Taurat Tandoori

Mike may look tired here, but he is probably just trying to hide his excitement at the prospect of tearing into some Aloo Gobi, Vegetable Coconut Masala, Rice, Garlic Naan and Mango Lassi.  We found Taurat Tandoori by accident tonight, while we were looking for a different Indian place called Aladdin Sweets & Cafe.  We didn't find it, but the window of Taurat was on the block where Aladdin was supposed to be, and it caught my eye.

They have a great vegetarian selection, and some yum sounding dishes I haven't had as well (like Bhindi Bhaji - Okra with onion and garlic in a Curry sauce - which I want to try ASAP!), and 8 different kinds of naan.  The Vegetable Curry Masala was creamy and rich, and each vegetable stood out on its own.  None tasted like their flavor had been all cooked out (the cabbage was especially delicious).  And the Garlic Naan was light and flavorful without being too oily.  Of course the Lassi was just what I needed after a few spicy bites.  Nothing disappointed here.  I was shocked that we were the only patrons eating in, but perhaps they have more of a lunch crowd than dinner?  They do have a $7.99 lunch buffet that I intend to try soon.

I also enjoyed that it was clearly a family run restaurant.  The children played together at a table toward the back and helped their mother bring chutney and plates out to us.  There was a feeling of warmth and welcome at Taurat.  Even though one of the walls was barely patched and some of the decor didn't mesh, personality and ambiance were strong.  I guess I've also just been hankering for some serious indian food, and that was exactly what I got.  Thanks, Taurat Tandoori!

And in case you have the chance to go, here is the location:

Taurat Tandoori
101 South Vermont Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90004
(213) 383-6780

Update: More Roasted Veg Soup!

I thought it would be nice to show some pictures from my most recent venture into the roasted red pepper soup. This time I added a few more beets, which made the soup even more rich in color, and used leeks instead of green onions. The other proportions remained mainly the same to the recipe I described here. I was making a meal for about 25 people, and the soup would be one of a few side dishes.

Below you can view the pics in chronological order and see the process.

First, the fresh veggies go in the roasting pan.

Done roasting!Ready for blending...All blended up...A delicious looking pile of veggie liquid...Adding the maple syrup, buttermilk, veggie broth and skim milk.All done!This meal was a collaboration with my sister, Laurel (who assisted me in the kitchen and made some delicious breads) and was created for a party in my stepfather's honor. He just received his masters, in addition to starting an amazing new job. We did out best to make the meal reflect what a great person he is!

Congratulations, Jim!

Carrot excitement!

A couple of nights ago, my friend Rhonda and I opened a gchat window to each other at the exact same time to ask two different questions. We were confused when the other was already there and saying something that didn't answer the question...but that's what happens when you're on "invisible" status most of the time. After the confusion, she explained that she wanted a recipe carrots and fresh ginger. Something that would go well with mashed potatoes (and broccoli, apparently, from the photos...).

So I thought for a minute and decided the best way might be to roast those babies and make a ginger sauce to accompany them. I described what I meant, Rhonda made a few alterations as she went about it, and the following is the combined recipe from our experiment.

Ingredients needed:
bunch-o-carrots, quartered
1/4-1/2 c diced onion
2 T fresh ginger, grated
3 1/2 T brown sugar
1 T or so chopped or minced garlic
olive oil
dash soy sauce
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400. Quarter carrots, chop up onion and garlic. Put carrots, about half of the onion and a bit of the garlic in a bowl, drizzle with olive oil, toss a little salt and pep on it. Set the veg mixture in a roasting pan (lined with foil if you don't like a messy pan), cover the top with foil, place in oven for 20 min.

After 20 minutes in the oven, take the foil off the carrots, sprinkle with a little b. sug, and put back in for another 20 min. Taking the foil off will allow the carrots to get all nice and crispy golden, and the sugar will caramelize on top!

