Indian food Forever is an extensive recipe finding website

I am cooking more and more Indian food. Indian food Forever is an extensive recipe finding website. Very nice layout, extensive way to find recipes and more. Check it out.

This Indian website has recipes, a listing of Best recipe of the month and much more.


http://www.indianfoodforever.com/punjabi/hariyali-tikki.html

Marsala: Are the rating for this restaurant wrong?

Are the rating for this restaurant in Overland Park wrong? Indian food is remarkable, flavorful and has many much to offer for everyone’s palate. Sampling Indian and Asian restaurants and fare in the Kansas City area and the US, has always been a passion. Good Indian food at restaurants is enjoyment as there are so many different tastes to savor.

My curiosity was piqued when my attention was raised about this place after it replaced a Hawaiian restaurant. I've known about this one since it opened. My friends tried it and liked the buffet but trying it still not been achieved. Why? Because despite the majority of people giving this restaurant a 72% rating ( currently) , the feedback by many is anything less then stellar. In fact most reviews rate quite poor to fair. To me , the actual words and feedback by people after eating is far more an indicator then the percentage. From the reviews, the food does seem to be INCONSTANT with the food, service or tastes. Other comments seem to in reflect this mode as well (check out all comments not top ones).

Because of these reviews posted by others , I feel I will not waste my money on this place. I won’t even "Bite the bullet because there are too many other Indian restaurants locally that I like that are consistent. I don’t have to wonder when I am going in “what am I in for - good or bad food, food service etc”. I am all for an adventure but this place seems to have many "roadblocks ". I don't want to waste my $$$$. So I will go elsewhere.

Culinary Explorations - I was not in Kansas but in Providence

I came out East last week to watch my son play a recital for his senior year at Juliard Music School in New York City. Before that happened , I flew back into Providence, to visit family and sampled several of its great restaurants in and around Providence. There were new places to try and one from last year that I only found out last year Apsara Palace.

I love Apsara Palace.There are several reasons for me to come back to a restaurant: reasonable prices, food that is a level above your ordinary fare, varied menu, good service and ambiance. This place meets all of those criteria points and we love it.

For the second time, my good friends from Newton, Mass met us for another memorable feast. The food is so good and the menu so expansive, its just a lovely place to tantalize your taste buds. So why not because they love it too.
We had crispy vegetarian spring rolls, vegetarian There is a little art to making your food for these little duck sandwiches so I photographed each step with information at this link. (I will post a link soon)

There are quite a few eateries on Hope Street from Wickeden Street (near my brother's store Atomic Appliances and Flescher Furniture) and goes North towards the
On Hope Street restaurant row, I ducked into this gourmet food shop and bought a spicy condiment that I had never heard of make primary from spicy plum and other spices. It is a national condiment and called Tkemal. It comes in yellow, bright green and a darker hue. All give a real plum sour taste. Well spoken for, I had to buy it and try it. It is great on chicken, vegetarian burgers and more . It's great.




I had tried Cambodian recipes and I wanted to discover what it had for lunch.


I was looking for a more authentic Cambodian dish.A rather small but personable place, very intimate looking with nice tones inside. I decided to do take out. I spied the menu to decide which dish to take. The lemon grass- basil chicken seemed a good bet as I did not want to try a curry dish at this time. I love basil and this might have a different twist on its theme with the red pepper and lemongrass. I love the delicate flavor of lemongrass.
The green jalapeno gave the dish a little heat which stayed on my lips. The lemon grass flavored the chicken well. The big basil leaves did not add much to the dish but there was a subtle flavor.

When I came to Providence my brother mentioned this place.I knew of the restaurant India a few blocks away but I did not see dishes that I thought were unusual.
I wanted someplace to lunch on Sunday.

I had passed Chef Pascal. It is rated very highly. I might try it someday but not now. The fare is not my usual style and its more fine dining with a high price tag to match . Still maybe someday. But I headed for the Indian restaurant just over the line in Pawtucket.



