Budget-Friendly Bites: India Garden

In Edmonton, India Garden (4820-76th Ave) in the industrial area near Capilano is my go-to place for East Indian cuisine. The combination of quality food and reasonable price is always appealing to me due to my Asian blood.

India Garden also owns the Meridian Banquet Hall next door which is generally used for weddings and the like. The actual restaurant isn't that big (about 12-14 tables or something), but it normally isn't very full since they do a lot of take-out and catering. The staff are always very friendly and willing to take your requests for refills on naan bread!

The location does seem a little bit sketchy due to its industrial surroundings, but I assure you that the food tells a different story. I have taken a few friends here now between this past summer and last night, and I think it safe to say that they've all enjoyed themselves!

India Garden at daytime (during the summer). 

Last night, some friends, P, and I went to India Garden for the dinner buffet. The dinner buffet is identical to the lunch buffet, except it's nighttime, and they charge a little bit more, but not much. It's still quite a steal. Lunch buffet is something like $11-12, and dinner buffet is $15. So, dinner for 2 is $31.50 including tax! This includes unlimited naan bread, a salad bar, buffet of curries, and a dessert buffet. Drinks other than water would of course have been extra. Sometimes, they have a 2 for 1 deal where the only condition is that everyone at the table purchases a drink like juice, pop, alcohol, coffee, or tea. 

India Garden at night. (We got to be one of the last customers for the day, so it was closed when we left.)

Interior...I wanted to take a picture of the front entrance area, but there were people and they seemed kind of self-conscious when I was pointing my phone camera in their direction.

The buffet is in the background, along with all the East Indian musical instruments propped up on the wall.

Best naan bread in Edmonton. YUM...

To date, I have yet to find a place with better naan bread than here. They make them by order, starting from when you walk into the restaurant, so that it's fresh and hot every time. I like eating the naan bread as soon as it arrives at the table when it's piping hot. When you bite into it, the texture is lightly crisp on the outside, but soft and cloud-like on the inside. I usually end up burning my hand or tongue or both in the process, but it is sooo worth it. 

My favourites include the shahi butter chicken and the goat curry. I always grab the tossed salad from the salad bar to complement the curries. There is something so good about the cooling sensation of cucumber in between bites of the various curries interchanging naan bread and basmati rice. The other time that P and I went, they had this really yummy mushroom thing, but I forgot the name of it. I'm sorry for being such a noob blogger. :( But, I am a very big fan of mushrooms, and it was delicious. They also had various fried and battered things, but I'm not very into that stuff.

P's first plate. Just an unorganized pile of curries :P He had a salad of cucumbers, with yogurt and dill that he said was quite good.

Plate #1 for me: India Garden salad (tossed lettuce, cucumber, and tomato), basmati rice, coconut beans, aloo gobi (cauliflower and potatoes),  goat curry, and butter chicken!

Plate #2: More salad, aloo gobi, goat curry, and butter chicken. No rice this time, so I could go full out on naan like a real CBC.

The dessert bar is quite consistent each time, but I always go for their rice pudding and fresh fruit, well, cantaloupe  While they have a seasonal variety of fruits available, I have this strong affinity to cantaloupe. It's sweet and juicy, but acts as a very nice palette cleanser at the end of such a flavourful meal. 

So those of you with cravings for Indian food whilst in Edmonton, skip New Asian Village, and that Saffron place in the West Edmonton Mall food court, and make your way to India Garden for some real naan! I am most definitely coming back for some ;)

-M

Love for the Locals: Bannock Burger

P became a Canadian today. In turn, it was essential for him to pay tribute to all things Canadian.

P's Canadian initiation activities...
- Canadian citizenship ceremony (taking the oath, singing the anthem, getting a fancy certificate, getting a free annual pass to Canada's national parks and museums, and the like)
- Maple goodies at Second Cup
- Lunch at The Great Canadian Bagel
- Double-Double at Tim Horton's
- Awesome maple jar pies ;P
- "Pre-dinner" with yours truly at La Poutine consisting of a large poutine (pictured below).

