Archive for the 'Indian' Category

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Dosa Truck – Los Angeles

Published by Gastronomer on July 28, 2009 in Indian, Los Angeles, Meals on Wheels and Restaurant Review. 10 Comments

It seems that Los Angeles’ flourishing mobile food scene grows more interesting, and not to mention competitive, by the day. The little Korean taco truck that could has inspired entrepreneurial Angelenos from every corner of the city to bring their gourmet offerings to the streets. In just the past few months, dozens of trucks have popped up serving everything under the sun from Japanese rice burgers to Hawaiian-style shaved ice. And most recently, Indian dosas.

In this down economy, roach coaches have become the great equalizers. The lower start-up costs associated with these ventures have made it possible for ordinary people who possess the essential combination of drive and creativity to take the wheel, literally and figuratively. The food can oftentimes be hit or miss, but the awesome passion of these individuals is always present.

I’ve wanted to sample L.A.’s brand of street food ever since Kogi hit the ground running, but alas, only the Westside was privy to such trendy action. The San Gabriel Valley always gets the short end of the hipster stick.

My dreams of meals on wheels were finally realized this weekend while chilling in Venice. A collection of trucks, including Kogi, Cool Haus, Fishlips Sushi, Get Shaved Ice, and Dosa Truck, were gathered at The Brig on Abbot Kinney. Since I don’t find myself surrounded by mobile food vendors very often, I wanted to hit them all.

First up, Dosa Truck.

The proud Brooklynite who owns Dosa Truck chose to sell these delicate South Indian morsels as a nod to the cuisine she grew up eating. Upon hearing that she hailed from New York, I asked if her venture was inspired by Washington Square Park’s famous Dosa Man. She said that she gets that all the time, but no, the idea for Dosa Truck was all her own. In fact, she has always wanted to open a restaurant, but couldn’t afford to do so financially. The mobile food trend allowed her to fulfill her dreams in an unconventional way.

The sweet potato dosa ($6) that I sampled was made to order and arrived hot, long, and lean. The filling, which was a touch too cool, provided an interesting spin on traditional potato and onion dosas. The crepe was crispy in the right spots, but too sour for my taste. What made the dosa experience worthwhile were the bloomed spice chutneys served alongside. The mint and coconut chutney was especially appealing.

Follow Dosa Truck on Twitter @dosatruck.

POWER RANKINGS

India Jones Chow Truck > Dim Sum Truck > World Fare Bustaurant < Border Grill Truck > Cool Haus > Lomo Arigato > Don Chow > Kogi > Marked 5 > Dosa Truck > Phamish

Aladin Sweets & Market – Los Angeles

Published by Gastronomer on May 11, 2009 in Bangladeshi, Indian, Koreatown, Los Angeles and Restaurant Review. 10 Comments

There are only four words in the English dictionary that are short, sweet, and crass enough to aptly describe dining out with Tony C:

Balls. To. The. Wall.

Inspired in part by a piece in the New York Times titled, Koreans and Bangladeshis Vie in Los Angeles District, Tony C. spearheaded a Bangladeshi feast at Aladin Sweets & Market. Attendees included me, The Astronomer, Laurie, and Ani P., a Yelper and Bangladeshi food expert whom Tony C. coerced into showing us the ropes. Thanks again, Ani!

Aladin Sweets & Market, which is one of Ani P.’s favorite Bangladeshi eateries, is divided into three distinct sections. A canteen-style lunch counter brimming with goodness greets patrons as they walk through the front door. The prepared foodstuffs here can be eaten in house or packed to-go. To the left of the main entrance is a small dining room and an even smaller market. The market carries a selection of Bangladeshi, Burmese, Indian, and Pakistani spices, groceries, frozen fish, and fresh produce.

As we waited for Ani P. to arrive, Tony C. perused the enticing offerings before us and boldly declared to the man behind the counter, “We’ll take one of everything.”

As we settled into our spacious corner booth and waited for the circus of food to arrive, we sipped fresh coconut juice ($1.49) and mango lassi ($2.99).

Condiments—pickled mangoes, shredded iceberg, lemons, onions, and green chilies. The pickled mangoes tasted too astringent to some, but I dug their harsh sourness.

