Asian fare in the Netherlands for the spice lovers

Chicken at a Sichaun Tibetan restaurant

I spent a week in Northern Europe, where I visited several Asian restaurants. In the northern Netherlands, in the town of Groningen and Amsterdam, I tried the local Indonesian fare, which was mostly comprised of small portions of satay, curries, vegetables, fried bananas, soups
(try their peanut soup), and spicy sauces with flavored and plain rice. These dishes were a relief after trying out a variety of lot of Dutch food that I think is generally too bland for my Indian palate.

In Amsterdam I had one of the best lunches ever in a Tibetan Sichuan restaurant in the Chinatown.
At another Tibetan Sichuan restaurant, I tried their dim sums and they were awesome.

Indonesian meal

Finally, I always visit an Indian restaurant in every city that I go to. In the towns of Groningen and Bruges, the Indian food was very mediocre. However, a visit to  Ashoka, a Indian/Nepali cuisine in Amsterdam, left me pretty satisfied. I will still say you might be better off trying the Indonesian or Sichuan food, particularly in Amsterdam.

Easy and cool dinners - Fresh Salads

Spinach salad/Cabbage and egg salad

Cabbage and Egg salad 
Ingredients:
1/2 bag of ready made cabbage (Trader Joes)
Handful of grape tomatoes
2 boiled eggs chopped
Handful of sliced mushroom
Handful of Mixed nuts (Walnuts and raisins)
Salt and pepper to taste
Dressing:
1 teaspoon olive oil, 1/2 cup mayo, 1 tablespoon barbecue sauce, and 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

Spinach salad 
1/2 bag baby spinach
8 small mozzarella balls [Bought the ready made box of mozzarella balls in oil from a local store, Giant]
Handful of walnuts
4 Campari tomatoes
Salt and pepper to taste
Dressing: 
Olive oil with Italian herbs [ I used the oil that came with the mozzarella balls]

Preparation: Mix all ingredients in a bowl. Refrigerate for one hour. Serve cold.

Punjabi by Nature

Punjabi by nature,
2750 Gallows Rd, Vienna, VA 22180

Murg Changezi, Dal makhani with rice and naan

A punjabi dhaba is a roadside restaurant, usually seen on highways in India serving Punjabi food characterized by parathas (Indian stuffed breads), curries, and soups. While Indian menus in Northern Virginia is typically inspired by North Indian cuisine, restaurants with an explicit punjabi dhaba menu are less common.  Punjabi by Nature attempts to fill in this culinary void.

I have had the opportunity to try various dishes at the Vienna location. Specifically, I have tried their chole bature (non-spicy chick peas with deep fried bread), stuffed parathas, tandoori chicken, dal (lentils), a few chicken curries and a goat curry (goat lababdar). While I was not a fan of all of these, I can make a few recommendations for an Indian palate that is craving some authentic spicy food. I liked two of their bone-in chicken curries (Lahori Murg and Murg Changezi) to have had them more than once. The murg changezi was deliciously spicy. If you are not a fan of spicy food, their dal makhani, and chole bature, tandoori chicken are recommended. Its also reasonably priced with smallish (though adequate) portion sizes. Their menu also includes kababs and kathi rolls that I am yet to try.

I am also a  big fan of its ambiance. The blaring Punjabi music increases the authenticity of the overall experience. 

Indian Butter chicken

Ingredients 
1 full chicken cut in small pieces
2 tablespoons ginger-garlic paste
1/2 cup yoghurt
10 small shallots
2 large tomatoes
1 cup cashews
1 large tablespoon poppy seeds (Optional)
3 teaspoon Kashmiri chilli powder
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
2 teaspoons garam masala
1 cup cream
1 cup tomato soup (Trader Joes low-sodium tomato soup)
1 tablespoon fenugreek leaves (Kasuri methi)
Salt to taste
1/2 cup butter.

Step 1: Marinate the chicken with yoghurt, 1 teaspoon chilli powder, turmeric powder, and 1 tablespoon ginger garlic paste. Keep aside for atleast 3-4 hours.

 Step 2: Shallow fry the chicken and keep aside.






Step 3: Saute the shallots, tomato, cashew and poppy seeds, the remaining ginger-garlic paste in a pan with butter and cumin seeds. [You can skip this step and use the ready-made tomato soup as the base instead]

 Step 4: Add some tomato soup and grind the mixture to a thin consistency.

Step 5: Add the fried chicken pieces, garam masala, the remaining chilli powder and some cream. Add fenugreek leaves and let it cook until the chicken is done.








Step 6: Serve the chicken hot with bread or rice.

Korean street food in Washington DC

Rice bowl with spicy squid

We recently visited BUL, restaurant located in Adams Morgan specializing in Korean street food.  Their menu is quite diverse: soups, Korean tacos, small plates of seafood and chicken, rice bowls and noodles.

For an appetizer, we tried their octopus-based dish garnished with dried seafood (I think), mayo and a soya-based sauce. Although I would not say that I was able to distinguish the taste of the octopus from the seasoning, this was my favorite of all dishes I tried.

Fried flour with batter/stuffed with octopus

BUL served a few types of fried chicken with a variety of sauces, both sweet and spicy. We tried one supposedly spicy variant of the sauce and were a bit disappointed, especially when I compare it to Bonchon chicken. Edible though.

We also tried a rice hot bowl which was topped with a lots of semi-cooked veggies or blanched greens sitting on a bed of sticky rice (and served with a spicy sauce on the side). It was fine.

