Ethnic Food Project

Delhi Dhaba is a tucked between Clarendon Boulevard and Wilson Boulevard in the Courthouse area of Arlington. Its side entrance is hard to see, but it still had a large and apparently loyal lunch crowd. The interior features cafeteria-style Indian food at a modest price. Also, there is a dining area in the back of the restaurant. The restaurant was being redone when we arrived, so we aren’t sure what it will look like when it is done. We found the staff to be extremely friendly. They even offered us samples of mulligatawny soup, chole, and dessert while the chef cooked fresh samosas and pakoras for us. By the way, “dhabas” are highway restaurants/truck stops that serve local cuisines. Most of these are 25/7 and serve truck drivers. Wikipedia notes that “Since most Indian truck drivers are of Punjabi descent, and Punjabi food and music is quite popular throughout India, the word dhaba has come to represent any restaurant that serves Punjabi food, especially the heavily-spiced and fried Punjabi fare preferred by many truck drivers.” Delhi Dhaba features primarily North Indian cuisine according to their website.

The different regions of India have markedly different cooking techniques and foods. Staples across all of the regions include rice, whole wheat flour (atta), and pulses (red lentil or masoor, channa or bengal gram, pigeon peas/yellow gram or toor, black gram or urad, and green gram or mung). The most common spices used in India include chili pepper, black mustard seed (rai), cumin (jeera), turmeric (haldi), fenugreek (methi), asofoetida (hing), ginger (adrak, coriander (dhania), and garlic (lassan). Often these are combined to form masalas.

North Indian cuisine includes Punjabi cuisine, Mughlai cuisine, Kashmiri cuisine, Awadhi cuisine, Uttar Pradesh cuisine, Rajasthani cuisine, Bhojpuri cuisine, Bihari cuisine, and Sindhi cuisine. All these cuisines share a higher use of diary products, the use of the tawa (griddle) to make flat breads (such as roti, paratha, and kulcha, the use of the tandoor, deep fried breads like puris and bhatoora, and the use of goat and lamb. North Indian desserts include gulab jamun, jalebi, peda, petha, kulfi, falooda, ras malai, barfi, laddu, and halwa. Kebabs can also be found in North Indian cuisine.

East Indian cuisine includes Assamese cuisine, Bengali cuisine, and Oriya cuisine and is most famous for its desserts like the rasagolla, chumchum, chhena poda, chhena gaja, etc.

South Indian cuisine includes the cuisine of Kerala, cuisine of Karnataka, the cuisine of Tamil Nadu, and the Cuisine of Goa. South Indian cuisine has considerable variation, most notably its emphasis on rice, use of coconut, pickles, vegetable stews, and curries. The dosa, poori, idli, vada, bonda, upma, and bajji are all South Indian staples. Due to the emphasis on rice, biryanis are southern dishes. Paneer (a soft cheese) is also common in southern cuisine.

Western India includes Goan cuisine, Maharashtrian cuisine, Saraswat cuisine, and Gujarati cuisine. Dishes, depending on the region, may rely more on rice, coconut, and fish (especially coastal regions). Goan cuisine reflects the influence of Portuguese colonization. For example, chicken vindalu is a Konkani/Goan dish whose name is derived from the Portuguese dish “Carne de Vinha d’ Alhos,” which is typically made with meat, pork, wine, and garlic and served on special occasions.

Delhi Dhaba’s special Punjabi cuisine includes a tandoor specials menu with a variety of meats, fishes, and shellfish. Additionally, the infamous butter chicken is a typical dish that is thought to have come from Delhi and to have originated during the Mughal Empire. Delhi Dhaba also has cuisine from other regions of India, like biryanis and on Sundays boasts over 45 different types of Indian cuisine for $10.95.

We ordered the Quick Pick (which is two curries with rice and a choice of naan, roti, or rice), which is $5.95. Ours featured butter chicken, saag paneer, and rice. We found the meal to be flavorful. We also ordered pakoras, which they cooked fresh for us and were yummy. The pakora is a fried snack food that typically consists of potato, spinach, onion, or chicken dipped in a batter of gram flour and deep fried. Delhi Dhaba serves both meat and vegetarian pakoras, although we tried only the vegetarian types. We also ate samosas, which are piping hot. We learned that the samosa is the most infamous North Indian snack food. The word “samosa” is traced to the Persian word “sanbosag,” and similar sounding terms exist for similar stuffed items throughout the Middle East and South Asia, as well. In fact, the samosa was thought to have existed prior to the 10th century. Abolfazi Beyhagi, an Iranian historian, mentioned it during his lifetime, which was from 995-1077.