I had never seen as Rasoi as it is tucked a little ways from the street, clustered in the middle of a vegetarian restaurant and a BBQ place and a pizza place. I am glad my brother mentioned this place because it has some fine dishes on the buffet. What better way to try a number of dishes? I really like to find and eat new and different ethnic cuisine and this place handled that assignment eloquently.

The inside has this azure blue coloration on the floors with more muted tones on the walls.

The buffet rims the side window near the front door and has quite a few tasty dishes. Going clockwise, I passed on the regular salad greens and went for the mushroom soup and then the entrees.

There were quite a few so I actually had to make another pass to get the others I missed going clockwise. I quickly found that the entrees had all types of flavors and textures, colors and were from different regions of Indian as it seemed. I have sought out and sampled Indian food at restaurants New England, Washington DC, the West Coast and many other places, besides making my own dishes at home, but this creative restaurant offered several entrees I had never heard about.

I spooned some mushroom soup into my cup. It was very interesting because it was actually mushroom - chicken soup. The chicken soup added a more velvety and smooth flavor to the soup. My young nephew loved it too. I will have to find some recipes for this mushroom soup refinement. Onward to the entrees.
There was the regular Naan bread which we loved (left). At another table we spied another more cracker like bread that does not come with this buffet (maybe we will try this in the future).

That big white object (on the right bottom) is a big hard boiled egg that sits in the middle of the egg curry.
A winner was also the potato vegetarian dish with its intricate flavors.The curry was also excellent. There was also a shrimp dish too.

I could not pass on the yellowish bread pudding (I loved bread pudding- top right hand corner). What made it unusual was the yellowish hue on the top that made it a butter bread pudding. Smooth it caped off a memorable buffet and Sunday brunch.
The service was efficient and they constantly filled our glasses so I could clean my thirst and palate.

I can see that quite a few people have already frequented this place. The price ($12) was very reasonable for the amount and excellent quality. Plus the dishes some like the potato dish and egg curry were different then I had ever seen and. When a place offers offers food "a level above ordinary (Indian) fare well I am impressed. I rate this places very high and will come back. I believe the dishes rotate so next time I will sample more and write about them again.



Going down Hope Street again , I ducked into Blaze to see what it was all about . Quite an eclectic menu with items from different parts of the world. My mother has eaten Salmon here and liked the meal. This place is a combination bar and cafe restaurant. I talked with the waitress, looked over the menu and decided on a small snack to go. I love jerk spiced items and there was a fried jerk chicken with a coconut sauce that seemed unusual The chicken were mildly crisped and not too overally fried, which was good. I was surprised that instead of a whitish sauce it was muddy brown. I dunked the chicken into it and tasted it. It was more like a tamarind type sauce with a slightly tangy lemony flavor.

I then headed down to Wayland Square to check out some of the other restaurants for future reference. La Laiterie at Farmstead had good reviews (but it would have to wait for the future for sampling). People like the authentic Asian fare at Hakura East. I can see why. It has sushi, Japanese and other Asian items. I would like to try this pricey bistro or at least one item sometime in the future too.
Also there was>, a breakfast shop with mostly American breakfast menu. I see that is has won several awards and my mother she has been here. Its quaint and maybe someday for breakfast. But my target was a Vietnamese restaurant I heard about.




I heard a lot about Pho Horn'. Last but not least, Vietnamese was on the menu before I left for Kansas. I had found that this Vietnamese restaurant was near where many years ago, I did weekend bowling. Now there is a little strip mall just West. Instead of defunct Chinese Buffet nearby there is a thriving and well spoken for Vietnamese restaurant which for all indications should be around for for along time. Here's why!

Upon entering this small area, one can't but notice the nice tropical aquarium with a huge carp or is it a goldfish? A constant stream of people constantly shuttled in to sample the Asian food, Vietnamese flavors transform chicken, beef and more into flavor nevertheless and packs good flavor, many different then regular Chinese fare. I was particularly interested in finding different Vietnamese entrees, soups etc that might be a little different from the great restaurant in Kansas City near Westport, MO and downtown. My main intent was to not to Kansas City restaurants or food but find different entrees in this case Vietnamese/ Asian fare. I am always looking for different flavors. I am also always searching for different recipes to try at home too and find other resources. In quest of tastes that cause me to say "aha" called "satori (japanese).

