SAMIRA BOUAOU/EPOCH TIMES
D1 August 21–27, 2015
Dosai Does
Tamil Nadu Cuisine D6 This Madagascar truffle will whisk you away to a sweet spot with one bite.
www.EpochTaste.com
Raspberry and rose: a most ingenious combination.
The Best
Chocolates of the Amer icas
This toffee is laced with cayenne pepper and cinnamon. Oh, it burns!
By Annie Wu | Epoch Times Staff
n the world of fine chocolate, most of us would assume that the best comes from Europe. After all, it was a European who first invented the chocolate bar in the 19th century. But in recent years, as more chocolate makers in the Americas have begun producing chocolate bars from scratch, they have refined their craft to the point of rivaling their counterparts across the Atlantic.
Most of the chocolates you find in stores are made by large chocolate manufacturing companies—like Hershey’s or Nestlé— that mass-produce candy from cocoa beans harvested at different plantations, with the addition of lots of sugar and artificial flavoring. Most chocolatiers make their confections out of chocolate that came from a manufacturer.
Hints of anise, cinnamon, and raw cane sugar flavor these goldwinning truffles.
See Chocolates on D2
EXCLUSIVE Come and dine at Sushi Zen as Chef Takashi Yamamoto takes over the kitchen with a special 2-week Kaiseki menu.* Chef Yamamoto is the former head chef at the Japanese Consulate in New York.
108 West 44th Street, New York (212) 302-0707
YAMAMOTO Aug. 24 through Sept. 4 Lunch $45 set menu Dinner $110 Kaiseki style menu
Limited seating available. For reservations please email us at events@sushizen-ny.com or call us on 212-302-0707 and mention “special event.” *Chef Suzuki and the sushi chefs will not be present during the event.
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August 21–27, 2015 www.EpochTaste.com SAMIRA BOUAOU/EPOCH TIMES
Chocolates
For the full list of winners, see InternationalChocolateAwards.com
Refreshing, herbaceous lemon verbena infuses 60% cacao in Pacari’s gold-winning Andean Lemon Verbena bar.
Chocolates continued from D1 Artisanal chocolate makers, on the other hand, do everything themselves. Known as beanto-bar chocolate, the process begins with directly trading with cacao farmers, then going through the arduous process of sorting, roasting, winnowing, milling, and smoothing the beans into a chocolate mixture. The resulting product is rich with flavors as complex as wine or coffee—according to the terroir of where the beans are grown. At the Americas semifinals of the 2015 International Chocolate Awards, a diverse group of artisans won for their outstanding chocolates. We tried some of the winners to introduce you, dear reader, to the stunning flavors you can experience in North and South American chocolate. Hummingbird Chocolate Canadian company Hummingbird Chocolate’s gold-winning Hispaniola 70% cacao hits you with a strong bitter taste at first. But soon, a fruity, cherry taste dominates—smooth and satisfying. Its silver award winner, the Zorzal 70% cacao, is a bit silkier, and brings notes of apricot to the front of the tongue. As the chocolate melts in your mouth, a tart, yet smoky accent comes up every so often, surprising the palate. It finally ends with a caramel-y taste. Both bars are made only from beans grown in the Dominican Republic. The chocolate makers, Erica and Drew Gilmour, started off as aid workers in Afghanistan, helping local farmers. When the couple had their daughter, they decided to settle down and began looking into how to make chocolate from scratch. Hummingbird was thus born. Their beautifully designed bars are made in a workshop in Ottawa. The Gilmours’ passion is evident in their product. “It’s a maddening craft that will take a lifetime to master, but allows little wins along the way just to keep you interested,” said Drew via email. And, after all, “What other best-quality food can you get for less than 10 bucks?” We’d have to agree with that.
Cacao Art Anís y Papelón truffle
Pacari Montubia 70%
Chocolopolis Madagascar and Raspberry Rose truffles
Rogue Tranquilidad 75% Castronovo Sierra Nevada 63%
Available outside of Canada by emailing Shop@HummingBirdChocolate.com Pacari Pacari, which sources and makes its chocolates in Ecuador, won awards in an impressive 13 categories. Its gold-winning Andean Lemon Verbena infuses its 60% cacao with the citrusy herb, making for a refreshing, soothing flavor. While tasting the smooth chocolate, you can sense the coolness of the lemon verbena through the nose. Its other gold winner, Montubia 70%, has a distinctive nuttiness at the beginning. The flavor deepens as it stays in your mouth, ending on a luscious, sweet note. Meanwhile, the Andean Mint is perfect for mint lovers: its spearmint-like flavor is reminiscent of chewing gum. And for those who like fruit-flavored chocolate, the Passion Fruit is a fruity explosion worth trying, with a strong aroma and a tangy, flavor-forward taste. The fruitiness becomes more accentuated the longer you eat it, with a touch of bitter to keep the chocolate from becoming too saccharine. Available from Pacari.com Rogue Chocolatier Rogue Chocolatier, based in Massachusetts, takes a minimalist approach to its chocolate making. Unlike other artisans, it does not even use cocoa butter or milk, just pure cacao beans and cane sugar. Its chocolate tastes much like how you would imagine raw cacao beans to taste: earthy and unadulterated. Its Porcelana 80% comes from a special cacao variety that contains genetic traces of a type cultivated by the Mayans thousands of years ago. The chocolate has a salty, nutty, grassy profile, with just a hint of fruit at the end. This is definitely adult chocolate. The Tranquilidad 75% is friendlier to our sweet tooth palates, with a mellow honeylike flavor that gets tart and fruity as you eat it. There’s also an underlying roasted taste that balances out the sweetness.
