Quick Bite: Dosas at Mirsung Fast Food

Have you ever eaten a dosa? If not: A dosa is a South Indian dish. It's a very thin pancake, similar in a way to the French crêpe except that the batter is made from finely ground rice and lentils instead of wheat flour. The ones they're making at Mirsung are really something, don't you think? I had never seen such a dosa before—quite a dramatic presentation, and it had actually flattened somewhat by the time I took the photo (it was a big, puffy cone at first).

Mirsung serves several types of dosas; the only one I've tried so far is the one pictured, and it's called a Mysore Masala Dosa on the menu. Masala dosas are stuffed with a spiced potato mixture. I tried to get a photo showing the inside for you; you can see the potatoes there, and also notice the streaky color on the inside of the dosa (at the top of the photo below). That comes from the spice mixture that is added to it when it's cooked, and that's what characterizes it as the Mysore variety.

So how do I eat the thing? you ask. Well, dosas are served with a tasty, spicy soup-like concoction called sambar and a chutney (the one at Mirsung was, I believe, the typical coconut chutney). So you just tear off pieces of the pancake and scoop up the sambar and chutney with them. You can also, of course, use a spoon to eat the sambar and a knife and fork for the dosa, but where's the fun in that?!

I would've liked to see more potato in the Mirsung dosa; however, it was quite filling even with the small amount of potato, since the dosa itself was so large and I had the sambar as well. I would've also liked it if the sambar had been hotter (temperature-wise, not spicy-wise); they seem to have some problems at Mirsung keeping their hot foods hot. And at $7.99, I think the dosa was priced too high. However, sometimes on the weekends (this past weekend, for instance) dosas are on special for $4.99, which is a good deal (I'll tell you on Twitter when Mirsung is running specials).

If you try a dosa at Mirsung, let me know which variety you tried and what you think. Mirsung is now also serving vada and idli.

Mirsung Fast Food
49 East Green Street (just east of Neil St)
Champaign, IL
Open for lunch Tuesday through Friday 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and for dinner from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. You can get chats (snacks) and shakes on those same days from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. The cafe is closed on Mondays.

Golden Wok Restaurant

Food—Thai and Chinese
Drink—Thai iced tea and coffee, soft drinks
Location—Just north of campus and near downtown Champaign
Average price for an entree—$7.00
Atmosphere—Quaint fast-foodish
Service—Courteous and quick
Patio seating—No
Vegetarian-friendly—Yes
Child-friendly—Yes

It's easy to miss Golden Wok, tucked away as it is between a get-cash-now joint and an apartment building that dwarfs it. The little restaurant is set back off University Avenue just east of Fourth Street—one door from the corner of Fourth and University. You should not miss it, because the folks at Golden Wok serve up very tasty Thai and Chinese food at reasonable prices.

According to my pal Lek, "some Thai people think it serves the best pad Thai in Champaign-Urbana"—very high praise indeed. I've had the pad Thai, and while I've never eaten the dish in Thailand and thus don't have that point of comparison, I thought it was delicious. I had it with shrimp, as you can see in the photo ($7.95); you can also get it with chicken, beef, or tofu ($6.95).

Recently I tried a lunch special: a medium-sized bowl of tom yum kai (a hot and sour chicken soup with lemongrass and other yummy ingredients), pictured here,

and a plate of pad kra prow with chicken (a stir-fry with Thai basil, onions, and bell peppers), which of course came with steamed rice. Both the soup and the stir-fry were delicious, and, at $7.99, a fabulous value (and I took a lot of the stir-fry home and had it for a second lunch, which made it even more wallet-friendly).

On another occasion I tried pad see ew with beef (wide rice noodles stir-fried with a special soy-based sauce, broccoli, and your choice of meats or tofu). A nice-sized portion for the great price of $7.50.

The Thai iced tea and iced coffee are well worth trying, too. If you haven't had it, it's delicately spiced and strongly sweetened tea or coffee on ice topped with a layer of evaporated milk. You could think of it as a Thai latte! Or as Thai sweet tea with milk! And at $2.35 for a large glass (or to-go cup)—well, again, nice price.

If you like Thai or Chinese food, but especially Thai, I urge you to try this place. You can eat in or call for carry-out, and they also now offer delivery. If you drive there, off-street parking is available on the east side of the restaurant.

Golden Wok Thai and Chinese Restaurant
405 East University Avenue
Champaign, IL
217-356-8383
Hours: Monday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.; Sunday 12 noon to 8:30 p.m.
See the entire menu on the GW Web site. There are also daily specials; check the white board near the counter for those.