From the reviews this place seemed to tell me that my mother and I would like this restaurant as the Phoenix RI magazine has reviewed it favorably. The menu has plenty to choose from for myself and my mother.

I tried the marinated chicken wings with the pink colored duck sauce. The 8 wings were lightly fried has a pink duck sweet sauce with it . I finished the wings while I waited for the soup and entrees.

The unusual sweet and sour soup has to be something that I had to try. I chose the salmon.Huge chunks of the salmon swam in the pineapple sweetened and red pepper spicy soup broth. There was also bean sprouts, basil and more .

The salmon was succulent with many small bits intermingled with beansprouts, vegetables and more. I added rice to the little bowls. The broth was sweet but had a hint of heat which lingered on my lips. It was a little sweeter then I thought (maybe due to the pineapple) but it was good and very different.

My mother decided on the fried whole flounder. The one thing we should have done was ask how much it was going to be ($24).

Nevertheless, it was delicious and we feasted on almost all of it! The slightly sweet brown sauce melded well with the fish. We had to pick through the bones which was a chore but it was worth it.

I liked chewing on the fried bones and much of the rest of the fish, besides the flesh which was rather crunchy. There were tomatoes and more to go with it. Pancakes would be been good to stuff with the fish and would have made it even better.
We were stuffed so no dessert for us. Another memorable meal.

Now where can I find the recipes?
I passed by the Blue Cottage which I might try in the future for breakfast. Then it was time to head to New York City.

So many tasty pizza types at CPK which one do you select?

There seems to be so many pizza places in cities and towns all over. They are around every corner. I frankly don't understand how all the pizza places stay in business (some don't). Most of them have the boring regular types like pepperoni, cheese, sausage or hamburger or "ply" special gimics or bigger pieces. But there must be something that keeps most of them in business. But when I tasted a (boring ) Domino cheese pizza during a meeting , I shook my head and wondered, is this what what is all about? No because I don't want to eat the usual pizza. I mean I do but I would rather a pizza type that I can remember. I want something different. I am not much for chains but at this chain, there are so many different types of tasty toppings, I almost don't know which to choose. I tasted the BBQ chicken with that smoked gouda is something else (the first topping born for this chain in1985) when I tasted this type long ago in an airport. I was hooked. Since then I have tasted the Jamaican jerk chicken with the sweet Caribbean sauce and (I love) Thai chicken with mozzarella and spicy peanut chicken and sesame sauce. I really want to sink my teeth into the Mango Tandoori Chicken pizza. I'd like to compare the roasted Garlic chicken to another pizza place I love.But now there is more to the menu with great appetizers, salads, thin crust pizzas , pastas, specialties and even smoothies! So when I come here again, I know I want the tried and true honey-wheat dough but which one of the toppings from the 21 do I pick? I pick one from the " unusuals" because that is what pizza taste is all about - taking pizza to a different level. Now that this pizza (and more ) chain is in town, I can check things out even further. I also might get their pizza recipe book to make some of the delicious pizzas at home too. Then there will be Kansas City Pizza Kitchen.

Garam Marsala : The special Indian spice blend

I was recently looking for Marsala recipes since I had a good meal at J. Gilbert’s in Overland Park , KS . I had ordered a marsala-sage sauce recipe with the chicken entree. It was incredible.
I found this website which has many nice features and will put on my blog as a link for others to see.