The biryani ($5.99), which is one of the chef’s specials, was comprised of lightly spiced basmati rice fried with tender mutton and sprinkled with crispy shallots to finish.

Curry four ways (clockwise from top left)—mutton ($2.99), daal ($1.99), beef ($2.99), and vegetable ($2.99). Between the meaty duo, our table favored the musky mutton over the succulent, but standard beef. The big hunks of winter melon in the vegetable curry were most excellent.

To the untrained palate, the selection of curries more or less tasted like typical Indian ones. For someone who grew up eating Bangladeshi cuisine like Ani P., the subtle differences in spicing and preparation were far more pronounced and distinct.

Ani P. was concerned that the sag bhajee ($2.99) was too bizarre for our group, but we assured her that our tastes were very adventurous. Comprised of spinach, onions, and tomatoes simmered in a fragrant bath of garam marsala, chili powder, turmeric, and garlic, the stringy sag bhajee registered a zero on the Strange-o-Meter scale and a solid 7.5 on the Yum-o-Meter. Best of all, the sag bhajee made us feel virtuous for downing spinach in huge heaps.

The saffron-hued hash brown dish was as forgettable as its proper Bangladeshi name.

The most noteworthy, delicious, and distinctly Bangladeshi treat we sampled was the mooli paratha ($3.99)—flat bread (paratha) stuffed with scrambled eggs, onion, green chilies, tomato, cilantro, and shredded chicken. Made to order, the mooli paratha arrived beautifully toasted and generously stuffed. This gem is worth braving L.A. traffic for.

In the deep-fried carbohydrates department, we ordered a few luchis (left – $1 each) and a couple of vegetable samosas (right – 75¢ each). The puffed-up luchi pouches were hollow inside and pleasantly spiced with the usual savory suspects. Laurie was especially fond of these.

The samosas were great as well, but like the curries, the untrained palate could not differentiate any differences between these and their Indian counterparts.

Though they were fine enough specimens, the mountain of roti (left – $1.50 per serving) and paratha (right – $1.50 per serving) were largely ignored by our table due to bread overload.

Although the beef shish kabab ($3.99) appeared dry, it was surprisingly tender and very well-seasoned. Who knew shish kabab was a Bangladeshi staple?

Toward the tail end of our meal, two very traditional Bengladeshi dishes arrived—rui macher (left – $3.99) and korola bhaji (right).

Seasoned and stewed in mustard seeds, tumeric and green chilies, the rui macher fish curry was deeply flavorful but frustrating to eat due to its tiny and plentiful bones. The korola bhaji, a light stew dominated by bitter melon, was an acquired taste.

Even though we were uncomfortably stuffed at the end of our feast, we managed to share two small sweets. The supple rasgulla (left – $1.50)—prepared by kneading chhena (fresh curd cheese), rolling it into small balls, and boiling it in a light sugar syrup—tasted like concentrated milk in solid form. The pool of syrup wasn’t sweet enough to balance the overwhelming taste of dairy.

The orange-tinged jilapi coil ($1 per serving) tasted mostly oily and sweet. There’s a fine time for oily and sweet treats, just not at the end of a gut busting lunch.

The damage. The Astronomer and I took home three boxes of leftovers. We were amply fed for the next three days.

Dining with Tony C. is madness.

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Aladin Sweets & Market, Inc.
139 S. Vermont Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90004
Phone: 213-382-9592

Urvashi & Love Noodle House – Ho Chi Minh City

Published by Gastronomer on July 31, 2008 in Indian, Malaysian, Saigon and Singaporean. 2 Comments

Even though District 7 is located next door to District 4, The Astronomer and I rarely venture to this part of town because their brand of suburbia isn’t rockin’. District 7 is Saigon’s first-ever planned neighborhood and is full of wide roads and fresh air. I’ve got nothing against order and cleanliness, but the place just feels a bit creepy to me.

District 7 is home to the city’s largest group of expats—the Koreans—and their influence on how the community has developed can be seen at every sterile turn. Often referred to as Little Korea or Singapore of the future, this neighborhood has a distinct flavor all its own (kind of like kimchi).

On assignment for AsiaLIFE, I traveled to District 7 for a feature entitled Street Smart. Although the majority of the establishments in this neck of the woods are generic, boring and a wee distrubing (check out Petite Ange – 5B 21 Park View Building, Nguyen Duc Canh Street), I did encounter two culinary gems—Urvashi and Love Noodle House.

