland and introduced it to the American culture in a way that would appeal to the masses. I call it making that culture “mainstream.” We did it with Italian food, Mexican food and Chinese food. However, Indian food has not broken into this mainstream. Until now that is. I present to you Indikitch. The new way of eating Indian food that’s fast, healthy, simple and integrated into the American lifestyle. Many have tried and many have thought of doing this (believe me, I know!) and I think this place has succeeded!
Indikitch is now open in New York City (and it’s only been 6 days since it opened) and I can see it franchising into something big all across the USA. Why, you may ask? Simple: It’s modeled after Chipotle but for Indian food. You first chose your style (feast, rice, salad or sandwich) and then you chose your main protein/veggie that you would like in your style.
Then you can get any sides and/or drinks. The best thing is, your main is prepared to order and it’s fast. I decided to go with the sandwich with mushroom kadai as my main. It took all of 3-4 minutes to toast my bread, get my main on the tawa (an Indian sauté pan/grill – you must watch this part!) and assemble the sandwich for me to enjoy.
The verdict – an excellent sandwich indeed! I loved the coriander mayo and the tandoori spices used for the mushrooms. It made for a great combination. My only complain is they should cut the sandwich in half. It would have made it easier to eat. Regardless, it is a place that I will definitely be going back to again. Stay tuned for more adventures at Indikitch!
To the Indikitch family – Good luck!! I am so happy to have tried this from the beginning and can’t wait to see it grow!
And lastly – just a few more pictures of my amazing sandwich that I will definitely try to recreate!
Restaurant Review: S’Mac
Lunchtime! The best part of any workday especially when you are not eating alone and enjoying good conversation. Today, we ordered one of favorite go to lunch places S’Mac (Sarita’s Mac and Cheese). When I first tried this place, I was not a huge fan of mac n’cheese. After going to it, I started craving it and exploring it at other restaurants. On a cold winter day, it’s one of the most comforting things to eat.
Back to S’Mac. This place is all about mac n’cheese. They offer you over 10 different variations of their recommended mac n cheese combinations not to mention the infinite possibilities you can make by choosing all your own ingredients. (They also offer, gluten free, vegan and multigrain options for any dietary restrictions!). My favorite thus far has been their recommended Cajun Mac (mine would be without the meat of course).
the Cajun seasoning adds a nice kick to the cheese. Who knew Cajun seasoning and cheese make a good combination! This time I decided to build my own with manchego and pepperjack cheese, jalapeños, tomatoes and their garden medley of veggies.
I really enjoyed the veggies but was disappointed with the jalapeños. I was expecting pickled jalapeños and not the raw ones that were in it and clustered all in one area. That definitely was not a good bite. However, it was a very hearty lunch.
Other great flavors are the Napoletana (love the fresh basil) and the four cheese (if you’re looking for classic mac n’cheese kicked up a notch!).
All in all a great lunch! Will I go back? Of course! (I do wish though that they would do truffle mac n’cheese like vinyl – that has ruined me for S’mac)
Tips: Unless you are super hungry, go with the nosh portion – it’s the perfect size. Also, don’t have time to eat here? Grab their take n bake and bake it at home at your own leisure and enjoy!
Cauliflower, Potato and Tomato Curry
An Indian wedding goes many many days long. The typical Indian wedding is approximately 3 to 5 days long. Can you imagine planning all different breakfast, lunch and dinners for hundreds of guest for all those days? Especially when the bride’s family loves food and looks for the innovation and the groom’s family is in the restaurant business? That is what happened in our situation. Menu planning was a feat for my family and we wanted to make sure we had unique dishes that were not the standard fare and therefore will be remembered by our guest. For me, it was important to surprise my soon to be hubster with some of his favorite dishes all throughout the event. Everyone loved it! Till this day, we get complimented on the feast we had catered. (Special thanks to Rasoi and Palace of Asia and my cousins for making this happen!) For our wedding day lunch, I had Palace of Asia create a punjabi spiced version of the dish that I am about to share with you – Cauliflower, Potato and Tomato Curry. The hubster loves this dish! My mummy would make it for him all the time when we dated and once we married, I learned to make it for him. It’s hearty, simple, fast to throw together and requires very few ingredients.