Fresh cut potato fries, real Canadian cheese curds, bacon, Montreal smoked meat, all topped off with traditional gravy. Awww yea~ 

- A trip to the largest mall in Canada: West Edmonton Mall!
- And...dinner at Bannock Burger.

Bannock Burger (14020-142 Street) is a relatively new establishment. I believe it's the only one of its kind as of yet - an attempt to combine traditional Aboriginal bannock and the burger.

The location is interesting...quite far on the north side, and actually inside the Victoria Soccer Club's Karl Wiedle building, in what appears to be a sports lounge/bar. They are open every day except for Monday until about 9/10pm, and until midnight on Fridays. Seems pretty fitting as most deep-fried cravings come late at night anyways ;)

The Victoria Soccer Club!

Huzzah! We are at the right place! Looking forward to my burger in bannock form!  :)

Not exactly the most visible place, hiding along the wall paralleling the entrance. Ninja food counter!

For what you get, the prices are very reasonable. Your Bannock Burger will come with freshly made bannock and a beef patty, and you can add any or all of tomato, lettuce, mayo, ketchup, mustard, "Bannock Burger"/"BB" sauce, for a total of $4.95. You can also add in cheese, mushrooms, or for an additional $0.95. Fries are traditional potato-ey fries, skins in-tact, with a bit of salt. A small is a dish of about a cup of fries for $3.95, but a "platter" is 4 of those for $9.95. The young lady advised P and I to stick to a small fries because of how filling bannock can be. I don't think we would have wanted to overdo it that much with all this deep-fried crazy in our stomachs (note that we did consume a large poutine only a few hours earlier), but the advisory was very much appreciated!

The Bannock Burger menu. I'm really curious about what "Bannock Salad" would entail...

My Bannock Burger with cheese, lettuce, tomato, and BB sauce.

P opted for lettuce, tomato, ketchup, BB sauce, and onions. He also ended up getting a much thicker slab of Bannock. Poor guy...new Canadian already suffering from heartburn. 

Bannock burgers will probably not become a part of my regular diet any time soon, but I really think it's an innovative creation. The next time I feel I need a little fix of bannock, I will definitely come back! :)

(It is awesome to have company on these little expeditions to find hidden gems in Edmonton :P Thanks to a certain Canadian for driving across the city for the sake of food!)

-M

B-b-b-baking: Black Bean Chocolate Cookies

It was my last day at work today because my contract end date fell within the stat holiday weekend. Yet another excuse to bake!

There's a celiac and a vegan in our office, so even more fun playing with substitutions!

Things that I learned today about black beans:
- Beans are basically starch, and therefore can be used as a decently healthy and gluten-free substitute for flour in baked goods.
- Canned beans need salt in order to be preserved. Always keep this in mind when baking with them.
- Canned beans can be used instead of cooked beans if you are lazy or do not have enough time.
- Due to their dark colour, black beans work well in chocolate things like cookies and brownies.
- Making batters with beans is one of the easiest things ever. A whirr in the blender and it's practically ready to pop into the oven.
- You need to allow the cookies to cool on the tray for a bit before transferring to a rack, because they are softer and more fragile than normal cookies until slightly hardened. The resulting texture on the inside is soft and chewy :)

I actually made two batches because the first one failed. Why? I forgot to account for the salt contained in 19 oz. of canned beans. What happened? They tasted pretty bad and salty. Probably one of the worst things I've ever made. After I took a bite of one, I thought to myself, "how can I possibly give these to anyone?" But the texture and level of salt could potentially be tasty with a good scoop of ice cream to accompany it. Will keep you posted on this hypothesis. For the mean time, 10 of the nasty things have been generously donated to P.

Second batch? Wayyy better...thank goodness.

Also, food processors are good for pureeing things, but I don't have one, so I used my immersion blender (i.e. my best friend when I had my wisdom teeth pulled). Worked wonders.

Do you know that there are beans in these?

