Mariam – Page 72 – Yogurtsoda

Lavash

August 13, 2012August 13, 2012

I’m a little picky when it comes to Iranian restaurants. As an Iranian-American, I grew up with home-cooked Persian food: fragrant basmati rice, herb-flecked stews, grilled kababs, and tons of fruits and vegetables.

There are a few noteworthy restaurants in the Bay Area, but I never had a favorite in San Francisco until Lavash opened up in the Sunset District a few years ago. I knew I was in the right neighborhood when I realized I could smell the smoky aroma of kababs on the grill more than a block away from the restaurant. I recently visited for dinner with my friends Rebecca and Laura, excited to introduce to them the often-overlooked (but delicious) world of Persian cuisine.

We started with an assortment of appetizers. First came the sabzi panir, which is a platter of fresh herbs, walnuts, cucumbers, feta cheese, and flatbread to roll into tiny, fresh bites. Next, we ordered kotlet, or ground beef, onion, and potato patties. These are one of my favorite picnic foods, but they served us just fine in a restaurant too. Lastly, we sampled the kashk-e bademjaan, a super garlicy eggplant dish similar to baba ghanoush. (For those curious to try it at home, I’ve posted my recipe here.)

No Iranian feast is complete without doogh, or yogurt soda, so we ordered a couple glasses. “Are you sure you want to order this? It’s an acquired taste,” said our friendly waitress to my friend Rebecca. Doogh is salty, minty, and popular throughout the Middle East and South Asia in various permutations. If you’ve never tried it, you must.

We each ordered a different kind of kabab as our entree, and I had the kabab barg. Barg is sliced beef fillet that’s been seasoned with saffron (and often marinated in lemon and yogurt, lending it a tender and piquant flavor). This came served with a bed of saffron-flecked rice and a grilled tomato. I felt like I’d been transported right back to my childhood.

For dessert, we split an order of makhloot, a decadent treat that’s half Persian ice cream (think rosewater, pistachio, and saffron) and half faloodeh, any icy rosewater-flavored thin rice noodle dish drizzled with lime juice. My mouth is watering just thinking about it.

Lavash is what I’ve been waiting for: a solid Iranian restaurant that’s centrally located and serves good quality fare. Home-cooked fare may still be at the top of my list, but Lavash is the next best thing.

Turkish Kitchen

July 29, 2012

I’ve been on the hunt for good Turkish food ever since I visited Istanbul four years ago. Turkish food in the US is often more bland than what I tasted in Turkey — the produce isn’t as fresh, and the spices aren’t as powerful.

At Turkish Kitchen in downtown Berkeley, though, I finally found the taste of Istanbul I’d been craving. I met up with my friend Navid one evening, and we sat down for a meal of beyti and manti, washed down with ale.

Beyti is like a sandwich, only saucier and more delicious. Ground lamb kabab are wrapped in lavash and covered with a mouthwatering tomato and yogurt sauce. At Turkish Kitchen, the beyti was served with a delicately seasoned rice pilaf.

The manti didn’t disappoint, either. Manti are Turkish dumplings, filled with ground beef, onions, and spices. These were served with a yogurty, garlicy sauce. Manti can be found in various iterations throughout much of Asia: in Afghanistan, they’re manto and often include dried mint or split peas. In Korea, they’re mandu and can be served with soy sauce and vinegar.

Service is friendly and casual at Turkish Kitchen. The food has been solid during most of my visits, though not without a couple of misses (I’m looking at you, doner kabab). Stick with the beyti and manti, though (with a side of ayran, or Turkish yogurt drink), and you’ll easily be transported back to Istanbul.

Golden Boy Pizza

July 18, 2012

You know when you’re craving pizza but really want surfer/skater-esque California 1990s music to go along with it? Yeah, me neither, until the first time I ate at Golden Boy Pizza. Tucked away in the hills of San Francisco’s North Beach, Golden Boy Pizza serves pizza up by the slice, and with a soundtrack to boot.

The vibe is super casual at Golden Boy Pizza: you line up, you order your pizza (and beer or soda) and you take a seat at the bar. There’s no table seating here, and the space is small and loud, but the pizza hits the spot. Their super-cheesy clam and garlic pizza is a standout, though the sausage pizza is solid too.

An auxiliary benefit to dining at Golden Boy Pizza is that I discovered I still remember the lyrics to nearly every Sublime, 311, and Weezer song that ever was. By the end of the meal, I was ready to dust off my Etnies and hop back on my old skateboard.

But back to the pizza: it’s not gourmet, it’s cash only, and the line can get long, but it’s tasty. And perhaps most importantly, it’s nostalgic.