We were also offered samples while we waited for our food to be cooked and were able to sample some delicious mulligatawny soup. We learned that the soup is Anglo-Indian in origin (the soup preparation is probably the British influence). The soup’s name is translated literally from Tamil and means “pepper water.” Millagu means pepper and Thanni means water. They also kindly gave us samples of chole, or chana masala, which was rich and flavorful. Chana masala is an extremely popular dish in the Punjab region. Finally, to round things off, they also gave us a taste of their dessert of the day, which was kheer. Kheer is similar to rice pudding and is made by boiling rice, milk, sugar, and seasonings together. Their kheer was thin and sweet. The word kheer is derived from the Sanskrit word “ksheer,” which means milk.

We loved the fact that on the weekends they have a special menu that features popular Indian street foods from different regions. Included in this menu is bhelpuri, a puffed rice snack served with potatos and a tamarind sauce. This dish is tyupical of Bombay. They also papri chat, a favorite North Indian street food of fried dough cut into strips and fried, then served with potatos, chick peas, chili, yogurt, chutney, chaat masala, and sev. Finally, they also serve panipuri (or gol gappa), another street food common in the North and West of India. The snack is served with a thin hollow fried ball that is then filled with water, tamarind, chili, chat masala, potato, onion, and chickpeas and then eaten before it dissolves. The fried ball is bite-sized and the entire snack is made to be eaten in one bite. We thought these foods are fairly uncommon, and liked the fact that the service was firnedly and seemed to enjoy their jobs.

TOTAL: $5.95 per person for the Quick Pick, otherwise between $5.95-$15, depending on the entree

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Pho 75 is a no frills Vietnamese restaurant located in the Courthouse neighborhood of Arlington. Seriouseats.com attempts to explain why pho restaurants always seem in incorporate numbers. The numbers individual owners choose are often lucky numbers. Repetition is desirable, as well as dates that are important in Vietnamese history or an owner’s personal life. Actually, Pho 75 restaurants are probably honoring 1975, the year Saigon fell. Although pho restaurants seem ubiquitous, and ubiquitously Vietnamese, actually pho is a distinctly Northern Vietnamese dish. According to Wikiepdia, pho was a common street food typically sold by street vendors in large boxes. Pho restaurants weren’t opened in Vietnam until the 1920s and actually has French and Chinese influences:

One theory advanced at the seminar is that the name comes from the French feu (fire), as in the dish pot-au-feu, which like phở uses the French method of adding charred onion to the broth for color and flavor, one of the techniques which distinguishes phở from other Asian noodle soups. Some believe the origin of the word to be the Chinese fen (this character is pronounced phấn in Vietnamese.

There are some regional variations in pho, particularly between the different regions of Vietnam. Wikepdia notes that there are three regions and types of pho: “northern (Hanoi, called phở bắc or “northern phở“; or phở Hà Nội), central (Huế), and southern (Ho Chi Minh City/Saigon).”  Regional variations include sweeter pho or using bolder and spicier flavors. Northern pho uses wider noodles and green onions. At Pho 75, the noodles did not look particularly broad, but our pho did contain green onions. Southern pho has the thinner noodles as compared to Northern pho. Our pho seemed to be the Southern pho variation, despite the green onions. Southern pho tends to have bean sprouts, a greater variety of fresh herbs (such as hung que, or Thai/Asian basil), meat/broth variations, and tuong (bean sauce/hoisin suace). Pho 75 has a large variety  of different types of meats available and all of our pho came with herbs and spouts, etc., which was served on a communal plate. Despite all these variations, pho didn’t actually become popular in South Vietnam until the mid-1950s.

Our pho was served in large steaming bowls and came with green onions. The side dish of herbs and vegetables included sprouts, basil, and green chilies. The table also had a selection of condiments, including sriracha and hoisin sauce.

