We do not venture south on Pembina Hwy. very often and do not savour the complex tastes of Indian food frequently either, so this visit was unique on both accounts. Our eldest daughter picked the Eat On Samoa (109-2800 Pembina Hwy.) for us. She is an adventurous eater, as are all of our kids-what a blessing. When we arrived, the little place was full but there was a large table right in a bright and sunny window, that seemed to be waiting for us.
Orders are placed at a quick-serve counter and we decided to try four varieties of somosas between the three of us. The lovely lady behind the counter (we found out subsequently that she was the owner Manika Pradhan) encouraged us to select a half dozen instead. She helpfully suggested, that the cost was lower and that there was no tax assessed when purchased in this manner. So we chose two chicken, one vegetable, two beef and one bison samosa. Upon tasting each, we decided that enjoying three out four varieties was a good thing. We did not care for the gamey taste of the bison-not a criticism, just a preference.
Next up, we shared two butter chicken platters for the three of us and it was more than enough food. We enjoyed the chick peas and mixed vegetables as much as the chicken itself. Our palettes are not discerning enough to know if the curries were the same on both the veggies and the beans. We didn’t mind, as both were delicious.
The butter chicken was perfection. The chicken was still moist and tender, just like “butter”. This is how the recipe got its name, as you may already know. We enjoyed the extra tomato-based sauce on the jasmine rice and lopped up every droplet.
There are Dine –in, take out and catering menus available. Be mindful of a slightly elevated lip at entrance; otherwise the restaurant is weheelchair accessible. There is plenty of surface parking available. Fort Richmond is fortunate to have this convenient place in their neighbourhood for eat in dining, take out and catering.
Kath’s quote: “Sharing food with another human being is an intimate act that should not be indulged in lightly.” –M.F.K. Fisher
Hello lovely readers. How far back does memory go? I can distinctly remember being four years old. That is because I started kindergarten that year. Now a days it is called junior kindergarten or nursery school but back in the late 50’s (yes I am THAT old), there was no such thing as these or of day care, for that matter. Most Moms were of the “stay at home” variety, unless there were extenuating circumstances, such as my Auntie who was a school teacher because, my uncle passed away suddenly at the age of 27. I was also familiar with a couple of Moms who were nurses and there was my Mom’s best friend who lived (and still does) across the street, who had a kindergarten classroom in her basement. As a favour to my Mom, she invited me to join this class when I was four years old.
When I was three, my Mom give birth to my twin brother and sister and so the gesture was to give my Mom a bit of a break, as there was a distinct possibility that I was a tad precocious. I still remember many of the resources that were in the classroom that assisted us in learning our colours, numbers and letters. I also remember how the room was set up with long tables in a “u” formation and where the teacher’s desk was placed, in addition to the shelves that held extra fat crayons and pencils for little hands.
I love exercising my brain in this way because as is often the case as your grow older, my long range memory seems sharper than my more immediate. I am forever running downstairs to our basement pantry and then yelling back upstairs “Does anyone know why I came down here?”
I suppose that I remember my fourth year so distinctly because I loved every single minute of school. Does it make sense that the most vivid memories are of things that you love? My love of food brings clear images to me as well, but in even greater detail, including aromas and tastes. My first memory of an authentic Canadian food experience was when my Mom and Dad purchased a 1/4 bushel of corn on the cob. I don’t even know how much that is, but I clearly remember that a pick up truck arrived in our back lane and we were rallied around to unload, what seemed to me, an endless supply of cobs. The truck had come from a farm in Morden, Manitoba where the long, warm growing season produces bumper crops of corn and apples.
At this particular time, there were seven people in my family, as Sister #3 was not born until I was eight years old. Feeding seven people is no easy task on one income and my Mom and Dad were very resourceful. My Mom canned and pickled and my Dad had connections in the food-service business so that he could buy “wholesale”. My Dad was an agrologist and knew many local farmers and so it must have come to pass that he got a deal on this bulk corn.
I also remember that we were all enlisted to shuck the corn. The twins were too young to help and so my hands were the youngest and not the strongest, therefore instead of the muscular task of removing the husks and snapping off the stock, I was in charge of pulling out the fine strands that sometimes remain between the kernels. When the corn was “bare naked”, I recall that my Mom blanched batches of it in her “pressure cooker” pot and then after they were patted dry, she lined six cobs into each freezer bag. The day was a hot one and in those days there were very few homes with air conditioning. The continual process of blanching the corn, produced a very steamy kitchen, indeed. By the time supper came around we were all “dying” to taste the fruits of our labour. I also think that my Mom must have been pooped, because what did we have for supper that night? Corn on the cob, of course. Just…corn on the cob.
