Mariam – Page 59 – Yogurtsoda

Toronto, Days One and Two

June 8, 2014June 8, 2014

Toronto is hailed as one of the greatest food cities in North America, though you might not know it because Canadians can be so modest. But when I visited last fall, I was excited to eat, explore, spend time with Nishan’s family and enjoy some home-cooked Sri Lankan cuisine.

After a delicious new Canadian dinner at Marben in downtown Toronto, Nishan and I spent a couple of days in Brampton, where I was treated to an incredible Sri Lankan meal. Sri Lankan food isn’t for the faint of heart — it’s spicy, pulls no punches, and was almost too much for my wussy Iranian taste buds. There’s nothing a dollop of yogurt can’t cool, though, and I happily went to down on fiery mutton curry alongside seeni (onion) sambol, pol (coconut) sambol, biryani, fish cutlets, and hoppers.

What are hoppers, you ask? Similar to a crepe, hoppers are made from a fermented batter of rice flour, coconut milk and a dash of palm toddy. The batter is cooked in a hemispherical wok-like pan. There are many types of hoppers, like string hoppers and egg hoppers. Sri Lankan cuisine is nearly impossible to come by in the Bay Area, so this was a real treat.

After a couple of days in Brampton we were off to the Toronto suburb of London, Ontario. But first: Tim Hortons.

C’mon. What’s a road trip in Canada without a coup of Tim Hortons coffee and an order of Timbits doughnut holes?

Ledson Winery and Vineyards

May 28, 2014May 29, 2014

Growing up, Ledson Winery was “the castle winery.” As children, we had no interest in wine, and only cared that driving past Ledson at night along rural Highway 12 was especially spooky.

These days, my tastes have matured and I like to visit Ledson for the (non-scary and actually very welcoming) ambiance and breathtaking vineyard views. I was last there during harvest season with Nishan and my sister, Melody. And yes, we still call it the castle winery.

The castle has has only been around since the 1990s but the Ledson family has been making wine and farming since the 1800s. The French Normandy-style structure is easy to spot in Kenwood if you’re wine tasting along Highway 12. The vines immediately surrounding the castle are Merlot, but the winery makes a range of reds and whites.

If you’re in the area and thinking of picking up a bottle, better do so while you’re there: Ledson only sells at their winery and at their hotel in neighboring Sonoma.

Adas Polo (Iranian Rice and Lentils)

May 13, 2014February 7, 2019

Adas polo is comfort food. Simple to cook and customizable to taste, nearly every Iranian kid grew up with this lentil and rice dish. Like your adas polo sweet? Top with a sprinkling of fried raisins. Prefer it savory? Add extra fried onions. Craving a hit of tartness? Eat with a dollop of Middle Eastern yogurt.

This recipe comes courtesy of my mom, who always made me extra tahdig (the crispy rice at the bottom of the pot) to go with my adas polo. Now that’s love.

Ingredients:

3 cups basmati rice
1 onion, peeled and thinly sliced
8 tablespoons oil
1 1/2 tablespoons salt
3 1/2 cups water
2 cups lentils
1/2 cup raisins
Iranian or Greek yogurt, to serve

1. Clean and wash 3 cups of rice 3 times in cold water.

2. In an electric rice cooker, combine 3 1/2 cups water, washed and drained rice, 1 tablespoon salt, and 4 tablespoons oil. Start the rice cooker. Cover and let cook for 15 minutes.

3. In the meantime, clean and wash lentils and boil in a pot of water and 1/2 teaspoon salt for 15 minutes over high heat. Drain.

4. Hollow out the middle of the rice mound and add the lentils. Cover and continue cooking for 60 minutes longer, then unplug cooker and let stand for 10 minutes without uncovering it.

5. Meanwhile, in a skillet, brown the onion in remaining 4 tablespoons oil. Using a slotted spoon, remove onions and place on a serving plate. Reserve oil in skillet.

6. Reheat skillet with oil and brown raisins until slightly plump, about 4 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove raisins and place on another serving plate.

7. Remove rice cooker lid and place a large serving dish on top of the rice cooker mold. Grasp them together firmly and turn pot upside down to unmold tahdig and rice onto the dish. Cut into wedges and serve with onions, raisins, and yogurt.

Build Pizzeria

May 12, 2014

Berkeley is a college town and with college comes pizza. And trust me, Berkeley has no shortage of pizza restaurants. Build Pizzeria in downtown Berkeley is among the newest and it’s easily become my favorite. Why? Let me count the ways.

As the name suggests, you can build your own pizza at Build and they’ll bake it for you in their wood-fired Italian oven. During my first visit, I ordered the sausage and roast garlic pizza and man oh man is that some good pizza. Thin-but-not-too-thin crust, a perfect amount of sauce, and super fresh ingredients make for the best pie east of the Bay.

I stop by Build pretty regularly and these days, they’re busy. But the pizza is still top notch and the service is perfect. In fact, Build Pizzeria has the best service out of any restaurant I’ve visited in Berkeley. They’re so friendly that the last time I was there, a staff person overhead me talking about how much I love their truffled cheese topping. “Do you want some on your pizza?” he asked me. “It’s on the house. Here, I’ll add some extra greens too. And some truffle oil while I’m at it.” Ladies and gentleman, that kind of service is above and beyond the call of duty.

Build Pizzeria, I salute you.

Morimoto Napa

May 9, 2014

Masaharu Morimoto has ten restaurants across the world, with another two on the way this year. Still, I was beside myself to try out his California outpost at Morimoto Napa. I used to love watching him on the original Iron Chef series, in awe of Chef Morimoto’s creativity and deftness in the kitchen.

After securing reservations, Nishan and I visited Morimoto Napa on a warm Saturday evening and started our meal with the Wagyu beef carpaccio. Drizzled with yuzu soy, ginger, and sweet garlic, this carpaccio was seared, so it wasn’t a true carpaccio, but it was delicious and tender nevertheless.

The bone marrow with five spices was next. Earthy and rich, we could have used some toast or other vessel to sop up our marrow.

We also shared a plate of marinated dumplings. Garnished with peanut salad, pig ears, and chili oil, these dumplings were our favorite dish of the evening. So juicy, so flavorful. The salad was perfect for livening up our palates.

Now, I’ve never been a big fan of pasta carbonara, but I love sea urchin, so I couldn’t resist trying the sea urchin carbonara. The uni was indeed delicious: creamy and faintly tasting like the sea. But the smoked bacon and shallot flavors didn’t win me over, and so I continue to give the Kanye shrug to carbonaras in general.

Dessert was the prettiest course: mango “caviar” with vanilla buttermilk panna cotta. I wish I could have taken the caviar tin home. Basically what I’m saying here is that I love caviar.

The service at Morimoto Napa was attentive without being pretentious, the ambiance was upscale and modern, and the location was ideal: right on the Napa waterfront. If I go back, it’ll be to try the omakase. After all, Chef Morimoto was trained in traditional kaiseki (and sushi) cuisine and one can dream of running into him at his wine country outpost, right?