Indian | Veggin' Out And About

Mela Indian Restaurant, Asheville, NC – Indian Food Just Doesn’t Get Much Better Than This!

Posted by Danielle Bussone on Feb 15, 2014 in Asheville, NC, I-240, I-26, I-40, Indian | 2 comments

Clearly the gods were with us. Rich and I arrived at Mela’s minutes before the lunch crowd overtook the place, and a parking spot opened up for us right next to the restaurant. Entering, we stepped into an inviting, spacious room and were greeted by a gracious hostess. Directly before us was a bountiful buffet bar of mouthwatering Indian specialties in which fully half of them were vegan! Everything is made from scratch at Mela, from as many organic ingredients as possible and locally sourced when available. Many of the dishes are naturally gluten free. The price for the buffet was $9.95. Add chai tea or a beer from the full bar and the cost is $12. One can, of course, order off the menu during the lunch hour.

Mela Exterior

Ordering the buffet was a no-brainer. With a profusion of colorful and fragrant temptations we could contain ourselves only long enough for Rich to order a beer and we were off to the buffet bar. By the time we returned to our seat, the restaurant was jammed packed with enthusiastic diners and filled with laughter and conversation.

(more…)

Taste of India, Charleston, SC, Teaches Us How To Make Bhindi Masala

Posted by Danielle Bussone on Jan 29, 2014 in Charleston, I-26, I-526, Indian, Vegan | 0 comments

This is a video shot by VegginOutAnd About! at the Taste of India Restaurant in Charleston, SC, on how to make Bhindi (Okra) Masala:

Ingredients:

1 1/2 Tablespoons high quality olive oil
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 cup freshly chopped tomatoes, plus a tablespoon for garnish
1 cup fried okra
1/4-1/2 teaspoon chili powder (you may use cayenne)
1/8 teaspoon cumin powder
1/8 teaspoon coriander powder
1/4 cup onion sauce
chopped cilantro for garnish

(more…)

Roti Video from Taste of India, Charleston

Posted by Danielle Bussone on Jan 6, 2014 in Charleston, Ethiopian, I-26, I-526, Indian, Vegan | 0 comments

by Danielle Bussone

In this video Taste of India Restaurant in Charleston, SC demonstrates how to make Roti in a Tandoori style oven.

Taste of Tandoor Marries Indian Spices With Old World Elegance in Woodbridge, VA

Posted by Danielle Bussone on Dec 31, 2013 in I-95, Indian, Vegetarian/Vegan Friendly, Woodbridge | 0 comments

by Lisa Harris

The Taste of Tandoor located at 13836 Smoketown Road, in Woodbridge, Virginia is a wonderfully pleasant and relaxing place to dine for lunch or dinner. Although not a completely vegan restaurant the owner Dave has worked very hard to meet the needs of his vegan patrons by having nine main vegan dishes permanently on the menu such as Chana Masala, Aloo Masala, and Aloo Ghobi Masala.

Chana Masala

Vegan Flatbread

Bismatti Rice

They also have two appetizers and several vegan breads. The appetizer vegetable samosa is a delicious vegetable turnover stuffed with potatoes, green peas, cumin seeds and spices. It come with two types of dipping sauces but a word of advice, the green dip is not vegan so be sure to avoid it. Besides your everyday salads Taste of Tandoor serves kachumbar which is a delicious cucumber and onion salad with lemon herbs. (more…)

Udipi Café Indian Vegetarian Restaurant of Sunrise, FL Offers Certified Kosher Fare!

Posted by Danielle Bussone on Dec 29, 2013 in I-95, Indian, Sunrise, FL, Vegetarian/Vegan Friendly | 0 comments

by Andrea Medalie

If you are lucky enough to find yourself in South Florida this time of year then you must not miss out on Udipi Café where, upon first bite, you are transported to the Southern region of India known for exotic vegetarian cuisine. Udipi Café is located 11 minutes northwest of Fort Lauderdale via I-95 and Hwy 518 or just 8 minutes south of Coral Springs via University Drive. It is the only certified Kosher Indian restaurant in Florida and just about everything can be made vegan!

Udipi Café Mission Statement

For my running partner and I, we often delight in such spicy Indian fare as a reward for enduring our scheduled long runs in the grueling heat. More heat, you ask? Why of course, it’s what we crave!!! The hotter the better! We sweat when we train and likewise there’s nothing like breaking out in a cold sweat and grabbing your jacket during a meal! For those spices contain anti-inflammatory properties not to mention they taste so darn good!!! If you don’t fancy your meals burning hot, chef/owner Santhosh Shetty is more than happy to accommodate your preferences without compromising flavor.