Urvashi
D003 Nguyen Binh Street
After being evicted from their District 1 location, Urvashi relocated to District 7 late last year. Uravashi specializes in south Indian cuisine and is known for their dosas. This suburban outlet is just as good as the original downtown location, and everyone’s favorite Mega Dosa is still a fabulously tasty treat at 35,000 VND. The chilled spicy coconut chutney is unbelievably good paired with the potato and onion stuffed Mega Dosa.

Love Noodle House
D002 Nguyen Binh Street
While this restaurant’s name conjures up images of canoodling couples sharing bowls of steaming hot noodles, the reality is anything but. Love Noodle House is a casual hole in the wall that wouldn’t be out of place in London or New York City. The speciality here is Malaysian and Singapore rice and noodle dishes, and the Malay chef heading the kitchen knows exactly what he’s doing. The classic Malay dish Bak Jut Teh set (57,000 VND), which consists of meaty pork ribs in a complex broth of herbs and spices including with rice or noodles, tastes just like it was made in the streets of Kuala Lampur. Another hit are the stir-fried egg noodles with slices of barbecued pork and pork ribs. The sauce is notches better than classic Chinese oyster sauce. If your favourite Malay or Singaporean dish isn’t on the menu, the talented team in the kitchen will whip it up for you. How that for great service?

Mosque Restaurant – Ho Chi Minh City

Published by Gastronomer on July 4, 2008 in Indian, Restaurant Review and Saigon. 0 Comments

The Mosque Restaurant on Dong Du Street in District 1 is a melting pot of races, religions and flavours. Cathy Danh samples the offerings and explores the history of this landmark establishment.

Although the number of Muslims in HCM City is modest, the Islam community’s impact on the city’s gastronomic and physical landscape is undeniable. Throughout District 1, restaurants specialising in Halal food seem as ubiquitous as those serving sushi, while grandiose houses of worship can be found on popular thoroughfares like Nam Ky Khoi Ngia, Nguyen Van Troi and Tran Hung Dao.

One such mosque located on Dong Du (66 Dong Du Street, District 1) combines both architectural intrigue and culinary genius. Built in 1935, the mosque is one of 12 serving HCM city and was originally constructed for worshipers from southern India residing in Saigon.

Forty-five years after the mosque was erected, Nguyen Van Thanh and his family opened a restaurant behind the main building serving Indian curries (ca ri an do) to local practitioners (dao Hoi) and visiting Muslim businessmen.

Thanh, whose father is Indian and mother is Vietnamese, runs an efficient shop and does brisk business during lunch and dinner. His multicultural background is apparent in how he procures ingredients and prepares food. Spices imported from Malaysia and Singapore are combined with local ingredients like ginger, garlic, onions, pepper and chillies to produce homey curries that keep crowds coming back for more.

Although the Mosque Restaurant was originally intended for Muslims, today, the clientèle is impressively diverse. It’s not unusual to see a German expat dining beside a group of Vietnamese businesswomen or Pakistani tourists.

The al fresco dining space is unfussy and functional. There’s a wipe board listing the day’s offerings, but the easiest route is to lift the lids off the metal pots and order based on sight and smell. There are always a myriad of curries on offer including beef, fish, chicken, squid and vegetarian.

Seasoned with Garam Masala, a blend of spices including cumin, pepper and saffron, the beef curry (45,000 VND) is brimming with hearty hunks of meat. The thin gravy has just a touch of spice and tastes even better dipped with roti prata (7,000 VND), a flaky and slightly chewy pancake made of eggs, fat, flour and water, or atop a mound of Biryani rice (10,000 VND), saffron-coloured grains studded with cashews, green beans and carrots.

The fish and vegetable curries veer toward tart and sweet respectively and offer a nice change of pace from standard spice combinations.

Order a curry or two, but don’t dare leave without trying the simple and satisfying sides. The fluffy made-to-order omelette (10,000 VND) is unexpectedly spicy and dotted with thin slices of shallots. The home fries-style potatoes (10,000 VND) seasoned with bay leaves, ginger, garlic, onions and tomatoes pair tastily with any of the curries and basmati rice. Although the green beans (10,000 VND) can be a touch over-cooked, their delicate saltiness provides a pleasant contrast to the other savoury dishes.

