Good Places to Eat

I've been meaning to write about my favorite restaurants in central NJ area for the longest time. Better late than never, right? PLus it was already in draft. Will add more of my recommendations later, as this was just the first cut. I have a separate one on NYC coming up soon!

Tapastre - a tapas bar and restaurant in Somerville. Their menu has not just Spanish tapas but includes foods and wines from other regions surrounding the Mediterranean sea. The baked brie in puff pastry is a must-try. The menu is quite heavy on seafood, which unfortunately is not for me. I would absolutely recommend this restaurant.

Delta's - a soul food restaurant in New Brunswick. Great atmosphere. Good food. The smothered chicken has always been good. Again lots of seafood dishes. I enjoy their sides more than the entrees sometimes! The fried okra, candies yams, sweet potato fries, grilled asparagus are all great!

Makeda's - Ethiopian restaurant in New Brunswick. It's the only Ethiopian place I've been to, so I've nothing to compare it with. But their food always has me coming back for more! Love the bread, injera (which actually reminds me of a well-fermented neer dosa!) with almost all their chicken dishes. N prefers their lamb fare. The decor is great, atmosphere lively with live bands performing over weekends and the communal eating is actually fun!

Thai - it's a toss-up between Thai Kitchen II in Bridgewater and House of Thai in Green Brook. Each time I've been to either, the food has always been great (not all Thai Kitchens are created equal, I've realized. I've had some not-so-good stuff at the other one in Bridgewater).

Da Filippo's - a family run Italian restaurant in Somerville. Warm, hospitable folks serving authentic Italian fare. Sometimes you have someone playing the piano and other times, the owner singing and taking requests. Great place serving delicious food. Must try. BYOB.

Fusion on Main - Asian fusion cuisine in Flemington. BYOB. Everything we've had there has been great. Basil ginger chicken, terang gorang, mango chicken, spring rolls and even cauliflower manchurian.

I have to mention Mediterra in Princeton and Spain 92 in Bridgewater. Been only once to both but the food was wonderful.

Amongst the Indian ones, Hoysala in Somerset is one of my favorites. This is probably the only restaurant where I prefer the lunch buffet over their a la carte menu. They have typical Kannadiga fare on their menu like bendekayi gojju, kadale saaru etc but I don't really care much for their way of making them. And they have odd combis for platters - pineapple gojju with biryani. Eeeww!! The buffet, on the other hand, has a wide variety of veg and non-veg dishes, appetizers and desserts. The dosas, a part of the buffet, are perfect - red and crisp on the outside and spongy on the inside. Andhra style chicken biryani, the pakodas, chicken curry and even their curd rice is excellent. N likes their lamb curry and shrimp biryani.

Punjabi Rasoi - a small hole-in-the-wall family run restaurant in Somerset, where you cannot expect great service but the food they serve is excellent Punjabi fare. They have daily specials and lunch platters.

Dosa Express - a nondescript restaurant in Iselin, which makes the best butter masala dosas I've had in NJ. Most restaurants serve thin, white things that pass off as dosa but here is where you go to find good dosas and upma. They have layered dosas too that are really great.

Ming and Nanking - One in Edison, the other in South Plainfield. Both serve Indian style Chinese food. Have enjoyed food in both places. Service is not great in either, though Nanking has improved greatly in the recent past.

Do you have any favorites in your city/state? I would love to hear about them.

Just an Update

A quick update on what's happening with me. We have been talking about moving back to India for a few years now but it had just been loud thinking for the most part. Now we finally made the decision and we will be moving by the end of this year! The first big step was to sell our house, which in this market we thought might be a problem. But a few things helped us get a quick sale. One was pricing it right - looking at other comparable listings, checking home sales in the area for the past six months, researching trends etc. Second, we de-cluttered the house and staged it to highlight all the pluses of the house, inside and out. Though I'm not a packrat, I was amazed at the number of things that were piled up in our storage area, which we hardly ever saw. Out of sight was out of mind, I guess. Third was finding the right listing agent. We interviewed a few and compared their marketing plans. Finally chose one that we vibed well with, who had a great marketing plan. We received our first offer within a week! So anyway, all's well that ends well. With the house, at least. We still have a long way to go before we completely wind down here. Fingers crossed for a smooth transition there as well.