Understanding Marsala Sauce and the Recipe for Veal Marsala
http://www.ochef.com/696.htm
(see below)

there was also a nice site with different flavors of curries and more
http://gourmet-ingredients.suite101.com/article.cfm/ethnic_spice_blends

There is also a nice recipe for the famous butter chicken. I have eaten butter chicken at several restaurants in the Kansas City area. I have never found the recipe. But there is a great recipe for one at
http://www.foodnetwork.com/saras-secrets/shortcut-suppersrotisserie-chicken/index.html
It is posted below too and it is made by some chefs and placed on the Food Channel network during one of Sarah Moulton's show. It rated very high so many people like it and I must try and sample it and take a photo of it for you all some time.

But then I saw the spice mixture and turned toward the garam marsala spice blend.
I had that but have not used it yet. Could I find some recipes using it with the eggplant I got that my wife wanted me to make while it was still ripe?

But the one I found that I wanted to make had garam marsala, tomato sauce and eggplant.
Here is that recipe that I made along with the other recipes I mentioned that you might like to try/ know about .

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M o r o c c a n E g g p l a n t w i t h G a r b a n z o B e a n s

T h i s i s a g r e a t c o l d w e a t h e r d i s h t h a t i s a n e x a m p l e o f t a s t y a n d n u t r i t i o u s a v e g e t a r i a n d i s h c a n b e . O n e s e r v i n g p r o v i d e s 1 6 6 % o f t h e D a i l y V a l u e ( D V ) f o r m o l y b d e n u m , 1 1 9 % D V f o r v i t a m i n C , 6 4 % D V f o r m a n g a n e s e a n d 6 2 % D V f o r f i b e r .
M o r o c c a n E g g p l a n t w i t h G a r b a n z o B e a n s P r e p a n d C o o k T i m e : 3 5 m i n u t e s

I n g r e d i e n t s :

* 1 l a r g e o n i o n c u t i n h a l f a n d s l i c e d t h i n
* 5 m e d i u m c l o v e s g a r l i c , p r e s s e d
* 1 m e d i u m r e d b e l l p e p p e r c u t i n 1 i n c h s q u a r e s
* 1 m e d i u m e g g p l a n t , c u t i n t o 1 i n c h p i e c e s
* p i n c h o f r e d p e p p e r f l a k e s
* 2 t s p t u r m e r i c
* Ω t s p g a r a m m a s a l a
* 1 1 5 o z c a n g a r b a n z o b e a n s
* 1 1 5 o z c a n l e n t i l s , d r a i n e d
* Ω c u p t o m a t o s a u c e
* 1 º c u p s + 1 T B S v e g e t a b l e b r o t h
* Ω c u p r a i s i n s
* 1 T B S c h o p p e d f r e s h c i l a n t r o
* s a l t & b l a c k p e p p e r t o t a s t e

D i r e c t i o n s :

1 . S l i c e o n i o n a n d p r e s s g a r l i c a n d l e t s i t f o r a t l e a s t 5 m i n u t e s t o b r i n g o u t t h e i r h e a l t h - p r o m o t i n g p r o p e r t i e s .
2 . H e a t 1 T B S b r o t h i n a 1 0 - 1 2 i n c h s k i l l e t . H e a l t h y S a u t È o n i o n i n b r o t h o v e r m e d i u m h e a t f o r 5 m i n u t e s s t i r r i n g f r e q u e n t l y . A d d g a r l i c , r e d b e l l p e p p e r , e g g p l a n t , g a r a m m a s a l a , a n d t u r m e r i c . S t i r t o m i x w e l l f o r a m i n u t e , a n d a d d b r o t h a n d t o m a t o s a u c e . S t i r a g a i n t o m i x , c o v e r , a n d c o o k o v e r m e d i u m l o w h e a t f o r 1 5 m i n u t e s , s t i r r i n g o c c a s i o n a l l y , o r u n t i l p e p p e r s a n d e g g p l a n t a r e t e n d e r . T h i s i s o u r S t o v e T o p B r a i s i n g c o o k i n g m e t h o d .
3 . A d d g a r b a n z o b e a n s , l e n t i l s , r e d c h i l i f l a k e s , a n d r a i s i n s . S i m m e r f o r a n o t h e r 5 m i n u t e s . S e a s o n w i t h s a l t a n d p e p p e r . S e r v e s p r i n k l e d w i t h c h o p p e d c i l a n t r o .