Laurie and Sons Moroccan Spiced Dark Chocolate Toffee
It’s a maddening craft that will take a lifetime to master. Drew Gilmour, Hummingbird Chocolate
the lavender, and in the end, are left to enjoy the smooth white chocolate shell. The Dominican Republic truffle is equally decadent, with a consistency like mousse cake. But it’s not cloyingly sweet—there’s a rum-like, slight bitterness to the ganache that keeps your palate excited. The Madagascar truffle, by contrast, sweeps you away to a sweet spot immediately. The smooth, fudge-like texture is a perfect vehicle for the cherry-like tartness in the ganache. Meanwhile, the Raspberry Rose truffle is fragrant and floral, but doesn’t taste artificial like many things that are labeled as rose-flavored. The treat melts in your mouth right away, and is evocative of eating a delicate cake. Available from Chocolopolis.com
Available from RogueChocolatier.com Chocolopolis Chocolopolis is a Seattle-based chocolate maker that also makes truffles by hand. Its truffles are as beautiful to look at as they are to eat. The lemon lavender truffle is so exquisite you barely have the heart to eat it: the shell is painted in pastel yellow and purple swirls, sprinkled with gold flecks. Nonetheless, the lemon scent is too enticing. Biting into it is like eating a lemon meringue pie. As you finish the lemon, you get a whiff of
Hummingbird Hispaniola 70%
Cinnamon adds an extra kick & toffee brings caramel-y goodness to the Moroccan Spiced toffees.
Cacao Art Miami-based Cacao Art uses only Venezuelan chocolate to create delectable bonbons infused with local Florida ingredients, like cardamom and Tupelo honey harvested from trees native to Florida. The anise taste surprises you when you first bite into its gold-winning truffle, Anís y Papelón, leading to hints of licorice and cinnamon swirling in your mouth. You’re then left with the mild sweetness of the “papelón,” or raw cane sugar. This truffle achieves the near impossible in the world of truffles: it actually isn’t too sweet for a second helping. The chocolate makers, originally from Venezuela, were inspired by a classic dessert from their home country called the “golfeado,” a pastry roll with papelón, anise, and cheese filling. Available from CacaoArt.com Laurie and Sons Laurie and Sons makes toffee candies and other chocolate snacks out of their kitchen in East Harlem. Their Moroccan Spiced Dark Chocolate Toffee throws you for a loop with cayenne pepper—the fiery spice slowly spreads to heat
Castronovo Dominican Republic 50%
up your entire mouth. The cinnamon adds an extra kick, but the crunchy toffee soon soothes with its caramel-y goodness. It’s a fun treat that ensures your mouth won’t get bored. Its Dangerously Delicious Black Licorice Toffee is an unlikely combination, but is impressive for making a licorice-non-believer like me enjoy it. The licorice flavor is toned down by a tinge of salt and its incredibly buttery toffee. After spending a career in marketing and advertising, Laurie Pauker became interested in candy making while staying at home caring for her three sons. Her guiding principle is making candy that she can feel good about letting her children eat (no additives, organic, and sourced responsibly). She taught herself how to make nougats and truffles, but favors toffee, which she considers “the ultimate carrier of aroma, flavor, texture, and crunch.” Available at La Marqueta, 1580 Park Ave., Harlem, or by ordering at LaurieAndSons.com Castronovo Castronovo’s award-winning chocolate bars have a magical caramel flavor that comes naturally from the beans. The Sierra Nevada 63%, made from Colombian beans, has that rich, silky-smooth caramel flavor, plus a slight tartness that invites you to keep eating. It’s addictively delicious. The Dominican Republic 50% has an intense toffee flavor, exquisitely creamy in texture. It’s worth savoring as it melts slowly in your mouth. Denise Castronovo became interested in chocolate making through her academic work researching rainforest tree canopies. She discovered that harvesting cacao was actually beneficial to the rainforest ecosystem. Castronovo only uses heirloom beans from Latin America. At her Florida shop, patrons can also enjoy chocolate chip cookies and cocoa drinks made in house. Available from CastronovoChocolate.com
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August 21–27, 2015 www.EpochTaste.com
thai
the modern experience
Fabulous conversations with fabulous people
THE BEST NORTHERN THAI IN THE CITY!
