Spinach is the thing here : S a a g G o s h t ( B e e f i n F r a g r a n t S p i n a c h S a u c e )

We love SAAG. Indian entree with spinach. Usually the chicken, lamb or in this case (ground) beef , has the spinach and ingredients ground up before the chicken, lamb , ground beef are eaten. However here are did not ground these up.
It came out more like a stew and we liked it. Flavors came out fine
Maybe next time I will puree.
rating 9.8/10

S a a g G o s h t ( B e e f i n F r a g r a n t S p i n a c h S a u c e )

R e c i p e B y : C l a s s i c I n d i a n C o o k i n g b y J u l i e S a h n i I S B N 0 - 6 8 8 - 0 3 7 2 1 - 6
S e r v i n g S i z e : 8 P r e p a r a t i o n T i m e : 0 : 0 0
C a t e g o r i e s : I n d i a n M e a t s

A m o u n t M e a s u r e I n g r e d i e n t - - P r e p a r a t i o n M e t h o d
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
3 c u p s c o o k e d s p i n a c h
6 t a b l e s p o o n s l i g h t v e g e t a b l e o i l
3 p o u n d s b o n e l e s s b e e f r o u n d o r l a m b - - c u t i n 1 1 / 2 3 p i e c e s
3 1 / 2 c u p s o n i o n s - - t h i n l y s l i c e d
1 1 / 2 t a b l e s p o o n s g a r l i c - - f i n e l y c h o p p e d
3 t a b l e s p o o n s f r e s h g i n g e r r o o t - - f i n e l y c h o p p e d
1 t a b l e s p o o n g r o u n d c u m i n
2 t a b l e s p o o n s g r o u n d c o r i a n d e r
1 t e a s p o o n t u r m e r i c
1 m e d i u m r i p e t o m a t o - - f i n e l y c h o p p e d
3 g r e e n c h i l e s - - m i n c e d
3 t a b l e s p o o n s p l a i n y o g u r t
1 c i n n a m o n s t i c k - - b r o k e n s m a l l p i e c e s
6 b l a c k ( o r 1 2 g r e e n ) c a r d a m o m p o d s
9 w h o l e c l o v e s
3 b a y l e a v e s - - c r u m b l e d
1 t a b l e s p o o n k o s h e r s a l t
4 t e a s p o o n s g a r a m m a s a l a
2 t a b l e s p o o n s l i g h t v e g e t a b l e o i l - - i f n e e d e d

S p i n a c h i s u s e d e x t e n s i v e l y i n I n d i a , w h e r e i t ' s i n e x p e n s i v e a n d a v a i l a b l e y e a r
r o u n d . B u t t h e m a i n
r e a s o n f o r i t s p r e v a l e n c e i n I n d i a n c o o k i n g i s t h a t i t c a n b e u t i l i z e d i n s o m a
n y m a r v e l o u s
w a y s - - f o r i n s t a n c e , a s a s a u c e . S p i n a c h i s a m i l d g r e e n . I f i t i s c o o k e d w i t h a
m e a t t h a t c o n t a i n s a l o t o f s p i c e s , i t s f l a v o r i s l i k e l y t o g e t l o s t , a n d i t s l o v e l y b r i g h t g r e e n
c o l o r w i t h i t . T o b e
s u r e t h a t t h e s p i n a c h w i l l h o l d i t s o w n i n t h i s d i s h , y o u m u s t c o o k i t s e p a r a t e
l y a n d f o l d i t i n t o t h e m e a t j u s t b e f o r e s e r v i n g .

T h i s b e a u t i f u l d i s h - - a n o t h e r v a r i a t i o n o f t h e M o g h u l r u l e r s ' f i n e c o o k i n g - - i s b a s e d o n t h e u s e
o f d i f f e r e n t g r e e n s . Y o u c a n s u b s t i t u t e k a l e , c o l l a r d , o r m u s t a r d g r e e n s , o r c o m b i n e a n y o f t h e s e
w i t h t h e s p i n a c h .

F i n e l y p u r e e t h e s p i n a c h , u s i n g a f o o d p r o c e s s o r o r e l e c t r i c b l e n d e r , o r m i n c e
i t w i t h a k n i f e o n a
c h o p p i n g b o a r d . S e t a s i d e .

P r e h e a t t h e o v e n t o 3 2 5 d e g r e e s F .