At Pho 75, seemingly one surly man runs the whole place and waits on all he diners, which can be quite a few during peak hour. The servings were large and steaming. Ordering a large bowl and being able to eat the whole thing would be difficult. We ordered well-done brisket, which featured thin slices of beef, allowing it to stay tender. The pho by itself was not particularly flavorful, but the addition of the herbs, sprouts, and condiments made it sweeter, spicier, and more textured. The bean sprouts gave it a pleasing crunch. We also tried the pho containing meat balls, which were fattier than typical meat balls and made the soup a little greasier. Pho 75 also serves the following meat variations: eye-of-round steak, well-done flank, fat brisket, soft tendon, tripe, skirt flank, and chicken noodle soup. We ordered the regular bowls and were completely filled. In fact, no one could completely clean their bowls.

The red bottle of sriracha sauce made us wonder about the history of this sauce and what country it originates from, since it seems over present in a variety of restaurants. The New York Times had an interesting article explaning the sriracha’s history. Actually, sriracha is manufactured by Huy Fong Foods and was created by a mysterious Mr. Tran, who was Chinese but born in Vietnam. He said that he invented the sauce for the Asian community after coming to America and being inspired by Heinz 57 ketchup. He developed the sauce in Los Angeles in the early 1980s as his own version of a traditional Asian chili sauce. Sriracha is a town in the Chonburi Province of Thailand where, ironically, they do not recognize the infamous sauce and prefer to make their own homemade hot sauces. Evidence of sriracha’s multicultural focus is reflected on the bottle, which displays ingredients five languages and suggests using it on pizza, hot dogs, hamburgers, and more. Mr. Tran added the rooster as a formal symbol of his product.

In addition to pho, we also tried some of the drinks listed on the menu. Pho 75 features some of the most traditional dishes and desserts, like sticky rice based desserts and gelatin based desserts. We ordered Vietnamese coffee, which was extremely strong. We also ordered a canned sweet and mild soybean drink and a refreshing coconut water drink, which came with a slice of young coconut.

Although we did not get to try any other Vietnamese cuisine, we learned that the yin yang balance applies to preparation of traditional meals, designed to match ingredients to seasons, climate, and the health of the diner. In addition to pho and noodle soups, Vietnamese cuisine also includes congees, rice dishes, dumplings, pancakes, wraps, rolls, sandwiches, pastries, seafood, curries, and pickled vegetable dishes. We’re particularly curious about Vietnamese sandwich stands, and hear there are several in the Eden Center area of Falls Church.

TOTAL: Large bowl is $7.20, regular bowl is $6.20, drinks are between $1.50-2

UPDATE

We decided to venture further into Vietnamese cuisine and try bánh mì, the infamous Vietnamese sandwiches, at Song Que in Eden Center (Falls Church adjacent to Seven Corners). Song Que is clean, well-lit, and packed with Vietnamese dessert and snack foods on long tables, as well as heated pastries, bubble tea, produce, banh mi, and more.

Bánh mì is a sandwich served on a baguette (made form both wheat and rice flour) which contains vegetables (like pickled carrots, daikon radish, lettuce, cucumbers, cilantro, chili peppers, etc.), a meat or vegetarian filling, and condiments (ncluding mayonnaise, fish sauce, etc.). The sandwich is a direct result of the colonial impact of the French on Indochina, which brought its sandwich tradition. Battle of the Bánh Mì notes that most sandwiches seem skimpy on the meat, but these sandwiches are made to Vietnamese tastes, which lean towards light meat fillings.Battle of the Bánh Mì of the lists the following fillings as traditional:

1. 1. Chả or Chả Lụa (Pork Roll)- Ground up pork is packed tightly into a roll, and wrapped with banana leaves (and or aluminum foil) then steamed or boiled, hence producing the dense “pork roll”. Sliced thin like bologna, these make up one of the most common cold cuts found in bánh mì.
2. 2. Thịt Nguội (Cured pork cold cuts)- Thịt Nguội (translated as “Cooled Meats”), is the second most common cold cut filling. Usually made of cured pork & layered with strips of fat. Some makers will call itBa Chị, which is more like pork belly.
3. 3. Giò Thú (Headcheese)-These cuts are usually a Vietnamese combination of pork ears, tendons, skin, fats and other extra pork head meats. It’s all processed together into a roll, then sliced.
4. 4. Dặc Biệt (Special or Combination)- Every menu has a Combination or House Special, which is a combination of at least one of the following: the pork roll, headcheese and/or cold cuts. Some shops offer ham as an offering to the cold cuts, as well as adding their special house touch of other meats.
5. 5. Thịt Nướng (Grilled Pork)- Vietnamese marinated grilled pork. Cuts of pork meat can be anything from pork belly, pork shoulder, pork chops or pork butt.
6. 6. Xa Xíu (Bar-B-Que Pork)- Sweet, pinkish colored pork cooked to the style of chinese bar-b-que. Cuts of pork can also vary like those of grilled pork.
7. 7. Xíu Mại (Pork MeatBalls)- Moist Pork Meatballs cooked in a usually, sweet, often lightly tomato based sauce. Ground pork is marinated Việt style.
8. 8. Bì (Shredded Pork Skin)- Most traditional Bì is a creation of dry, thinly sliced pork skin. To accommodate the more American palettes, some bánh mì creations come with traditional Bì along with more moist, shredded pork pieces.
9. 9. Nem Nướng (Grilled Pork patties)- These versatile, garlic, ground pork patties are popular in many fresh springroll and herb noodle salad dishes. They make a very tasty in bánh mì.
10. 10. Nem Chua (Sour Pork) – Usually eaten as a snack with raw garlic, these little squares of sour pork meat are showing up on banh mi menu’s more often. Starting with mostly raw pork skin and some meat, a seasoning mixture of yeast, vinegar, garlic, fish sauce, salt, sugar & pepper are added. The raw meat mixture is then wrapped (usually in banana leaves or plastic) into small squares are left to pickle and ferment for about 3-7 days. The product is a small, dense square of sour, pickled pork meat with a garlic punch!
11. 11. Gà Nướng (Grilled Chicken)- Vietnamese marinated and grilled brown meat chicken.
12. 12. Thịt Bò Nướng (Grilled/Bar-B-Que Beef)- Vietnamese marinated style beef. Grilled meat options are usually pork, but more places are offering beef as an filling.
13. 13. Cá Mòi (Sardines)- Usually, the sardine selections (bones included, but cooked) are pulled straight from the can. Nothing really homemade. Once favored more by Vietnamese, sardine banh mi are now becoming more popular by non-Vietnamese because of the moist and flavorful fish texture.
14. 14. Paté – Ranging from chicken to duck liver ingredients, pates can normally be a part of every sandwich as a spread, but some menu’s offer pate in larger quantities, making it the main savory filling ingredient.
15. 15. Trưng Chien (Fried Egg)- Eggs are usually prepared as a scramble, well done sunny side up (but cooked on both sides), omelet style or a little bit of all three.
16. 16. Chay (Vegetarian)- Meatless choices can be offered in a combination of the ways:
    1. Tofu Chunks – Chunks of tofu are deep fried, then sauteed with a vegetarian, Vietnamese marinade (Soy Sauce, Veggie Oyster or Veggie Mushroom Sauces).
    2. Shredded Tofu (Bì Chay) – Like the Bì (Pork skin), this vegetarian version is made with thin slices of dry tofu, then mixed with stir fried sliced jicama, carrots and/or glass vermicelli noodles. This type of filling usually is VERY dry, so ask for some extra soy for added moisture and flavor.
    3. Veggie “Ham”- These thinly sliced salmon colored (or cream) pieces of processed bean curd mimic the meat version quite well, but the flavors will dictate the differences. Just try it, you just might like it.
    4. Wheat gluten- Gluten pieces are prepared in the same way that tofu usually is

We ordered the barbecued pork (the red and sweet style of barbecue). The sandwich was prepared fast and came rolled up. The meat was sweet tasting and sparse and the inside of the sandwich roll was covered in what looked like a yellow oil. The meat was quite sweet, flavorful, and extremely moist. It was also very hot and soft, with a thick layer of fat attached to all the pieces. The vegetables were fresh and helped offset the richness of the meat.

We also ordered bubble tea and a few of the meat filled pastries. Bubble tea is a sweet drink made from either a millk or fruit juice base available in many flavors. The bubbles or “boba” in the tea are marble-sized dark brown tapioca balls designed to be consumed through a large straw with the tea. These balls are chewy and slightly sweet. We looked up the history of bubble tea and found that it is actually a fairly recent invention and was not invented in Vietnam. According to Wikipedia, bubble tea was invented during the 1980s in Taiwan and spread throughout Asia. We tried taro and watermelon. Both were frozen and similar to bubble tea frappuccinos. The watermelon tasted exactly like the inside of  a watermelon and the taro tasted richer and much milkier.