I'm really excited about going back to India. Back to family and friends. No more missing cousins' weddings and other family occasions. It will be great for Malvika to grow up knowing her aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents really well and having a deeper connection with them. And the food- oh, the food!! I'm pretty sure the first few months will see us gaining a lot of pounds before guilt kicks in! :) I will miss the US too, though. I've enjoyed every minute of being here, experiencing a different culture or should I say cultures and interacting with people from various countries. Friends and family here. The past 10 years here have changed me. Into a better person, I'd like to believe. I do appreciate things and people more. I am more open minded and accepting of people and situations and less quick to judge. I have enjoyed an independence of sorts, where I was able to concentrate on my family. Away from well-meaning folks commenting on what we did/didn't do and offering unsolicited advice.

Well, there are many, many more things about moving back, India and US that I want to write about but perhaps at a later point. This was supposed to be a quick update and it's already gotten pretty big! I hope to be back with a food post soon. Ciao for now!

Pulao using MTR Biryani Masala

Where did summer go?! It felt like the shortest summer ever! And what happened to fall weather?! There have been days in the past week when we actually wore our winter jackets as it got so cold! I'm already waiting for spring now (I know, long wait!).

Quite often, inspiration for dinner comes from what pops on my reader. Like the other day, I made my version of pav bhaji, inspired by this post. Today, I made this pulao using MTR Biryani/Pulav masala (which I'd forgotten I even had!) after reading this post from Hema. I have to clarify here that I did not use the Pulav masala but the Biryani/Pulav masala from MTR. The powder is quite masaledar, so you don't need to add any other whole spices to the pulao. The flavor is quite different from the regular pulao using whole garam masala.



Ingredients:
1 cup rice (soaked in water for 15 minutes and drained)
1 cup mixed vegetables (I used carrots, peas, lima beans & corn)
1 small onion, chopped
2 green chilies, slit
1 tsp ginger-garlic paste
1 tbsp thick coconut milk
1 tsp MTR pulao/biryani masala
2 cups water
1/2 tsp each jeera and saunf
2 tbsp oil
salt to taste

In a pressure cooker, heat oil. Add jeera and saunf. When they start to sizzle, add green chilies, g-g paste and onions. Saute for a few minutes. Put the rice in and fry so that oil gets nicely coated on the rice. Add in chopped veggies, masala, coconut cream, water and salt and mix well. Cover and cook until done.

Dudhi na Muthiya

I love, love Gujarati food! The khichdis, dals, shaaks, kadhis and oh, the farsan - muthiyas, dhokla, handvo, khandvi - love 'em all! As with any region in India, Gujarati cuisine itself has many variations based on region and season.

NJ has a few restaurants that serve Gujju food. "Jhupdi" in Edison seems to be pretty popular, though I've never had a "wow" meal there and am invariably disappointed with the food. There used to be a small home-style eatery near Woodbridge Ave that had the best Gujju food I've tasted but alas, has been closed for over a year now. "Chowpatty" on Oak Tree Road has decent Gujju food (apart from fabulous chaats). Anyone know of any other places in the tri-state area that serve good Gujju grub?

Bottle gourd is not something I cook often. Not sure why since I do like this veggie. The only other bottle gourd recipe on my blog is Lazeez Lauki (which, btw, is the longest I've taken to prepare a curry!). Muthiyas are steamed dumplings that make a fabulous tea time snack. I found this recipe for dudhi na muthiya here. Pretty simple to make and very, very tasty! Below is a copied and pasted version of the original recipe :)



Ingredients:

2 cups bottle gourd
1 cup whole wheat flour
½ cup Bengal gram flour (besan)
¼ cup semolina (rawa)
2 tablespoon chilli-ginger paste
½ tablespoon turmeric powder
1 tablespoon coriander-cumin powder (dhana-jeeru)
juice of two lemons
2 tablespoons sugar
2 to 3 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves
1 tablespoon soda-bi-carb (I used only 1/2 a tsp and it was just fine)
4 tablespoons of curd
4 tablespoons of oil
salt to taste

