nepalese

The Hub Tandoor, Aberfoyle Park

- Alex Prichard Leave a comment

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date of visit: Sunday 23 March 2014

Yes – that ‘date of visit’ is almost TWO months ago. What on earth have I been doing? Hmmm, I’m not quite sure but anyway, let’s make up for lost time.

The Hub Tandoor is the latest addition to the Aberfoyle Hub shopping centre. It has taken over the building that used to house a Pizza Hut. Now, you can spot it thanks to the colourful Buddhist prayer flags and huge windows. There is ample parking which is separate from that used for the nearby Coles – which has to be a huge bonus for the restaurant.

We headed there for an early Sunday dinner and while we might have been the first people there (arriving between 5 and 5:30pm!) while we eat other tables arrived and there was also a good takeaway trade happening.

The restaurant is quite small with well spaced out tables and proper linen. Being so early we had our choice of seats (always a paralysing decision to make!) and set around to ordering straight away. For the toddler we ordered the khaja misayko (mixed platter of entrées), Andy ordered the prawn curry (jhingey maachar johl) and I opted for the bahdami kukhura (tandoor roasted chicken with a tomato and onion sauce). Unfortunately I didn’t take a photo of the toddler’s mixed platter, because it was very pretty and, of the bits we were allowed to eat, very tasty. The toddler very much enjoyed the sekuwa (effectively a Nepalese chicken tikka) as well as the filling from the dumplings but he also tucked into his father’s prawn curry. Normally, he won’t touch prawns with a barge pole …

My choice (mistakenly chosen because I thought the toddler might like it) was a bit disappointing. The creamy tomato and onion gravy was really a bit too mild and sweet for me but this would be perfect for anyone who is not into curries that are either spicy hot or just spicy. Andy definitely won with his prawn curry which, while not chilli hot, had loads of flavour.

Service was friendly (something you always notice with a child in tow!) and also efficient. As an added bonus, The Hub Tandoor is also relatively cheap. The main courses mostly come in under $15!

As I’ve said before, if you think you don’t like curry, I really recommend giving Nepalese food a go. The Hub Tandoor is a great place to start and we made sure we left with a takeaway menu.

The Hub Tandoor
Shop A2, 130-150 Hub Drive
Aberfoyle Park SA 5159
phone: 08 8270 6008

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Nepalese Lamb Chops

- Alex Prichard 2 Comments

Nepalese Lamb Chops

Regular readers will know that last year, in particular, I ate more Nepalese than average. That means I went to two Nepalese restaurants. But seriously, how many have you been to?!

Despite really enjoying the food on both occasions, this isn’t a cuisine I’ve ventured into in the kitchen. So when I spotted a recipe for lamb chhoeyla (Nepalese grilled lamb) in Mums Still Know Best by the Hairy Bikers I thought I’d give it a go.  I actually made this late last year and I’m quite glad it’s taken me so long to blog it because if you’re in a part of Australia where it’s sweltering (it’s almost cracked 41°C today here in Adelaide) then you might be after something different to do on the BBQ …

I took a few short cuts with this but it was absolutely fantastic. You could leave out either the sauce or the marinade. For example, if you were doing a BBQ and catering for a variety of tastes, omit the marinade and serve the sauce on the side. Cooking for people who like spicy food but you’re running short on time? Ditch the sauce. Or just make the sauce and serve it on the side of, well, um, anything really. We had a little left over and used it in a stir fry the next day.

Talk about versatile!

This is all easy-peasy but you do need to allow a little time for marinading and making the sauce. And, of course, this is spicy so not ideal for any chilli-averse guests!

Don’t want to print? Download a pdf of the recipe.

