If Indian Sag Paneer were an American dish there would be no need to create a Popeye to get kids to eat spinach. Or me. I never tire of it. This is especially true after about a decadent month of candy and spirits, like now. And it is the perfect side dish that complements all foods. […]...
Muslims all over the world this week are celebrating Eid al-Adha. Eid al-Fitr, one of the religion’s principal festivals was celebrated in spring. Ken Chitwood, a scholar of global Islam, helped us understand the two Islamic festivals. Eid literally means festival or feast in Arabic. There are two major eids in the Islamic cal...
(Gerry Furth-Sides) We were lucky enough to join a festive full house at Biryani Bowl in Fremont, California for week-end specials of the best world-famous “dum biryani.” This Hyderabad style means unbroken long grain basmati rice with seasoned, marinated chicken or Halal goat or egg … slow-cooked in a speci...
(Gerry Furth-Sides) As common a sign as it can be in both Muslim and non-Muslim ones, the term Halal can be a mystery to the public. This is just like it’s close relative, Kosher. Both basically mean eating select meats, foul and poultry on a certification list that you can trust to be clean, and […]...
(Gerry Furth-Sides) New chicken or fish mandi biryani, at Banana Leaf in Culver City come complete with the platter. Wildly popular in Hyderabad in South India. Biryani lover and Banana Leaf owner/executive chef Sri Sambangi was introduced to it, and loved it so much he bought the dishes and put it on the menu almost […]...
(Gerry Furth-Sides) You can wish friends and family a “Happy New Year” four times over this month. The reasons include religious and secular traditions following of either the sun or the moon. Let’s start with with the Persian holiday, NOWEUZ, which falls on March 20. It begins with the new moon in an astrologi...
(Gerry Furth-Sides) Say the words, “Fried Chicken” in any language and you have an instant favorite. Like the Chicken Majestic, new on the menu at Banana Leaf in Culver City. We use the term, “wildly popular” throughout this report because it IS accurate for all of the fried chicken dishes here. And the s...
(Gerry Furth-Sides) New fascinating favorites this year for Valentine’s Day include a new chef at The Raymond with its history of regional cuisine. Also new and destination-drive worthy is a contemporary Indian Restaurant, ARTH BAR+KITCHEN and , a new Mexican eatery, El Granjero Cantina. Offers that extend the entire week-...
(Gerry Furth-Sides) We call the book, The Bengali Five Spice Chronicles “Just in Time” because of the publicity that Bangladesh received as the final Jeopardy question that toppled a long reigning champion this month. So the name “Bangladesh” is on many people’s mind these days. And it is about time...
Happy Makar Sankranti with very special food! This holiday celebrates the sun’s calendar transition from fall to winter. Also known as the winter solstice with the longest night of the year, it marked the astrological transition of Sagittarious to Capricorn. This festival is one of the few Hindu festivals aligned with the ...
Gerry Furth-Sides 
Barbara Hansen 
Chef-owner Alain Cohen 
Roberta Deen 
Jose Martinez 
Nivedita Basu 