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. 

Pizza - the comfort food

House special at Crust, Vienna

Pizza is a comfort food for people around the world. I have had the opportunity to try various kinds of pizza. Here are some of my favorites.

Lostdogcafe, Arlington VA
A local chain restaurant in Northern Virginia offers several gourmet pizzas. My favorite is the big red pie, wheat crust topped with marinara sauce, fresh mozzarella and fresh basil.

Pupatella, Arlington, VA
Another local favorite, offering Neapolitan pizzas.

Italian Store, Arlington VA
If you are in mood to try the New York Style thin crust pizza made of fresh dough, this is must-try. Reasonably priced, has several locations in Northern Virginia.

Crust, Vienna, VA
Another local chain offering some great Neapolitan wood-fired fresh pizza in Vienna. Nice ambiance, also sells wine and beer.

Varasanos Pizzeria, Atlanta, GA
Tried their house special thin-crust New York style pizza with mozzarella & san marzano tomato sauce with a secret blend of herbs. It was delicious albeit pricey.

Brixx, Santiago, Dominican Republic
I have not eaten a better pizza than the white pizza (sans marinara sauce) at Brixx (a chain restaurant, also in the United States) in Santiago, DR. A bit rich but unforgettable. 

My recent seafood picks

Octopus at Avalon Grille

Growing up in Goa, I've always considered seafood a delicacy. Given this, it is no surprise that I have taken the opportunity to try several local variants of seafood over the past few months.

At the Catalina Island, an hour-long ferry ride from Los Angeles, I tried grilled octopus (served with vegetable ragout) at Avalon Grille. It was well cooked and presented, albeit a bit pricey.

Smoked Salmon pizza at Spago

In a small town of Columbus, Mississippi, I tried several variants of catfish, a southern staple. Farm-raised locally, it was always delicious, whether fried or served in a Thai curry. Finally, during a recent trip to downtown Atlanta, Georgia, I enjoyed a whole red snapper at Southern Elements.

I have developed a taste for smoked salmon thanks to a smoked salmon pizza I tried at Wolfgang Puck's Spago in Vegas. Simple, filling and delicious if you can handle smoked fish.

Spinach and Mushroom Dip

Ingredients

Spinach and mushroom dip

4 cups chopped spinach
1 cup mushrooms (diced)
2 garlic pods (diced)
1 cup cream cheese
1 tablespoon mayo
2 cup mozzarella cheese
1 cup parmesan cheese
Olive Oil
Chilli flakes
Salt and pepper to taste

Step 1: Saute the mushrooms and garlic in olive oil. Add the spinach and cook slightly.

Step 2: Add the mayo, cream cheese, and mozarella cheese and mix well on a very low flame. Season with salt and pepper.

Step 3: Add parmesan cheese and bake at 350F for 20 minutes until the cheese turns brown.
Serve hot with pita bread. 

Casual Dining

Kabab over rice

Havabite Eatery,
10416, Main Street, 
Fairfax, VA 22030
This is an old favorite from my student days in Fairfax. Havabite is a small, family-run American Greek establishment which serves the best food of that type in the area. It excels at the execution of fairly simple dishes. Recent favorites include the shrimp sandorini, spanakopita, chicken over rice and gyros. Reasonable prices.

Chicken Friand

La Madelaine, Country French Cafe
5861, Crossroads Cir
Bailey's Crossroads, VA
We tried this cafe for breakfast. Both the food and ambiance read as authentic, though I cannot claim to be an expert on traditional french cafes. Their menu is widespread and they offer a wide variety of breakfast, lunch and dinner options. For breakfast, we had their chicken friand, a pastry served with mushroom sauce on top. The sauce masked the taste of the pastry but the combination was delightful. We also tried their cinnamon french toast made with raisin bread - served with fresh fruit and a dash of honey. Their benedict with fried bacon and ham wasn't extraordinary but edible nonetheless.

I would be curious to see if their lunch or dinner menus are as satisfying but I can recommend La Madelaine if you are looking for a breakfast or a brunch option in the Northern Virginia region.  

Eden Center - The Taste of Vietnam

Caramelized fish at Rice Paper

The Eden Center is known for its Vietnamese restaurants and stores. I recently visited one of the more popular of these establishments, Rice Paper and a family-run restaurant Huong-viet.

Consistent with the Vietnamese food I have experienced up to that point, the food I tried at both these restaurants was flavorful but not too heavy. We tried a few dishes - Autumn rolls with shrimp and crab, garden rolls with shrimp (rolled in rice paper), caramelized fish in clay pot, caramelized shrimp, roasted quail and a pho.

Roasted quail at Huong-Viet

While I preferred the quail at Huong-viet, the caramelized fish was tastier at Rice Paper than the caramelized shrimp at the former restaurant. Overall, the food was perfectly seasoned, perfectly executed, and very reasonably priced. One thing I love about Vietnamese cuisine are the fresh vegetables served on the side. For instance, the quail was served on a bed of green veggies. However, on the flip side, these dishes were not particularly heavy on the protein, which left us wishing for larger portions of meat.

Their menus also included hot pots, a variety of protein-based soups (or pho), and a range of appetizers and salads. These are on my list for our next visit to the Eden Center.

Mutton Curry

By Lubna Usman-Rifat : "A simple, easy to make recipe but special because its my 8-year old son, Kibriya's favorite mutton curry".

Ingredients
1/2 kg goat/mutton
2 large onions
1 inch cinnamon
1 pod cardomom
1 bay leaf
2 cloves
2 red chilies
Salt to taste

For the Marinade 
1 inch cinnamon
1 inch ginger
6 garlic pods
2 cardamom
1 bay leaf
3 red chilies
2 cloves
1 spoon turmeric powder
2 tablespoons coriander powder

Step 1: Blend all the ingredients for the marinade and apply on washed meat. Set aside for 4 hours.

Step 2: Take a pressure cooker, put in on flame. Dry roast 1 inch cinnamon, pop open a pod of cardomon, one bay leaf, two cloves, two chopped red chilies for a minute. Keep an eye, dont let it smoke.

Step 3: Add 3 tablespoon oil, and fry finely diced onion until brown for approximately 10-15 minutes.

Step 4: Add the meat and fry for 15-20 minutes until the meat changes color. Add salt.

Step 5: Add water up to the level of meat (maybe an inch higher).

Step 6: Put the lid on and pressure cook (approximately 15 whistles). Add coriander leaves/mint for garnish.