Pumpkin and salmon might seem like a strange combination, but all doubts will leave your mind once you taste this curry. I first had this curry at Thai X-ing, an amazing DC restaurant, where it was one of a variety of courses on their set menu. While everything there was delicious, this dish in particular stood out and still comes to mind (I spend a lot of time thinking about food). The tender and sweet pumpkin melts into the spicy, creamy, curry sauce, thickening it, and the salmon adds another dimension of richness. This version captured my memory of the dish well and was far easier than I thought it would be to throw together.
Category: famous dishes
Nana’s Original (Manakeesh bil Zaatar)
Despite being half-Lebanese, it wasn’t until the summer of 2009 that I was able to spend an extended period of time in Lebanon. I was studying at the American University of Beirut, taking two classes (one, a fascinating abnormal psychology course, and the other, “the art of honeymaking,” a class on beekeeping – I’ll share some great stories from this class another time, rest assured) and spending every other weekend visiting my grandparents (who I’d only met once before) in a small town in the north of Lebanon. Needless to say, it was a scary and amazing experience for me, not to mention a formative one.
Pig in the Garden Salad
I recently visited Nashville and happened to stop in at a chain called Jim ‘n Nick’s BBQ. I had been told that their “Pig in the Garden” salad was outstanding, and although I usually like my pulled pork in sandwich form, I went with the recommendation. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the crisp lettuce and crunchy almonds were the perfect complement to the pulled pork, and the use of both salad dressing and barbecue sauce bordered on ingenious. Of course, it didn’t hurt that there was also bacon involved. Shortly after returning home, I set about attempting to recreate this salad, and I’m pleased to report that this homemade version is not only delicious but also simple to make.
Palak Chaat
I recently had the pleasure of dining at Rasika, a very popular DC Indian restaurant, and trying their famous palak chaat. This dish is an amazing medley of textures and flavors, with crispy spinach playing off a sour-sweet chutney and sweetened yogurt, and I knew almost immediately that I had to try my best to recreate it. I’ve dedicated this week to a series of posts on recreating all the pieces of Rasika’s palak chaat. This post is the third in a series of three. See post 1: Chaat Masala and post 2: Date Tamarind Chutney.
Creating the perfect crispy spinach was the difficult piece of this recipe.
Date Tamarind Chutney
I recently had the pleasure of dining at Rasika, a very popular DC Indian restaurant, and trying their famous palak chaat. This dish is an amazing medley of textures and flavors, with crispy spinach playing off a sour-sweet chutney and sweetened yogurt, and I knew almost immediately that I had to try my best to recreate it. I’ve dedicated this week to a series of posts on recreating all the pieces of Rasika’s palak chaat. This post is the second in a series of three. See post 1: Chaat Masala and post 3: Palak Chaat.
This date tamarind chutney balances the sweetness of dates and jaggery sugar with the sourness of tamarind.
Chaat Masala
I recently had the pleasure of dining at Rasika, a very popular DC Indian restaurant, and trying their famous palak chaat. This dish is an amazing medley of textures and flavors, with crispy spinach playing off a sour-sweet chutney and sweetened yogurt, and I knew almost immediately that I had to try my best to recreate it. I’ve dedicated this week to a series of posts on recreating all the pieces of Rasika’s palak chaat. This post is the first in a series of three. See post 2: Date Tamarind Chutney and post 3: Palak Chaat.
Chaat masala is a classic Indian spice mix with some unusual ingredients.