Seasoning:
2 tablespoons mustard seeds (rai)
1 tablespoon sesame seeds (til)
4 tablespoons oil

Garnish:
2 tablespoons chopped coriander
2 tablespoons grated coconut (skipped that as I was out of it)

Method:

Press out all the water out of the grated doodhi and keep it aside.
Combine all ingredients for muthia.
Add the curds as necessary to make a soft dough. Add doodhi water only if necessary.
Divide mixture into 4 equal parts and roll out each cylindrically about 6" long and 1" in diameter.
Steam them for 20 mins.
Check by inserting a needle or a toothpick. If it comes out clear they are done.
Keep aside and let them cool; then slice them.

Seasoning
Heat oil in a wide kadai. Add the mustard seeds. After they crackle add the sesame seeds.
Add the sliced muthias.
Toss them on medium heat for 2 or 3 mins.
Garnish with coriander leaves and coconut.

Avarekalu Akki Rotti

Avarekayi (flat beans) season in Mysore/Bangalore and surrounding areas was and still is a BIG deal. In my house, fresh beans were bought almost daily, which meant there was an avarekayi dish almost everyday during the season. Avarekayi saaru, avarekayi huli, uppittu, idli, fried avarekalu snack or my favorite, avarekayi akki rotti. My main grouse during the season was my mom's insistence that I help with the shelling of the beans, along with my sis, cousins and whoever else happened to be home, coz this bean used to be bought in multiple kilograms at a time!

I used frozen surti papdi lilva in this recipe for avarekalu akki rotti. It does not quite have the strong aroma of fresh avarekayi but the taste of the rotti was pretty close to the original.



Ingredients:
2 cups Rice Flour
1 cup avarekalu (or more)
3 tbsp shredded coconut
2-3 green chilies, chopped fine
1/4 cup yogurt
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1 tbsp chopped cilantro
a dash of asafoetida
salt to taste
water to knead dough



Method:
Pressure cook the beans in salted water for 2-3 whistles, until well cooked.
Mix all the ingredients in a bowl, adding enough water to make a soft dough. Keep aside for at least 15 minutes.
Take a small ball of dough and pat it onto a greased iron kadai/bandlee or a tawa. The thinner you pat, the crisper it gets. So upto you how crispy or soft you want the rottis to be. Make a little indentation at the center.
Pour a tsp of oil around the edges and at the center.
Cover with a lid and cook on medium-high for 3-4 minutes. Check for crispness. Remove once done and serve with ghee or butter. I used to have a dollop of home-churned butter with each rotti but that was the good old days when such things would not show on me! Chutney, pickle, chutney powder, sambar are all great accompaniments with this.

It has been raining awards in the blogosphere and I must acknowledge the ones my blogger friends have passed on to me. Some of the awards come with tags, which I will take up later. I'm not too fond of memes and find that I need to be in a certain mood to be able to write exclusively about myself. So am keeping that for later, when I do get into that aforesaid frame of mind!

Lavi has passed on the Circle of Friends and Blogging with a Purpose awards. Thanks, Lavi!





Pavithra Kodical, Prasu, Chaitra, Pavani, Chakh Le Re have passed on the Kreativ Blooger award to me. Thank you all!!



Chaitra and Chakh Le Re
also gave me two lovely badges that say they love my blog! How very sweet. Thanks, girls!





Shri has given me the Honest Scrap badge. Thanks, Shri!



I appreciate the love and recognition from my fellow bloggers. I would like to pass these on to all my blogger friends who have made my blogging experience more interactive and fun! Thank you all!