SAMIRA BOUAOU/EPOCH TIMES
4 STARS ON YELP! & GOOGLE
We’re talking with: Maricel Presilla Occupations: International Chocolate Awards Americas partner, historian, chef-owner (Cucharamama, Zafra, Ultramarinos), James Beard Foundation’s 2015 Who’s Who of Food and Beverage, author of the James Beard Award-winning “Gran Cocina Latina: The Food of Latin America�
FREE DELIVERY
Home: Weehawken, N.J. Epoch Times: You ate hundreds of chocolate samples to select the chocolates for the judging process of the Americas portion of the International Chocolate Competition. What was that like? Maricel Presilla: It’s an attack on your body. For us it’s always exciting but the eect it has on my body is scary. There comes a point where your eyes are glazed. The grand jury [selection] is at the [Ultramarinos] store so we can get good food, we can get back to normal. We walk around, there’s a dog park, we watch the dog play, then we go back. If we did not have the polenta we could not do this. The polenta is like having a mouthwash because it’s grainy and it has no salt. It really cleans you up and you start tasting almost as if you started fresh. I’m always looking for great cooks [to be judges] because a great cook understands chocolate as food and that’s what it is. It’s nothing more than food. Sometimes you look for harmony but there are chocolates that are great because they’re not harmonious. They have maybe a single note that is very exciting. And if you have an adventuresome palate you understand that some foods are like that. Some great foods in the world are single notes—not simple single notes, complex single notes. They don’t have that roundness that people think is a mark of quality, like having chocolate and spice and fruit and this and that. It’s like a good symphony. Sometimes you have a solo performance, and you have to be able to recognize it. Epoch Times: What impact have the competitions made? Ms. Presilla: We have already seen the changes. We have seen changes in Scandinavia. We have seen young chocolate makers [who came] to us kind of green last year in Copenhagen now making delicious chocolates that we could not stop eating. The first year in Italy, it was a disaster. Now there’s unbelievable stu coming from Italy. We have seen the qualitative change in every single place where we’ve actually done a contest. We send feedback to people. What we have discovered is, some people really care about this, so when people are too casual we don’t respect them very much
10 BLOCK RADIUS
because people sacrifice to come here. People from countries where there are restrictions about shipping, they travel. The Venezuelans bring their chocolates bring their chocolates by hand because they cannot trust the shipping because they stab the products. They stab to see them what they contain. Or they don’t arrive. It’s just horrendous. The Japanese do it, not because they don’t trust the mail but because they believe their products needs to be totally protected against changes in temperature and mishandling. They’re considered jewels. The Japanese send their right hands, the person that we know is actually running the business. What we have seen is that they’ve improved. We’ve had an influence on them.
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Epoch Times: There’s no big sponsor, right? This is an endeavor run by very few people. HELL’S KITCHEN .( /' $.0+ .( .( . 3 /)/+2% %,* Ms. Presilla: I’m the sponsor the way the three MIDTOWN EAST .( $.0+ '1 -& 3 /)/.(#) %,* of us [International Chocolate Awards British partner Martin Christy and our Italian partner Monica Meschini] are our own sponsors. When 鍔銗文人墨厢的 I go to London, my other partner and I stay together in his flat, which is small. He sleepsčŠŠćƒ…é›…ć„? ( äşŒć¨“ ) on the floor. I sleep in his room, she sleeps in his oďŹƒce. We cook together, take the train, and ĺ“ ĺ‘łćœ?鎎王ćœ?çš„ do everything [ourselves]. The polenta, we cook it. In London, we carry it with us on the train.瞎味佳餚(三樓) We don’t have sponsors—not yet. But we are totally OK at this point. In a way we are building a system. Every year we have grown. Epoch Times: Tell me about your connection to chocolate while growing up. Ms. Presilla: If you think of Cuba as an alligator, where the head is, the eastern part, is where I was born. The top of that head is an area called Baracoa. Cacao was brought there, probably by Spaniards. My paternal family comes from there. My great-grandfather and his two brothers settled in an area inland by the river Jauco, and they established a hamlet, CaĂąas, where they grew cacao, plus yucca and sugar cane. What happened to my poor great-grandfather is the Spaniards killed him in the war of independence. The Spaniards had enlisted volunteers, “voluntaries,â€? who were savages.
Experience Firsthand the Romantic Life of Korean Dynasty South Korea’s top chef, Sunkyu Lee, cooks authentic Korean Royal Court Cuisine Totally different and distinctive cuisines and interior designs on the 1st, 2nd and 3rd floors.
See Maricel Presilla on D8 COURTESY OF MARICEL PRESILLA
Presilla researches cacao in Ecuador.
The Souffle Fell In “Delivery Gets Fancy: Fast, Fresh Food in a New York Minute,� printed on Aug. 14, the correct spelling of the chef’s name at Munchery is Eddie Montalvo. Epoch Times regrets the error.
212-594-4963 10 W 32 St, New York, NY 10001 www.misskoreabbq.com Open 24 Hours
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Miyazaki Super Prime Wagyu Beef $120.00
Authentic Japanese food served with a touch of class
W
hen you taste the Japanese food at Momokawa you will know it is the real thing. Each single ingredient and each tiny detail ensures the most authentic experience. Momakawa—A genuine taste of Japan!
Momokawa Prix Fixe Menu Small Course
(service for two or more) eti er kin s of ashimi hoi e of ukiyaki or ha u ha u aut meals ooke at the ta le essert
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Awabi Shabu-shabu
tra itional a anese a eti ers kin s of ashimi rille ish an a simmere ish essert $60/per person
Sake and Wine
Ask about our sake tastings.
Momokawa serves some of the finest quality sake and wine, paired especially for the dishes. Try our seasonal sake (draft), premium sake, all season sake (hot or cold) as well as white or red wines.
Momokawa 157 East 28th Street | (212) 684-7830 momokawanyc.com — ALSO AVAIL ABLE: DAILY LUNCH SPECIALS (12 P.M.-4 P.M.) —
BANGKOK
STREET FARE
Heaven for Food Lovers Yaowarat is one of Bangkok’s oldest neighborhoods, founded by East Asian traders in Siam over 200 years ago. It is a heaven for food lovers, blending the centuries old Thai and East Asian influences in an eclectic mix of street vendor cuisine. Experience the authentic taste of Bangkok street fare, at Sookk.
Try Our Affordable Daily Lunch Specials.
