Our recent visit to Amritsar, Punjab

 

Butter chicken with butter naan

It was my first time visiting the city of Amritsar, in the state of Punjab, India. Growing up, most of my knowledge of Punjab and its community came from watching Indian cinema and reading Khuswant Singh's novels. So, I was really excited to experience the culture first-hand during this visit. Often simply characterized as flamboyant in movies, I was mostly struck by the generosity of the Sikh community. Mostly, I found the langar (free meals served to masses daily) and the free drinks to beat the summer heat very commendable. The Golden temple, beautifully lit in the evenings along with the loud chanting was a surreal experience. I finally got to experience authentic Punjabi cuisine in the lands of its origin, which was a welcome departure from the version of this food one encounters on menus in most Indian restaurants.

   

For breakfast, we tried parathas (stuffed breads mostly with potato, cauliflower or cottage cheese), chole-kulcha (freshly made flour breads with dollops of butter and a side of chick-pea curry just melted in your mouth) with a buttermilk drink (lassi) in various dining settings. However, my personal favorite version was the one served in the mom-n-pop restaurants located in the tiny streets of the old town. Although navigating this side of the town was a bit chaotic, it was worth all the effort. 

Kebabs with garlic naan

Butter chicken or chicken makhani made from spiced tomato gravy and lots of butter that is present in global Indian cuisine finds its origin in this part of the world. It didn't disappoint. We tried several versions of the dish during our trip, but my personal favorite was the one we had at the Punjabi "village" Sadda Pind. The reasonably priced buffet at Rs 850 per head (approximately 10 dollars) included in the entrance fee, was indeed a treat. In addition, I had a very good butter chicken meal here along with a variety of other authentic Punjabi dishes like dal makhani, paneer lababdar, Punjabi kadi, and freshly prepared naans doused with generous amounts of butter. The service was spectacular! In addition to the buffet, we also got to sample freshly prepared makki ki roti and sarson da saag (corn bread with mustard and spinach greens) at a local stall. 

Breakfast kulcha with chole

Finally, I would not be doing justice to the city's food scene without mentioning the succulent chicken tikka and lamb chops, served with garlic naan cut into small squares we had at one of the highway dabba (restaurant) near the India-Pakistan border. Although not very cheap, the meat was juicy and charred lending it an unforgettable flavor. Finally, if you have a sweet tooth, you must not miss the freshly made jalebis on the streets in Old Town.  

I only wished it was a bit cooler (37 degrees Celsius in summer months, is probably not the best time to visit the city, but well...). If you are thinking of visiting the city, you must plan a trip in the winter months. Nevertheless, Amritsar offered a great experience especially if you are keen to try out authentic Punjabi cuisine. Last but not the least, this trip was made special by my older sisters, who I got to bond with after decades, which is rare given adult responsibilities. 

Grilled fish with a coconut-based curry and spinach

Ingredients (Serves 2)

2 fillets of salmon (you can use any fish of your choice such as trout)
1 can coconut milk 

2 green chillies (optional)
1/2 red onion
1/2 medium sized tomato 
1/2 teaspoon of each of these Indian spices (chilli, turmeric, coriander and cumin, garam masala)
a pinch of saffron (optional)
1 bay leaf 
1 stick of cinnamon

Sliced almonds for garnish (optional)

Avocado oil 

Salt and pepper to taste

Step 1: Cook spinach with a little bit of oil in a pan for a minute or so. After it releases water, keep it aside. 

Step 2: Sauté finely chopped green chilies and onion in a pan with some oil of your choice. After it has turned slightly golden, add some finely chopped tomato, cinnamon stick, bay leaf, and all spices except garam masala and let it cook. 

Step 3: After it has cooked to resemble the consistency of a thick paste, add the coconut milk and a few strands of saffron if you have them. If the milk is very thick you can add some water. Add some garam masala, and let it simmer for 5 minutes or so and keep it aside. 

Step 4: Cut the salmon into fillets of desired sizes. Sprinkle some salt, pepper, spray it with oil and let it broil in the oven (at 450F) for 10 minutes on parchment paper in a baking pan. If you like your salmon slightly under-cooked, you could keep it in for 5 minutes. 

Step 5: Garnish the fish with some sliced almonds and saffron. Serve hot with rice. 