S e r v e s 4

S e r v i n g S u g g e s t i o n s S e r v e w i t h
* M e d i t e r r a n e a n K a l e

H e a l t h y C o o k i n g T i p s :

C u t t i n g t h e e g g p l a n t a n d p e p p e r s i n t o 1 i n c h p i e c e s g i v e s t h e s p i c e s a c h a n c e t o c o m e t h r o u g h i n c o o k i n g w i t h o u t t h e v e g e t a b l e s o v e r c o o k i n g . T h i s r e c i p e i s o r g a n i z e d s o i t c a n b e m a d e q u i c k l y . H o w e v e r , w h e n a d d i n g t h e g a r a m m a s a l a a n d t u r m e r i c , s t i r w e l l a n d g i v e i t t i m e t o h e a t u p , a t l e a s t 1 m i n u t e , b e f o r e a d d i n g l i q u i d . Y o u w i l l g e t m u c h m o r e f l a v o r b y d o i n g s o .


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“ What is a good recipe for Marsala Sauce? I've had it in a restaurant lately with veal and sliced mushrooms and it was out of this world — unfortunately the chef considered it a secret recipe. So I need your help. The sauce was hazelnut in color, creamy and with the Marsala aroma and flavor.

The sauce traditionally served with Veal Marsala (Scaloppine di Vitello al Marsala) is very easy to make — basically a combination of Marsala wine and the butter, meat juices, and browned residue left in the pan from cooking the veal, reduced to the consistency of a sauce.

What are the variables here? The first is the wine itself. Marsala wine is made in Sicily, and like port and sherry, is a fortified wine. That is, brandy or another spirit has been added to boost the alcohol content to 17% to 18%. Marsala wines can be sweet, semisweet, or dry, and have been aged anywhere from one year to more than ten years. The rich, smoky flavor that characterizes Marsala wines becomes more pronounced as the wine ages, so the taste difference between a young wine and one that has aged for years will be significant.

Unless you have access to a remarkable wine merchant, however, you're not likely to have much more of a choice in Marsala wines than just dry or sweet. We have seen a number of Veal Marsala recipes, and there are some that call for sweet wine, but most of the real Italians specify dry wine, so we'd start there.

Now, what did your chef do to his sauce to make it secret and special? One thing is that he added mushrooms, which contributed to the dish itself, and their juices contributed to the sauce. They are not found in traditional recipes, however. Another variation involves adding a bit of cream to the sauce, which softens the assertiveness of the wine, but does not steal its flavor. Owing to the color you describe, we're guessing the sauce contained cream.

We've seen recipes that add lemon juice. Other recipes take the not-too-radical step of adding chopped parsley. But on the whole, there is very little in Marsala sauce to compete with the wine.

Here is Marcella Hazan's recipe for a traditional Veal Marsala. Do what you will with it. If you'd like to add mushrooms, slice them thinly and cook them in butter and oil in the same pan before cooking the veal. Remove them from the pan, proceed with the recipe as written, and add them in again when you add the veal to the sauce. “

http://www.ochef.com/r234.htm

Veal Scaloppine with Marsala

Veal Scaloppine with Marsala
From Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking (Canada, UK), by Marcella Hazan.

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 Tbsp butter
1 pound veal scaloppine, cut from the top round
Flour, spread on a plate
Salt
Black pepper, ground fresh from the mill
1/2 cup dry Marsala wine
1/3 cup heavy whipping cream (optional*)

Instructions:

Carefully thin the scaloppini with a meat pounder, bringing it down flat and sliding it, in one continuous motion, from the center outwards. Repeat the operation, stretching the slice in all directions until it is evenly thin throughout.

Put the oil and 1 Tbsp butter in a skillet and turn on the heat to medium high.