Kingside’s Pan-Roasted Scallops with fresh corn and bacon ($35).
Kingside
Summer Memories on a Plate By Channaly Philipp | Epoch Times Staff Is it better to close or open your eyes while savoring what is one of summer’s most wonderful dishes? I’m not sure (and does it matter?). At Kingside, where chef Marc Murphy draws inspiration from his childhood (French, Italian, American) for the menu, he just nailed it with his Pan-Roasted Scallops, with fresh corn mingling with tiny cubes of bacon, and amplifying summer’s sweet golden glory ($35). The dish name is about the scallops, but the corn steals the show, with two very able supporting actors. I also loved the more understated, but super refreshing Shaved Zucchini Salad ($13). Mint and lemon make it wonderfully refreshing, pine nuts give it an addictive nutty crunch, and thin slices of ricotta add the perfect dose of saltiness. For a more classic Italian touch, the Heirloom
Kingside
124 W. 57th St. (between Sixth & Seventh avenues) 212-707-8000 Kingside-Restaurant.com Hours Daily 7 a.m.–2 a.m. (dinner ends at 11 p.m.)
Tomatoes Salad, with basil and gooey burrata is sunshine on a plate ($17). If that’s all too healthy, top it all off with the Caramel Pudding ($10). Somehow, with its creamy caramel base and bourbon whipped cream and pretzel crumble, it can’t help but dig up some happy childhood memories (maybe, er, … minus the bourbon). COURTESY OF KINGSIDE
Chef Marc Murphy outside of Kingside, located in the Viceroy Hotel.
Bring Sookk to you!
stuff to eat and drink around town
COURTESY OF ROBERT NGUYEN
Catering and delivery available.
NY WHISKEY CRUISE Attention whiskey lovers: the Whiskey Guild will bring together some of the best minds from the industry to help you sample and celebrate the world’s finest spirits, all while taking in views of the city aboard a cruise ship. Your ticket will give you access to a world-famous Glencairn tasting glass, gourmet buffet dinner, and dessert. Thursday, Aug. 27, 7 p.m.– 9.30 p.m. 11th Avenue & West 21st Street Tickets: $135 WhiskeyGuild.com
SOOKK
2686 Broadway (Broadway & 103rd St.) New York, NY 10025 (212) 870-0253
THE BURGER SUPREMACY
INSPIRED ASIAN FUSION CUISINE
LIFE’S A PICNIC AT GRAND CENTRAL Enjoy a weeklong celebration of summer with a picnic at Grand Central. The second annual Life’s a Picnic at Grand Central will see Vanderbilt Hall reimagined as a free indoor picnic space. There will be free Wi-Fi, live entertainment, and plenty of food to purchase from Grand Central retailers (or bring your own). Watch live cooking demonstrations, like mozzarella-making with Dan Belmont of Murray’s Cheese, burgers with Chef Cenobio Canalizo of Michael Jordan’s The Steak House N.Y.C., sushi rolling with Chef Hiro Isikawa of Shiro of Japan, and more. Aug. 24–Aug. 28 Monday–Thursday, 7 a.m.–7 p.m. Friday, 7 a.m.–2 p.m. Vanderbilt Hall at Grand Central GrandCentralTerminal.com
APOTHEKE ACADEMY: MARKET FRESH MIXOLOGY
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Cocktail enthusiasts, join the Apotheke academy’s mixologists to learn how to create delicious market–fresh cocktails from unique ingredients ranging from heirloom tomatoes to lemongrass to aprium and gooseberries. All herbs and botanicals will be rummaged from the farmer’s market and Apotheke’s Rooftop Herb Garden. Upon the completion of the class, each guest can purchase the full service mixology kit to recreate cocktails at home. Saturday, Aug. 22, 2 p.m.–4 p.m. 9 Doyers St. Tickets: $125 EventBrite.com
Witness a fierce battle of vegetarian burgers as they duke it out for the Burger Supremacy at the new V Spot in the East Village. The competition will include 12 plant– based burgers in styles of both gourmet and everyday. Guests will be given the opportunity to try all of them and vote for their favorite contestant. The winning burger will be sold for a week at V Spot. Some of the chef competitors include Brooklyn Fork & Spoon, Marty’s Vegan Fast Food, The Organic Grill, Jersey City Veggie Burgers, and V Spot. Monday, Aug. 31 6 p.m.–9 p.m. V Spot 12 Saint Marks Place, East Village Tickets: $20 TinyUrl.com/BurgerSupremacy
DINNERS IN THE DARK AT CAMAJE Are you ready to be adventurous with your dining experience? Then join CAMJAE for Dinners in the Dark, where diners will enjoy a multicourse meal while blindfolded. Menus are secret until the end of the meal, so guests will have fun guessing the food on their plates and wine in their glasses. Saturday, Aug. 22, 8 p.m. CAMAJE 85 MacDougal St. Tickets: $85 CAMAJE.com
Compiled by Daksha Devnani/Epoch Times Staff
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August 21–27, 2015 www.EpochTaste.com
Making the Most of Summer’s Vegetable Glut With a Cobb Salad ALL PHOTOS BY MATTHEW MEAD/AP
By Katie Workman At the end of the summer, we all are awash in corn, zucchini, and tomatoes. This is, by and large, a good thing. But it begs for a bit of creativity in the kitchen so the end-of-summer vegetables don’t mount up and threaten to overtake us. If you are growing any of these items in a garden you really need an arsenal of recipes to keep the influx at bay. I have a neighbor who once told me that when he was growing up, August was the only time the people in his town locked their cars. They did it because otherwise they might come back to find someone had left a bag of zucchini on the seat. Lucky for me this neighbor has a serious green thumb, and I never lock my car. Even if you don’t have a garden, these items are plentiful at the farmers markets and supermarkets, and as summer starts to ebb we all want as much of this produce as we can get. Soon we’ll be reminiscing about ripe, red tomatoes; plump, sweet corn; and firm zucchini with their emerald skins. But for now, they are ours for the eating. This Cobb salad has chickpeas and eggs as the main proteins, and the traditional bacon as well, which could be left out if it’s not your thing. You could of course add a row of cooked cubed or shredded chicken or cooked shrimp, or substitute it for the chickpeas. Most of us think of zucchini as a vegetable to be cooked, but if you get small, very firm zucchini, they are lovely shredded, diced, or peeled into ribbons and eaten raw.