Udipi Kosher Menu

Mr. Shetty was happy to start our dinner off with his famous Chinese style Manchurian Cauliflower ($10.95)! While it isn’t exactly low calorie, if you work out like we do, we would rather indulge in this rich starter than any ordinary fried finger food. Or dessert, for that matter! An absolute must for us for every Indian meal is Dosai. At Udipi, the delicate rice crepe the size of a cornucopia, filled with potatoes, onions and an array of spices known as Madhuri Masala Dosai ($7.50) never disappoints. It is very light, airy and savory, like an elevated version of the classic deli-style potato knish! We always say we will never finish it but not even a crumb can ever be found.

Madhuri Masala Dosai

Manchurian Cauliflower

Our meals included Yellow Dal ($9.95), made up of protein-rich lentils (to heal those tired muscles) with a savory stew-like consistency, along with Diwani Handi (Tawa Ghotala) ($11.95) made up of fresh, juicy (and healthy) mushroom shreds combined with mixed veggies and Indian spices…so creamy without the cream! How do they do that?

Udipi Café Tawa Ghotala with Yellow Dal

Each entrée is accompanied by fragrant white basmati rice for a hearty meal but should you feel guilty about white carbs after the cauliflower and the dosai, the dishes hold up on their own. Of course, if your plan is to run or work out even harder the next day, then by all means, load up on those carbs! It might just be what you need as a binder to offset the potential for a little delayed gastro action!

Mango Lassi

Dessert is not really our style with our overabundance of saltier taste buds (lost from sweat) so as a rule, we avoid the sweets. However, Mr. Shetty delighted us with his mango puree smoothies (Mango Lassi $3.50) to accompany our meal. I believe they contain yogurt. My running partner isn’t vegan and was happy to drink both as he knows I prefer to eat, rather than drink my calories anyway!

Offering authentic Indian cuisine in the same location for 11 years, Udipi Café is here to stay!

Well, I gotta run! Until next time…

Andrea “VeGAL” Medalie

Andrea earned an MS degree from The University of Florida and is a mom to 3 incredible sons. She works as an independent Speech and Language Pathologist within a diverse population in the Northwest Broward County, FL area. She LOVES to plan destination marathons (when budget allows) where she get to visit new cities and discover fab vegan/veg friendly restaurants/cafes/markets. Andrea has been a vegetarian for over 20 years, vegan for about 10. “It’s very exciting to see how society is beginning to truly embrace veganism for improved health, animal welfare and a greener environment!” she exalts. Andrea has developed a blog (book in the making) for vegan female endurance/hard core fitness athletes a.k.a.VeGAL (Vegan Girl AthLetes). Andrea’s territory is all of South Florida! Contact Andrea to review your favorite veg-friendly restaurants within her territory.

Spicing It Up At Bombay Bazar and Restaurant, Charleston, SC

Posted by Danielle Bussone on Dec 9, 2013 in Charleston, I-26, Indian | 0 comments

by Danielle Bussone

You can feel fairly confident that a restaurant is worth visiting when it keeps popping up on vegan meet-up group websites. We first learned of Bombay Bazar from the consistent posts of the Charleston Veggie Meetup group. They seem to like it so well we had to make it part of our tour of restaurants when we visited Charleston, SC.

We love eating at Indian restaurants. Because of the long tradition of vegetarianism in the Indian culture, the food is a natural fit for vegan diners. There are many dishes to choose from, some vegan, some vegetarian, so you do have to pay attention if you are strictly vegan. Bombay Bazar and Restaurant was our first stop on this tour of Charleston’s eclectic cuisines.

Bombay Bazar Exterior

We are happy to report Bombay Bazar did not disappoint. Rich and I arrived in the late afternoon when we practically had the place to ourselves. As you walk in you’ll see the entrance to the restaurant on the left and the entrance to the Bazar, or market, on the right. (We’ll address the market in a separate post.)

The restaurant is divided into three rooms. The first section has booths hugging the wall with a divider and more booths on the opposite wall. The second room is where you’ll find tables bedecked with white tablecloths, napkins and place settings.

Bombay Bazar Vegetable Jalfrezi

Rich ordered the Vegetable Jalfrezi, a mix of vegetables and herbs in a delightful curry sauce. The vegetables consisted of tomatoes, green beans, potatoes, onions, green peppers and cilantro.($9.95).