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Nepalese Lamb Chops (Lamb Chhoeyla)

Ingredients

  • 4-5 lamb chops
    • Marinade
  • 1 tbsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp turmeric
  • ¼ tsp grated nutmeg
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 tbsp chilli paste (I used a Szechuan chutney)
  • 4 cloves garlic, crushed
  • 1 tbsp ginger paste
  • pinch asafoetida
  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil
    • Chhoeyla Sauce
  • 1 tbsp cumin seeds, toasted
  • 1 red chilli, roughly chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 2.5 cm piece of ginger
  • pinch asafoetida
  • ½ tsp turmeric
  • 1 tbsp vegetable oil - use some mustard oil for an extra spice hit

Instructions

    Marinade
  1. To make the marinade, mix all the ingredients together in a bowl. Add the lamb chops and ensure they are well coated. Cover the bowl with cling film and set aside for at least a couple of hours.
    2. Sauce
  2. Place all ingredients in a blender and process until you have a smooth paste. Season with salt and pepper and adjust thickness (depending on how you want to use it!) with oil.
  3. Cook the lamb - either on the BBQ or using a griddle. Baste with any left over marinade.
  4. When the lamb is cooked to your liking, you can either chop it up (especially if boneless) and mix it through the sauce or you can serve it with the sauce on the side.
https://eatingadelaide.com/nepalese-lamb-chops/

Taste of the Himalayas

- Alex Prichard 2 Comments

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Nepalese platter

date of visit: Saturday 24 August 2013

Well, it seems that Nepalese restaurants are like buses. After our recent visit to Himalayan Kitchen, we’ve managed to find time to hit Taste of the Himalayas, the new Nepalese restaurant in Brighton.

As it’s walking distance from my parents’ house, we decided to take my dad there in celebration of his birthday. This caused some confusion because mum thought we meant on the day itself – so she had been ready for the meal for the best part of a month!

Actual details of the outing ironed out, we headed off, aiming to be there for the restaurant’s 5:30 pm opening. Best laid plans and all meant we arrived around 6pm. We weren’t quite the first people there but might as well have been. All good when you have a two year in old tow. A two year old who thinks that as soon as he sits at a table, food should appear …

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We started off with a few drinks – including, for me, a real Nepalese beer, Mustang. Given the small hungry person, we opted for main courses only. For the (apparently starving) toddler, I chose the choila, a chicken entrée, where the meat is marinated in traditional Nepalese spices. This was an absolute hit and was carefully, slowly and steadily demolished.

Andy chose a barramundi curry, mum the lamb cutlets, dad the goat curry and I had the Nepalese platter. The platter included lentils, a chicken curry (I had a choice of chicken, lamb or goat and chose chicken on the basis that mum and dad already had lamb and goat covered), mustard green spinach and a tomato pickle. We also had rice, roti and extra lentils for the table.

Everyone really enjoyed their food – the great thing about Nepalese food is that while it’s essentially curry, it’s all about spice flavour rather than spice heat.  If you don’t like chilli, you can still eat Nepalese. There were a couple of uneven patches but overall, we agreed we’d be more than happy to head back. Dad thought his goat was a bit tough and while some of the roti were perfectly crispy and delicious, some were a little thicker than others which meant they were a touch doughy. My gripe (and this is very typical of me) is that my food wasn’t as fearsomely hot (thermally) as I like it to be. I loved the lentils and gobbled up not only the ones that came on my platter but also some of the second portion too. The stand out dish (which I didn’t actually try) was mum’s lamb which was a generous portion (served on a sizzling hot platter) which dad announced would be what he would have next time.

Service was very friendly and, for the most part, pretty good. As the restaurant got busier and busier (and, here’s a tip, if you are going to go on a Saturday night you should either book or get there no later than about 6pm) it tailed off a bit and I did get a sense that perhaps they could do with one more body on the floor.

Taste of Himalayas also gets a big tick for proper tablecloths and napkins!

The restaurant is also well set up for takeaway (there are couches for those waiting) and there’s a fish tank which seems to keep two year olds pretty happy. On a Sunday night there is a buffet (if that is/isn’t your thing).

Prices are very reasonable – 4 and a half of us left having spent well under $40 a head, and that was plenty of food as well as pre dinner drinks and a bottle of wine.

Definitely somewhere to check out!

Taste of the Himalayas
489 Brighton Road
Brighton SA 5048
phone: 8358 2483

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