When the fat is hot, dredge both sides of the scaloppine in flour, shake off excess flour, and slip the meat into the pan. Brown them quickly on both sides, about half a minute per side if the oil and butter are hot enough. Transfer them to a warm plate, using a slotted spoon or spatula, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. (If the scaloppine don't all fit into the pan at one time without overlapping, do them in batches, but dredge each batch in flour just before slipping the meat into the pan; otherwise the flour will become soggy and make it impossible to achieve a crisp surface.)

Turn the heat on to high, add the Marsala, and while it boils down, scrape loose with a wooden spoon all the browning residues on the bottom and sides. Add the second tablespoon of butter and any juices the scallopine may have shed on the plate. When the juices in the pan are no longer runny and have the density of sauce, turn the head down to low, return the scaloppine to the pan, and turn them once or twice to baste them with the pan juices. Turn out the entire contents of the pan onto a warm platter and serve at once.

*If using cream, add it before the meat goes into the pan and while the heat is still high. Stir constantly until the cream is reduced and bound with the juices in the pan into a dense sauce.

Yield: Serves 4


also has specialty food links on the sidebar and downbelow


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Butter chicken
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/saras-secrets/butter-chickenindian-chicken-in-tomato-cream-sauce-recipe/index.html
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Butter Chicken (Indian Chicken in Tomato Cream Sauce)
Recipe courtesy Carla Fitzgerald Williams, Rotisserie Chickens to the Rescue!, Hyperion Books, 2003
Show: Sara's SecretsEpisode: Shortcut Suppers:Rotisserie Chicken
RECIPE COMMENTS & REVIEWS(106)
Cook Time
30 min
Level
Easy
Yield
4 servings
Recipe Tools:
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Ingredients
Spice Blend:
1 tablespoon garam masala seasoning
1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
Sauce:
3 tablespoons butter
1 large onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
2 teaspoons jarred minced garlic
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can diced tomatoes in juice
1 skinless rotisserie chicken, boned out and pulled into 1 1/2 by 1/2-inch chunks
1 (10-ounce) box frozen peas, placed in a colander and run under hot water to thaw
1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
Hot basmati rice, for serving
Pita bread, warmed according to package directions, for serving
Directions
To make the spice blend: Stir the ingredients together in a small bowl and set aside.

To make the sauce: Melt the butter in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring frequently, until the pieces just begin to turn gold, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, tomato paste and spice blend, and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly to prevent burning. The spices will be fragrant. Add the tomato sauce and diced tomatoes and stir will. Add the chicken pieces, spoon the sauce over the top and bring to a simmer. Turn the heat to low and cook, uncovered, until the chicken is warmed through and the sauce is flavorful, about 10 minutes. Stir frequently. Remove the chicken to a serving dish and cover to keep warm.

Shake any excess water from the peas. Add the peas and cream to the sauce in the pan, stir well and heat through. Do not boil. Spoon the sauce over the chicken. Serve with rice and warmed pita bread.

Variation: If you prefer shreds of chicken to whole pieces, remove the skin from the chicken and pull the meat into large chunks by hand. Add to the pan along with the garlic, tomato paste and spice blend. Cook for 3 minutes and then add the tomato sauce and continue with the recipe. Serve over basmati rice.

Higher Level Palate Pleasers : Rucci- it's not quite our taste in Indian food

My wife and I ate here at the buffet and also once with my son. Some Indian restaurants mix Northern Indian and Southern Indian recipes. This place does have good Indian food but the spices and some of the food are different then what we usually like. The butter chicken and the other food it just is missing something. Maybe because it has less spice or the food is made from a different region of India? If we won’t go back then I have to give this place thumbs down. It just does not have the taste we like for Indian fare.