Lamb shank with greens (an Instapot recipe)

Ingredients

1 bag baby spinach 
Two large lamb legs
2 small red onions (finely diced)

2 tablespoons of each of these spices (chilli, turmeric, garam masala powders)

2 bay leaves

4 pods of whole garlic
2 tablespoons of whole spices (pepper corns, coriander seeds, fried ginger)
1 small can of tomato paste

Cooking oil (I used coconut oil)

Salt and pepper to taste

Step 1: Saute the onion in oil, add the whole spices, garlic pods and let it cook in an Instapot (on the sauté function) for 4 minutes or so until the onion is soft. 

Step 2: Dice the baby spinach leaves and add it to it. Let it cook for another 4 minutes on the sauté function. 

Step 3: Add the tomato can, and the lamb. Cook for approximately 6-7 on Slow cook function on the Instapot. If you would like to cook it faster, you can pressure cook it. 

Step 4: Serve hot with naan or rice. I served it with separately cooked khichadi (rice cooking with lentils, chick peas and kidney beans).

What to eat at Afghani restaurant in McLean Virginia, - Aracosia

I first had Afghani cuisine after immigrating to the United States. Since then, I have mostly 

Lamb shank with rice cooked with lentils

associated the cuisine with kebabs. Then I was introduced to Panjshir, a fine dining restaurant in Falls Church, VA where I was first introduced to Afghani curries. They are very similar to Indian curries, but watered-down with respect to spice levels. Then came Aracosia, a fine-dining restaurant (also reasonably priced) with two locations in Washington DC and Mclean, VA. It has become my culinary home when it comes to Afghani cuisine.

Aracosia has a pretty large menu, which includes appetizers prepared with vegetables like roasted eggplant and squash, potato and leek turnovers or sambosas, dumplings with veggies and/or meat, and lots of kebab platters. But the dishes I crave the most are the aforementioned curries or stews (Kormas) and the chutneys/sauces that they serve complementary with bread. Of the latter, I prefer the avocado and mango chutneys. 

Squash sambosas

  The meat-based entrees will leave you a feeling of being satiated yet wanting more. Some of my favorites are lamb shank, chicken Lawan, and Rumi's chicken. The meats are cooked well and served with greens or veggies like eggplant and served on a bed of basmati rice and served in reasonable portions. On their lunch menu, they even have a lamb shank served with rice cooked with lentils, kidney beans and chickpeas, akin to a khichadi. They not only have several vegetarian options for vegans but also several preparations made from veal and beef. 

Finally, I also enjoy the overall ambience due to the comfortable seating, light music, and outstanding service. 

If you are in the DVA and in mood for South Asian cuisine, this is a must-try!! 

Mexico, mi amor

One way to fall in love with a new city is through its food, which is how it worked in our case with Mexico City when we visited it last Spring. We especially enjoyed the street food, specifically the tacos and chilaquiles, which excelled both in terms of flavor and price. 

Chicken in Mole sauce at Villa Maria

The most memorable fine-dining experience was at Villa Maria, which is where I tried mole chicken (chocolate-based sauce) for the first time while watching a Mariachi band. While somewhat touristy for my taste, it was worth it, for mostly the live music. The food wasn't terrible.   

Enchiladas in verde salsa

Flan

Some of the fancier neighborhoods like Polanco or La Condesa boast high-end, yuppie restaurants that you might want to treat yourself to at some point during your trip. We tried multiple such places for brunch and dinner, including Madre Cafe and a Latin-Asian fusion restaurant whose name escapes me, where I had a delicious baos with crunchy crab, along with dumplings with mole sauce, and a whole crispy red snapper in a sweet and sour sauce. All dishes were well executed, and we loved the flavors. 

Another of my favorite meals in the city were the enchiladas. Enchiladas, a traditional dish, are stuffed corn tortillas, mostly with a protein and served in copious amount of a savory sauce of your choice (red/roja or green/verde) with grated cheese on top. To my palate, this dish resembled an Indian curry due to the salsa. We had it several times during our short visit.   

Finally, owing to not having a much of a sweet tooth, I am usually not very curious about desserts. But I did try Mexican flan, mostly because it resembled caramel pudding, one of my favorite Indian dishes along with guava pastries. The flan didn't disappoint me with respect to taste (well sugar never does!) although I preferred it in street shops more than dine-in restaurants. 

All in all, this trip was worth it for the food alone. 

Southeast Impressions - A Southeast Asian restaurant in Fairfax, Virginia

Red snapper curry with Chicken Mi goreng

Southeast Impressions
9530 Fairfax Blvd, Fairfax, VA 22031 ·
Rating: 2/5.

