Shopping Iranian Style

A rainy Saturday is definitely not the time to hit North Vancouver, where rain is the heaviest. 

But the opportunity to discover the hot Iranian shopping spots with an Iranian escort was not to be missed.


Stop 1: Ayoub's Dried Fruit & Nuts - Lonsdale @ 14th

This is one of the most interesting bulk food places I have seen in the city. The ambiance resembles a fancy Persian palace where Omar Khayyam would have recited poetry to beautiful maidens. The uniqueness of the selection of nuts and dried fruits (even vegetables) confirms that we have been transported to far away lands. 


Roasted sunflowers that are over an inch long, dried figs and mulberries, dried vegetables including green beans are just a small sample of the exotic finds. Worth the trip.

Stop 2: Yaas Bazaar International - Londsdale @ 19th

Yaas means jasmines in Iranian and this space is as exotic and exciting as the beautiful smell of jasmines.

This is a one stop shopping by all means. You can buy your groceries, toiletries from both North America and Iran, fresh meat, fruit and vegetables, kitchen utensils, CDs & DVDs.

There is also a section for freshly baked goods (you see them making them right there and then) as well as hot savoury foods cafeteria style. 

Clean, friendly, alive and a reflection of the variance of the Iranian land, culture and people.



Stop 3: Rex Bakery - 16th @ Lonsdale

The cutest bakery where you can buy to go or sit and enjoy a cup of strong Iranian cake with the sweets of your choice. 

Too many sweets to describe, just as many tempting ones to try. Textures varying from the doughy and fried, to the dry cookies, and the creamy syrupy cakes.

A tour to remember. 

 Thank you Masi!

Chai'ing My Weekend Away

What is a better way to boost a weekend kick off than with a double chai afternoon at Shaktea.

As I learned from the experts at Shaktea, chai is simply the Indian word for tea. It is typically tea drunk with milk and (for many) lots of sugar.

To have less spiciness and more sweetness, I opted for the organic coconut cream chai - a blend of black tea, cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, black pepper, clove, vanilla and shredded coconut. Not only was it heavenly but I understand it is one of the most popular with chai lovers. 

And as if one pot of chai was not enough, it had to be accompanied by their exclusive Shaktea chai chocolate pudding. An invention of their talented bakeress, Jackie, this is a decadent blend of Shaktea chai and Belgian dark chocolate.

I cannot think of a better way to kick off a weekend. Thank you Shaktea!

Shaktea

3702 Main Street

Vancouver BC

www.shaktea.ca

The Occupied somerville kitchen Territories

somerville kitchen replacement chef, after getting a taste of working the kitchen two weeks ago, launched a surprise colonization and somerville kitchen was under occupation all night.

The pork tenderloin escaped the invasion and was already baking in the oven, so it was left alone by the colonizer. The roasted potatoes were decreed to be crunchy on the outside but like mashed potatoes on the inside. Rather than roasting in the oven, they were compelled to perfection under the broiler.


Kitchen Hint from the occupied forces: To achieve the above, you throw the potatoes in a plastic bag with oil, salt and pepper. To decide how much salt and pepper, you just have to think like a potato and how much would a potato like on it. Always use the broiler since it has only two variables to control - time and heat.

The stove top stuffing just wanted to soak in the spa's hot water calmly for five minutes. But the occupation changed its fate. Onions were fried, along with a bit of chopped pecans, almonds and dried cranberries for enhanced taste and texture.



Kitchen Hint from the occupied forces: The amount of nuts to add to the stuffing should not be too much to overwhelm the stuffing but enough to create a surprise element while eating it. Cranberries should be minimal and chopped up. Add a bit (1 tsp) chopped parsley for colour.

Decision on what to do with the broccoli was driven by the rest of the meal's flavours and textures. "We have meaty, squishy, and crispy, we now need fresh". So the poor broccoli was thrown in a steamer until it turned lime green. It was then drizzled with melted butter and lemon juice. 


Kitchen Hint from the occupied forces: Don't sprinkle the broccoli with salt and let them sit, this will toughen them. A bit of garlic (1/4 of clove) would have made a great addition to the taste, but the indigenous revolted at the prospect of this proposition, and succeeded in a garlic free meal.