H e a t 2 t a b l e s p o o n s o f t h e o i l i n a l a r g e f r y i n g p a n o v e r h i g h h e a t u n t i l v e r y h o t . P a t t h e m e a t d r y
o n p a p e r t o w e l s ( o r i t w i l l n o t b r o w n ) , a n d a d d .
B r o w n t h e m e a t , t u r n i n g a n d t o s s i n g t h e p i e c e s ,
u n t i l n i c e l y s e a r e d o n a l l s i d e s . ( T h i s i s b e s t d o n e i n b a t c h e s s o t h a t t h e f r y i n g p a n i s n o t
o v e r c r o w d e d . A s e a c h b a t c h i s b r o w n e d , t r a n s f e r t o a h e a v y - b o t t o m e d c a s s e r o l e . )

A d d t h e r e m a i n i n g 4 t a b l e s p o o n s o f o i l t o t h e f r y i n g p a n , a n d a d d o n i o n s . R e d u c e h e a t t o
m e d i u m - h i g h , a n d f r y u n t i l t h e y t u r n c a r a m e l b r o w n ( a b o u t 2 5 m i n u t e s ) , s t i r r i n g
c o n s t a n t l y t o
p r e v e n t b u r n i n g . A d d g a r l i c a n d g i n g e r , a n d f r y f o r a n a d d i t i o n a l 2 m i n u t e s . A d d c u m i n , t o m a t o e s
a n d c h i l e s , a n d c o n t i n u e f r y i n g u n t i l t h e t o m a t o i s c o o k e d a n d t h e e n t i r e m i x t u r e i s t u r n e d i n t o a t h i c k p u l p y p a s t e ( a b o u t 3 m i n u t e s ) . A d d y o g u r t a n d i m m e d i a t e l y t u r n o f f t h e h e a t . W h e n s l i g h t l y
c o o l , p u r e e i n a n e l e c t r i c b l e n d e r o r f o o d p r o c e s s o r , a n d a d d t o t h e m e a t i n t h e c a s s e r o l e .

P l a c e a d o u b l e l a y e r o f c h e e s e c l o t h , a b o u t 6 i n c h e s s q u a r e , o n t h e w o r k s u r f a c e
. P u t c i n n a m o n , c a r d a m o m , c l o v e s , b a y l e a v e s i n t h e c e n t e r , b r i n g u p t h e f o u r c o r n e r s o f t h e c h
e e s e c l o t h t o w r a p t h e s p i c e s , a n d t i e t h e m t o f o r m a b a g . C r u s h t h e b a g s l i g h t l y w i t h a w o o d e n m a
l l e t o r a n y h e a v y t o o l t o b r e a k u p t h e s p i c e s . A d d t h e s p i c e b a g t o t h e c a s s e r o l e .

A d d 4 c u p s o f b o i l i n g w a t e r a l o n g w i t h t h e s a l t , a n d s t i r t o d i s t r i b u t e t h e m e a t i n t o t h e s a u c e .
P l a c e a p i e c e o f a l u m i n u m f o i l o n t o p o f t h e c a s s e r o l e , a n d c o v e r t i g h t l y w i t h
t h e l i d . B r i n g t h e c o n t e n t s t o a b o i l o n t o p o f t h e s t o v e .

P l a c e t h e c a s s e r o l e i n t h e m i d d l e l e v e l o f t h e o v e n f o r 2 1 / 2 h o u r s . O r a l t e r n a t i v e l y , i t m a y b e
c o o k e d o n t o p o f t h e s t o v e o v e r l o w h e a t f o r 2 - 2 1 / 2 h o u r s , o r u n t i l t h e m e a t i s f o r k t e n d e r .

R e m o v e t h e c a s s e r o l e f r o m t h e o v e n o r t u r n o f f t h e s t o v e , a n d t a k e o f f t h e l i d .
R e m o v e t h e s p i c e b a g , a n d s q u e e z e h a r d t o e x t r a c t a s m u c h j u i c e a s p o s s i b l e . D i s c a r d t h e b a g . A d
d t h e c o o k e d s p i n a c h a n d g a r a m m a s a l a , a n d b l e n d w e l l , b e i n g c a r e f u l n o t t o b r e a k t h e f r a g i l e m e a t p i e c e s . C o v e r t h e p o t , r e t u r n i t t o t h e o v e n o r s t o v e , a n d c o o k f o r 5 m i n u t e s m o r e . T u r n o f f t h e o v e n , a n d l e t t h e p o t r e m a i n u n d i s t u r b e d f o r a n a d d i t i o n a l 1 0 m i n u t e s . C h e c k f o r s a l t , a n d i f t h e s a u c e l a c k s a d e q u a t e g l a z e , s t i r i n a f e w t a b l e s p o o n s o f o i l . S e r v e .

