Use those green mangoes!

After all the crazy winds we've been having here on O'ahu, I saw plenny green mangoes littering the streets around my house. I wanted to use them for something...so instead of making mango chutney, I made an Indian green mango pickle (recipe). It's great spicy-sour flavor as an addition to Indian curries, on naan bread, or with lentils.

What the finished product will look like (I hope):

Sliced green mango (it was softer and easier to slice than I expected. Leave the skin & seed in)

 Covered with spices: chili powder, tumeric powder, whole mustard seeds, and whole fennel seeds

 Shake; cover with oil.

It's sitting outside on the deck in the sun for the next two (or 15? according to some recipes) days...

Mo'ilili: India Market & Well Bento

I went down to Mo'ilili for lunch today...to try out Well Bento: the healthy bento, or 'gourmet macrobiotic takeout fusion' as they like to call themselves. The premise is vegetarian bentos with whole grains (brown rice) and 'healthy' cole slaw and mac salad (I believe it's vegan, but not sure how low fat it actually is).



Their menu is divided into 'vegetarian' options and 'transitional' options for those of us who still like to eat meat :) I decided to try the veg option, since I was there. I almost ordered the grilled tofu, since I knew it would be good since I like tofu, but decided to branch out and order the grilled seitan (wheat gluten) instead to try something new.

It was actually pretty good (although super salty), with their homemade vegetarian 'gravy' covering all the brown rice in the pic below, but for $10 for a vegetarian lunch, I would've expected that Well Bento could use biodegradable corn packaging, instead of a styrofoam box....

While I was there, I visited India Market, which is in the same complex, kind of across from Star Market. I was in India a few months ago and took a cooking class, so I was excited to find the availability of herbs, spices, pickles, and Indian ingredients that are available here. I bought some fantastic lime pickle and some tamarind puree.

The outside of India Market:

I had to try a samosa while I was there :) (only avail on M/W/F/Sat)
They also have South Pacific groceries, like these taro leaves in coconut cream
Packaged curry and spice mixes
Frozen food section (with kulfi ice cream!!)
Packaged crispies like sev and bhel puri mix:

Review: India Cafe

India Cafe
South King Street across from Puck's Alley by University

Also not a downtown restaurant, but wanted to include this restaurant in the list. I don't eat a lot of Indian food, but there are a number of reasonably priced Indian restaurants that I grew accustomed to eating at in Shanghai. So last night Jane and I decided to go looking for some good Indian food in Honolulu.

First, we drove to Indian Bazaar (South King near Young St) but it was closed (sign in window said it's open Monday - Saturday, 11am - 5 pm). I wanted to try that one, because I saw a photo online. . .it looks like 'Indian Plate Lunch' where all of the food is already prepared, and you just pick 2 choices for your plate.

Then we drove over to University near Pucks Alley. My grandpa said that there are 2 Indian restaurants, one on either side of King St. He said 'only eat at the one on the Mauka side of the street,' but he had no idea what it was called. We walked all around, but didn't see any Indian food on the mauka said of the street, so we ended up at India Cafe on the makai side of King St.

We ordered the chicken vindaloo, eggplant bharta, and mango chutney. The manager/waiter gave us some free yogurt sauce as well, since I was rolling my eyes and complaining about how slow the food was ;) I could've done without both the yogurt and the chutney, they were both rather average. The vindaloo ($13.95) was excellent however, and the eggplant ($8.95) was just so-so. We ordered rice; I expected plain rice but it was sort of a pilaf with carrots and peas in it ($3.50).