Vegetarian Curry at Kids in the Hall

Lunch after a fruitful meeting at City Hall. Vegetarian curry. #yegfood

A post shared by Paula E. Kirman (@livingsanctuary) on Feb 9, 2017 at 12:04pm PST

A meeting at City Hall led to lunch at Kids in the Hall Bistro. The vegetarian curry was a warm (but not too spicy) mix of chickpeas, potato, and other veggies, with rice and bannock (an interesting diversion from the naan which is typically served with curry). The flavour was great, and the rice carried the curry well (although it was almost the consistency of soup). A really great choice for a mid-winter lunch.

The Pho Files: Yellow Curry Vegetable Pho at Friends and Neighbours

Yellow curry tofu noodle soup. #yegfood

A photo posted by Paula E. Kirman (@livingsanctuary) on Oct 6, 2016 at 5:03pm PDT

I often enjoy the vegetarian pho at Friends and Neighbours (10834 82 Avenue), but decided to try something different. The yellow curry veggie pho was not listed on the menu as spicy, so I went for it. It was a huge bowl of rich curry broth, with tofu and many vegetables. However, if this was not considered spicy, I would definitely suggest avoiding anything on the menu that actually says it is spicy, if you don't like heat. I found it delicious but quite spicy for my taste. It was definitely worth trying, though.

Paneer with Lababdar Sauce at Naanolicious

Paneer with lababdar sauce @naanolicious #yegfood

A photo posted by Paula E. Kirman (@livingsanctuary) on Feb 13, 2016 at 5:13pm PST

One of the things I really love about the new menu at Naanolicious is a section where you can pick your protein and your sauce and create your own curry. I absolutely love how the paneer is done - often perfectly grilled on the outside and soft on the inside - so I had that with the lababdar sauce. This was a creamy, tomato-based sauce with onions, not as rich as a butter sauce with slightly more kick. The delicate flavour of the paneer worked well with the spice of the sauce, much of which was mixed with the side of saffron rice.

Yellow Curry at Viphalay

I was happy to learn that the 95 Street location of Viphalay is open for lunch from Tuesday to Friday. Better still, there is a special lunch menu with a variety of affordable options ($15 range). I had one of the curry combos. The yellow curry was just spicy enough, with a familiar, rich texture and flavour. It was full of potatoes and carrots, as well as tofu (my choice of protein). The abundant liquid went well with the side of coconut rice (jasmine was the other option).

Rada Paneer at Guru

I had supper this week with my brother and father at Guru. I went for the Rada Paneer, large chunks of homemade cheese in a curry sauce built up with chopped vegetables. It was spicy but not hot, and tasted much different than other vegetarian East Indian sauces I have experienced. Unique, with flavour. It went well with the saffron rice and naan we shared.

Edmonton Folk Music Festival 2015

I attended the 2015 Edmonton Folk Music Festival from August 6-9, and once again food was a part of my activities.

I decided to stay vegetarian for most of the weekend, and started off with the ginger beef from Padamandi. Kasim also threw in a spring roll and veggie chicken drumstick. The flavour and texture of the "beef" is a pretty good imitation of the real thing.

I also had the combo of Pad Thai, green curry with tofu, spring rolls, and rice from Numchok Wilai. The curry tasted great but was a bit too hot for me. Very satisfying portion size.

I have never eaten in Langano Skies before, but tried the split pea curry with injera from their booth. Tasty without being spicy, although a bit of a challenge to eat in such a setting.

The weekend got hotter as it progressed and I found the quinoa avocado salad from Sailin' On to be flavourful and refreshing. My only suggestion is to have the avocado better integrated - it could have been pureed and seasoned and presented more like a dressing as opposed to a few plain chunks here and there.

Calico Baking Company is a new vendor on the scene, selling its local creations at various events and farmer's markets around the city. Their fare was perfect for the morning/early afternoon workshop sessions. The mint water was especially wonderful on a hot day, and simple - water infused with mint leaves. My muffin was supposed to be banana sourdough with chocolate, but was actually more like bran.

As the weekend wore on, so did my resolve, and I wanted a morsel of meat. The lemongrass beef skewer from Hoang Long satisfied that craving.

My final full meal was the chili chicken from New Asian Village. A hearty portion, although the pile of saffron rice satisfied my need for carbs better than the cold roasted potatoes.

Of course, no visit to the Folk Fest would be complete with a green onion cake (from the food booth of that name) . . .

. . . Or, my annual serving of fresh-made greasy French fries.

Vegging Out: Supper at Padmanadi

A daddy-daughter date brought us to Padmanadi a few nights ago. My father tried the curry mutton, and although he enjoyed the simulated meat, he did not enjoy the yellow coconut curry sauce. I guess it may be an acquired taste. I had my favourite sweet and sour shrimp, which he found too greasy, and a order of rice noodles: thick noodles with a variety of shredded vegetables. The smoky taste reminded me of chow fun without the grease and was actually my favourite part of the meal.

Karhi Pakora

Monika, who owns Naanolicious, has been talking to me about trying some of her mother's traditional East Indian cooking. I had the chance when I went to the restaurant for supper this past weekend, and one of the specials was created by her mom. The Karhi Pakora is something I would never imagine: vegetable pakoras in a light yoghurt curry sauce flavoured extensively by cilantro and turmeric. I find pakors, being fried, to be quite heavy and can usually only eat two or three of them in one sitting. However, in the sauce, they deconstructed into smaller bits of dough and potato. It was surprisingly one of the lightest dishes I have ever had at Naanolicious, and the abundance of the sauce made rice a perfect pairing. I encouraged Monika to add this to her vegetarian menu.