Bund Shanghai

July 8, 2012July 8, 2012

Ever since I saw Anthony Bourdain try xiaolongbao on an old episode of No Reservations, I’ve been smitten with trying the regional dumpling. Xiaolongbao, or Shanghai soup dumplings, are delicate flour dumplings filled with a solid meat aspic. After being steamed, the filling melts into a piping hot soup, perfect for dipping into the requisite vinegar-ginger sauce. If that doesn’t sound compelling, I question your taste buds.

Bund Shanghai in San Francisco’s Chinatown serves the best xiaolongbao I’ve sampled in the city. The filling is super flavorful and the dough is delicate but sturdy enough to encase the dumpling’s liquid gold inside.

But there’s so much more to Shanghai cuisine. On a recent visit, I sampled lion’s head meatballs, or meatballs stewed with soy sauce and bok choy. Covered in a savory, slightly sweet sauce, the leafy vegetable is meant to convey a lion’s mane.

The menu at Bund Shanghai is long and can be unfamiliar, but be adventurous. I tried the salted cabbage with bean curd skin on the recommendation of a colleague, and while the name doesn’t scream “eat me!” it’s now one of my favorite dishes at Bund Shanghai. The bean curd skin is translucent and noodle-like, while the salty cabbage adds a kick and fresh soybeans provide crunch.

Another dish I would have overlooked were it not for the recommendation of another colleague are the turnip puffs. This small plate is part of the lunch menu only, and is made with a peppery shredded turnip and meat filling encased in a light, flaky puff pastry.

While Bund Shanghai specializes in Shanghai-style cuisine, don’t overlook their other offerings. Bund Shanghai serves my favorite version of the Sichuanese dan dan noodles. It’s also the spiciest version of dan dan noodles I’ve tasted, so be prepared to break a sweat. For the uninitiated, dan dan noodles are noodles served in a blazingly spicy sauce containing preserved vegetables, ground meat, green onions, chili oil, and Sichuan peppers.

With a casual vibe and friendly service, Bund Shanghai has become one of my regular go-tos in San Francisco when I’m hungry. I may not have visited Shanghai yet, but at least I finally found my beloved soup dumplings — and much, much more at that.

Ma Po Tofu

June 20, 2012August 17, 2023

Ma po tofu is ubiquitous on Chinese restaurant menus, but I never sampled the fiery, peppery dish until last year. It was mouth-numbingly hot, and it’s since become one of my favorite all-time dishes. As if to make up for lost time, I’ve spent the past few months eating ma po tofu constantly in restaurants and more recently, at home.

This homemade version of ma po tofu is just as delicious as what I’ve eaten from professional kitchens, and easy to cook. Ma po tofu is traditionally cooked with ground pork, but I substitute with chicken or turkey at home. The Sichuan peppercorns, however, are important to seek out as they’ll lend this dish that extra heat. It’s worth the pain (and slightly numb lips).

Ingredients:

3 dried shiitake mushrooms
6 ounces ground turkey
3 teaspoons soy sauce
4 teaspoons cornstarch
1 cup water
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 teaspoons hot bean paste
1/4 teaspoon toasted Sichuan peppercorns, ground
1/4 cup chopped water chestnuts
3 green onions, trimmed and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 14-ounce package soft tofu, drained and cut into 1/2-inch cubes

1. Pour enough warm water over the mushrooms in bowl to cover them completely. Soak until softened, about 20 minutes. Drain, discard the stems, and coarsely chop the caps.

2. Marinate the turkey: stir the ground turkey, 2 teaspoons of soy sauce, and 2 teaspoons of cornstarch together until evenly mixed. Let stand for 10 minutes.

3. Prepare the sauce:: stir the water, remaining two teaspoons soy sauce, and sesame oil together in a small bowl.

4. Heat a wok over high heat until hot. Add the oil and swirl to coat the sides. Add the garlic and stir-fry until fragrant, about 20 seconds. Add the turkey, hot bean paste, and Sichuan peppercorns and stir-fry until the turkey is crumbly, about 3 minutes.

5. Pour the sauce into the work, then stir in the mushrooms, water chestnuts and green onions. Slide the tofu into the work and stir gently to coat the tofu with the sauce and heat through, about 2 minutes.

6. In a small bowl, dissolve the remaining 2 teaspoons cornstarch in 2 teaspoons water. Pour the dissolved cornstarch into the wok and cook gently, stirring, until the sauce boils and thickens, about 1 minute. Spoon the tofu and sauce onto a serving platter and serve hot, alongside cooked rice.