Vegan and Gluten-Free Black Bean Chocolate Cookies (adapted from Nutritionist in the Kitch)

*Makes 22*

1 can (19 oz.) pre-cooked black beans 

2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 Tbsp peanut butter

1/4 cup vanilla almond milk

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 cup white granulated sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1. Preheat oven to 350 F and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. 

2. Rinse and drain the black beans several times to remove some of the salt and starch. 

3. Using a food processor/really good blender/immersion blender, blend black beans, oil, and nut butter until it forms a smooth paste. 

4. Add milk, sugar, cocoa, and baking powder, and blend again until smooth and evenly distributed. 

5. Using a Chinese soup spoon, divide the batter into 22 equal portions. (You can use whatever spoon you want. I used a Chinese soup spoon, and got 22 cookies out of it.)

6. Bake for 20 minutes. 

7. Remove them from the oven, but allow to sit on the baking sheet for 5-10 minutes to allow the shape to set a bit. Transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.

8. Bring to the office or eat them by yourself, and don't feel as guilty as you could feel for eating 22 cookies. 

I still have 2 cans of black beans sitting at home...what to do?...what to do?...

-M

B-b-b-baking: Maple and Mooses (Meese)

Why hello thur...Long time no see! Things have just been crazy busy, but I'm back! :D ...*cricketcricket*...

Sooo...tomorrow, P will officially be a Canadian citizen! In order to properly congratulate him, I put together a little something with real Canadian maple syrup :)

Things everyone should learn today about Canada:
- Wolverine is a Canadian. Oh yes.
- A compiled list of our national foods consists of something like this...poutine, tourtiere, Kraft Dinner, maple syrup, back bacon, caribou, Montreal smoked meat, sockeye salmon, nanaimo bars, and butter tarts. Because we're awesome like that.
- According to Canadian stereotypes, we live in igloos, and ride polar bears to school and work, and go to play hockey. Omg! That totally sounds like me!

Things I have learned today about jar pies:
- Super super easy and inexpensive to put together, because mason jars are pure awesome. I got a box of 12 jars for about $12. Yea~
- Mason jars are not your typical temperature-sensitive glass jars. They are built to withstand somewhat extreme temperatures since people normally use them for canning jams and the like. Because of that, you can bake things (i.e. jar pies) directly in the jars! That means you already have a container for transportation and consumption. Win.
- For the most part, jar pies are a one bowl deal, and don't need to be transferred out of the jars. That means less dishes to wash. Score.
- Jars come in tons of different sizes, so your pies can be as small or as big as you wish, and they'll still be ridiculously cute. But I think the 250ml ones are best for single-serving jar pies. :)

Fresh from the oven! I tried to be creative since the jars were kind of tall and made little "windows" in the sides to be seen through the glass, but it didn't work so well...since I was essentially making holes, the filling leaked out a little :( But I do like how one of the "happy faces"sunk slightly and ended up having a more menacing look.

I made the top pie crusts as well, but they look kind of funny on tall jars like these. I think it would be better for the smaller jars. Oh well~ Next time.

I decided to make icons for the lids with things that P likes - chemistry, coffee/tea, croissants, and elephants :P

Maple Jar Pies (adapted from She Knows)
*Makes 4 jar pies*
2 x 9-inch pie crust (because I stupidly picked up the 500 ml jars instead of 250ml ones, but you know what? Now there's room for a ginormous scoop of ice cream, so there :P)
1/4 cup canola oil
1/2 cup brown sugar
3 eggs
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 cup pure maple syrup
2 cups chopped walnuts

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. Press the pie crusts into the jars. Approximately 1/2 of a 9-inch pie crust will let you coat the entire inside of a 500ml Mason jar including the top and bottom circles. I used one of the jar lids to cut circles out for the tops and bottoms of the jars. Leave 4 jar lid circles aside to top the pies after filling.
3. Bake the empty jar crusts for 6 min. Take this time to work on your filling.
4. Add oil and sugar into a medium sized bowl and mix until combined.
5. Beat eggs, vanilla, cinnamon, and add to mixture.
6. Add the syrup and walnuts, and stir until combined.
7. Carefully distribute the filling between the 4 jars.
8. Place a jar lid crust circle on the top of each jar, and press along the sides with a fork.
9. Bake for 28 min or until the crusts are golden brown.
10. Serve warm or after cooled, but at least one scoop of ice cream per jar is advised.