We also tried some of the other meat pastries sold at Song Que. These included a very round and smooth bun filled with the same sweet and red barbecued meat as the sandwich. Another was a steamed bun, banh bao, similar to Chinese steamed buns, which was filled with sausage and quail eggs. Wikipedia describes banh bao:

Bánh bao (literally “covering cake”) is a ball-shaped dumpling with pork or chicken meat, onions, eggs,mushrooms and vegetables inside, in Vietnamese cuisine. The steamed bun often has ground pork or chicken, Chinese sausage, and a portion of a hard-boiled egg inside. This delicacy originated with the baozifrom China but was adapted by the Vietnamese and is also available in most other countries with Vietnamese populations. Bánh bao are generally smaller than baozi, and are filled with savory fillings, the most popular of which is seasoned ground pork. As in China, pork is the most popular kind of meat inVietnam.

Bánh bao is an old fashion Cantonese dim sum call Tai Pao 大包(meaning big bun) brought to Vietnam by Cantonese Immigrants, it was invented during the hardship days of old China to feed the ordinary people.

Cafe Society notes that some bakeries will use halved chicken eggs instead of quail eggs. We found the bun bland after the flavorful banh mi.

Song Que also had a huge amount of Vietnamese desserts. Foodofvietnam.com writes:

Fresh fruits are the most popular desserts in Viet Nam, but “Chè” is the most traditional Vietnamese dessert. It’s a sweet pudding usually made from beans, bananas, coconut milk, pearl tapioca, sweet yam or yucca root vermicelli and sugar. There are shops which sell nothing but “Chè”. “Chè” is also a popular snack for the Vietnamese. In high-priced restaurants you can also find European cakes and ice cream.

Song Que serves both chè, cakes, and ice cream. Bright green desserts and other foodstuffs line the tables and they also have a dessert bar with both hot and cold desserts. These feature colorful porridges, jellies, etc. The ice creams were exotic flavors like Thai iced tea and ginger. We weren’t able to try any, but were curious about these colorful desserts. Monster Munching has descriptions of their experience eating Vietnamese desserts.

TOTAL: $8.25 (for one banh mi, one steamed bun, and one bubble tea)

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Kabul Kabob House is a small restaurant in the Van Dorn area of Alexandria. They cater primarily to the neighborhood and consequently, the restaurant has plastic table cloths, no table service, and is geared toward a low-maintenance lunch crowd. They offer a lunchtime buffet and dinner. The restaurant is staffed by a perpetually friendly lady works long hours and is comes up with the menu herself. The signage states that the food is halaal.The menu is quite large and has a lot of options, including kabob, tandori, palou, chalou, and sambosa, aushak, mastawa, aush, etc.

Afghanistan, versus other countries in the region, has a wide terrain that makes it suitable for growing a variety of grains, including wheat, corn, barley, and rice. Similar to other Middle Eastern countries, yogurt is important to the cuisine. Afghanistan is also said to be known for its grapes, although we didn’t see many grape-related items on the menu. According to Wikipedia:

Afghanistan produces exceptionally high quality fruits, notably grapes, pomegranates, apricots, berries, and plums. These fruits have traditionally been Afghanistan’s main food exports. Dried nuts and seeds, such as walnuts, pistachios, almonds, and pine nuts are both very popular and plentiful in Afghanistan. Exceptional varieties of oranges, known locally as “Malta” are grown in the warm climate of Nangarhar province. Olive oil is also produced in Nangarhar province but for local and national consumption only. Herbs and spices used in Afghan cuisine include mint, saffron, coriander, cilantro, cardamom, and black pepper. Lamb and chicken are the preferred meats. When available, meat is widely consumed. Afghan cuisine emphasizes well-balanced tastes. Food should be seasoned but neither too spicy nor too bland. Contrasts are emphasized.

