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