Indian Masala Restaurant in Las Vegas

Hi All,
    Hope u all doin fine. Just came back from d Las Vegas trip. Had a blast. Stayed there for three full nights. Loved d rides, casino, esp. the infectious excitement inbound crowd. However there was one thing that we missed most. Home food!!!! Yeah I now it sounds bizarre, its just 3 days. But thats the thing bout Indian cuisine. The flavors are real strong. Keeps u addicted. We enjoyed Panda Express, Chipotle, Mc D, Subway et al. A person's got to eat three times a day, come on, after a day or two its bound to bore you.  We by chance happen to spot 'Indian Masala' restaurant, in Riviera food court, located at d end of the strip, opposite to Mc D. It was close to 1, not all items on the menu were available. We ordered Naan (Indian bread) with Chole (Chick Peas masala) and a Veg combo which had Rice, Naan, Chole again, Palak Paneer & Dal Makhani. OMG!!!!! Even at that wee hour, the freshly prepared Naan was a delight. We just gobbled on the food till we could eat no more. There are very few Indian Restaurants in the US, which have the authentic taste, although cent percent of em claim they are the best!!! Trust me, this restaurant was like the holy grail for our taste buds. We thought that since we were exhausted, our hunger could b playing mind games, but all of us were bowled over by the taste and craving to return back to this restaurant at least once more before we head home. We did make it to the restaurant a second time. All of us had our finger crossed, since we all wanted to have The King of Tiffins - 'Masala Dosa'. Things that our cravings make us do!!!! I even prayed to GOD that we had to have Masala Dosa before we leave, else his trip would b incomplete. Lo and Behold, GOD had answered our prayers. There it was, gleaming golden, roasted to the right level. Thin and crispy yet soft enough to melt in your mouth, with the perfect combination of Potato Masala.  But the winner definitely was Sambar, Yummy Yummyyyyyyyy.... The masala Dosa, chutneys and the sambar was all licked clean off the plate. Then we ordered Chai / Tea. Perfect with a hint of Cinnamon, a great kick start to our day. Hmmmm..... If this place was this good, then why didn't any of our friends discover this sooner???? Don't know, but felt like having a word with the Chef out of curiosity. We spoke to one of the Chefs, he hails from Hosur. This restaurant 's been there for three years now and response has been good too. Most of the Chefs were from Tamil Nadu, no wonder the breakfast was so yummy. And the owner was a Punjabi, the combination couldn't have been more lethal!!! :)  All said and done, we enjoyed our food a lot. If you are foodie like us, and happen to visit Las Vegas, do visit this place, it won't disappoint you. No, I did not get any compensation or free Meal for recommending this place!!!!! Its just out of love towards food. Have a great day. :)

EVOL

     By DepthofThoughts filmhouse  ( Makers of Kone Nagu Shortfilm ) and VijuSri Productions. Completely shot and processed in London, is applaudable for its very innovative concept and camera work. The director has built up the story step by step very well. The climax seems to b inspired from 'Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind' film. Good work by actors as well. The film is set in an age where there is a price tag for everything, even LOVE and can be bought easily. It shows in a subtle way, that Dil hai ki Manta nahin.... Do what u can, still heart will find its way!!!! And superb choice of film name - EVOL ( LOVE reversed ).

My Rating: 5.0 / 5.0

 

 

Beans Curry

       Fresh Green Beans are said to be low in calories (31 kcal per 100 g of raw beans) and contain no saturated fat. They are a very good source of vitamins, minerals, dietary fibers and plant derived micro nutrients. It is best recommended to have Beans in your diet at least once a week. But, it kinda gets boring, as there are not many versatile things that can be done with Beans. I stumbled upon this recipe by chance, when I decided to use the excess Red Chilly Chutney in the fridge. It turned out real good.

Ingredients:     

> Red Chillies - 3 - 4
> Jeera - 1 tsp
> Mustard Seeds - 1/2 tsp
> Channa Dal / Bengal Gram - 1 tsp
> Urad Dal / Split Black Gram - 1 tsp
> Curry Leaves - 7-8
> Turmeric - a pinch
> Onion - 1 medium, chopped finely
> Ginger Garlic Paste - 1.5 tsp
> Coriander Powder - 1/2 tsp
> Beans - 2 cups (chopped)
> Oil - 1 tbsp


For Grinding:
> Red Chillies - 3 - 4, dry fried
> Fresh Coconut grated - 2 tbsp
> Pepper - 1/2 tsp
> Coriander - 1 tbsp
> Tamarind - 1 tsp

