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!

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!

Presenting: Indian Food???

I LOVE LOVE LOVE Indian food. After all, it is the food of my origin and the food that conjures up memories of my childhood. Although the cuisine of India draws you in with its delicious aroma and tantalizes your taste buds with its complexity of flavors, visually, it leaves something to be desired. Daily Indian fare- at least the region I am from – consists of bread (roti, paratha, etc), a vegetable dish, a rice dish and either one of the many variations of lentil soup (daal) or yogurt lentil soup (khadi) all meant to be eaten family style. Even most Indian restaurants serve and present the food in this manner. The plating and presentation would receive abysmal marks if it were judged on Top Chef or Iron Chef. There needs to be change!

And so today this little Indian foodista has taken on a personal challenge to take traditional Indian food and give it a food makeover. Stay tuned for the adventure ahead!

Mixed Vegetables in a Tomato Gravy

I always feel like I am on a time crunch and late for everything. I am constantly late for work eventhough I live within walking distance! I am constantly late getting home from work which makes me late for the gym (well in all actuality I usually skip this part 😦 eeks!) and in turn puts me on a time crunch for making dinner. And when the hubby is hungry – quick simple meals are key! One of my favorite simple dishes to make is my mummy’s mixed vegetables in a tomato gravy. This is such a comfort dish for me and perfect when all you have on hand is basic essentials. The spicy tomato gravy in this dish is perfect to soak up with a nice crusty piece of bread. Using a few fresh ingredients and a bag of frozen mixed vegetables cuts down on the prep work making this meal super easy and quick! And if you keep these essentials stocked in your home – it becomes the perfect go to meal.

Mixed Vegetables in a Tomato Gravy

1 large onion – chopped in medium size pieces
1 large potato – chopped in 1/2″ cubes
1 green bell pepper – chopped in small pieces (optional)
1 lb. frozen mixed vegetables (the one we use includes corn, peas, carrots, green beans and lima beans) – washed
1 1/2 plum tomatoes – chopped in medium size pieces
1 tsp. tomato paste
1 cup water
1/4 tsp. turmeric powder
1 tsp. red chilli powder (this makes it spicy! Use 1/2 tsp. if you don’t want it too spicy)
1/4 tsp. coriander & cumin powder
1/4 tsp. garam masala
1/2 tsp. sugar (optional)
1/2 tbsp. oil
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. mustard seeds
Salt to taste

1) Heat oil in a pressure cooker. Add cumin and mustard seeds and wait for them to splutter.

2) Add onions and sauté until soft and translucent.

3) Add tomatoes and tomato paste. Sauté until tomatoes are soft and start forming a gravy.

4) Add potato, frozen mixed vegetables, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, salt to taste and water. Also add bell pepper if you have it on hand (we didn’t so I omitted it).

5) Close cooker. After two sounds of the whistle, turn off the stove. Once pressure cooker cools down and pressure is released, open cooker. Place stove flame medium.

6) Add cumin coriander powder and garam masala. If you like more gravy, add 1/4 cup more water. Let it cook for 5 additional minutes. Per your taste, add sugar (it does not sweeten the dish – just gives a nice balance to the acidity of the tomatoes).

When ready to serve, garnish with fresh coriander (we didn’t have any on hand =\ ). Serve with paratha’s or toasted bread. My favorite is a nice crusty French bread (not toasted) to dip in the gravy – however to be figure friendly we had toasted multi-grain bread. And lastly add your favorite accompaniments like onions or tangy homemade mango pickle.

Note: If you do not have a pressure cooker – do not fret! It will take just a little longer to cook it with traditional methods. For a quick way to do this – slightly cook the potatoes and vegetables in the microwave and then add to the tomato gravy with water. Simmer on high heat until vegetables are tender.

Hope you try the first recipe I am posting! Feel free to leave comments!