The freshest seafood, every day wner, Jesus Martinez, who comes from the O verdant province of Galicia in northwestern Spain, is most insistent on quality, and goes to pick out fish at the market every morning at 2:30 a.m.
• Enjoy fine cuisine from Spain made from authentic ingredients, elevated by exact and careful preparation.
ALCALA
(212) 370-1866 246 E. 44th Street AlcalaRestaurant.com
Restaurant
Katsu & Sake
Katie Workman has written two cookbooks focused on easy, family-friendly cooking, “Dinner Solved!� and “The Mom 100 Cookbook.� She blogs at TheMom100.com
Signature dishes you won’t find in other Japanese restaurants
From The Associated Press
Discover the Hidden Gem in K-Town
RECIPE
The most special dish, reserved for special occasions across Japan. Try this amazing Pork Katsu at HanaMichi. Our unique preparation not only highlights pork, but also chicken, beef and vegetables! A dish worth gathering for!
LATE SUMMER COBB SALAD WITH BUTTERMILK-THYME DRESSING You are welcome to cook the bacon the old fashioned way on the stovetop, or you can bake it in a 350 F oven on a wire rack inserted into a rimmed baking sheet for about 15 minutes, or until crispy. Baking it is neater and less hands on, with far less splatter.
“This is one of my favorite spots in K-town� – Zagat-
And to make perfect hard-boiled eggs, start by placing the eggs in a large saucepan and adding enough cool water to cover by at least 1 inch. Bring the water to a boil over high heat. Allow the water to boil for 30 seconds, then remove the saucepan from the heat and let the eggs sit in the water for 9 minutes. Drain and rinse under cool water for a few minutes.
28 W 32nd Street, New York, NY 10001
212.736.5393 24 Hours Open www.hanamichinyc.com
Peeling the eggs while they are still slightly warm often makes it easier to remove the shells in big pieces, so you don’t have to chip them off and mess up the eggs. Tap them lightly on the counter, and then give them a quick roll to crackle the shells and peel them carefully. Also it often helps to peel the eggs while they are submerged in water.
Prep & Cooking Time: 25 minutes Serves: 4
INGREDIENTS For the Dressing • 1/2 cup buttermilk, shaken • 2 tablespoons sour cream or plain Greek yogurt • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard • 2 teaspoons white wine vinegar • 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil • 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves • 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic • Kosher salt and ground black pepper For the Salad • 5 cups thinly sliced romaine lettuce (or a combination of iceberg and romaine, for more crunch) • 8 slices bacon, cooked and roughly crumbled • 3 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and diced large • 1 pint (2 cups) cherry tomatoes, halved (or 2 cups diced larger tomatoes) • 2 cups lightly cooked corn kernels • 2 cups diced zucchini • One 15 1/2-ounce can chickpeas,
Tonkatsu Ramen
Pork Katsu
Celebrate with Us May Wah Vegetarian Market 20th Anniversary
drained and rinsed • 1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion • 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese • Ground black pepper
DIRECTIONS To prepare the dressing, in a small container or jar with a lid, combine the buttermilk, sour cream or yogurt, mustard, vinegar, olive oil, thyme, garlic, and a hefty pinch each of salt and pepper. Shake well. Can be refrigerated for up to 5 days. Shake before using.
Try adding cubed or shredded chicken or juicy shrimp, or substitute these for the chickpeas if you’re not feeling the beans.
To prepare the salad, spread the lettuce evenly over a large serving platter or shallow bowl. On top of the lettuce, make nice neat rows of the crumbled bacon, eggs, tomatoes, corn, zucchini, chickpeas, onion and feta. (The order is of no consequence; whatever strikes you.) Season with pepper, then drizzle with a bit of dressing and serve the rest on the side.
NUTRITION INFORMATION Nutrition information per serving: 610 calories; 340 calories from fat (56 percent of total calories); 37 g fat (13 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 220 mg cholesterol; 1160 mg sodium; 46 g carbohydrate; 10 g fiber; 15 g sugar; 26 g protein.
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D6 August 21–27, 2015 www.TasteAsia.org ALL PHOTOS BY SAMIRA BOUAOU/EPOCH TIMES
Beans Poriyal (front), Bisi Bela Huliana, and Coconut Rice.
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Chennai Express Thali. $10 Beer & Burger Monday to Friday Special 3-7pm.