This post is dedicated to Lek, an acquaintance of mine who was here in C-U for several years getting his PhD and who is now back in Thailand. Lek took many, many incredible photos of local restaurants and food while he was in town, which he was kind enough to share with me over the years. You may remember that I linked to a gallery of his photos of a Valentine's Day dinner at the Spice Box Cafe on campus in 2008. Best wishes, Lek, and thanks for the memories!

My Legume Love Affair: Frankfurters and Beans

When I saw that Simona, my partner in the semiannual Novel Food events, was hosting an event called My Legume Love Affair, I knew I wanted to join in. Actually, I've been meaning to cook a dish for the event since forever; it was started by Susan of The Well-Seasoned Cook quite a while ago and is wildly popular. MLLA is a great event that you'll want to look into if you are a bean and legume lover (as I am). The event gets a lot of entries (radical understatement), so the roundup posts are always chock full of interesting dishes and recipes to try.

Recently, as you may know, I hosted a celebration of Julia Child's birthday on this blog. For the legume love-fest, I decided to consult the work of another American culinary master: James Beard. I'd picked up a copy of James Beard's American Cookery a few months ago at Jane Addams Bookshop, the used-and-rare bookstore in downtown Champaign (there are tons of cookbooks in that store, as I reported in a post last summer). So I perused the "Dried Beans, Peas, and Lentils" section of the almost 850-page James Beard tome for ideas.

When I came upon the recipe for frankfurters and beans, I decided that was the one, because I happened to have a package of all-beef wieners from Triple S Farm (a new product that Triple S unveiled this year). The dish was very tasty; beans and franks in a savory-sweet tomato sauce, classic comfort food. Mr. Beard calls it "one of the most American dishes of all." Here is the recipe.

Frankfurters and Beans
From James Beard's American Cookery, published in 1972

2 cups dried white beans, Great Northern, cannellini, or pea beans (I used Great Northerns)
Water
Salt
1 onion stuck with cloves
4 tablespoons butter
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 large onion, finely chopped
4 tablespoons butter
2 cups canned tomatoes, preferably Italian plum tomatoes
3/4 cup catsup
Salt and freshly ground pepper
8 to 10 frankfurters

Cover the beans with cold water, bring to a boil, and then let rest 1 hour. Simmer with the salt and onion stuck with cloves until tender. Drain them, reserving about 1 cup of liquid. While the beans are simmering, saute the garlic and onion in the butter, and when they are just soft add the tomatoes and let them cook down till rather thickish. Add the catsup, pepper, and salt if needed. Combine the sauce with the drained beans, butter, and reserved liquid, and reheat. Heat the frankfurters through in boiling water. Spoon the beans into a hot deep platter. Surround with the frankfurters. Serve with mustard, a hearty salad, and crisp rolls.

The only way in which we departed from the recipe was that we cut the franks up and heated them right in the bean mixture instead of boiling them separately and serving them on the side. Other than that, we followed Mr. Beard's suggestions exactly, even down to the mustard, salad, and rolls. All I can say is: Yum! A keeper.

The deadline for entries into the My Legume Love Affair event is August 31; soon after, Simona will publish a roundup containing links to all of the submissions. When that post is up, I'll link to it here, so check back—it's a roundup well worth looking at.

Update 9-3-10: Here is the link to Simona's roundup post, where you'll find recipes for many fine dishes involving legumes!

Novel Food, Fall 2010 Edition

Apparently, it is no longer summer. That was fast. I know that school is back in session, but I'm making no concessions until the equinox. You know, the autumnal equinox, which occurs on September 22, which is the auspicious day on which Simona, my partner in the semi-annual Novel Food event, and I plan to publish the roundups for the event.

What is Novel Food, you ask. If you haven't seen one of these events on this blog in the past, the idea is that we all (i.e., whoever wants to join in) read a novel and then cook something in its honor. What we cook might be a dish or meal that's mentioned in the book, or one that is in some way inspired by it. This event started when Simona and I were both reading novels by Andrea Camilleri. Camilleri writes wonderful mysteries set in Sicily and featuring Inspector Salvo Montalbano, a complicated character who happens to love food. There was inspiration a-plenty to cook and eat in those novels.

We've branched out from there, and others have joined us, and over the past few years we've talked about many different books in these events. And not just books but also stories, plays, and even poems. The event is really fun and interesting, and we invite you to join us for this edition. Here are links to Simona's half of the roundup for the spring 2010 edition and my half.

