Seafood Peri Peri with Quinoa

Cuisine: Goan Fusion

Ingredients

2 lobster tails

2 cups of Quinoa

4-5 wild caught shrimp

For the Peri peri sauce 

3 tablespoons of olive oil

1/2 onion

1/2 tomato

2 tablespoons of ginger garlic paste

2 tablespoons tomato ketchup

1 teaspoon vinegar

2 teaspoons of cumin seeds

2 small red chillies

2 cloves 

1 small stick of cinnamon

2 teaspoons of milk or cream (I used half-n-half)

Salt and pepper to taste to taste

Optional 

Coriander leaves (You could add some finely chopped coriander leaves to your sauce if you would like)

Peri-peri sauce

Step 1: Saute the ginger garlic paste with finely diced onions in olive oil.

Step 2: Add finely diced tomatoes along with vinegar.

Step 3: Let the mixture cook for about 5-10 minutes on a very low flame. 

Step 4: Grind the red chillies, cumin seeds, cloves and a cinnamon stick into a fine powder and add it to the mixture. 

Step 5: Add some tomato ketchup and the shrimp. 

Step 6: Add half-n-half and let the mixture cook until it reduces to a thick sauce. 

Step 7: Boil the lobster tails separately for 4-5 minutes and pull the meat apart from the shell.

Seafood peri peri with and quinoa

Step 8: Cook the quinoa separately in water. Sprinkle some lime in it. Add salt and pepper to suit your taste. 

Step 9: Pour the peri-peri sauce on a bed of quinoa with a side of lobster meat. 

** Peri-peri sauce with shrimp by itself, although spicy is delicious and can be enjoyed with some portuguese bread. 

Chinese Fusion

What is it about Chinese cuisine that makes it globally ubiquitous? I would argue that it is its ability to blend with many regional flavor profiles. The popularity of the two Northern Virginia Chinese fusion establishments featured in this review argue that Chinese ingredients work especially well with Indian spices as well as Latin American comfort food.

Kam-po

Crispy shrimp

5884, Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, VA 22041
I recently had the opportunity to visit Kam-po, a Peruvian Chinese establishment in Arlington. I tried their crispy shrimp and spicy chicken. The ambience was such that I could easily imagine myself dining in Macchu Picchu. Along with their Chinese menu, they also have a traditional Peruvian menu. We sampled an appetizer called causa rellena, i.e. potato stuffed with tuna. Recommended to those who wish to explore two regional cuisines in a single trip.

 Inchin's Bamboo Garden
13059, Worldgate Dr, Herndon, VA 20170

Chilli chicken and chicken momos

At Inchin's Bamboo Garden, I tried their chicken dumplings (or momos), chilli chicken (the Indo-chinese staple), crispy lamb, and Singaporean shrimp. In a possible attempt to widen the clientele beyond Herndon's large Indian community, the menu includes items such as Mongolian beef which are not commonly found in Indian restaurants. However, the menu still leans South Asian, as indicated by the large number of vegetarian items on the menu. While I was excited by the restaurant's concept, my experience was compromised by poor execution. Specifically, I could not really tell it was Indo-chinese. The blandness of the entrees reminded me of something I could  find at P.F. Chiang's. The service was also generally poor, a result of attempting to serve many customers with as few employees as possible. Not recommended.

Southside 815 - Southern American food in Northern Virginia

Fried oysters with cheesy spinach

Southside 815

815 South Washington St.

Alexandria, VA 22314 

Growing up, I was often labeled "parochial" due to my lack of appreciation for American cuisine. But after two visits to Southside 815 in Alexandria, I may have finally found an establishment that can liberate my palate from the spicy bonds of my homeland.

I had the opportunity to sample both the breakfast and dinner menus. For brunch I would recommend the sausage biscuits and gravy, vegetable frittata, and eggs benedict. 

Gumbo

For  dinner, I strongly endorse ordering the fried oysters with cheese spinach as an appetizer. Their entree menu includes many Southern classics. We tried the gumbo and blackened catfish, which were both very good and, as far as I can tell, authentic. The portion sizes were large enough: the main entree was served with mostly a lot of greens or veggies. I would recommend paring these dishes with the homemade buttermilk and sweet potato biscuits. 

On the whole, the food was delicious, if bit rich. All the dishes were worth the very reasonable price. I would recommend at least one visit to any of my fellow immigrants who are interested in experiencing 'good' American cuisine.

Kalpasi - The full Chettinad experience in Virginia

Fish curry with appam

Kalpasi 
13055, Worldgate Drive
Herndon, Virginia, 20170

When I arrived in the United States, going out to an Indian restaurant carried with it expectations of butter chicken or paneer butter masala.