Southeast Impressions, a newly opened restaurant in Fairfax, Virginia, specializes in cuisines from Southeast Asia (mostly Chinese, Malaysian and Singaporean). Unlike Chinese or Vietnamese restaurants, Malaysian restaurants are rare in the NOVA region. Although I was delighted to discover this place and visited it twice so that I could try more dishes, it did not meet my expectations and the experience wasn't a memorable one. 

 The roti canai (fried bread) generally served with a chicken curry from what I have seen in other Malaysian restaurants, was served with lentils cooked with vegetables, similar to the South Indian-style sambar curry. It wasn't particularly flavorful and personally I did not feel it was even worth it's price.  

Laksa curry

Of the two curries we tried, the laksa curry was with noodles at the bottom was served with a decent helping of protein in the form of scallop, shrimp, egg and chicken. But the flavors were mediocre, and the seafood did not taste very fresh. The duck curry was very disappointing in terms of the portion of protein especially when I compare it to other Asian restaurants. The red snapper cooked with gravy and basil was one of the most expensive dishes on the menu. Although the portions were generous, it neither tasted fresh nor was seasoned sufficiently. 

We also tried their Mie Goreng, Malaysia style fried rice with egg, veggies, chicken and shrimp. This rice dish was by far the best of the dishes we tried. 

All in all, this restaurant offered a great ambience for dining and the service was decent, but I thought it fell short in terms of flavor and the quality of the food, especially for the price. With these issues, I have to give this place a score of 2 out of 5, and I do not want to visit it again.   

Exploring the ethnic food scene during my visit to Europe

Crispy duck in a red curry at Aurora

We spent a week in rural Austria and a weekend in Paris and had had the opportunity to experience the local Asian food scenes. In both cases, we left very pleased. 

We visited two Asian places in and around Salzburg in Austria: one was Japanese and another Chinese-run establishment. China restaurant Aurora in Kirchberg surpassed any expectations I had of this sparsely populated Alpian region. It was a family-run restaurant offering a diverse menu of which my personal favorite was the crispy duck in a red Thai curry. We also tried their Mie Goreng, the Malaysian specialty with fried crispy noodles and veggies and a side of sauce. Dishes seemed like were made to order, as the ingredients were fresh. The portions were decent. 

Mi Goreng at Aurora

In comparison to the US dining experiences, dishes we tried during our trip to Europe, especially in Paris were significantly smaller and perhaps double in price. However, the experience generally was much more satisfying, we were never disappointed with how the dishes tasted. Consequently, we were more than willing to pay the price. 

Paris, like most would expect of a big metropolis, offered an eclectic mix of cuisines to choose from. I got to try Senegalese cuisine for the first time and loved it the most amongst all the dishes we tried. I was even more pleasantly surprised when we found two Bengali sweet shops which allowed me to partake in some desi sweets that I hadn't eaten in over two decades. 

Senagelese chicken stew

The Senegalese flavors Les Marmitas de Fa had to offer were leaning spicy and gave you a feeling of homemade dishes. We tried a peanut based chicken stew with fish croquettes and came out wanting more. The server even brought me a spicy sauce to try with the croquettes on request.  Likewise, the Sichan style Chuan Wei Yuan , a small, cozy restaurant nestled in the cobbled-street neighborhood of downtown Paris made chicken with cumin taste and look so special - fried chicken cooked with copious amounts of onion and peppers, in a sizzling pan and bowl of hot sticky rice made the whole experience so delightful and memorable. 

Finally, for the South Asian/Indian food, our favorite was the meal we ate at a restaurant called Best of India and were so satisfied with their choices. They had a wide variety of South Asian/Indian dishes like the Sri-Lankan specialty kothu paratha (a paratha shredded to pieces and cooked with spices, eggs, veggies and chicken), Chettinad and Andhra chicken, known for its extra spicy flavor profile. To my hearts delight it was served with a freshly made Kerala paratha that I had eaten last at the "Mallu dhaba" in Pune a couple of decades ago. The experience stood out when I compare them to the Indian/desi restaurants in the US - my guess is the use of fresh spices, fresh vegetable as opposed to canned foods, is what makes these dishes so special making you always want more.  

All in all, if you have a palette for spicy Asian food like mine, experiencing the ethnic food scene in Paris will be completely worth your while.