*tsp - tea spoon
*tbsp - table spoon

• Dry fry the Red Chillies and add to a mixer. Add rest ingredients mentioned under Grinding to the mixer and grind well.
• Dry fry Red Chillies and Jeera (Mentioned under Ingredients), and Grind them coarsely with a Mortar and Pestle.
• Add Oil in a Pan and let it Heat. Add Mustard Seeds and let them splutter. Add Channa Dal, Urad Dal. Once the Dal starts turning Brown, add the coarsely ground Red Chillies and Jeera to the Pan. Add Curry Leaves and Turmeric and saute for 30 seconds.
• Add Onions to the Pan and fry till the Onions sweat / turn translucent. Sprinkle little salt on Onions to make them cook faster.
• Add the mixer ground mixture to the pan and saute well for a minute. Add the ginger Garlic mixture to the Pan and saute well for couple of minutes.
• Add the chopped Beans, Dhania powder and Salt and saute for 2 more minutes. Adjust Salt accordingly, and add 3 tbsp (a little less than 1/4th cup) of water and cook covered on low to medium flame for 20 minutes, with stirring in intervals.
• Check if Beans are cooked and turn off the stove. Enjoy Beans Fry / Beans Curry with Rice.

Note: Any kind of Beans can be used in this recipe.
          Add Chilly Powder if spice levels are not sufficient.
          Add very less water to the beans, as they get cooked well in steam.

Broken Wheat Upma

    Upma is known by many names across India. But the most common name given to it, popular among students is CONCRETE!!!!! he he :) Not really sure about the origins of this mysterious name, but concrete was widely hated and despised upon during my college days. But moms seem to have a magic wand, and can make any food delicious. Mommy darling used to prepare this with vegetable aka Masala Upma and it was a huge hit. Esp during cloudy rainy evenings, there's nothing like ma's upma to warm ur soul. The only other Upma that's impressed me so much is by my Hubby dear. Superb, just melts away in the mouth. Can't get enough of it. The only side effect is that I have lost interest in preparing it coz its no match to Hubby's Upma, so he ends up cooking even on busy weekdays!!! Hope u enjoy the recipe as much as I did.


Ingredients:      

> Broken Roasted Wheat Rava - 1 Cup                
> Water - 3.25 cups
> Green Chillies - 2, slit length wise
> Onion - 1 large, thinly sliced length wise
> Ginger - 2 tsp
> Red Chillies - 3 Broken
> Split Black Gram / Urad Dal - 2 tsp
> Bengal Gram / Channa Dal - 2 tsp
> Raw Peanuts - 1 tbsp
>  Curry Leaves - 6-7
> Mustard Seeds - 1 tsp
> Cumin Seeds - 1 tsp
> Turmeric - a pinch
> Salt - 2 tsp
> Oil - 2 tsp
> Ghee - 1 tsp

*tsp - tea spoon
*tbsp - table spoon

•  Heat a pan with oil. When the oil is hot enough add Peanuts and allow to cook for couple of minutes. Add Channa Dal, Urad Dal. When Dals start turning light brown, add Mustard and Cumin Seeds, Curry leaves, Ginger and Turmeric to pan. Stir for a minute and add Red Chillies in the end as they turn brown fast.
• Add chopped onion and green chillies to pan. Sprinkle little salt on Onions, this helps them cook faster. Cook till the Onions sweat / turn translucent.
• Add water to pan. Let it boil and add salt and adjust accordingly. 
• Add Rava little by little using one hand, while simultaneously stirring the contents of pan with your other hand, so not to form lumps. Reduce the flame to low and once the concoction slightly thickens, allow it to cook covered for 8-10 minutes with stirring in intervals.
• Cook till all the Rava granules have reached their maximum size. (If necessary add, another 1/4 th glass water.) Wheat rava consumes more water than the usual semolina rava. 
• Add Ghee, and mix well and switch off the stove.
• Garnish with Coriander leaves and enjoy. Upma also goes well with Chutneys, Chutney Powders and Pickles (esp. Tomato Pickle).

Note:   For crispier Peanuts, fry peanuts well in oil before adding Dals and remove. Add roasted Peanuts, towards the
            end, when the Upma is almost done.
           Can add vegetables of your choice like Tomato, Beans, Peas, Potato and Carrot.
           Can add pinch of Garam Masala, towards the end of the dish.

Ragi Rotti

       I first had Plain Ragi Rotti in my grand ma's place. Was not really a big fan of it, until my Mom mixed it up with Onions, Coriander Green Chillies to spice it up. It tasted amazing. And had great health benefits too. Mainly no major addition to my Calories!!!! I learnt that Ragi was the secret behind the strength of our farmers, who have it in the form of Ragi Balls, which doesn't digest as early as Rice but gives strength and cools your body.