Lentils, in All Their Myriad Forms, Oer a Taste of Home By Daksha Devnani | Epoch Times Staff
HAPPY HOUR Mon & Tues 4-8 pm
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CASTILIAN SPANISH CUISINE at el Pote
Hearty, Wholesome Food from Old Spain
Chef’s Favorites Sweet Sangria
For me, growing up in southern India, every morning would usually start with the same question. “What’s for breakfast?â€? My mother’s response never surprised me: “dosas.â€? Again. Growing up I was convinced I had eaten enough dosas to last me a whole lifetime, and I swore I’d never miss them. But three months into my stay in New York, I started yearning for these large, round, crisp crepes. I was craving dosas and “medhu vadaisâ€? and various southeast Indian dishes. So with some friends, I decided to head out to Curry Hill where I was immediately pulled in by the aromas at chef Hemant Mathur’s restaurant Dosai, which opened in May. At Dosai, the focus is on vegetarian dishes from the southeast Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Chef Hemnath Nagarajan, a native of Chennai, oversees day-to-day operations at the restaurant. “Dosas are liked by people all over the world, [yet] New York doesn’t seem to have many southeast Indian restaurants, thus we opened Dosai,â€? Nagarajan said. In Tamil Nadu, as well as on the restaurant menu, dosas are called dosai. Dishes to Try To start o, I had to get my favorite appetizer, Medhu Vadai ($6.95), a donut-shaped dumpling that is crispy on the outside and spongy on the inside—perfect for soaking up any, or all, of the dierent chutneys. I liked the tomato chutney best, with its sweet yet spicy smack on my palate. There are many other flavors to try, like lentil and coconut. Indeed, to my non-Indian friends, the most fascinating part of eating this was not the donut itself, made of soaked, ground lentils and curry leaves, but the way it is eaten, by taking small bites and dipping them into chutneys and “sambharâ€? (lentil soup)—an orangecolored soup richly flavored with moringa tree pods. It gave a pleasantly warm feeling as it went down. At restaurants, I usually have a strong urge to order the most popular dish, so at Dosai we made sure to try the Paper Masala Dosai ($11.50), a caramel-colored crepe filled with mildly spiced potatoes. It came just as crisp as the dosa back home,
Rich Paella Valenciana Fresh Lobster Bisque Juicy Lamb Chops
718 2nd Ave @ 38th St. www.elPote.com 212.889.6680
Chef Hemnath Nagarajan. Medhu vadai with coconut, lentil, fenugreek chutney (sauces) and sambhar.
Dosai
104 Lexington Ave. (between 27th & 28th streets) 212-684-4010 DosaiNYC.com Hours Sunday–Thursday noon–10 p.m. Friday–Saturday noon–10:30 p.m.
Everytime we look at this savory Medhu vadai donut, we actually start salivating.
which surprised me. Any dosa prefaced with the word “paper,â€? by the way, just means the crepe extends way beyond the plate (and filling). Dosa come in dierent wrapping styles. As a youngster, I always thought that dosas were so boring, and the only way my mother got my brother and I to eat them was to shape them into cones about the size of a hat. Anything as delicious as a dosa always has a long preparation process. It all starts by soaking split “urad dalâ€? (black lentils), raw rice, and fenugreek seeds overnight. The next morning this mix is ground and stored again for another night to ferment before the batter is ready to make dosa. Then there is the Saron Dosai ($13.95). It’s one of Dosai’s specialties and something that I had never heard of. I am used to finding saron only in Indian sweets, so I was curious about it. The chef at Dosai soaks strings of saron in milk for about two or three minutes to get the maximum flavor, then sprinkles the saroninfused milk over the dosa while it’s cooking. The Saron Dosai is served with jaggery syrup on the side, and not unlike with the Medhu Vadai and other dosas, is oered with sambhar, and three types of chutney—tomato, lentil, and coconut. “At Dosai, we always try new things, and Americans like saron, so we decided to try adding it to dosa, and people really like it,â€? Nagarajan said. Rice Specialties Tamil Nadu isn’t just known for its dosas, but also for its various rice specialties, and we couldn't leave without trying them. Bisi Bela Huliana ($8.50), a lunch dish that I often eat in India, is a thick, creamy, orangecolored rice dish with lentils and tamarind. It was the best part of the meal. The strong aroma of “gheeâ€? (clarified butter) immediately transported me 8,000 miles to the Indian subcontinent. The taste of ghee was very prominent, with a slight tanginess at the end. My friend, who was trying this dish for the first time, thought he could easily finish it. But after a few spoonfuls, the heartiness of the dish got to him, and he visibly slowed down. With Indian cuisine, even the simplest
D7 August 21–27, 2015 www.TasteAsia.org
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The Making of Saffron Dosai 1. Pour batter onto a hot griddle and spread it into a large circle. 2. Spread saffron-infused milk on top. Sada Dosai with coconut, lentil, fenugreek chutney (sauces), and sambhar.
3. Once the underside is golden, lift edges and fold to form a triangle.
THALIS
looking dishes like the Coconut Rice ($8.50) harbor strong flavors waiting to explode in your mouth. Here the fresh coconut and dried red chilies were harmoniously balanced. It was a perfect pairing with the Beans Poriyal, green beans tossed in the same beguiling combination of fresh coconut and dried red chillies, ($13.95), which was mildly spiced and left us with the lingering, pleasant flavor of fresh coconut. The authenticity of the food at Dosai won me over. The taste and aroma of the dishes were exactly what I would find at home. With my nostalgia for southern Indian food cured, it’s safe to say I can now carry on without feeling homesick for a while at least.
