Good Food St. Louis

The Kindness of Korma

There are times when I fancy a good Indian vegetable korma like I would a warm, loaf of home-baked bread. Never mind that my recipe calls for 22 ingredients—I hope I don’t lose you here.

I keep most of the items on hand and leave out what I don’t have. If I want protein, I add a store-bought roasted chicken or ground beef. But it’s easy to go paleo, gluten free, or vegan.

Korma vs. Curry

First, let’s dispel the idea that korma is an overly spicy dish. Flavorful, yes; spicy, nah. While some curries can cause the taste buds to radiate, a korma is mildly spiced. Like a favorite casserole, this Indian dish is pure comfort food adaptable to the whims of each family.

A Beef Korma

Like an Indian Stew

I can’t duplicate a true Korma, but my version is respectable, considering I’ve only been cooking Indian dishes in recent years. I especially enjoy experimenting with the spices: cumin, coriander, cardamom, and turmeric.

My Korma is loaded with vegetables. Indian cooks call such a recipe Navratan, or nine gems.” I seldom get up to nine vegetables, but you can clean out your refrig in a hurry with this dish.

Personalize

Unlike some Korma recipes, this one doesn’t call for tomatoes or tomato paste, though I find the addition of spinach a nice touch. Instead of yogurt, I prefer using canned coconut milk, regular or lite. Turmeric brings a pleasant yellowish hue to the dish, as well as a slew of health benefits.

Here’s my latest version of this creamy, nutty, mildly-spiced korma. It’s especially good with Basmati rice and naan bread. Chunks of roasted chicken give a quick, flavorful shot of protein.

I refer to this recipe as Condo Korma, because I often make it for myself with enough left over for the next meal. I usually wear an apron when preparing and eating this dish.

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I’m not sure if the wording on this bib describes my personality or the seafood I’m about to eat. Maybe both.

Three Places That Are Fun and Fabulous

Whenever I visit another city, I always inquire of family, friends, and even total strangers as to which restaurants they’d recommend. While in Washington DC recently, I followed the advice of my grandson, Andrew, who strongly favored L’Ardente, a fairly new Italian place near Union Station. Being a fine gourmet cook, he didn’t steer me wrong.

My other selections varied from an upscale Indian place (highly recommended by our Uber driver) to an Arlington crab shack, a favorite of Debra’s from her childhood.

Quarterdeck Crab House

How do you explain this many crabs on a table? Well, there were five of us. . . and there’s really more shell than crab meat, we told ourselves. Besides, dismantling a crab can work up an appetite. Even so, we had a few leftovers.

Debra and Channing suit up for a fun evening.

Russ and Deb give a table tutorial on how to pick a crab.

Getting to the meat is a slow, messy process.

The Quarterdeck crab shack has been in Arlington for decades.

L’Ardente Italian Restaurant

When I heard that L’Ardente’s signature dish was a 40-layer lasagna, I had second thought. But then I remembered Crown Candy’s Heart-Stopping BLT, a tower of porcine extravagance, that includes 14 strips of bacon. I’ve never had it, but somebody must, because it’s been on the menu for years. Then there’s the dessert classic, Maryland’s Smith Island Cake, that has a mere 12 layers, albeit thin ones.

I succumbed.

But before going to L’Ardent, I found an online video of their French chef preparing the revered Italian pasta. It was amusing as well as amazing. The plated lasagna was not the oversized serving you’d expect, but an average portion sliced from a much larger piece. (See photo below; mouse over photos for captions)

Exterior

Interior

Russ and Robin peruse the menu

Focaccia with rosemary and fleur de sel

Carrots

40-layer lasagna

Arancini

Burrata of honeynut squash, pickled cherries, toasted pumpkin seed, and coffee crumble

Dessert menu

Branzino a.k.a European sea bass

Gianduja. A chocolate mousse with raspberry , roasted hazelnuts and blood orange

Panna Cotta with ricotta, vanilla buttermilk, lemon oil, and avocado sauce

Rasika Indian Resturant

Rasika exterior

Naan

Marinated Black Cod a.k.a. Sablefish

This bowl of Palak Chaat was incredibly tasty! The dish includes tomatoes, crispy fried spinach, onion, tamiand, and yogurt. My Chicken Korma was equally splendid, but not photogenic.