The main veggies in this dish are cauliflower, tomatoes and potatoes.
The spices are very basic as well – just salt, red chilli powder turmeric and a pinch of garam masala. It’s perfect for a cold winter night.
Cauliflower, Potato and Tomato Curry (serves 4-5)
1 large potato – chopped in 1/2″ cubes
1/2 head of cauliflower chopped in small pieces (approximately 2 1/2 cups)
2 1/2 plum tomatoes – chopped in medium pieces
1 1/2 tbsp. oil
1/2 tsp. mustard seeds (rai)
1/2 tsp. cumin seeds (jeeru)
1/2 to 3/4 tsp. red chilli powder (I used 3/4 tsp. since we like ours a little spicer)
1/4 tsp. turmeric powder (haldi)
1 1/2 to 2 cups of water
Salt to taste
1-2 tbsp. chopped cilantro (optional)
1) Heat oil in a kadai/skillet/sauté pan on medium high heat.
2) After 1-2 minutes (once oil is heated) add mustard seeds and cumin seeds and wait for them to sputter.
3) Add chopped potato, turmeric powder and red chilli powder and mix.
4) Lower heat, add 1/2 cup of water and cover pan/wok. Place heat back on medium high and let potatoes cook for 3-4 minutes.
5) Add cauliflower and mix. If water has evaporated, add another 1/2 cup.
6) Cover and cook on medium high heat for approximately 5 minutes until cauliflower are slightly tender.
7) Add chopped tomatoes and an additional 1/2 to 1 cup water if needed. (We like ours with more gravy so we added 1 cup).
8) At this point, my mother recommends squishing some of the potato pieces with the back of your spatula/serving spoon to help create a thicker gravy. It really works! After all, mummy knows best!
9) Add garam masala and mix. Cover and cook for another 2-3 minutes until the tomatoes soften up and some of the water thickens to a gravy.
10) And voila! It’s ready to serve. Garnish with fresh cilantro and serve with roti/paratha or rice along with your favorite accompaniments. (We used homemade mango pickle, pickled peppers, onions and papadum).
Hope you enjoy this dish as much as we do! I hope this inspires the hubster to make it for me one day! Keeping fingers crossed!
Spinach and Artichoke Grilled Cheese Sandwich
This year, I made the Hubster make a new year resolution – to start making, packing and taking lunch from home. This is one of the easiest ways to start saving a few dollars every week. And those dollars add up quickly especially if you are buying lunches in the NYC area which can run you 10-15 dollars everyday! Can you imagine all the savings! How is his resolution going – well let’s just say he is taking lunch at least 2-3 times a week – making and packing lunch is a different story. That job is left for his absolutely lovely sweet caring wife – ME! One of our favorite lunches is a grilled cheese sandwich. And it can’t be just any ordinary grilled cheese, it has to be a gourmet grilled cheese. Let’s start with the basics of what I believe are the fundamentals to making a crunchy, perfectly melted, tasty grilled cheese.
1) Bread – this is essential to getting the desired crunchiness! I’m not a fan of pre-packaged breads for grilled cheese. My preference is really good bakery bread that can be found at any supermarket. Crispy, chewy, flaky crust on the outside. Light, fluffy and airy on the inside.
2) Butter – a good spreadable salted butter. (Though I do tend to omit this at times to save a few calories)
3) Cheese – use a good flavored melting cheese. Additionally, I like to shred my own cheese. I think it helps the cheese melt more evenly – not to mention you can cover every inch of the bread with cheese.
