Paneer Tikka and Chicken Biryani at Y Not Indian

Paneer tikka and saffron rice. #yegfood #yegeats #foodporn #yeg

A post shared by Paula E. Kirman (@livingsanctuary) on Apr 5, 2018 at 12:35pm PDT

Y Not Indian is the restaurant that has replaced my dearly departed Naanolicious. The restaurant interior looks very much the same, and the menu has a few familiar items like stuffed naan break and wraps. Staff and service are very friendly, and prices are reasonable. I tried the paneer tikka the first time, and found the cheese moist and full of flavour - paneer can often be dense and dry, but that was not the case here. Paired with saffron rice, it was a very satisfying dish.

Chicken biryani #yeg #yegfood #foodporn #yegeats #biryani #whyteave

A post shared by Paula E. Kirman (@livingsanctuary) on Apr 21, 2018 at 6:16pm PDT

I had the bone-in chicken biryani the next time. The chicken was tender and delicious and the rice which enveloped it had a symphony of flavours. It was a bit spicy for my taste and the chicken was completely buried within the rice making it a little difficult to eat in terms of avoiding bones. I would probably go for the chicken tikka or tandoori chicken instead.

Two Paneer Curries from Namaste India

Tried Namaste India yesterday, via @skipthedishes! #yeg #yegfood #yegeats #foodporn

A post shared by Paula E. Kirman (@livingsanctuary) on Nov 16, 2017 at 4:56pm PST

My brother and I ordered from Namaste India through Skip the Dishes last week. We each ordered a paneer curry. I had the palak paneer, which is my favourite. It was very creamy, with a smoky taste I really enjoyed. He had the butter paneer - chunks of the pressed cheese in butter sauce like what is used for butter chicken. It was quite rich and tangy. On the side was saffron rice. We ordered two servings, but one would have been more than enough. We also shared a plain naan and veggie samosas. The samosas came cold - I am not sure if this is how they are served in the restaurant, but it did not hurt the flavour at all. Overall the food was very fresh and satisfying.

Butter Paneer Poutine at Naanolicious

Butter paneer poutine #yegfood

A photo posted by Paula E. Kirman (@livingsanctuary) on Apr 5, 2016 at 12:01pm PDT

One of the favourite menu items at Naanolicious is the selection of poutines. You can get fries with butter or curry sauce, or you can add meat or paneer. I added paneer to my butter sauce, and the result was a rich, decadent treat. The fries carried the sauce quite well, and were literally soaked in buttery goodness. I could only finish about half because it was so rich. Fortunately, Naanolicious has take-out containers!

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.

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.

Sizzling Paneer Wraps at Naanolicious

These sizzling paneer wraps at Naanolicious were listed under the Lighter Fare section of the menu, but it was a hearty serving of paneer which sizzled, as promised. It was amongst some cabbage and other veggies like a paneer stir fry, topped with some crunchy noodles. I ordered some naan bread and declined the lettuce wrappers. If you like paneer, this is enough to satisfy and also enough to share.

Kadhai Paneer at Guru

I visited Guru for the first time in ages, to join a friend for lunch. The lunch menu has a number of pre-plated vegetarian and non-vegetarian options that are served with rice, fruit salad, and naan. I opted for the Kadhai Paneer, which is fresh cubes of cheese in a tomato-based sauce. The paneer was firm and absorbed the flavour of the sauce nicely, which was spicy without being overly hot. The finely diced melons mixed well with the rice and the sauce, adding an element of sweet coolness. And the naan was perfect: hot, buttered, and full of bubbles. At $17 this was not an inexpensive lunch, but it was not overpriced either. To drink we had the masala chai ($5), made to order and very aromatic.

Paneer Naan-Wrapture at Naanolicious

Last Saturday, I had lunch at Naanolicious. I ordered a paneer naan-wrapture. Naan-wraptures are Naanolicious' take on donairs: different kinds of meat or vegetarian fillings in a curry, wrapped in a naan with some vegetables. My paneer was in a butter sauce, and it was loaded with pressed cheese. Naan bread can break easily at the crunchy parts, so it was a little messy to eat, but for $8 it is one of the cheapest and most filling items on the menu.

Paneer Kebabs

Another Saturday at Blues On Whyte can mean another supper next door at Naanolicious. I went for the paneer version of their signature sizzling kebabs. My plate was filled with large cunks of the pressed cheese, cooked perfectly to my taste (I like it mild). The paneer is not as absorbent of the flavours as its meat equivalents, but it was still an excellent alternative when desiring a lighter meal. The accompanying saffron rice was perfect.

Dyna Bites and Paneer Naan

Dyna Bites, a photo by raise my voice on Flickr.

Another Saturday, another visit to Blues On Whyte, and another supper at Naanolicious.

On this evening I had the opportunity to try an appetizer dish that had not yet crossed my lips: Dyna Bites. Each "bite" was a double decker paneer (pressed cheese) sandwich with mint chutney in the middle, breaded and deep fried.

"Bites" is really a misnomer. Each piece was a good two or three mouthfuls. The pieces got most of their flavour from the chutney and accompanying dipping sauce, while the cheese itself was chewy and rather dry.

I also tried a wedge of the paneer stuffed naan, which had a bit of a creamy texture and did not taste much different than the basic butter naan.

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.

Remedy for Hunger - Palak Paneer

Oh Remedy. It has been far too long. #yegfood, a photo by raise my voice on Flickr.

I haven't been to any location of Remedy in ages, so when I was craving Indian food for lunch earlier this week I headed over to the downtown location.

The meal was huge! Thick, pureed spinach curry with firm paneer cheese and lots of chickpeas - just to make the meal even heavier. I paired my meal with rice, which was incredibly aromatic. For only $10, this seemed like about twice the portion I would get at other places, for half the price!

Combined with the iced Kashmiri chai as my beverage, there was no way I was going to finish. The next time I eat at Remedy, I will bring a friend!