These jar pies are actually kind of big. The filling only fills half of the jar because the recipe was meant for the 250ml jars, but it's still quite a bit of pie. P and I found it a little on the sweet side, but ice cream was a really nice way to round it off. Rice Dream ice cream, that is ;) A la mode, anyone?

Mapley pie goodness in a jar, eh? (Even better with a real camera like P's)

Yay for the pie crust lid! It was all crisp and awesome. It doesn't look so mutant thanks to the beautiful art that is photo editing. 

Evil smiley, smiley, heart, sunken heart? Ah, jar pies.

I can't wait until the summer when I can use my newly acquired mason jars for everything - trifles, tiramisu, lemonade, milk tea...oh the possibilities... ;)

-M

Budget-Friendly Bites: Steel Wheels

In Sketchville, Edmonton (i.e. Whyte Ave at night), there is a little place across from the Armoury called Steel Wheels (10307-85 Avenue) run by an old Korean couple and opens daily from 6:30pm-3:00am. A shady, hidden gem. Not many people know about it, and it's not your typical eatery. The walls, seats...everything on the inside are made of wood, and the owners allow patrons to bring sharpies, pens, and paint to basically graffiti the interior of the place at their own will. On the tables, the seats, the walls...the whole deal!

Why would I come to a sketchy place like this? Well, because P took me there, and I love haunted, creepy, spooky things, but frugality comes first. You can get two slices of freshly baked pizza for $3! Seriously...where have I been hiding? Part of the reason why it's so cheap is that their dishes are all disposable, and you come to the counter to pick up your orders, but sooo worth it! Similar concept to IKEA, but much better tasting. The best is the Bugoki pizza, not that there are many places in Edmonton where you'll find that anyways.

Initially, P took me to try their Bugoki pizza, but since I already had some dairy that day, I just had one slice. There are different kinds of dipping sauces you can put on your plate...before going to Steel Wheels, I had never dipped my pizza in anything. It just wasn't done. But...in the spirit of trying new things (since I already came to the place), I tried a little dab of this sort of sweet and spicy stuff, and as usual, shook some chili seeds on top. First of all, the pizza itself was pretty interesting. A flavour I'm not exactly used to - whole wheat pizza dough, tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, and...Bugoki beef?...then add the sweet, spicy dipping sauce. Oddly enough, it tasted amaaazing, and I will. Be back.

Second trip, I was determined to have my own 2 slices. I don't know how much I miss cheese until times Iike this. This time around, I took a good squirt of the sweet, spicy sauce, some ranch, and again with the chili seeds. My habit of adding chili seeds to pizza is like how I now always add hot sauce to my sandwiches at Subway. It's that whole "once you go black, you never go back" mentality.

So spooky and sketchy from the outside...can't even see the sign properly with the haphazard lighting - just my type of place to go ;P

Interior of Steel Wheels near the entrance and ordering counter. Note the pizza dipping sauce selection, and graffiti everywhere :) Super cool beans.

Interior of Steel Wheels...I've never seen anyone sitting there before. Looks like a deserted bar from here.

Interior of Steel Wheels by the big graffiti wall. You will find things from love triangles to memes to mutant animals.

From the first visit, my lonely slice of Bugoki pizza. So. Good.

Visit #2 = Double happiness! Even better! Loaded up on chili seeds, sweet/spicy sauce, and ranch too for the heck of it.

Sweet urban atmosphere...awesome for a nighttime stopover if you don't mind the graffiti and sketch front, but come on. $3 for 2 slices of pizza?? Do it. 