4) Fillers – this is where you can get creative! Our favorites are mushrooms, spinach, broccoli, Potbelly’s pepper mix (or giardiniera mix will do as well), olives, pickled jalapeños, onions and tomatoes. Of course we don’t use these all at once! Which leads to my last basic and maybe the most important
5) Proportion! – The perfect bite should have the right amount of bread to cheese to fillers. Over filling the sandwich will make it fall apart. By adding too much cheese you risk losing your flavor profile. By not having enough cheese, you risk calling it grilled cheese.
Most important thing to remember,you have to determine what works for you and your taste! Everything is a matter of opinion.
Next, let’s talk about cooking your grilled cheese – there are many methods from stovetop cooking to oven cooking. My preferred method is using my Cuisinart Griddler only because it’s fast, easy and easy cleanup!
Now that we have our basics, let’s build our grilled cheese. For tomorrow’s lunch, I’ve decided to use multigrain bread, fresh mozzarella cheese, parmigiano-reggiano, spinach, artichokes and for my husbands sandwich – onions and Potbelly peppers.
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First butter your bread. Then layer it with mozzarella cheese. At this point I add some salt and freshly cracked black black pepper. I always like to add the cheese first because it’s the glue for my bread and fillers.
Next, I layer my spinach and artichokes.
. For the Hubster’s sandwich I add a few sliced onions and the Potbelly’s pepper. I top it off with the parmigiano-reggiano. Normally, I use parmigiano-reggiano to coat the outside of the bread to make a cheesy crust. This time I added it on the inside. (I did also sneak in a few pieces of mozzarella cheese.
Last top it off with another slice of buttered. I just close my Griddler and let it cook it for 4-5 minutes on high. Once it’s done, serve immediately or place on a cooling rack if it’s for later.
The verdict: The hubster loved loved loved his grilled cheese for lunch. Hopefully, I can motivate him to make it himself next time!
Restaurant Review: Vinyl
Happy Broadway Week everyone! One of best things about NYC is theater. The only negative about this is good seats at a show can be very costly! The solution: NYC Broadway Week and Off Broadway Week. During this time, tickets are 50% off to some of the most popular shows like The Lion King and Wicked! My husband and I have taken advantage of this every year and see as many different shows as possible. This year, we decided to go to Wicked!
. My first Wicked experience was a couple of years back with my bestie. Since then, I have been itching to see it again. This year – the Hubster made it happen. I couldn’t be any more excited to sharing his first Wicked experience with him! Verdict: I still loved it!
Enough of talk on the show. One broadway tradition is the pre-theater dinner. The theater district offers a range of restaurant options including some of our favs Tolache, Carmine’s and John’s Pizzeria. This time around we tried a new place – well new for me – Vinyl. This retro diner offers an eclectic upscale diner menu highlighted by an equally enticing cocktail menu. To start with, we ordered a side of their brussel sprouts. Our waitress was really honest with us about this dish – some people love it and some people hate it. We loved it! If you like tangy, lemony and spicy all in one, you will want to try these brussel sprouts. I wanted to just drink the cooking juices left at the bottom of the bowl. For our entrees we ordered the veggie burger with fries and the truffle mac and cheese with a small side salad. The truffle mac and cheese was divine!
. Instead of using traditional elbow macroni, this was made with gemelli pasta. This has to be one of the best mac and cheeses I’ve tried so far. The veggie burger on the other hand was a disappointment for me.
First, the bread was not sturdy enough to hold the burger together. The veggie burger and all it’s toppings were just too big for this thin small sliced bread. The veggie burger itself was not my favorite. It tasted more like a bland black bean burger. I would recommend not ordering this item.
As for the drinks, I recommend the Don ho. To us it tasted like spiked ginger sugarcane juice and brought us back to our homeland of India.
All in all it was a pretty good pre-theater dinner.
P.S. If you are not to tired after the show, stop by Schmackary’s for cookies and shakes. Believe me you won’t regret those extra calories!