Asian Restaurant Listings UPPER WEST SIDE Raku—It’s Japanese II Featured Dishes: Sushi; Sashimi; Brussels Sprouts 57 W. 76th St. (btw. Central Park West & Columbus Ave.) 212-873-1220 | rakuupperwest.com
UPPER EAST SIDE Cafe Evergreen 1367 1st Ave. (btw. 73rd & 74th streets) 212-744-3266 cafeevergreenchinese.com The Nuaa Featured dishes: Purple Blossom Dumpling; Short Ribs Massaman Curry 1122 1st Ave. (btw. 61st & 62nd streets) 212-888-2899 | thenuaa.com
HELL’S KITCHEN/ MIDTOWN WEST Noodies 830 9th Ave. (btw. 54th & 55th streets) 646-669-7828 | noodiesnyc.com Vi{v} Bar & Restaurant Featured Dishes: Kanom Jean Nam Ngeow; CM Sausage 717 9th Ave. (btw. 48th & 49th streets) 212-581-5999 vivnyc.com Hell’s Chicken Featured Dish: Korean Fried Chicken 641 10th Ave. (btw. 45th & 46th streets) 212-757-1120 hellschickennyc.com
MIDTOWN EAST Shochu and Tapas - AYA 247 E. 50th St. (btw. 2nd & 3rd avenues) 212-715-0770 aya-nyc.com
THAI
“Thali,” literally stainless steel plate, refers to an Indian meal consisting of a wide variety of dishes in small quantities. It can be served for lunch or dinner. Dosai offers two types of thali—the Chennai Express, with a variety of southern Indian dishes ($11.95 for lunch or $16.95 for dinner)— or the Mumbai Express ($11.95, lunch only), featuring northern specialties. Both include dessert.
INDIAN
KOREAN
CHINESE
JAPANESE
SOUTHEAST ASIAN
Sachi Asian Bistro Featured Dish: Oink Oink Oink Fried Rice 713 2nd Ave. (btw. 38th & 39th streets) 929-256-5167 sachinyc.com Ruay Thai Restaurant Featured Dishes: Pad Thai; Pad See Yew 625 2nd Ave. (btw. 34th & 35th streets) 212-545-7829 ruaythai.com
KOREATOWN Soju Haus 315 5th Ave., 2nd Fl. (btw. 31st & 32nd streets) 212-213-2177 | sojuhaus.com
GRAMERCY/FLATIRON/ UNION SQUARE Junoon Featured Dish: Masaledar Lamb Chops 27 W. 24th St. (btw. 5th & 6th avenues) 212-490-2100 junoonnyc.com Laut 15 E. 17th St. (btw. W. Union Sq. & Broadway) 212-206-8989 | lautnyc.com
KIPS BAY Momokawa Featured Dishes: Kaiseki menu; Beef Sukiyaki; Fried Chicken 157 E. 28th St. (btw. Lexington & 3rd avenues) 212-684-7830 | momokawanyc.com
WEST VILLAGE Spice Market Featured Special: $27 for a 3-course lunch prix-fixe menu. 403 W. 13th St. (btw. Washington St. & 9th Ave.) 212-675-2322 spicemarketnewyork.com
VIETNAMESE
SRI LANKAN
ASIAN FUSION
MALAYSIAN
Niu Noodle House Featured Dish: Pork Soup Dumplings 15 Greenwich Ave. (btw. 10th & Christopher streets) 212-488-9888 | niunoodleny.com
GREENWICH VILLAGE Uncle Ted’s 163 Bleecker St. (btw. Thompson & Sullivan streets) 212-777-1395 | uncletedsnyc.com
EAST VILLAGE SenYa Featured Dishes: SenYa Chirashi; Simmered Pork Belly Bun; Foie Gras Sushi 109 1st Ave. (btw. 7th & 6th streets) 212-995-5278 | senyanyc.com Sigiri 91 1st Ave. (btw. E. 5th & E. 6th streets) 212-614-9333 | sigirinyc.com
BATTERY PARK Malaysian Kitchen USA Featured Dish: Hainanese Chicken 21 South End Ave. (btw. W. Thames St. and the Esplanade) | 212-786-1888 alaysiakitchenusa.com
BROOKLYN Pasar Malam Featured specials: Malaysian food and roti station 208 Grand St. (btw. Bedford & Driggs avenues) Williamsburg 929-267-4404 | pasarmalamny.com
QUEENS Leng Thai 33-09 Broadway Astoria 718-956-7117 | lengthai.com Spicy Lanka 159-23 Hillside Ave. Jamaica 718-487-4499
Obsessive Attention to Detail T
he single inspiration that lead to the establishment of Hatsuhana was nothing more than the desire to introduce unsurpassed sushi and sashimi to New Yorkers. Since the first day we opened our doors in 1976, we have been a sushi specialty restaurant. This has helped us maintain our focus on sushi and excel at the one thing that mattered most.
Over three decades later, our mission remains unchanged. Obsessive attention to detail should be the norm for sushi restaurants, not something to strive for. The complexity associated with creating the ideal sushi rice. The fragrance of freshly ground wasabi. The freshest fish from around the globe. Please come by for lunch or dinner and let us show you what real sushi is like.
212.355.3345 www.hatsuhana.com 17 East 48th St, New York (btw madison & 5th Ave.)