They also have a Bugoki-Kimchi pizza for $15 where they give you all 8 slices, and kimchi substitutes for tomato sauce. Will update on progress...

-M

B-b-b-baking: Scones that don't moo.

This is the stuff. Smitten Kitchen, I love you.

I wanted to do some leisurely baking while studying for my midterm this week, and remembered that P is a big fan of scones. Done.

Things I have learned today about scones:
- Using cold butter isn't actually necessary unless you're doing something more pastry-like, or closer to buttermilk biscuits. Vegetable oil should work just fine as well. (I tend to use vegetable oils for my cakes and muffins and such more so than butter, and they turn out awesomely.)
- Once you have a base for something like a cookie, cake, muffin...scone, perhaps? You can have fun playing around with flavours. Just take whatever fruit/filling/topping from the recipe, and substitute it with something different. Of course, you want to keep in mind how much certain things complement one another. The last thing you want is a whole batch of gross whatever you made.
- Scones generally come in batches of 6, which is a nice size to work with. That way, there are less things to throw at birds and other such wildlife. (This takes me back to the cornbread disaster from a couple of years ago. I made really bad cornbread, and went to a park to dispose of it. Those poor seagulls. Not. I hate seagulls. I've been crapped on twice.)
- Scones will always go well with tea, but apparently, they are also awesome with chocolate almond milk :P
- Scones, like other baked goods, taste quite different between just coming out from the oven, and being cooled and packaged. Hint: Scones are best eaten fresh out of the oven.
- For whatever reason, I think scones taste best in triangular form rather than any other shape. It's probably just a psychological thing, but oh well~

Smitten Kitchen is amazing. Intriguing combinations of flavours, innovative recipes, and gorgeous pictures. One of my food blog gods. She had this beautiful scone with roasted pears and chocolate. I love pears, and although I don't really like chocolate most of the time, I'm sure with dark chocolate, it would be absolutely divine. Unfortunately, I didn't have pears, but I did have an Asian pear and some apples and coconut. I didn't have heavy cream, but coconut milk is a really good substitute. It's dairy-free and has a similar consistency. Perfect. I decided that since I was opening a can of coconut milk, I might as well use it up and make two batches. But in case Asian pears and coconut didn't go together (which I now know pair deliciously), I tried using another fruit combination of mango and banana. Tropical stuff...something like that.

Surprisingly, Batch #1 with Asian pear and coconut was my favourite. I was originally going to try Asian pear and almond, because almonds go well with pears and apples, and other like fruit. But, you know...I think this might actually be my favourite flavour of scone! The taste and texture are subtle and gentle, but comforting as it should be with a cup of tea...mmm...

Batch #2 was more for P because I know he likes bananas and mangos. Right after coming out from the oven, the banana flavour was quite strong and slightly tart. Somehow, it tasted better to me after having cooled down. But, not bad. Not bad.

The coconut milk made everything so fluffy and creamy which was exactly how it should have been. Mmm... Definitely doing this again. Especially with Asian pears. A new sweet flavour combo to add to the list.

After being drenched in egg wash, and ready to be baked. Asian Pear-Apple-Coconut on the left, and Mango-Banana-Coconut on the right. As you can see, the firmer fruit (especially after being roasted) doesn't leak so much moisture, so the shape holds a bit better. Mangos and bananas are just dripping of juice. Even after dabbing with a paper towel, it wasn't bad, but went more blob-like.

Because I reused the parchment paper from roasting the Asian pears and apples... Parchment paper is expensive, okay? :/

They look like apple pies in triangular form. It's awesome.

Yeah...so I didn't take a picture before eating one. In my defense, I didn't eat the whole thing. I split it with my parents and brother, so there!

