Mariam – Page 69 – Yogurtsoda

Mast-o-Khiar (Persian Yogurt with Cucumber and Mint)

April 6, 2013August 17, 2023

Call it Greek tzatziki, Turkish cacik, or Indian raita, but to me, it’ll always be mast-o-khiar. It’s part of nearly every Iranian meal and couldn’t be easier to prepare. English translations will often call it a dip, and while it can be (raise your hand if you dipped your potato chips into mast-o-khiar while growing up), it’s really eaten as a side dish alongside a complete meal.

Mast-o-khiar can include variations like dried rose petals (how Persian, I know) or dried shallots (in which case it becomes mast-o-musir), but my favorite is this classic version, garnished with a light sprinkling of walnuts.

Ingredients:

2 cups Middle Eastern or Greek-style yogurt, plain
2 or 3 Persian cucumbers, finely chopped or grated
1 small garlic clove, minced
1 1/2 tablespoons ground dried mint
2 tablespoons walnuts, chopped (optional)
salt and pepper to taste

1. Mix all of the ingredients in a bowl, reserving half a tablespoon of walnuts for garnish. Chill and serve cold.

Tov Tofu

March 11, 2013

Santa Rosa isn’t exactly synonymous with Korean cuisine, but I’ve noticed a slow, albeit steady rise in the number of Korean restaurants in Sonoma County these past few years. Tov Tofu may be the most authentic, especially for a restaurant 50 miles north of San Francisco.

Tucked away in a shopping center on Yulupa Avenue, Tov Tofu is a bit of a misnomer. The restaurant serves much more than just tofu (not that it’d be a bad thing — one can never have too many jigaes or soondubus). During my first visit with my family, we tried a little bit of everything.

We started with the Korean restaurant standard: bulgogi. The bulgogi here is especially tender, with great-quality beef on a generous bed of onions. Tov Tofu doesn’t have tabletop barbecues, but I doubt you’ll be missing that element with bulgogi this delectable.

Next, we had a plate of bibim naengmyun, or what’s billed as “chilled buckwheat cold noodle.” Whereas a Korean restaurant in Oakland or Santa Clara will usually list the menu item in transliterated Korean, Tov Tofu lists most dishes in English. Korean cuisine is still relatively new in Sonoma County, after all. The naengmyun here was good: chewy noodles with a great bite, although the sauce was sweeter and less spicy than what I’m used to.

We ended our meal with a bowl of bibimbap, which comes in a stone bowl so that the rice forms a crunchy, golden crust. For good measure, we also ordered a flamingly hot bowl of spicy beef soup, flecked with bits of egg, green onions, and bean sprouts. Crunchy, vinegary tastes of banchan helped cut through the heat between bites. So good, so fiery.

There are a few variances from your standard Bay Area Korean menu at Tov Tofu: the bibimbap comes with a fully-cooked shredded egg omelet, and the bibim naengmyeon is vegetarian. But it’s still delicious, and that’s really all that matters. Okay, service matters too. It’s super friendly and down to earth at Tov Tofu, making it one of my new favorite restaurants in Sonoma County. Who knew great Korean cuisine could be found north of San Francisco?

Kotlet (Iranian Cutlet)

February 27, 2013October 31, 2024

Kotlet, or Persian minced meat and potato croquettes, are an ubiquitous picnic meal in Iranian households. Growing up, I’d look forward to these in warm lavash sandwiches for lunch and now that I’m older, I prepare them as an appetizer or light meal. Kotlet are easy to make and can be frozen for reheating later on.

Serve these with pickled vegetables and sliced tomatoes, or simply on their own. Lightly spiced and crispy on the outside, it’s nearly impossible to eat just one kotlet.

Ingredients:

2 potatoes, peeled and grated
1 pound ground lamb or beef
1 onion, peeled, grated, and squeezed to drain the onion juice (this will make the kotlet crispier)
2 eggs
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
3/4 teaspoon ground coriander (optional)
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin (optional)
1/4 teaspoon ground saffron dissolved in 1 tablespoon hot water
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 cup vegetable oil, for frying
2 ripe tomatoes, sliced, for garnish
4 Persian pickled cucumbers, sliced, for garnish
An assortment of herbs (Persian chives/tareh, Persian basil/rayhan, and young green onions work well)
Lavash bread

1. In a bowl, combine meat, onion, eggs, potato, salt, pepper, coriander, cumin, saffron water, and turmeric. Knead for 5 minutes to form a smooth mixture.

2. Using damp hands, shape the meat mixture into balls the size of eggs. Flatten them into oval patties. Brown the patties on both sides in hot oil over medium heat until browned on each side and cooked through. Add more oil if necessary.

3. Arrange the patties on a serving platter. Serve with tomatoes, pickles, herbs, and lavash.

Namu Gaji

February 6, 2013February 6, 2013

Namu Gaji was one of San Francisco’s most anticipated restaurant openings last year, especially after its predecessor Namu closed up shop in the Richmond District in 2011. I visited their new Mission District outpost with my friend Penny last fall soon after their reopening, eager to try out their New-American-meets-Korean fare.

I wasn’t disappointed. We started with the grilled octopus, served with onions and coated in a spicy-sweet sauce. The octopus was tender and and slightly smoky, and we nibbled on bites of banchan to accompany this dish. (Speaking of which, banchan is not complimentary at Namu Gaji as it as at traditional Korean restaurants. It’s also less varied, albeit still tasty.)

Next, we shared a plate of the beef tongue. The tongue isn’t on the menu at the moment, but I’m crossing my fingers that it’ll be back soon, since this might be the best beef tongue I’ve ever hand. This was just wonderful: so tender you could cut it with chopsticks, but browned to a slight crisp on its exterior. A garnish of lime and ground red pepper made this a simple yet satisfying dish.

Lastly, we had the ramyun, which is purportedly a must-eat at Namu Gaji. Handmade noodles, a hot dog, a panko crusted egg, and kimchi make up this dish, and while it was good, it was actually my least favorite dish of the evening. The noodles were wonderful, but huge breaded egg wasn’t needed (gooey, runny egg, please!). Still, I love the riff on budae jigae.

Namu Gaji was worth the wait and I know I’ll be back for more. It’s worth the nearly constant crowd (make sure to make reservations) and the friendly waitstaff along with a solid menu make dining here an instant favorite. Just bring back the beef tongue, guys!

Kirimachi Ramen

February 3, 2013

San Francisco’s North Beach is just about the last place in the city I’d go looking for good ramen, but lo and behold, there it is. Tucked in between Broadway Street’s seedy strip clubs and hole in the wall pizza joints, Kirmachi Ramen is an oasis of fresh, chewy noodles and hearty, flavorful broth.

The menu at Kirimachi Ramen is limited, but the focus here is on quality, not quantity. My favorite is the tonkotsu ramen, which comes in a lighter broth than what I’m used to for tonkotsu, and that’s a good thing. I can eat the whole bowl and not feel like I overdid it afterwards. The tonkotsu ramen comes with the standard bean sprouts, pork meat, fish cake, and green onion toppings, and a perfectly cooked oh-so-slightly-runny boiled egg.

Kirimachi may be the lone ramen shop in it’s neighborhood, but don’t be fooled. It’s among the best ramen in the city.