Ingredients:                                                          

 > Ragi Flour - 4 tbsp
> Jowar Flour - 2 tbsp (Optional)
> Rice Flour - 1 tbsp
> Onion - 1 medium finely chopped
> Coriander / Cilantro - 1 cup (chopped) loosely packed
> Green Chillies - 2 mildly spicy and chopped finely
> Water - 1.5 cups
> Salt - 2 tsp

• Mix all the a fore mentioned  Flours in a Bowl. Add salt and adjust according to taste.
• Add chopped Onion, Coriander and Green Chillies to the bowl and mix well.
• Add water little by little and mix well either with hand or ladle till the batter is of pouring consistency. The batter should not be as dry as Chapathi atta or as loose as Dosa batter. The batter should be of a thick corn soup consistency.
• Heat Tava / Pan. If nonstick no necessity of oil. If not nonstick, pour few drops of oil on the pan and use tissue paper to spread it across the pan so that the Rotti will come off the pan easily.
• Keep a bowl full of water at hand. Pour a ladle of batter on the tava. Dip your fingers at regular intervals in water and spread the batter using your fingers on the tava. Else use the back of the ladle to spread the Batter.
• Cook uncovered for 3 minutes. Smear water using a spoon on the upper side of the Rotti. This will help the Rotti in cooking better and also prevents it from becoming dry. Reverse the Rotti and cook for 2 minutes and remove from heat. Enjoy Rotti with Coconut Chutney or Peanut Chutney.  

 

Buttermilk & Beans Ridgegourd Gravy / Majjige Huli

         The time was already 1 p.m.. Was starting to feel hungry.... Dragged myself to the kitchen, only to find that I have no more Onions or Tomatoes in Pantry!!! Very few recipes I know, do not use Onion or Tomato. Aaaahhh... Such a fix.... I could try Majjige Huli / Buttermilk Coconut gravy. But I didn't have the regular or Yellow (Mangalore) Cucumber, one of the main ingredient to prepare it. Never the less I decided to try the combination of Long Yard Beans and Ridge Gourd combo in Buttermilk Coconut gravy. Why Long Yard Beans and Ridge Gourd veggies you ask, that's coz they were the only veggies sitting in the fridge!!!! But the end result was so real yummy, that I don't think I'll wait for Cucumber to prepare this dish again...

Ingredients:

                                                                             
> Long Yard Beans - 1 cup                                  
>  Ridge Gourd - 1 cup
> Coconut grated - 3/4th cup
> Turmeric - 1/4 tsp
> Green Chillies - 2 (Mildly spicy)
> Butter Milk - 2 cups
> Tamarind Paste - 1 tsp
> Water - 1/2 cup

Tempering:
> Mustard - 1 tsp
> Jeera / Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
> Hing / Asafoetida  - a pinch
> Fenugreek Seeds - 1/4 th tsp
> Red Chillies - 2 Broken
> Curry Leaves - 10 - 12
> Channa Dal - 1 tsp
> Urad Dal - 1 tsp
> Ghee - 2 tsp

• Chop Beans to 1 inch pieces and boil them in a thick bottomed pan, with just enough water and salt. Let it boil for about 4-5 mins on medium flame. Taste Beans and water to see if bitter. If Bitter then strain the water and add new water and boil.
• When Beans are half cooked, add Ridge Gourd, and cook covered for 4 minutes. Add extra water if necessary.
• Grind Coconut, Turmeric and Green Chilli to a smooth paste with very less water. 
• Add Tamarind Paste and the ground mixture to pan and saute well. Cook for 3 minutes till bubbles appear.
• Add Buttermilk and cook for couple of minutes more on medium flame. Adjust Salt and turn off flame. Over cooking, after adding Buttermilk can curdle it. 
• Heat Ghee, and add Mustard seeds, Cumin seeds and Fenugreek seeds. Let them splutter and add Hing (Asafoetida), Dals, Red Chillies and Curry Leaves. Cook till Dals turn brown and transfer to Buttermilk Coconut gravy Pan. 
• Relish with hot Rice.

Note:  Don't add more water to boil Beans. Just add enough water.
          Can use Curd instead of Buttermilk. Take 3 spoonfuls of curd and beat it well in a cup and
          add 2 cups of water to it, and mix well. Use in place of Buttermilk.
          Substitute Ridge Gourd with Cucumber if available. Peel and Cube Cucumber after removing
          seeds,  and boil along with Beans.