N o t e : T h i s d i s h , j u s t l i k e a n o t h e r b r a i s e d d i s h ,
t a s t e s b e t t e r w i t h k e e p i n g . I t i s p a r t i c u l a r l y
g o o d i f m a d e a f e w h o u r s i n a d v a n c e , a n d a l l o w e d t o r e s t a t r o o m t e m p e r a t u r e b e
f o r e b e i n g r e h e a t e d
a n d s e r v e d . T h i s d i s h k e e p s w e l l i n t h e r e f r i g e r a t o r f o r u p t o 2 d a y s , a n d a l s o
f r e e z e s w e l l .
D e f r o s t t h o r o u g h l y b e f o r e r e h e a t i n g . T o r e h e a t , g e n t l y s i m m e r o v e r l o w h e a t u n t
i l w a r m e d t h r o u g h .
B e f o r e s e r v i n g , t a s t e f o r s a l t , a n d i f n e c e s s a r y , f o l d i

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

Paradise India is heavenly

We love Thai and Indian food and I have eaten at such places all over the US and in the Kansas City area. We ate here at the buffet when it first opened and instantly proclaimed it one really liked. Since then we brought a big group of my food club group and they loved it too. We’ve eaten at several Indian places in KC (Indian Palace, Kormu Sutru and others which have come and gone or still remain). This is one of our top three ( we don’t care for Rucci). These 3 are always great but this place offers a little more vegetarian and slightly different flavors then the other places we like to give a hint of difference.
The grilled meats are nicely done, the Chicken Tikka Masala and Butter Chicken have great flavor. The crunchy vegetable pakoras and naan bread , the goat dishes are nicely done and have the right flavors.
We skip the "salad bar," items. I skip the chai as it goes through me like a “sieve” but my wife and others like it along with mango lassi ( which I love and is fine). The orange hued tandoori chicken and nicely browned chickpea pakoras are always good as well as the biryani rice peppered lamb.
I love the condiments but even I don’t try the hot pickle relish made with mustard, chili, fenugreek and more because it has a nasty type of heat and taste for my liking. The dark tamarind brown black tangy lemony sauce is always good and I love it as well as the minty green and other condiments. That is what I like about this and other Asian buffets, you pick what you want to choose and explore along the way. What could be better.One time then had spinach lamb or chicken saag (which my wife loves) and she was in heaven even more.
The rice pudding always finishes off our meals and it is glorious and silky.
The wait staff is most hospitable and cordial and it has fine quiet atmosphere.

Restaurants I hope to try someday (RIHTTS) : not Wai Wai as it is part of the Thai place chain

If this place is one of the "Thai place local chain" restaurants I most likely will not try it but we shall see.


Another new one I need to try for sure is this one which seems very new.
La Bodega, KC’s first authentic Spanish tapas bar, serves up one fantastic happy hour. I've peeked inside but have never been here though.
50 percent off tapas, sangria, wines by the glass, well drinks, draft beer and domestic bottles. More >>
From 2 to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, the restaurant offers half-price tapas and drink specials, including sangria by the pitcher or glass, wines by the glass, cervezas and premium well drinks. La Bodega also serves outside on its lovely sidewalk. Inside and out, the music is surprisingly good; one recent evening, we heard a mix that included Devo, Pet Shop Boys, Bowie, the Clash and the Cure.

* Best Of 2009: Best Happy Hour
* Best Of 2005: Best Martini
* Best Of 2005: Best Small Plates
* Best Of 2001: Best Tapas
The Tapas is great along with the best Mexican food in Kansas City I hear. Sangria seems good too.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Saw Andrew Zimmern on Travel Channel: Bengali food

I have tried and made Indian. But Bengali I have eaten in restaurants but not sure if there Bengali recipes. I found some good websites to try out and found some good recipes to try. I will report On these or which ones I cook.
Enjoy!

http://www.marga.org/food/int/bengali/
http://www.fooddownunder.com/cgi-bin/search.cgi?q=bengali
http://www.indobase.com/recipes/category/bengali-recipes.php
http://cuisine.kolkatabeckons.com/

This recipe looked simple but different
http://cuisine.kolkatabeckons.com/fried_chilli_chicken.html
and Anirban Biswas. All rights reserved.

fried_chilli_chicken

Ingredients

• 500 g chicken
• 4 tbsp vinegar
• 2 tsp chilli powder
• 8-10 green chillies
• 6 tbsp Soya sauce
• Salt to taste


Method

• Cut the chicken into small pieces. Wash it and drain the excess water. Marinate in vinegar and salt for 45 minutes.
• Wash and chop the green chillies.
• Heat oil in a skillet. Add chicken pieces and fry till light brown.
• Add chopped green chillies and Soya sauce. Fry on medium heat for 2-3 minutes.
• Serve hot.