The simple rules:

• You cook something that's inspired by a published literary work.
• Do a write-up about the dish and book and post it on your blog or site by September 20, 2010.
• Reference the Novel Food event in your post, please, and you can use the logo if you'd like to.
• Send a message to me (webrina AT gmail DOT com) or Simona (simosite AT mac DOT com) containing your name, your blog's name, and a permanent link to your post. 
• We'll include links to all submissions in our roundup posts for the event on September 22 (since Simona and I both host the event, we split the submissions and each do a roundup featuring half of them).

If you don't have a blog, you can still take part. Just send a message to Simona or me by the date mentioned above and tell us about the book you read and what you were inspired by it to cook (you can include a recipe if you like, but it's not mandatory). If you can send a photo of the dish, as well, that's great.

So: What have you been reading lately? Personally, for this edition of NF I may jump onto the Eat, Pray, Love bandwagon; I just finished that book and it certainly provided culinary inspiration. On the other hand, I've also recently finished Chasing the Devil's Tail, by David Fulmer, and am in the middle of his followup novel, Jass. Both are set in early 20th-century New Orleans, and I think if I try hard enough I just might be able to tease out some culinary inspiration from those. And I have a couple of books on hold at the library . . .

Simona (who has also just announced the event) and I look forward to talking about and eating from books with you. You can start sending in submissions at any time, up until midnight on September 20. Cheers!

Mas Amigos Lunch Specials

Update: As of yesterday afternoon, the road work is finished and Springfield Avenue is open again. So this post is already out of date. But you should still go to Mas, anyway. And now you won't have any trouble getting to its parking lot. ~Lisa

A quick note to let you know that Mas Amigos, the Mexican restaurant on Springfield Avenue (next to the old Euro-Mart, just east of the Neil Street viaduct), could use some TLC. You know all that road work being done on Springfield? Well it's messing with their business. I was there yesterday for lunch, and my waiter told me that they're getting much less business than usual on account of that work. I know it's a hassle, but if you like Mas, or you've been wanting to try the place out, now is the time to go in and see them.

You can't get there on Springfield from Neil, but you can get into their parking lot from the east. There are the big "road closed" signs just west of First, but that's only for through traffic; if you want to visit one of the businesses between First and Neil via Springfield, you can, if you go from the east.

Here's a shot of the #2 lunch special combo: a chile relleno and a taco. It comes with, as you can see, beans and rice, and it'll only set you back $5.50. And there are many other lunch specials to choose from, in addition to the rest of the regular menu. You may remember how I raved about their tortas in an earlier report on the place. And their green sauce. The guac is good, too. I always order a side of it to dip chips in and just generally spread around, willy-nilly.

The staff is friendly, food and prices are great, and if you haven't been there for a while, check out the murals inside and the new air conditioning system. Very nice, casual spot for lunch or dinner. If you're so inclined, go in and say hola.

Mas Amigos Mexican Restaurant
40 East Springfield Avenue
Champaign, IL
217-356-2100
See my full review for other details

Fifth Annual Julia Child Birthday Celebration

Julia Child would have been 98 years old today (she died in 2004, at 92). On this, her birthday, I've been watching episodes from The Way to Cook DVDs, which are companions to the book of the same title. Book and DVDs were produced in 1985, so Julia was in her 70s at that point. She's a different Julia from the one who appeared in The French Chef, her first video series, which premiered on television in 1963. But no less appealing. And The Way to Cook is a different type of series, made up of quick snippets that show basic techniques for cooking meats, poultry, fish, and vegetables.

I love the photo of Julia in her kitchen that appears on the book's cover. It has such a warm and intimate feel.

I learn something every time I watch Mrs. Child or dip into one of her books. For this fifth celebration of her life and work, I made chicken breasts sautéed in fresh bread crumbs, or simply "crumbed chicken breasts," per the master instructions for breading in The Way to Cook. And from recipes in Mastering the Art of French Cooking, I made French potato salad (which appeared in a previous JC birthday celebration post, as part of Salade Niçoise) and green beans Provençal (green beans cooked with tomatoes, garlic, and herbs).