However, the opportunities for Americans to experience the more authentic regional cuisines in the Washington DC metropolitan area are increasing. Kalpasi, newly opened in Herndon, Virginia, is indicative of this trend. The menu is largely comprised of Chettinad,  a particularly spicy variance to southern Indian cuisine.

Dry mutton

Among the main courses, I tried their tangy and spicy fish curry served with Appam, South Indian pancakes made from fermented rice batter as well as their dry goat. Both dishes were very good. Those interested in the full Chettinad experience may also want to consider  their house-made paratha. I tried it with their king fish curry and it was delicious.

The prices were very reasonable given the quality of the food, though, at the end of the meal, we wished the portion sizes had been larger.

Goan Fish Curry

Ingredients (Serves 2-3 people)
2 tablespoons of clarified butter (or olive oil)
2 green chillies slit
3 pods of garlic (crushed)
1/2 onion diced
1/2 tomato diced
7 fillets of cleaned tilapia (you can also try this recipe with shrimp or any fish of your choice)
1 cup of coconut milk (I used the canned coconut milk. Alternately, you could make some with fresh coconut)
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 teaspoon coriander powder
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon garam masala
1 teaspoon tamarind paste
Chopped coriander leaves/cilantro
Salt to taste
A pinch of sugar

Step 1: Heat oil or butter in a pan. Add the cumin seeds along with chopped chillies, crushed garlic, and onions. Add the tomatoes to the mix, once the onions have turned brown.

Step 2: Add chili, turmeric and coriander powders and let it cook.

Step 3: Add the coconut milk. 

Step 4: Add the tilapia fillets and allow it to cook for about 5-10 minutes.

Step 5: Add some garam masala, tamarind, salt and sugar. Garnish it with chopped coriander leaves.

Step 6: Serve hot with rice.

Palak paneer (Cottage cheese with spinach and mushroom sauce)

Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients (Serves 2-3 people)

200 grams of paneer (cottage cheese) cubes 

1 finely chopped red onion

1/2 finely chopped tomato

1 bag of pre-washed baby spinach (70 grams)

4 finely chopped mushrooms

2 bay leaves

4 pods of garlic

1 teaspoon of ground ginger

1 teaspoon turmeric powder

1 teaspoon chilli powder

1 teaspoon coriander powder

1 tablespoon cumin seeds

4 tablespoons of clarified butter (or olive oil)

1/4 cup of milk

1/2 teaspoon tamarind concentrate

Pinch of garam masala

Salt to taste

Step 1: Saute the spinach and mushrooms with half onion, tomato, ginger, and garlic in a pan. 

Step 2: Blend the mixture with some milk.

Step 3: Saute the remaining onion and cumin seeds in some butter and bay leaves. 

Step 4: Marinate the paneer cubes with the spices [chilli, turmeric, and coriander powders] and fry them with the onions. ( You could also separately shallow-fry the paneer cubes with the egg white before you saute them with the onions. 

Step 5: Add the blended mixture to the paneer. 

Step 6: Sprinkle some garam masala and let it cook for 5-10 minutes. 

Step 7: Add some salt to taste. 

Step 8: For a tangy flavor, you could add some tamarind.  

Step 9: Serve with chapati (Indian bread) or rice. 

Supper Club of India

Fish Amritsari with chutney

I recently visited the Supper Club of India, located in Herndon, Virginia.  It does not have a particularly fancy ambience but I was very impressed with the quality of food. Most of India's regions were given some degree of representation on the menu.

Many of the dishes are not very commonly offered by Indian restaurants in the DC region,  including chicken kolhapuri (a spicy speciality from Maharastra), Vindaloo (a vinegar-based specialty from Goa) and non-vegetarian delicacies included Lobster Nizam and chicken chettinad, which are unique to southern India. The prices were reasonable relative to other Indian restaurants in Northern Virginia.

Shrimp curry, chicken chettinad and rice

I tried their chicken chettinad, madras shrimp, and fish amritsari. Although I thought the chicken chettinad tasted more like the Goan chicken xacuti, I certainly did not mind the latter. The shrimp was prepared in a coconut based curry that went well  with the rice.

Another interesting feature of this restaurant's menu were the many dishes prepared with phall -- the "hottest curry in the world". These curries are made from Bhut Jalokia, or ghost peppers, which originated in Assam, a state in northeast India. I did not think I could handle the spice levels, but if you think you can, this is the restaurant you will want to visit to test what your taste buds are made of. However, even for those with nothing to prove, the rest of the menu has enough to ensure that you will not regret the trip.