All, of course, was in the spirit of a fun cooking experience and a delicious fancy meal.

Lebanese Snack

I grew up eating this meal at least once a month. It is simply boiled potatoes and boiled eggs smashed together with salt, pepper and olive oil.

Interviewing my mom to understand the origin of this dish did not yield much. Any other Lebanese reading this who can share insights as to (a) whether you actually eat eggs and potatoes this way and/or (b) where/when this dish originated in Lebanon?

This meal (or snack) is eaten with pita bread, olives, yogurt, cucumbers, and/or pickles. In tonight's case, I ate them with my home made Lefett (pickled turnips).

Fraser Street Finds

Fraser street is changing, providing a new discovery every week. In support of my changing neighbourhood, I have set up a new label called Fraser Street Finds that very quickly gets you into the different blog entries representing places to eat and places to shop at on Fraser street. Some of those are previously featured restaurants (Les Faux Bourgeois, Original Tandoori Chaat House, Tandoori King) and some are yet to come (Al-Watan, The Outpost Cafe).

Tonight's discovery was the Dhaka Fish & Biryani - a sweet, cozy and quiet Bengali restaurant.

Quality comes through the pleasant service of the owner, the smells coming out of the kitchen where her husband is cooking and the fact that dishes are made on the spot, making the wait for food longer than expected (but pleasantly so).

We started the meal with the restaurant's special Chaat (more on Chaat at Fun Day in San Francisco). It was a huge platter, the dough was freshly made, lightly fried and the spices just right. This was the best part of the meal.

The main meal was Basa Fish Biryani and a Rohu Fish cooked in spices. A bit oily, a lot spicy, but a taste to savour.

 Dhaka Fish & Biryani Halal Restaurant

 5750 Fraser Street

Vancouver, BC

604-327-4800

 

West End Soiree

A very pleasant west end soiree with good food, wonderful guests, pleasant hostess, down to earth fun chatter, and the cute cat Nelson checking on us throughout the evening.

The meal was simple and full of flavours. Chicken and figs cooked with cardamon, cinnamon and other spices producing the most sophisticated sauce flavour. The chicken was served with boiled potatoes in a dill butter drizzle.

One of my hostess's specialties are her baked vegetables. These were fennel, beats and carrots, sprinkled with olive oil, baked then broiled quickly before serving. A great accompaniment to the meal.




And the hostess is one of the best bakeresses I know and tonight's dessert was a delicious upside down pear cake.

Thank you MaM!

Sunday Dinner Accompaniments

Brussel Sprouts

Research on Sunday Dinner Accompaniments shows a range of vegetables including turnips, cabbage, parsnips, carrots, peas, corn, broccoli, but no mentions of brussel sprouts. Well, brussel sprouts are a favourite at somerville kitchen and have been featured twice over the past six months (Happy (American) Thanksgiving and Salmon in Cedar Papers). So it is time to share the somerville kitchen brussel sprouts recipe.

Cut the brussel sprouts in half. Melt some butter (or butter/vegetable oil combo) in a frying pan and fry the brussel sprouts on medium heat. 3 to 4 minutes on each side seems to do the trick. Once they are a bit charred on each side, sprinkle with salt, pepper and parmesan cheese and serve hot. Delicious.

Yorkshire Pudding

Yorkshire pudding repeatedly comes up as a Sunday Dinner Accompaniment. While those may look like Yorkshire pudding, they are in fact Janice Wong's Chow cookbook's popovers (page 163). The original recipe from her dad includes the basics of many Yorkshire pudding recipes (milk, flour, oil and eggs); but I love Chow's simpler approach to baking them (no pre-heating of oil, butter or pan). Simple, and if you follow the instructions carefully, they come out perfect.

You can buy Chow directly from the author at Chow Book Store and Janice will most likely sign it for you. The cookbook has its own blog as well at www.c-h-o-w.blogspot.com. And if that does not convince you, you can see Chow in action here at Dining on Pieces of Art and Chow.