The only change I made in cooking the chicken was that I used panko for the bread crumbs instead of making crumbs myself from fresh bread, as called for in the recipe. The panko worked beautifully, producing a very crispy and crunchy coating on the chicken breasts. You pound the chicken lightly to flatten the breasts, then you season them with salt and pepper, dip them first in flour, then in beaten egg, coat them with the bread crumbs, and let them rest for 20 minutes or so to set the crumbs. A quick sauté in a skillet to brown and cook, and they're done. The recipe called for cooking the chicken in clarified butter; I didn't have any on hand, so I used lard that I had rendered from Triple S Farm pork fat. I think the lard, as well as the panko, contributed to the extra crispiness of the bread crumb coating. A squeeze of fresh lemon juice on top is a nice touch.

The Way to Cook is not just about French food. There are Bearnaise and Hollandaise, to be sure, but the book also includes recipes for a Syrian salad platter, Boston baked beans, pasta salads, and curries (albeit using store-bought curry powder). If you want to invest in both book and DVD set, I don't think you'll regret it.

I didn't announce the JC birthday celebration this year until the very last minute, so I didn't expect any joiner-inners. However, several other bloggers did join me, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading more about Julia and seeing what they cooked. Please go take a look at their offerings.

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Sandi, of Whistlestop Cafe Cooking, made gorgeous potato gnocchi. She and some friends have been cooking their way through one of Marcella Hazan's books; as you may know, Hazan is often referred to as the Julia Child of Italian cooking. So it was quite a tasty coincidence, and Sandi was able to experience two versions of Italian potato dumplings.

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Cassandra of Chow Bella made casserole-roasted chicken with tarragon, even on a 97-degree day! Wowie. She even bought a fresh, local chicken for the occasion. The birdie looks juicy and delicious and extra-good to me; I love the flavor and aroma of tarragon.

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Simona, who writes the food blog Briciole, brought a very special potato-leek soup to the party. She used a variety of potato called All Red, which she picked up at her farmers' market. And she topped the soup with her own homemade Montasio cheese. Heaven!

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Lori Lynn, of Taste with the Eyes, remembers Julia with her beautiful roses ("the color of different shades of butter") and her photos taken at the restaurant where Julia and her husband Paul had their first lunch in France. I'll say no more; you just must go and see Lori Lynn's tribute for yourself. Taste with the eyes, indeed.

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And there you have it. Our tiny tribute to the inimitable Julia Child, with gratitude for her efforts, her skill, and her wit. See you here for the event again next year, I hope, and as always, toujours bon appétit.

Red French Vinaigrette Dressing

This summer is like a bad winter, isn't it? In the sense that it's so unpleasant to do anything outdoors that cabin fever is striking and driving you (OK, me) just the tiniest bit batty? And it's so dense and hot that you can hardly remember your name or when you last had the windows of your house or your car open? I could go on, but instead I'll tell you about a nice salad dressing that will make you feel better.

I got the recipe from Chef Mickey Kitterman of Kitchen Inferno; he put it on a wonderful-sounding (and looking) salad of summer tomatoes and feta and onions. Knowing that Keith likes the red dressing, and seeing how easy it would be to try, I decided to whip some up. It involves ketchup and Worcestershire and shallots and other good things; it's a little sweet and a little spicy and I think you will like it.

I dressed a salad of Moore Farm lettuce and cucumber, along with tomatoes from a friend's garden, with the red stuff, and it was cool and fresh and delightful alongside grilled Triple S Farm pork chops. Here's the recipe:

Chef Kitterman's Mom's Red French Vinaigrette

Fifth Annual Julia Child Birthday Celebration Coming SOON

I suddenly realized that the anniversary of Julia Child's birth is coming up on SUNDAY (August 15). It kind of got by me this year. As you may know, for the past four years I've hosted a celebration of Mrs. Child's life and work on this blog; it's super-late to announce the event at this point, but I'm doing it anyway.

What with the late notice and all, I don't expect anyone to join in; however, if you would like to whip up a dish in JC's honor, please send me a permanent link to your post and I'll do a roundup of sorts on Sunday.

What we've done in the past is make a dish or a meal from recipes in one of Mrs. Child's cookbooks. You could also just send me thoughts or memories about JC, and I'll post those on Sunday. And if you don't have a blog, that's OK; just send me an e-mail telling me what you made, include a photo if possible, and I'll include the info in my post.

Here are links to the past JC birthday celebrations, if you'd like to check them out:

The first annual celebration, 2006
2007
2008
2009 (it was a big year last year, because of the Julie & Julia movie)

A friend and I were talking yesterday about doing things right, specifically in terms of restaurants making food from scratch as opposed to buying premade stuff and heating it up. Mrs. Child, of course, is (ugh, was) the quintessential do-it-right cook, which often, but not always, involves a lengthy process. Here's the actual Julia Child showing us how simple it is to make good omelettes. 