Oftentimes, it feels like HCM City is a divided town in which foreigners frequent certain designated joints while locals stick to their neighbourhood haunts. Refreshingly, the Mosque Restaurant is one place where multiculturalism can be seen at every table.

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Published in AsiaLIFE Magazine July 2008

Taj Mahal – Ho Chi Minh City

Published by Gastronomer on November 13, 2007 in Indian, Restaurant Review and Saigon. 2 Comments

October 30, 2007 and November 12, 2007
Cuisine: Indian, Halal

241/1 Pham Ngu Lao Street
District 1, Ho Chi Minh City

Phone: 2461108
Website: none

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Keema Samosa (25,000 VND)

Vegetable Samosa (20,000 VND)

Salad – tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, vinaigrette (complimentary)

Chappati (8,000 VND)

Plain Naan (10,000 VND)

Garlic Naan (15,000 VND)

Plain Parauntha (10,000 VND)

Palak Paneer (25,000 VND)

Mutton Curry (50,000 VND)

Mutter Keema (40,000 VND)

Plain Daal (20,000 VND)

Mutton Korma (55,000 VND)

Chicken Tikka Masala (50,000 VND)

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Since my arrival in Saigon three months ago, I have not strayed far from local fare. I am a purist at heart and staunchly oppose eating non-Vietnamese cuisines while in Vietnam. Personally, the idea of going out for Spanish paella or Brazilian churrascaria just strikes me as unnatural and completely out of context.

No nuoc mam, no thanks!

It was not until recently when I was taken out to lunch by The Astronomer that I began to rethink my preconceived notions about locality and cuisine. Our midday destination was an Indian restaurant located in a narrow alleyway within the backpacker quarter. The restaurant’s sheltered location assures that the distracting sounds of the city are kept in the background.

Muhammad Zaman opened Taj Mahal eight years ago after he noticed a shortage of South Asian cuisine on a visit to Vietnam. In addition to owning the restaurant, Zaman also serves as its executive chef. With over 20 years of cooking experience under his belt, Zaman takes great pride in preparing Halal dishes from the northern region of India. His personal favorite dish served at the restaurant is the Chicken Korma.

A surefire way to begin any meal is with an order of samosa, which are served fresh out of the deep fryer and paired with cilantro chutney. The pair of Vegetable Samosas (20,000VND) have a crisp exterior, spicy interior and are stuffed with potatoes, cilantro and onions and seasoned with cumin and curry. My personal favorite starter is the Keema Samosas (25,000VND), which contain a savory blend of lamb and chicken. Spiced just right, these meaty hot pockets really whet one’s appetite.

Taj Mahal’s extensive menu offers an array of dishes highlighting lamb, chicken, seafood and beef. According to Zaman, the Chicken Tandoori, an Indian-style barbecue dish, is the favorite among patrons. The Lamb Curry (50,000VND) was recommended to us by our waitress and did not disappoint. After growing accustomed to gnawing the meat off bones in Vietnamese cuisine, it was pleasant to encounter meat so tender that it fell off the bone with ease. Another standout is the Mutter Keema (40,000VND), an intensely flavorful collection of minced beef, peas, garlic and classic Indian spices.

For a lighter dining experience, a slew of vegetarian dishes are also available at Taj Mahal. Palak Paneer (26,000VND), creamy spinach dappled with cubes of un-aged Paneer cheese, is always a crowd pleaser. The Plain Daal (20,000VND), stewed lentils mildly spiced with turmeric, cumin, onions, and tomatoes, provides a welcomed contrast for the palate.

The best way to experience both meat and vegetarian entrees is with a selection of Indian breads, which range from 8,000-20,000VND. Taj Mahal serves several varieties of Naan, Chapatti and Parauntha. Each type has its own unique texture and density, but all provide excellent vehicles for sopping up the aromatic and delectable gravies. Even though the Chapatti’s light and flaky texture means it’s not the most practical utensil, I find it to be irresistible.

For a change of pace from the usual Vietnamese fare, Taj Mahal offers an ideal and affordable escape.

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Indian wins the prize for the least photogenic genre of food.