The New Go-To Scones of Pure Awesome (adapted from Smitten Kitchen)
*makes 6 large scones*
The Scone
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp table salt
1/4 cup white granulated sugar
6 Tbsp all-vegetable shortening
1 egg
1/2 cup coconut milk (I always use the Aroy-D canned ones.)
1 Asian pear and 1 Gala apple/1 mango and 1 banana
1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

Egg Wash
*Makes more than enough for 2 batches of scones*
1 egg
1 tsp water
1/2 tsp table salt

1. Preheat oven to 375 F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Wash, peel and dice fruit. Make sure the pieces aren't too thick. (If using firm fruits like apples, pears, etc. roast on a lined baking sheet for 20 min. so the fruit will be softened for the scone. If using moister fruits like mangos and bananas, it might be a good idea to reduce the liquids in the dough slightly. I didn't do this, but they still turned out quite nicely.)
3. Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt and set aside.
4. In another bowl, beat sugar and shortening until combined. Add egg and coconut milk, and beat until combined.
5. Fold together wet and dry ingredients until about combined. Add in fruit and shredded coconut until just incorporated. Be careful not to overmix or your scones won't be very delicate.
6. Flour the back of a pie dish and shape the mixture into a round disc to fit the back. Use a floured spatula to divide the dough into 6 even slices.
7. Place each scone onto a lined baking sheet, and round off corners so they don't burn.
8. Using a pastry brush, combine egg, water, and salt to make egg wash. Brush egg wash across surface of each scone.
9. Bake for 30 min. (It's best to bake one batch at a time so you get a nice apple pie kind of look on the tops of both batches. I was impatient and put both trays in at the same time. As a result, I had to bake the second batch for an additional 6-7 min to get browned.)
10. Enjoy warm scones with some tea, and you are set!

These scones were just awesome. I think it will be my new go-to scone base, and I'll play around with different flavours to find even more things that are amazalicious.

Close-up of the Asian Pear/Apple/Coconut Scone from Batch #1 :)
(Thanks again to P for taking a nice picture for me!)

On another note, if you want a good dessert scone, you have to go to the Arbour Restaurant in the Rutherford House Historic Site. Ask for their scone with homemade raspberry butter, or just go all the way for High Tea. When I get the chance, I will definitely follow up on the Arbour for you all. :D

-M

Cardio and Cooking: "Get back, get back...get back to where you once belonged."

Random tidbit: I have been conditioned from birth to love The Beatles.

I've been in a bit of a rough spot lately, but it's time to pick up the pieces and keep my baby blog up and running :) We've reached the 6 month mark! Huzzah!

Today was Day 1 of my renewed life of health and fitness.

Things I have learned today about smoothies:
- You don't have to be a genius to make them. *gasp*
- They are very easy and quick to put together. It is essentially throwing random things into a magical spinning device until it becomes an oddly-coloured beverage that tastes amazing and does amazing things for you.
- You can put whatever you want in it, although it's probably a better idea to include fruits, vegetables, and the sort. Even if you do that, it doesn't necessarily taste like health which is awesome. Unless you add flaxseeds. Then it tastes like health. The gross kind. I do not like that stuff.
- Smoothies should be smoooooth...
- They are the best first thing in the morning, or first thing post-workout.

After successfully completing my 30 minute workout this morning, I decided to do my body some more good and threw together a quick smoothie. Along with it, I enjoyed a bowl of cereal with soy milk for breakfast...

Orange-Banana Smoothie (orange-banana because that's the order I put the fruit in...)

Add 1 bowl of bran flakes with sliced almonds and some soy milk, and we have a breakfast!

Quick Orange-Banana Smoothie
*1 large serving*
1 medium banana
1 navel orange
1/2 cup unsweetened soy milk
1 tsp unprocessed honey
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1. Peel the banana and orange. (Sometimes, I like to wash the outside of the orange before peeling so that I can conserve the peel to use as zest in baking and cooking.)
2. Add soy milk into blender along with banana and orange, and blend until smooth.
3. Add honey and cinnamon, and blend until evenly distributed.
4. Consume.

It's a really simple smoothie, but it has your vitamin C, potassium, and protein, among other things to start your day in an awesome way :)

I have to say...I am genuinely looking forward to getting back into shape and feeling good about myself. See you all on the other side!

-M