Till we meet again!
Restaurant Review: Zero Otto Nove
Let’s talk Girls Night! Now I love my husbster and all and wish to spend every waking moment with him, but sometimes all I want is some time with my girls. There are just some things that your significant other just can’t understand! Last night, after what seems like a forever long time, I got to spend some time with one of my favorite girls. She is another indianfoodista and shares my passion and adventures for food. Having moved to the city recently – she is exploring this passion to the fullest! She introduced me to one of her discoveries in her neighborhood – Zero Otto Nove. This little (well it’s actually fairly large inside) Italian place is a gem – especially if you are looking for some great Italian food and don’t feel like waiting in the long lines at it’s neighbor, Eataly. We decided to skip on the apps and the pizza (my foodista did say their pizza really isn’t that great) and went straight for their pastas! The one I absolutely had to try was the Radiatore al Cartoccio – translated to radiator shaped pasta cooked in tin foil parcel. Yes, you saw right – a tin foil parcel! The pasta actually comes out in the parcel with its own server who opens it up for you and gently takes out onto your plate.
At first glance, I was in love and intrigued by the interesting shape of the pasta (little radiators! I’ve never seen it before). The aroma and the beauty of the dish makes you want to delve right in but do not do that! Trust me – tried, tested and burned. The dish is piping hot and will burn your tongue if you go for a heaping forkful. Be patient – it’s well worth the wait. The juice released from the mushrooms and tomatoes during the cooking process becomes a well balanced sauce for the pasta. I will be attempting to make this at home at some point or maybe I’ll just keep coming back for more!
Now l’m not going to forget about my friends dish here – something very classic but made so beautifully – fettuccine alfredo with freshly shaved black truffle.
This dish was on their specials and I’m so happy my friend ordered it! This pasta also came with its own server who shaves the black truffle on the dish and then mixes it for you before you began eating. This was so simply good. I loved that it was light and not super creamy and heavy. It was light and still very indulgent and luxurious.
Girls night is not over yet. No girls night should end without some chocolate! So to top off this dinner, we ordered profiteroles!
The cream and chocolate were delicious but the pastry was a little too chewy for my taste. Still a great end to a girls night.
Thanks to my lovely friend and indianfoodista in crime, D, for a perfect girls night! Can’t wait for the many more to come!
Restaurant Review: Sabores Restaurante Mexicano,Hoboken
Random date nights are the best! Especially when they are filled with sangria and some healthy Mexican food! Last night, the hubster gave me a break from the kitchen and surprised me with a special date night at Sabores! This restaurant is amazing! Two floors, outdoor seating in the summer, a little bar and best thing of all it’s BYOB! Bring a bottle of wine and they will make you sangria, bring tequila and they will make you margaritas, bring champagne or prosecco and they will make you a mimosas and bellinis all for a very small fee. We brought a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon and had a pitcher of white sangria made. It was very sweet and definitely mellowed out the taste of the wine (personally just how I like it!). I was super excited to go to this restaurant due to their extensive vegetarian options and especially because they had vegetarian tamales! Unfortunatelly, when we tried to order the vegetarian tamales, the waiter said they were basically finished. However, after learning that it was going to be my first tamale experience, he went to the kitchen and learned there was one last tamale left and served it up for me.
And for my first tamale experience it was okay. I expected more sweetness from the corn and then more flavor from the veggies inside. I will give it one more time before I make my final verdict on tamales. For our main dinner we ordered Sopa Azteca (tortilla soup), Plato fiesta (nachos) and vegetarian enchiladas rancheras. Let’s start with the soup.
The portion size was much larger than we expected and we wished we had gotten the smaller size because it filled us up! It had the makings of an amazing soup but was somewhat lacking in the flavor department. It just didn’t compare to the tortilla soup at our East Village spot El Camion. Would I order it again? Most likely a no but catch me in another NYC polar vortex and I might just say yes. Next comes the nachos.