An major influence on Afghan cuisine occurred in Kabul, the royal seat. The royal families focused time and effort in cultivating Afghan cuisine by appointing chefs to create speciality dishes. These dishes include kormas, palaos, rice dishes, desserts, and more, which were featured on Kabul Kabob House’s menu.  Rice dishes, especially, are considered expensive and sumptuous. Traditional rice dishes featured on the menu were Chalou and Palou. We ordered the Potato Chalou (although the menu has many different types of Chalou), which was a stew composed of potato and beef served with white rice, brown rice, and bread. The stew was savory and garlicky, and not spicy. The menu also featured Palou, which is considered the national dish of Afghanistan (related to pilafs). Although we didn’t try it, the menu listed Qabli Palou, and describes it as “tendered, seasoned chunks of lamb, covered with brown rice, topped with shredded carrot, raisins, almonds, and served with Afghani bread, salad, and lemon cilantro sauce. From the description, it seems that the difference between Chalou and Palou is whether the rice is combined or served separately.

Other traditional dishes we were surprised to see on the menu (although we didn’t try them!) were Aushak and Mano, dumpling dishes. Wikipedia states that these dumpling dishes are “wildly popular,” but almost always served in the home because forming the dumplings is a laborious process. Manto is an Uzbek dish where the dumplings are filled with onions and ground beef. At Kabul Kabob House they are topped with yogurt, although they can also be served with a tomato-based sauce. Aushak is from Kabul, and are dumplings filled with leeks and topped with a garlic yogurt sauce. These dumplings can have many regional variations.

Similar to other Middle Easter cuisine, kabob was featured on the menu. In Afghanistan, kabobs are stricly street food and are rarely served in the homes. Lamb is the most common meat used and most kabobs are served with bread rather than rice. Often, the kabobs are topped with sumac, a purple/maroon spice that gives a lemony taste to foods. We tried the Chapli kabob, which is one of the types of kabob that is served only in Afghanistan and Pakistan.  Unlike other types of kabob, the chapli kabob is shaped like a hamburger and is a mixture of flour and meat, making it less expensive. Ours was served on a bed of rice and we found it to be tender, savory, and juicy. We were also served a salad and had the option of a variety of sides. We chose cabbage with beef, which was savory and tasty.

Along with our meal, we were served two enormous pieces of bread. Although the menu called it “Afghani bread,” bread in Afghanistan is called Naan (translates to “bread”). The Atlantic has an interesting article on the importance of this bread to Afghan culture, where it is served at every meal and served all throughout the day. However, ours did not resemble the photo in the article or look like Indian naan, although it was cooked in a deep stove. Ours was oval shaped, golden colored, and cooked so that it is slightly crisp on the outside but tender on the inside. It looked more like Obi Non, which Wikipedia states is an Uzbek variety and often served round. Regardless, the bread was fresh, warm, and delicious.

We also liked the variety of desserts available. The menu featured Goshifeel, Ferny, Afghani Ice Cream, and rice pudding. Goshifeel, or “Gosh Feel,” resembled triangles of flat fried dough covered in sugar and crushed pistachio. We ordered some, but ended up forgetting them there so we didn’t get to try it. The rice pudding was highly flavored with cardamom. The Afghani Ice Cream was described on the menu as “prepared with a special kind of noodle,” and we learned that this traditional dessert is called Faloodeh. Wikipedia describes its interesting background:

is a Persian sorbet made of thin vermicelli noodles frozen with corn starch, rose water, lime juice, and often ground pistachios. It is a traditional dessert in Iran and Afghanistan. It was brought to the Indian subcontinent during the Mughal period. The faloodeh of Shiraz is famous. Faloodeh is one of the earliest forms of frozen desserts, existing as early as 400 BCE. Ice was brought down from high mountains and stored in tall refrigerated buildings called yakhchals, which were kept cool by windcatchers.

We found it flavorful, rich, and creamy. They also have baklava, which is also common in Afghanistan. Afghan baklava is cut in triangle shapes and toped with crushed pistachio.

One of the amusing items on the menu was Horchat and Lassis. The lady who works at Kabul Kabob  House informed us that lassis do exist in Afghanistan, but are called a different name. Horchata is a traditional Spanish or Latin American beverage. She said, however, that she put it on her menu because so many of her clientele asked for it during lunch time. We tried her horchat and found it to be light, milky, sweet, and flavored with sesame and cumin – a spin on traditional horchata.

TOTAL: $29.99, including tax (two entrees, one drink, one dessert)

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