While that's finishing up...in a pan, throw together the ginger, rest of the onion and garlic, the brown sugar, a tsp or so olive oil and a couple dashes soy sauce. Allow to simmer for a while and cook down to a nice sauce-y consistency. Add a bit more oil if it's too thick. Taste for personal salty/sweet preference.

When the carrots are done the should be fork tender. Let them cool a bit, then drizzle the sauce over the top and serve! Rhonda used them as a side with mashed potatoes and broccoli, but I think they quickly became the star of the meal. Would be a great vegetarian main course.

Photos from the meal dubbed "YOM."



pictures by Rhonda Turnbough

Two nice quotes about this meal:
"The roasted carrots are FUGGEDABOUTIT" (text received shortly after meal)
"This recipe should be patented" (Rhonda's grandmother, Dot)

I think this would also go great with some basmati rice and chicken masala, or next to a delicious burger, or on top of a mixed greens salad with some crumbled gorgonzola. Lots of possibilities. I do believe I'll be making this recipe myself this weekend.

Cilantro Experiment Update!

I am very pleased to report that not only did I hear back from the friendly people of the cilantro debacle/experiment, but I heard good news about the deliciousness of the meal and even received photos! Hurray! Christian, who appears to be the ringleader of a wily group of brothers, has approved my posting an excerpt of his email regarding the meal in question (and the photos).

"Jennifer, thought you would enjoy some pics of the cilantro experiment. In all honestly, it turned out really well, the meat was extremely moist and flavorful, and I think it may be a permanent addition to my repitoire. If you want the recipe, let me know and I will forward it along. Bob, by the way, is somewhat of a cooking disaster, but we love him nonetheless. He is only job that night (after giving an obligatory "what can I do to help" while swigging a coors light from the couch and noticing that many of us were sweating it out in the kitchen) was to finely dice the parsley. He was given specific instructions to not dice the cilantro (which, as you know, is much more potent) several times and he even orally confirmed to me that he was not dicing the cilantro whilst, in fact, he was dicing the cilantro. After applying the crust for the mandated time period (about 4 hours), it wasn't until I was making the guac that I noticed the herb mishap, and that point, it was too late to make another crust (well, that, and I was out of kosher salt).

Bob's punishment was to call you for advice, so, many thanks for your timely reply and for sound advice to move forward rather than abort.

All the best,

Christian"









Thanks guys!

Cilantro Experiment

I had an interesting phone call this afternoon, from Bob S., who from the area code, seems to live in Massachusetts. He (and some cohorts that I could hear in the background), were cooking up what sounded like a delicious feast:

Salt and herb encrusted Beef tenderloin
Brussel Sprouts with Pancetta
Small red potatoes
Squash
Rolls
Guacamole for snacking

Delicious, right? The only problem was that, even though he was reminded more than once to be sure he chose parsley instead of cilantro, he got the whole herb/salt mixture applied to the tenderloin before realizing he was using cilantro! Goodness.

Here's where the Emergency Food Hotline comes in. Somehow he found the blog, and made a quick call about his food emergency. We discussed the options. Either he could remove the crust from the tenderloin immediately and redo the whole thing, hoping the herbs had not already embedded their confused flavor into the meat....OR...he could go the experimental route (always my favorite) and follow through with his accidental flavor combination.

Bob decided that experimental was the way to go, and I thought perhaps he could use a sauce to tie the flavors together, and make one that would go with another of the dishes too. So I asked if he had any types of peppers, and they had bell peppers and a jabanero. I recommended broiling the peppers til the skins were good and roasted, then pureeing together with some oil, salt and pepper and maybe a few spices if the mood struck them. Then the sauce could be a side for both the tenderloin and the squash, hopefully bringing a splendid complement to the cilantro mixup.

Oh, and we decided they could use a bit of cumin with the tomatoes and onion in the guacamole since there was no cilantro left to brighten it up.

Bob & co., I cannot wait to hear how it turned out!