The restaurant has a cosy ambiance. The customers appeared to consist mostly of young college-goers. Prices were quite reasonable given its location and the food was definitely good. 

French fried with a home-made bell pepper sauce and cheese

Ingredients
1 bell pepper
3 corn cobs
4 small red potatoes
1/2 cup mozarella cheese.
Salt and pepper to taste.
Dried dill (optional)

Step 1: Boil the corn cobs and separate the corn from the cobs.
Step 2: In a dish, saute one red bell pepper along with the corn. Add some chilli powder, salt and pepper.
Step 3: Grind it all to a thin paste.
Step 4: Cut the potatoes, add salt and pepper. Shallow fry them.
Step 5. When the potatoes are almost cooked, add the sauce.
Step 6: In a separate baking pan, add the mixture. Add the mozarella cheese on top and bake for around 10 minutes until the cheese in brown. Sprinkle some dried dill.
Step 7: Serve hot. (I served it with guacamole). 

My Dutch food diary

Fresh salad at Zondag

I spent a week in the Netherlands, where I had the chance to try some of the local food. Lots of cheeses (gouda, in particular) and freshly baked breads were characteristic of most of the breakfasts and lunches. Dutch dinners, however, are, like the people, usually warm. I tried their traditional mustard soup on a couple of occasions as well as some seafood (salmon and white fish) served with sides of carrots or french fries. I loved it all!

Dutch dinner at Groningen

The local fish, although cooked with only a mild level of spice, was delicious. White fish is commonly found on menus. I tried this in several restaurants cooked in different styles including French. It was generally fresh and often accompanied by a side of veggies that you should not miss. Not sure if it had something to do with the time of the year I was visiting (summer), but I really enjoyed the veggies served with the main course.  My favorite was a veggie salad with fresh mozarella cheese along with baked salmon and potatoes that I had at Zondag in Groningen. Finally, the famous Dutch fries with mayo is a must try at least once. They were made to order and not very salty.

Although I did not have a chance to try the popular Dutch pancakes (pannenkoek), I had waffles with a chocolate sauce in Bruges at a tea room. These were pretty good. Then there were the Belgian chocolates which you must try if you have a sweet tooth.

I got some gouda cheese and Belgian chocolate to try some home-made fondue. Looking forward to trying it.

Belgian Waffle with chocolate

Puneri Vegetarian Food

Baby corn masala, Amrapali, FC Road Pune

If you have visited India, it is not uncommon to come across a restaurant that serves exclusively vegetarian food. I lived in Pune for almost 7 years and had the fortune to experience its restaurant scene, with it's abundant vegetarian options.

Paneer Chili, Amrapali, FC Road

Vegetarian restaurants in Pune serve authentic Maharashtrian, South Indian to Italian vegetarian cuisines. I tried a little bit of all during my recent visit to the city. It was as good as I had when I left the city almost a  decade ago.
Pune's South Indian fast food joints are popular amongst both natives and the city's college-goers as places to engage in "deep conversations" over a cup of coffee. I visited Vaishali and tried the vegetarian beet cutlets as well as a regular masala dosa with filter coffee. Recommended.

Kacchi Dabeli, a street vendor, Bombay-Pune Highway

On the same vibrant Fergusson College (F.C. Road), in a nondescript corner behind the famous Roopali is a restaurant called Amrapali that serves the best vegetarian curries I have ever tried so far. I have probably had their baby corn masala 100 times before and yet I still came out licking my fingers. The portions are in that sweet spot that you are satisfied yet still leave you wanting more.

When I lived in Pune, I lived off its street (taperi) food, which included authentic Maharashtrian breakfast options like pohe, sabudana khichadi, or vada pao. I was disappointed to not see many of these street vendors in the Deccan area this time around. But if you are ever in India and brave enough to try its street food, don't miss the spicy Kacchi Dabeli (a spicy mixture of veggies and pomegranate served in a bun), vada pao (a potato cutlet served in a bun) and misal pao (a spicy mixture of veggies cooked with sprouts in a curry and served with bread) among others.

Mushrooms and garlic bread, Little Italy

Finally, I went to another of my favorite restaurants on Bund Garden road called the Little Italy that serves Italian vegetarian food. It offers a variety of pastas, pizzas and a few Mexican specialties like enchiladas, and nachos with cheese. I tried their mushroom with garlic bread and a pesto pizza and they were both delicious. 

Grilled meats in India

Tandoori Shikhari Tangdi, Khiva, Pune. 

Among my favorite South Asian delicacies are the grilled meats. Kebabs or Tandoori chicken (and other variants of fish or lamb) are meats marinated with a special marinade (yogurt mixed with spices) for hours and then grilled in a clay oven. Kebabs may consist of whole or ground meat.

You will find variations of these preparations in several South Asian or Middle Eastern cuisines including Pakistani, Afghani, Indian, or Turkish among others.

Kebab Platter, Mehak Tandoor Works, Goa. 

During my recent trip to India, I tried several versions of Tandoori chicken and kebabs in several restaurants. In my opinion, restaurants generally do a better job with it mainly due to access to a large clay oven which makes preparation easier than at home.

It is protein rich. Those not very fond of spicy food can enjoy the subtlety of spices in this grilled version more than in the curry. Sometimes, depending on the cuisine, you can combine the meal with a side of bread (naan) or just a salad. Veggie lovers are also presented with several vegetables grilled in a similar fashion which use the same marinades.