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D8
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August 21–27, 2015 www.EpochTaste.com
Maricel Presilla continued from D3
Fabulous conversations with fabulous people
We’re talking with: Maricel Presilla
They went to the countryside to burn hamlets, to get the peasants from the countryside into the cities like concentration camps because they didn’t want them to feed insurgents. So they would come into towns and the men would disappear into the countryside; they would be killed. The Spaniards came to this hamlet called Cañas and my great-grandmother was pregnant with her last child and my great-grandfather did not want to leave her, so the Spaniards shot him—although he was a Spaniard himself. They shot him and because they heard him moaning, they came back and they cut him into pieces with machetes, no kidding. The women put together the pieces. You know, there is a royal palm that has gigantic flowers [and] fruits that look like grapes, and covering the flowers, you have something like
Sometimes you look for harmony, but there are chocolates that are great because they’re not harmonious. Maricel Presilla, Americas partner, International Chocolate Awards
DRINK TO YOUR
HEALTH (HAS A NEW MEANING!)
Mild Seafood Stew with Nurungji
Pomegranate Soju
Made with Red Vinegar, a popular health drink in many Asian countries.
SOJU HAUS offers traditional, healthy (no msg!) Korean food, and an ambiance that inspires good company and great conversations. While traditional cocktails often deplete the
Sizzling Bulgogi
body of nutrients, SOJU HAUS mindfully pairs food and drink for a more balanced effect on your body.
this that has strong fiber, called jagua. That jagua is used in Baracoa for everything—they make baskets with it. Well, they buried my great-grandfather in something like that. They made a bundle and buried him right by the side of the cacao field. You can still see a wooden cross, and they have planted a garden there, by the river. So when I was a child, my father took me there. It was an amazing experience to go with my father on horseback—I remember meeting family, and seeing and eating cacao for the first time. When I did my first edition of the book on chocolate, I went back and then I did a story for Saveur magazine. I saw the cacao and the fact that the government was buying the cacao for nothing. [My relatives] were not making any money out of it. If I could have gotten the cacao, they could have made a fortune. It was kind of sad, because one of the militiamen infiltrated a family reunion—there were so many people, there were neighbors, and whatever. One of them was there listening to me opening my big mouth saying, “Oh, things change, I can commercialize your cacao, I can sell your coffee. ... Imagine we can call it Ferrer cacao. I can sell the cacao for 3, 4, $5,000.” The next day the soldiers came to pick me up and took me to their garrison. They kept me for hours asking me stupid questions and they reprimanded me because I was putting capitalist ideas in my family’s mind. ”You come with capitalist ideas telling them you’re going to sell their cacao, it’s our inheritance, it’s our this and that, this stupidity.” I wanted to kill them. [They said,] “Well, because of what you did, you’re not to be trusted to be roaming around here. You’re not allowed to go into the cooperative fermentation and drying.” When I got to Baracoa, I went to a factory created by “Che” Guevara in the ‘60s. I saw the machinery, dilapidated. They lacked the simplest tools. I looked at that and almost said, “I will send you something.” But I said, “You’re so proud of your weapons but you don’t have the simplest things in your factory.” So my feeling is, I now see a lot of my friends using Cuban cacao. Big companies buy from the government and then they resell it to companies like Sprungli at gigantic prices, and these people make bars and sell them at gigantic prices because it’s exotic—a theme park mentality. I think it’s unethical. I think cacao from Cuba is like blood diamonds. In my family people sometimes ask me, “Why do you get so upset?” I say, “Why do I get so upset?” When I think of my family sitting on cacao, in a historic area, and their neighbors in the Dominican Republic are selling their cacao at a premium, and they’re rich—and my poor family, they’re paupers. The women still cook over a wood fire. They’re aged, they’re weathered by this hard work. Their homes are not the beautiful homes I saw when I went there as a child. Those homes, they were made of cedars, carved. The children lived in huts with palmthatched roofs. I saw that poverty and misery. They were happy and singing, but I said to myself, this is really impossible. So when I go to Europe and I see my friends with this chocolate made with Cuban cacao and I say to myself, well, should I boycott them? Well if we boycott them, then they’ll cut down the trees, plant something else. I said to other people, “Write something, write a paragraph not apologizing but saying it the way it is, that you’re buying it because you don’t want the cacao to disappear” but no one does. They sell it as a commodity like they’re helping the farmers. It’s this farm-totable mentality taken to extremes. Epoch Times: The appeal is predicated on the fact that it’s Cuban? Ms. Presilla: It’s Cuba. It’s the forbidden island and they’re “explorers,” although they’re sitting in their offices and they make the orders over the phone. Some people have entered stuff and the judges have not liked it so I haven’t had to deal with it but I’m thinking I might have to deal with it eventually in the U.S. I don’t know what I will do because to me it’s unethical. COURTESY OF MARICEL PRESILLA
Coconut Soju
What to Try Tonight... Mild Seafood Stew with Nurungji
Pairs well with Cucumber Soju
212-213-2177 315 5th Ave. 2nd Fl, NY NY
SOJUHAUS.COM
Bossam (Braised Pork Belly)
Try it with the Lemon Soju Seafood Pancake
Amazing with Unfiltered Rice Wine
Sunday – Wednesday 5:00 pm – 2:00 am Thursday 5:00 pm – 3:00 am Friday – Saturday 5:00 pm – 4:00 am
Presilla sets up shop in the shade of a cacao tree in the Peruvian Amazon last month.