No tags yet.
Last weekend I was in Arlington Heights for longer than expected, and my boyfriend and I had time to have lunch. We chose Chowpatti Vegetarian Restaurant. The menu is about 8 full, huge pages...so it was really hard to choose! If anything wasn't already vegan (about 90% of the menu was) they could make it vegan for you. I ended up getting Uttapam (pictured above) and my boyfriend got a burrito.
Uttapam is kind of my new favorite thing. A South Indian specialty, it's a "pancake" made from rice and lentil batter that is compelttely vegan and gluten free! The grain and legume mix provides you with complete proteins, while being super tasty, nutritious, and filling. Also can be described as an Indian Pizza. A pancake pizza?! Sign me up!
Last week specifically, I got the Pav Bhaji Uttapam which is stuffed with seasoned streamed potatoes, green pees, cauliflower, tomatoes, garlic, onions, and cilantro. It was served with a cup of sambhar which is a medium spiced, nourishing lentil (toor dal) soup/sauce cookied with vegetables and south Indian seasonings. They recommended putting it on the Uttapam but I liked eating it as a soup and putting some hummus on the Uttapam it instead.
So how is this DIY you ask? Isn't that called a "recipe?" No, no. DIY is the lazy girls' guide to "recipes." You see, Trader Joe's sells a vegan, gluten free frozen version!
Once again, Trader Joe's to the rescue! This is seriosuly the most perfect thing for nights when I need a quick snack while dinner is cooking. It cooks in under 5 min and is delicious. Instead of the coconut chutney (which my boyfriend loves so I give it to him) I actually top it with balsamic dressing. Because this is just Uttapam and not Pav Bhaji, it is just the flatbread with cilantro and onions on top. It is not stuffed with anything and is really more like a savory pancake. Both are good, just very different.
Unfortunately I don't get out to Arlington Heights that much so I don't know the next time I will be able to eat there again. So until I actually have time to test out a recipe and make this myself, I am super happy with the frozen ones.