Monday, February 7th - Dosa - Mission - Mission Must!! Yummoriffic!

Bhatura - Puffy Wheat Bread

We got together with some of our friends in the Mission after our first full day in San Francisco.  S, N's wife won't be able to join us in Tahoe so we wanted to make sure to spend time with her.  A volunteered to find us a place that could accomodate us all.  Luckily Monday's are alot easier to negotiate bigger tables.  Dosa normally doesn't accept groups larger than 6 or so and on weekends, it's not unusual for there to be a queue at the door.

Channa - Stew of Chick Peas MMMMM

N and S came the first week they opened and they waited 2 hours.  I personally would have walked around the corner for a 3$ Burrito but they said it was worth the wait! 

Dahi Papadi Chaat

Dahi Vada

A and R are from India though I'm not certain if they are from the South where Dosa's originate.  The appetisers and 'street' food starters are pretty common everywhere.  We ordered a few to share:  Dahi Papadi Chaat and Dahi Vada.  And for the first time, were told how to actually eat them.  I was thrilled.  We'd often seen these puffy little pockets in the Dahi Papadi Chaat, bite-sized flat crispy bread, potatoes, spiced organic yogurt, tamarind and mint-cilantro chutneys. Before but had no idea as to the proper way of eating them. You are meant to take one of the little puffs and poke a small hole in the top with your finger (which we shall all assume is already immaculately clean). Fill it with the vegetables and sauces that accompany them on the plate and then pop it whole into your mouth.  Watch out for the green Chile sauce.  It's got a serious kick.  The Vada were little Lentil Dumplings with Yogurt.  So goooood!

We actually put a good dent into the entire menu. We ordered at least half the Dosa's on the menu.  Dosa's are thin, crepe like pancakes, typically made of Lentil flour, filled with a variety of vegetables, cheeses or meats.  They do come from Rice and Wheat as well but normally, the menu would specify if they were like in the case of the Rava Masala Dosa at this restaurant.

Dangerously Spicy Mango Habanero Dosa, wooooo!

We also shared a Channa Bhatura which is my favourite vegetarian Chick Pea Masala with Vegan Poori.  It's that gigantic puffy bread you see at the top of the post.  It was the size of a dodge ball and served piping hot.  Carefully poke a hole at the top with a clean knife,since it's for sharing, to let the steam out. Tear apart and eat with the Chick Peas.

As a concession to our Omnivorous mates at the table, we ordered a Tamil Lamb Curry.  It was a thick stew of large chunks of Lamb.  Not too spicy.

We shared the following Dosa. I would have all of them again except maybe the Spring which I though was a bit run of the mill with the Pea & Carrot veg mix inside :

Masala  Dosa:  classic dosa filled with creamy spiced potatoes, onions, and cashew nuts (masala)
Habanero-Mango Masala: (Warning: very intense heat!) Masala dosa layered with spread of spicy habanero chutney
Rava Masala A wispy dosa made of semolina and wheat, served with spiced Indian potatoes, onions and cashews
Paneer and Peas Dosa filled with spiced and shredded farmer’s cheese, lightly grilled, peas and cilantro
Spring Masala dosa combined with fresh vegetables including peas, carrots, cabbage and red onion

My favourites with both the Dahi's and the Paneer and the Rava Dosa's.  Please Please Please heed the warning about the Mango Habanero Dosa.  They ain't kidding.  It is killer.  There were at least 3 of us at the table with stomach's of steel that agreed we could not have ordered that one alone nor even eaten more than the 1/5th we did. I say 1/5th because some were to fearful to even try when we steelier ones started to weep.

Cost: $$$-$$$$
Service: informative, helpful, cautioned us on an over order, which I love!
Ambiance: Cozy, stylish but not pretentious
Wine List: Decent

Dosa
(415) 642-3672
995 Valencia St
San Francisco, CA 94110
Mission District
http://www.dosasf.com/






(Bear in mind I normally top out @ 6/7, have never given a 7.  Still waiting :^)

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Saturday, Feb 5th - Leftovers - Indian Stir Fried Rice and Aloo Jeera Sandwiches

Leftover Indian Fried Rice

It's funny.  I think that most of us faced with the predicament of using leftovers tends to stay within the confines of our comfort zone.  Casseroles, Sandwiches, Pasta Sauce or Stir Fried Rice within the paradigms of what ever we know.  I don't know why.  We were in this ski house share as we have done for years and we're all from various backgrounds and we'll generally do a few things for meals year in and year out.  Then on the last night, we trawl out the leftovers or if there is little snow, have them for lunch.  I'm a big fan of this as you may know.  I cannot abide wasting food.  I dropped an apple the other day coming from the market and I was gutted because I knew it would spoil before anyone ate it.  :^/

This year I had my eyes opened to a whole new world of Leftover Opportunities.  I'm terribly excited about this and almost wish I had some leftovers to try them out with :^D.  One of the couples on our trip is Indian.  They usually make a fabuloso Vegetarian Indian meal on one night.  As light as alot of the more carnivorously inclined members of the group might think vegetarian food may be, it was hearty and satisfying and we had a decent bit of leftovers.