Breakfast for Lunch: Masala Morning at Artisan Cafe

Saturday morning say another visit for brunch at Artisan Rest-Cafe I tried the Masala Morning, of which I was curious for quite some time. It was basically a scoop of chicken curry, with a spicy sauce, potatoes, and slices of chicken breast. Two eggs (any style) and toast were served on the side. The eggs actually seemed a bit disjointed from the rest of the meal, and I found peanut butter went really well on the toast. I think the concept of an East Indian brunch dish was creative, but did not really say "brunch" to me. No eggs and a little more of the curry would have made a great lunch, though.

Folk Fest Food - Version 2014

I spent most of this past weekend at the Edmonton Folk Music Festival. In addition to enjoying some great music, I also enjoyed some great food. In some ways, I find the Folk Fest has the best selection of festival food. Here is a look at what I consumed.

I was thrilled to find out that Padmanadi had a booth at the Folk Fest. I had a plate of vegan ginger beef with rice, and added the lemon prawns. This was a very satisfying lunch.

Although I pack plenty of water with me, other cold beverages are very welcome, like this refreshing lemonade from Lemon Heaven. I don't find it too sweet (someone contemplating buying some asked me) and you get plenty of ice which melts down into cold water.

Another Folk Fest regular item for me is the veggie Pad Thai from Numchok Wilai. The tangy sauce is not too spicy at all, although I could have done with some more tofu.

A frozen treat that I can rationalize as bring somewhat healthy is this chocolate covered frozen banana. I added chocolate chips as my topping. Chocolate comes from a bean. Therefore this was a serving of fruit and vegetables. Right? Right?!?!?

My ascension to the top of the hill required me to get some caffeine to keep me going. This iced cappuccino, with two shots, did the trick.

There was also a popcorn truck at the top of the hill. Sometimes, some salty popcorn is the only thing that will do. The kernels were nice and large.

I have never tried a bannock burger, so I leapt at the chance to have a veggie version from Native Delights. The patty was a rather plain soy burger, with some lettuce and tomato. The bun was the main attraction, of course - a crispy, greasy, fluffy affair that totally filled me up and removed the craving I had for French fries.

Back to Numchok Wilai, this time I tried the green tofu curry. This was definitely my culinary discovery of the weekend. Lots of tofu in a spicy, rich green curry sauce on top of a generous portion of rice, adorned with bamboo shoot slices. I could have shared - but I didn't!

Finally, from the same place as the frozen bananas, came a slice of cheesecake on a stick to which I added - you guessed it! - chocolate chips. It was quite a decadent dessert. The cheesecake was vanilla and chocolate swirl, and was as large a piece as one would get for dessert in a restaurant.

Deccan Meatloaf at Naanolicious

Deccan Meatloaf, a photo by raise my voice on Flickr.

Naanolicious has a number of East Indian/Western fusion dishes, such as the Deccan meatloaf. Using flavours inspired by South India, the dense chunk of meat is covered in a rich coconut curry sauce. It is served with a pile of curried vegetables and a side of Bombay potatoes, which are basically sliced, seasoned potatoes. I personally found the meat to veggies ratio a little skewed in favour of veggies, although they were delicious. The meat is deceptively dense, and the sauce is so rich I could not even finish it with the naan I ordered on the side. If you are a lover of meatloaf, this one will throw you for a twist.

A Naanolicious Marathon

Due to various circumstances, I found myself dining at Naanolicious numerous times in the last week or so. Here is a look at some of the dishes I tried.

I have had the butter chicken fries numerous times, so I wanted a different version of the restaurant's take on poutine. Dal, with its creamy lentil base, is one of my favourite Indian dishes, and it was wonderful on the fries. Frankly, I could just go for a bowl of dal with some naan bread, and I believe there is a dish along those lines on the menu.

The next day, I went for a serving of vegetable korma fries. The creamy curry sauce was the base for the vegetables and paneer cheese, which I adore. Very flavourful! And, it went well with the buttered naan I ordered on the side.

I tried one of these stuffed mushroom caps ("Mystical Mushrooms), which was a flavour burst. The crunchy coating was made from lentils, with a garlic and cream cheese filling surrounding the mushroom. More than one would have been a little too rich for me.

The Tandoori chicken was permeated with flavour - I just wish the pieces were a little bigger! I paired with it with the Aloo Tikki, fried potato cakes literally drowned in chutneys and yogurt. The flavour of the cakes themselves, while delicate, still came through, and they also remained crispy.

Craisin Paapri is a cold dish that makes an excellent snack. It is almost like a chickpea salad. The chickpeas are served amongst a flavourful combination of chutneys, yogurt, spices, potatoes, onions, tomatoes, crunchy samosa chips, and finished with a generous portion of craisins (dried cranberries) on top. This would have gone well with a naan, to scoop up all of the goodness.

Taste of Edmonton 2012: Potato Fritters from Guru

Taste of Edmonton 2012, a photo by raise my voice on Flickr.

After my excellent experience with Guru's Tandoori Chicken Samosa, later in the day I tried the Potato Fritters.

The fritters are thin slices of potato that have been saturated with curry, then breaded, deep fried, and seasoned. They certainly pack a flavour punch, but be sure to use plenty of the sweet tamarind sauce, as they are also somewhat dry. The portion size is shareable as well.