Copyright © 2002 - 2007 Sudeshna Biswas

and Anirban Biswas. All rights reserved.

Bengali chicken

Ingredients

• 500 g salmon fish fillet
• 2 green chillies
• 2 tbsp mustard powder
• 1 tbsp chilli powder
• 1 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tsp poppy seed powder
• 2 tbsp canola oil
• 2 tbsp mustard oil
• Salt to taste


Method

• Wash and split green chillies.
• Rub salt and turmeric on the salmon fillets and set aside for 15 minutes.
• Make a paste of mustard powder, chilli powder and poppy seed powder in some water. Add salt to the paste.
• Place salmon fillets in a baking dish.
• Spread the spices paste on salmon fillets. Add split green chillies.
• Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes.
• Serve hot.


Courtesy: Mehendi Das

Tomato Chutney
Ingredients

• 4 tomatoes
• 1 tsp ginger paste
• 10 g raisins
• 1Ũ tsp panch phoron
• 5 tbsp sugar
• Salt to taste


Method

• Pressure cook tomatoes for 5 minutes.
• Heat oil in a pan. Add panch phoron and sauté till it sputters.
• Add ginger paste and stir fry for a minute over low heat.
• Add tomato. Stir and break into pieces.
• Add sugar, salt and a little water. Bring to boil.
• Add raisins and simmer till desired consistency.
• Cool and refrigerate.
• Serve chilled.


Courtesy: Bandana Biswas

Copyright © 2002 - 2007 Sudeshna Biswas
and Anirban Biswas. All rights reserved.

Ingredients

• 4 eggs
• Ũ onion
• Ũ cucumber
• Ũ capsicum
• 3 green chillies
• 1 lemon
• 2 cups wheat flour (moida)
• 1Ũ tbsp tomato sauce
• 1 tbsp chilli sauce
• Salt to taste

Egg Roll Bangali style

Method

• Wash, peel and cut cucumber into thin slivers. Wash and slice the capsicum. Finely slice the onion. Wash and chop green chillies.
• Place flour in a bowl and rub in ghee.
• Add lukewarm water and mix into a firm dough.
• Knead dough for 10-15 minutes until elastic. Cover and rest for 1 hour.
• Pinch off pieces of dough and shape into 2 inch balls. Smear oil and roll out on a lightly oiled board into a Ũ cm thick circular shape.
• Heat oil in a griddle. Cook parota on one side, on the griddle, for 30 seconds and turn over. Smear oil over the top of the side that has been cooked first. Fry both the sides till golden yellow on low heat.
• Whisk an egg in a bowl. Add a pinch of salt. Beat lightly with a fork.
• Heat 1 tbsp oil on a griddle. Reduce heat and add the egg. Move the griddle in a circular motion to spread egg uniformly in a circular shape. Do not turn over.
• Immediately place a parota on the egg. Press with a spatula. Cook on low heat for a few seconds.
• Turn carefully and cook for a few seconds. Remove from heat. Repeat for all parotas.
• Place a portion of each of the cut vegetables in the middle of each parota. Sprinkle salt. Squeeze lemon juice. Spread some tomato ketchup and chilli sauce.
• Roll up parotas. Wrap a paper napkin around the bottom half of the egg roll.
• Serve hot.



Dr. Eric Flescher, Olathe, KS(dreric1kansas@aol.com)
The Traveling Gourmet

Korma Sutra: Great Indian food- How is basmati rice different then regular rice? Lamb kofta and lamb saag at Korma Sutra

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).

Since I possibly wanted to make a Kofti dish like this I search for one and found at this website.
http://www.indiasnacks.com/recipe/454/Kofta-(Meatball)-Masala.php
try this site for more snacks and entrees ( quite a few vegetarian dishes at this site too)
http://www.indiasnacks.com/
I also found a recipe that was like the lamb saag that she got but was called a kofti
http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/2007/06/baked-spinach-kofta-with-cucumber.html

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."
More information and practice tips below I found at.
http://whfoods.org/genpage.php?tname=george&dbid=190

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.