The next day for lunch I did the boring option of just heating up some of the Lentil and Spinach Dahl, Aloo Jeera (Spiced Potatoes) and Rice.  I was quite contented because it was yummoriffic.  See? fixed paradigms.  Well, R and A, the chefs of the meal, made a childhood favourite out of the Aloo Jeera which I was right up my alley.  They made Aloo Jeera Grilled Sandwiches.  Simply scoop a good portion of the Aloo Jeera on to two slices of sandwich bread and fry it in Butter or Ghee.  If the Potatoes have been the fridge, you may want to heat them up slightly because the bread may brown quicker than the potatoes are hot.  Serve as you would a grill cheese sandwich.  The frying in Butter was something A insisted was necessary to make it authentic like his mum's.

Then for our big BBQ dinner night, R made an Indian Stir Fried Rice.  Funny how I've always though of Stir Fried Rice as the domain of the SE-Asians.  Why would that be?  I mean India and Pakistan eat as much rice in their diets too, I'm sure.   Though they do have more alternative starches in their regular repetoire like  Breads that are more of an adaptation in SE-Asia which is why when we make Indian at home, we always have more rice than we need because we often make Naan too and D won't eat both.

So there we were with a good 3 c of extra rice because alot of Westerners don't eat two starches in one meal.  R made a lucious Indian Stir Fried Rice which I will have to replicate.  Now, I did not ask her for the proportions but I know what went into it.  You'll have to fiddle with the portions.

Indian Stir Fried Leftover Rice

Jeera Seeds (Cumin Seeds)
1/2 Onion, diced
1-2 Serrano Chiles (leftovers :^D), minced
Black Mustard Seeds
Ground Tumeric
Mango Powder
Chili Powder (dash)
1/2 stick Butter
3 c COLD Basmati or Jasmin Rice
Salt and Pepper to taste

In a large pan or wok, melt the butter.  You should use a neutral Vegetable Oil, Ghee or Butter.  Do not use Olive Oil.  It will not taste right.  Fry the Seeds until you can smell them or hear the Mustard Seeds pop.  Add the Onions and Chiles and fry until slightly browned.  Add the other spices.  Add the COLD rice, cold because it won't clump up and absorb more liquid too quickly.  All the grains should be fluffy and separate. Season to taste. Mix well to combine and serve.  MMMMMMMM

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Saturday, Jan 29th - Asian Breeze - Seattle Center - so-so Pre Opera Dinner

Coconut Prawn Pad Thai - too sweet

I bought tickets for D's birthday to Barber of Seville at the Seattle Opera.  We like the drive and visiting a bit of a bigger city vibe.  As well, the Seattle Opera has a much better venue, acoustically, than QE.  It is pricey though but luckily we were saving loads flying from there to our trip to San Fran.  It's really shocking how much cheaper those flights were actually.  That said, I will NEVER fly Alaska Airlines again.  We had a really questionable security experience, but that's for another post but ask if you like.

We had planned on going to Bizzaro Cafe for scratch made pasta but we were running late and thought it would be easier to check in and walk around the Queen Anne neighbourhood for dinner.  I was nearly turned off by over conceptualised decor but D was done walking and didn't look keen on going back to the first place I stopped in front of. :^)  Wish we had.

We were alone in the restaurant except for a single gentleman and yet, the server tried to seat us right next to him.  Other diners trickled in, all pre-opera diners.  Service was slow given the emptiness and rather inattentive.  The table next to us, seated a good spell after us, had their order taken and drinks served well before us.

Coconut Tempura Prawn - Greasy and not Coconutty

We started with the Coconut Tempura Prawn with Wasabi Mayo.  They looked and tasted like the types of prawn you might find in the frozen food section of Costco.  Butterflied and perfectly breaded but too manufactured in appearance.  Then there was the Coconut, or rather, there wasn't.  We had to concentrate like we were reading computer manuals to find the Coconut flavour.  We even called the server over to ask if there had been a mistake.  She claimed that the prawn had been marinated in coconut milk before breading and frying.  There was a very very slight perfume of Coconut, not worthy of marquee billing.  I still suspect, the prawn were store bought.  They were very greasy as well.

For a main, I ordered the Coconut Prawn Pad Thai.  The way the dish was described, I had thought the coconut milk and prawn would have been incorporated into the dish.  I was mistaken.  It was a standard Pad Thai with Coconut Tempura Prawn sat on top.  The server did not even have the courtesy to tell me that they were duplicate to the appetiser.  Very very unhappy about that.  The Pad Thai itself was far too sweet, and cloying.

7 Spice Pork Chop

D ordered the Seven Spice Pork Chop with Veg and Mash.  The Chop was rather dry and over cooked.  The mash was good.  Next time we go down, I think we may look up the road.

Cost: $$$-$$$$
Ambiance: Slick Asian, slightly too many visits to Pier 1
Service: not informative nor helpful

Asian Breeze
Queen Anne
366 Roy St
Seattle, WA 98109
(206) 285-6713

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