Bharli Vangi - Stuffed Eggplants

As a child, I hated most veggies. The only ones I'd eat without complaining were okra and potatoes. And eggplants were especially loathed. All the kids I knew hated them. I think it's taste is more suited to the adult palate since most folks I now know love them, including me, of course! And stuffed eggplants are especially savored, be it in the form of ennegai from Karnataka, bharelu ringan/bharela ravaiya from Gujarat, guthi vankaya from AP or this bharli vangi from Maharashtra. The source of this recipe is Khaugiri. I made a few tweaks based on the stuff I had in hand. The curry was super delicious. Thanks, K, for a wonderful recipe. I will be making this again soon! :)



Ingredients:
6-8 small eggplants

For the stuffing:
2 tbsp dry coconut shreads
1/4 cup roasted and powdered peanuts
1 tsp roasted and powdered sesame seeds
1 large onion, chopped fine
2 cloves of garlic, crushed and chopped fine
1 tbsp cilantro, chopped
1 tsp goda masala
red chilli powder, to taste
salt to taste,
1/4 tsp tamarind paste (original called for lime juice)
1 tsp brown sugar (or jaggery)

For tadka:
2 tbsp oil
mustard seeds
asafoetida
turmeric powder

Method:

Mix all the ingredients for the stuffing.
Remove stalks of eggplants and make two slits without cutting them all the way thru. Stuff the mixture into the eggplants. Keep aside.
Heat oil in a pan and do the tadka. Put the eggplants in the oil, slit end down. Cover with a plate. Pour some water on top of the plate. This apparently keeps the eggplants from sticking to the pan. Neat tip there! After a couple minutes, turn them on their sides and rotate every few minutes.
Add the remaining stuffing. Mix well. Cover and cook for another 2 minutes.
Add 1/2 a cup of water and cook until eggplants are done.
Remove to a serving bowl and garnish with some chopped cilantro.

Be sure to check the original recipe here.

Nasi Goreng and Sambal Goreng Telur

One of the main reasons I miss my previous house was the proximity to some really good restaurants. My current town has many restaurants but for some reason, most are Italian. While I do enjoy Italian, I would have liked a bit of variety. A Chinese take-out near my house totally sucks. I mean, how could it be when they mess up a basic fried rice, right? But thankfully, discovered another a little further away that has great grub. No Indian restaurants at all, which I really miss. Of course since I'm in NJ, about a half hour away are some desi joints but I've been spoilt by my previous house, I think :)

I love all of the Oriental cuisines. And dishes that blend heat, sourness and sweetness seamlessly are impossible to resist! Here are recipes for two of my favorite quick-fix dishes. In this version, I have toned down the heat of red chilies and sambal for Little M. Both dishes were delicious by themselves and make a wonderful combi together.

The first recipe is for plain nasi goreng, which is sans any protein or veggies and is adapted from here.



Ingredients:

3 red chilies
3 cloves garlic
1 small onion
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp kecap manis/sweet soy sauce (I substituted with a mixture of organic molasses and soy sauce, following a tip from here)
1/2 tsp palm sugar
2 tbsp oil
3 cups cooked rice

Pound red chilies, garlic and onion into a coarse paste. Heat oil in a pan. Fry the ground paste. Add the cooked rice. Stir in the two soy sauces, sugar. There was enough sodium between the two soy sauces that I did not need to add any more salt to the rice.

Pretty simple, right? Works great with leftover rice.

Sambal Goreng Telur or Egg Sambal is adapted from here.



Ingredients:

2 eggs, hard boiled
1 medium onion, sliced
1 medium tomato, diced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 tsp each roasted cumin powder
1/2 tsp roasted coriander powder
1 tsp sambal ulek (store bought)
1/2 tsp palm sugar
1/5 tsp tamarind paste
1/2 cup coconut milk
1 tbsp oil
salt to taste

Heat oil. Fry garlic and onion for 2 minutes. Add chopped tomato, salt and fry until soft. Add the powders, sambal paste, tamarind paste, palm sugar and saute for a few mintes. Stir in coconut milk and bring to a boil. Halve the boiled eggs. Pour some sauce on top and serve. Some recipes I looked at involved frying the boiled egg in a little oil but I skipped that.

And as usual, I could not resist clicking some pictures next to a sun streaming window, to get some nice play of light and shadow. So, here's another look at the egg sambal.