There was always a pound of butter sitting on the kitchen table as well as the salt and pepper shaker and I was allowed to dress up my own cob. Perhaps this is one of the sources for my love of sweet and salty tastes. The corn was super-sweet-in fact, I think that was the name of the variety that we had ordered. When slathered with creamy butter and liberally dosed with a glistening of salt, well, I don’t know if there is a taste in the world that would compare. I was allowed to have seconds. In fact, I was permitted to eat until my heart’s content. I don’t recall the exact count, but it was the greatest number of cobs that I have eaten in one sitting, to this day.
Morden corn-my first authentic Canadian food experience. Here’s a bonus. Sister #3 is preparing a cookbook of all of our family and friend favourites. She has tested our Mom’s recipe for wild blueberry pie. I told you that my Mom and Dad were resourceful and this included yearly family foraging trips for enough wild blueberries to freeze for the winter. One year our car got stuck and we were almost stranded in the woods, but I leave that tale for another day.
Most of my readers will know by now that Daughter #3 is carrying our first Grandchild. Yes, I am going to be a Glamma! J2 is also a blogger and if you are a young Mom or Mom to be, you will really enjoy her posts: Baby Lady of the Prairies
“In my first trimester of pregnancy I had zero energy, zero motivation to get anything done, my house was a mess and the thought of cooking or even being near my kitchen made me queasy. Then, like clockwork, at 15 weeks life started to gain its color back. I started getting antsy to start and finish projects, I once again gained the satisfaction of having a clean house and best of all I loved food again!
Loving food again is helpful as baby is growing and developing in the second and third trimesters – especially loving foods rich in protein. The amino acids that make up protein are the building blocks of your body’s cells. Pregnant women are advised to consume around 70-100 grams of protein every day. I don’t track the specific number of grams that I take in, but I am always aware of how I can add more protein to every meal.
Since I don’t have any dietary restrictions (by choice or otherwise) I usually eat at least one good-sized portion of meat every day which generally contains about 20-35 grams of my daily protein intake. Lately I have been trying to be creative with other sources of protein besides meat.
Here is a yummy recipe I have made including the beloved quinoa. Just 1 cup of cooked quinoa contains over 8 grams of protein.”
About 20 years ago I tried sushi for the first time and to be honest with you, I was less than impressed. At the time there were only three sushi places in Winnipeg leaving me lots of other restaurant options so I wouldn’t have to eat it again, so I thought.
Don’t get me wrong, I love fish. I’m actually a bit fanatical about fish. I eat it at least twice a week, but I don’t like things that taste fishy. Sounds like an oxymoron, but good fresh fish doesn’t taste fishy.
With the rapidly growing popularity of sushi restaurants I have really had no choice but to give this sushi thing another try. So for the past five years or so I have grown to enjoy many sushi restaurants, although I still avoid fish roe and prefer to switch it out for tempura crunch.
Well my appreciation of sushi reached an entirely new level when I discovered Kudara Sushi at 427 Academy Road. Not easy to find if you are searching just by address, but it’s in the 7-eleven strip mall behind the Domo on Academy. Kudara Sushi puts a creative spin on their dishes which are as beautiful to look at as they are to eat.
We started with the tempura vegetables and while I thought the portion could have been bigger, I was very impressed with the taste. Not at all greasy and served piping hot.
We decided on four rolls. My very favorite was the Sunflower, filled with tamago (Japanese style omelet) cream cheese, cucumber and avocado; this rice roll is topped with a thin slice of deep fried yam. Dipped into the combination of sauces served along side this roll made it the perfect melt in your mouth bite. A close second in my mind is the Yami Yami. (I think I like yams a lot!) This rice roll is stuffed with fried yam, cucumber and cream cheese and smothered in crunchy little strands of more fried yam.
I also really enjoyed the Crazy. Filled with spicy tuna and cucumber and topped with thin salmon and creamy avocado. We weren’t as fussy on the Volcano the spicy tuna sashimi on top was too thick for my taste and overwhelmed the sweet chopped scallop hidden inside.
Everything was very fresh. The little bits of sauces running along side some of the rolls was what put me over the top with delight. Not like the sloppy orange mayonnaise you often find at sushi joints. These sauces where light in texture but full in flavour.
Kudara is a little place with only four tables. But they do a brisk take-out business. The room is cute and the owner (I only met KJ) is very personable. My dinner companion and I really appreciated the poster on the wall that featured translations of Japanese words like Unagi (eel), Tobiko (flying fish roe), Tako (octopus), that you often see on a sushi menu and feel silly repeatedly asking what they are.
I think I will order a platter of this amazing sushi for this year’s birthday celebration. I can’t image a better gift of food to enjoy and share with my friends. Rumour has it they’ll whip up some Korean dishes upon request, so I’m sure to be back for more than just sushi!
Kath’s quote: “In Mexico we have a word for sushi: bait.”-Jose Simon