Taj Groceries & CHAAT House: interesting Indian fare and grocer in one store

I have been near this place dozens and dozens of times, the past two years that it has been existence. However I have never seen it nor did I know even know of its existence. Why? Because normally I usually don't go down Metcalf Avenue all the way from 119th Street but instead usually go on Nall Avenue from 151st. That way I missed it as it is just North of Metcalf Avenue. There is no sign facing East from Metcalf and I sailed right by every time. However I saw a 2:1 coupon for this place. I thought this is a time to check it out after a meeting that I was to go, was cut short. I had to go West and then South then East to get into the parking lot. A bright looking place, it has a nice tiny cafe and adjacent is Indian grocer, literally in another room. I looked at the menu and was looked for an Indian nosh to take home. I did not want something beyond $3.99. I think my wife would like the Mixed Vegetable Pakoras (vegetable fritters which I love- $3.99) but it was not available. So I finally went for the Samosa Chatt ( chick peas, potatoes, served with a cilantro mint and tamarind sauce). After due deliberation because the menu had just 18 entrees from $3.99 ( 7 at this price which were the only ones I would target today as I was eating light) to $6.99 (shrimp, vegetable, fish, chicken), I made my two choices.

The Samosa Chatt was surprisingly very good. It was a melange of vegetables with a nice interesting taste with the bits of slightly soft samosa. I was surprised that all the flavors worked and melted together in this combination. The only thing was that it was surprisingly hot with either jalapeno or some other chilies within. Don't get me wrong. I like spicy and hot but the "heat" was a little too hot to work better with the mixture. Even a little of the tamarind cilantro sauce did not cool it off.
The Samosas were very good. The lemony like cilantro sauce with the exotic tamarind had a distinct little kick to it.

This place has a nice grocery store in the next room. Unusual Indian spices and prepared foods that you can made into recipes looked incredibly good . There are a good number of juices and shakes from $2.99 t0 $4.99. Some of them found interesting. I will definitely come back to purchase some of the food products to make some recipes (sometimes when all the ingredients are all in one bag it is less hassle and quicker), shakes and/or entrees like the chicken biryani (basmati rice with chicken and exotic spices and herbs.

We love this place- buffet is superb, service is gracious

We have been coming to the Metcalf place since it first opened. It is consistently good with good sides, condiments, entrees and much more. The best time is to hit one of the buffets at lunch or the weekends. There you can sample all different types of food. What is nice is that during the buffet they also have free chai tea, mango lasse beverage (excellent) and great Indian bread which makes it even better deal. The samosa pastries , curries, goat , chicken and other dishes are excellent and very tasty. Once in a while they have lamb or chicken saag (spinach) which is one of our favorites dishes. The waiters are most gracious, You can also order off the menu during lunches and of course night too. We like Indian food it was one of the best ones we have ever eaten at (Wash DC, SF etc). If you get drinks, an extra desert, and the regular menu items at night , things can set you back some $$$. Just be sure to set you limits !! But it is still worth it :) But try the buffet.It is awesome.

Lawrence's Indian Palace try the buffet to taste difference Indian spices and entrees /sides

We have been here to this one many times and the one in Overland Park. Both are excellent and always consistently excellent. We have been for dinner meals but more times for the buffets. The samosas (meat, potato or vegetable little pies) are crunchy and good. All the entrees are excellent and have just the right of Indian spices. The waiters are very friendly and helpful to point out if you don't know something or have a question. My wife loves the Lamb saag which is not often on the menu so check it out with the creamy spinach that integrates well with the lamb ( you can also get different variations the saag with chicken). (more on my blog). I love the condiments tray. Be adventurous try the different ones like the lemony tamarind or the mango chutney. They go well with the different dishes. I love them both with the samosas. I love rice pudding and there is none better then this dessert that make her. The tandoori (BBQ Indian ) chicken with its pretty reddish pink color is always good. The curries, vegetable dishes and the meat dishes are all consistently good. The buffet is a great way to come to test the different spices and entrees at a great price.

Korma Sutra: Excellent food- how is basmati rice different?