Now, I make a pretty mean plate of nachos myself and my base point is always that. Can I just say, I may just have a new base point?! These nachos were truly amazing! The right proportion of black beans to cheese to lettuce to tomatoes on each bite! Not to mention the chips were pretty sturdy and were able to hold the load of the toppings and stay crunchy. As full as I was, I kept nibbling on them and didn’t want them to take away the plate! Last, we’ll move onto the enchiladas which we unfortunately forgot to take a picture of (what can I say we were so tempted from the presentation that we dug right in!). I loved these enchiladas for the flavorful sauce, the loads of veggies and for the fact that they did not load up on the cheese. As a vegetarian, I appreciated that I didn’t have to settle for just beans and cheese. This offered me a healthier lighter version of a traditional favorite. Looking forward to my next visit there to try some more of their vegetarian options!
Thank you Sabores for a great date night!
Bakery Review: Levain Bakery
Did someone say cookies??? Chocolate chip cookies?! There is nothing so good as a warm chocolate chip cookie with morsels of melted chocolate and a big cold glass of milk. Where do I go for my chocolate chip cookie craving – only the best place for them – Levain Bakery. I first heard about these cookies from the one and only Oprah Winfrey! She featured them as one of her favorite things in her show. I first tried these cookies when a gentlemen friend of mine brought these to me. And when I first experienced them at the bakery – there was no going back. These cookies are it for me! Levain bakery features four types of cookies – chocolate chip walnut, double chocolate chip, oatmeal raisin, dark chocolate peanut butter chip. Each one is served freshly baked and warm. At four dollars a cookie they are expensive but very well worth it! These cookies are huge, very moist (cake like texture) and – if you get the chocolate chip walnut – filled with loads of melted chocolate chips!
Since it is somewhat far for me to get to them (located on the Upper Westside on 74th and Amsterdam), I’ve developed a ritual for whenever I am lucky enough to go there. I get one chocolate chip walnut cookie to have at the bakery and at least one to take home. The one I take home is enjoyed in two to three sittings warmed pieces at a time in the microwave and dunked in a big cold glass of milk. Now – I must warn you – these are NOT meant for sharing! They are too dangerously delicious to share with anyone. My poor hubster was absolutely surprised when I nearly chewed his head off for taking a bite of my cookie while we were at the bakery (he had opted for the slightly healthier oatmeal raisin cookie and of course wanted mine instead!). So please remember, for the sake of any relationship, do not share!
I can’t wait for another trip there. I am hoping to make it on a Sunday morning when they supposedly have the most amazing cinnamon rolls! Levain Bakery – you will be missed – till me meet again!
Restaurant Review: Charrito’s Hoboken
Sometimes all you want is some good homestyle cheap Mexican food. My husband and I get cravings for it! We had our spots when we lived in NYC but after moving to Hoboken, we didn’t know where to go! And one magical cold winter night we stumbled upon this place – Charrito’s located right in downtown Hoboken on Washington Street. We walked into this tiny place and felt so welcomed by the wait staff – it was as if we were walking into their home. We decided to forego appetizers this time around and went right for our entrees. My husband ordered one of his favorite Mexican dishes – veggie enchiladas and I went for veggie chilaquiles! Every since our trip to Cancun where we had the best chilaquiles for breakfast everyday, I try them at every place we go to hoping to find something like it! How did this compare?
To be honest, they were a bit disappointing. They lacked the flavor, veggies beyond onions and peppers and some crunch. Not to mention I was disappointed with the browning avocado slices =|. No bueno! But not to fret, my husband’s veggie enchilada’s were the saving grace.
Proper ratio of cheese, tortilla to veggies and sauce. Our favorite part was the side of refried beans. They reminded us of our childhood. I could have done with another side of those! So although we will never order the chilaquiles again, we will certainly going back for the enchiladas!
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