We have been here many times since it first opened. Always excellent. This time, the Caribbean place El Caribe seems to have gone out of business so we headed to one of favorite Indian places Korma Sutra (Overland Park, KS). We usually go during Sunday buffet but we thought to spend some time after Valentina day since we could not go that night.
The head owner waiter (I should get his name) is so funny and is always making the place "hop". He is always gracious and a "real Hoot!". There were few people in the place when we arrived. But the place quickly filled up and he and the other waiters and waitresses were always buzzing around.
We had a coupon for $$ off but I immediately used that up. When he asked if I wanted some Indian beer (Taj Mahal) I thought why not? It was a big bottle and it was good and even my wife sipped a little. But at $7 I won't do it again but hey it was a valentines date.
My wife ordered the Lamb Saag as she loves the spinach and wanted to try this version. I had seen a special that they make here for our friends. It is a variation of Vegetarian Kofta (meat patty) with seasoned onions, tomatoes and more. My wife ordered the chi tea which loves while I worked on the beer. Meanwhile they asked if we wanted garlic naan bread and we said yes (comes with buffet so this was extra) as well as the cracker wafer Roti (unleavened wheat bread). Poured on some of the condiment tray sides of spicy mint relish, tamarind liquid (lemony- lime dark), mango chutney (which I always love and use at home -except don't buy the hot variety) and another one or two.
She loved the lamb saag. I tested it and it was great and very creamy.
My lamb kofti came extra spicy that I wanted (looked like more cayenne, turmeric or red spice). The way they make it here is in the shape of little cigar shaped patties called kofti. She tried one piece and she thought it was real spicy. Maybe when I make it I won't make it that spicy and order the regular. Still both were great and as we normally do, we eat part and take part of it home to eat the next night or day. That way we get to share the meal, see whether the spices die out over night or taste differently. Also the portions are quite generous so it's a way to cut the calories for that meal and try to keep my waist trim (yeah right?) and take some home to savor again later (like getting 2 meals for 1 price).
Dessert came in the way of creamy rice pudding (which I love) with orange stuff on top. I thought it was like a candies carrot tiny pieces and I was right.
Last but not least and an interesting touch is that the waitress poured warm water over our hands. We massages the lime on our hands to clean ourselves of the meal. Nice touch literally!
Of course the Basmati rice came with the dishes. I new this rice is an Indian specialty and wondered whether we should try it at home and how special or what other information I could found about it. What I found most interested was the scent for the rice. I thought it came from the spices themselves made in the kitchen but is actually part of the process. More information said
" Like jasmine rice, it has its own unique smell. In the case of basmati, this smell is due to the presence of a chemical called 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline, which is found in basmati rice at about 90 parts per billion. That's about 12 times more than other rice giving basmati its special aroma. Brown basmati rice is comparable to other types of brown rice in nutrient content, and white basmati rice is comparable to other types of white rice."

It turned out to be an expensive night with the extra beer, sides etc. Sweet time, sweet place , sweet date. But we get to taste it all again the next night:) We'll be back again but next time for the buffets you can bet , soon.

Great Indian buffet at Taj Mahal

A number of years ago, I was in Washington DC doing some consulting to build a website. I wanted to find an Indian buffet and found this excellent restaurant. I had a grand time. The chicken curry was nice and spicy. The bread nan was soft, pliable and warm. All the other foods ( Keema matar- chopped beef curried with spring peas; Tarka Dal-creamed lentils) were also excellent. While the buffet wasn't extensive, it was delectable. I am glad I found this restaurant and then went on my way back to my consulting job.

Indian Palace Lamb Saag to die for

Indian Palace
Many people are afraid to try Indian food because they think it is "too hot". Not true really. There are many dishes are mild. They are seasoned well but not hot spicy. We have been to both these locations. We almost always have come for the buffets at lunch which is a great deal for the price. The food is consistently good but once in awhile I wish they would try some different entree items for the buffet. The samosas (filled fried pastries with potato, beef spices), pakoras (vegetables like sweet potato, cauliflower and more , fried in flour or panko bread crumbs and curry are very food, flavorful and have all the Indian spices in the right quantities. All food is very consistently good . The lamb saag is to die for. My wife loves this entree and I think it is great too. But everything is very good.