For those of you who are interested, Gastronomica, ("the journal of food and culture") published a special issue commemorating Mrs. Child in the summer of 2005; you can order it on the Gastronomica Web site.

On the Road: Chilaquiles at MartAnne's Burrito Palace

It doesn't often happen that a highly anticipated event lives up to one's expectations, does it? There's so often disappointment. In the case of one highly anticipated meal in Flagstaff, Arizona, though, I was thrilled to discover that sometimes the experience actually exceeds expectations, and in a big way.

Driving to Utah last week, we made it into New Mexico and then the Grand Canyon State, skirting the Navajo Nation Indian Reservation and cutting through the heart of the Painted Desert on our way to Flagstaff. Keith, our trip planner, had kindly incorporated that city onto our route because I'd been advised that MartAnne's Burrito Palace (a.k.a. MartAnne's Cafe) serves up possibly the world's best chilaquiles, a dish I've written about on this blog in the past. Poring over the reviews on Yelp and elsewhere, I found mostly raves, but there were also caveats: "What are their hours? I went at X time, when they were supposed to be open, and the place was dark!" "Be sure to get there at X time, otherwise the place will be full and you'll have to wait for an hour!" "The food was great, but once we were seated, we waited SO LONG for it." "I don't know what all the hype for this place is about!"

Thus, as we left the TraveLodge and headed for San Francisco Street in historic old-town Flagstaff on a recent weekday morning, I was prepared for a letdown, or at least for a hassle. There was a bit of a hassle, but it was of our own making.

We arrived at MartAnne's at what we thought was 10 minutes to 9:00, and the door was locked. No hours were posted, but my understanding was that they opened at 8:00 or 8:30. Confusion bordering on emotional devastation ensued. Were they closed on Mondays? Did they just not feel like opening on this particular day? Had we come all this way only to miss out? We walked around a bit, dejectedly went into another breakfast joint, and noticed that the clock indicated it was 10 minutes to 8, not 9 (we didn't realize that Flagstaff is on Mountain Standard and not Mountain Daylight time). We practically threw down our menus, hightailed it back to MartAnne's, and camped on the doorstep, as I was determined to beat the crowds I'd read so much about. At 8 o'clock sharp, a young woman opened the door. We walked right into the small cafe, which has only nine tables, and took seats at a primo spot in the back where we could watch all the action. There was no crowd at first—we had the place all to ourselves for a while.

We were definitely Midwestern squares in this tiny enclave of Southwestern hipness—we stuck out like steaks on a vegetarian plate. I wanted to trade in my CVS sunglasses for Ray-Bans and my Ann Taylor Loft T-shirt and shorts for . . . some fittingly Bohemian attire. But no matter; embracing our squareness, we won everybody over with our goofy Midwestern charm ("We drove all the way from Illinois just to eat here!").

The cafe's name is apparently a mash-up of the names of the aging hipster couple (and I say that lovingly) who own the place: The Mart, I'm assuming, is an abbreviation for Martin, the very friendly fellow who cleared our dishes, and the Anne is for, well, Anne, the cook extraordinaire—a tall, tattoo'ed diva with streaky hair who, wearing sunglasses in the darkish kitchen, in an apparently hung-over state, was whipping up some of the best food that I have ever eaten.

I ordered Fratelli-quiles—chilaquiles with a scoop of chile verde on top. The chile verde was luscious, with chunks of tender and deeply flavorful pork in a gorgeous, garlicky green sauce containing pieces of green chiles. The pork concoction sat atop a mess of fried corn tortilla pieces and eggs bathed in more salsa verde. Homemade pinto beans, perfectly crispy and tender hashed browns, tasty rice, and a flour tortilla (which I'll swear was homemade) rounded out the enormous meal.

Now, I'm aware that the photo makes it look as if the food is obliterated by cheese, but I promise you, it wasn't. I hate cheese obliteration, and that wasn't happening here. The cheese topping was just right; not a thick blanket but a light layer that perfectly complemented the rest of the food. In any case, no photo can do justice to our meals (Keith had a gigantic breakfast burrito that was just as mind-bogglingly good as my chilaquiles, and it came with the same accompaniments). Prices—about $7 for the burrito plate and $8 for the chilaquiles—were very fair for the stupendous array of homemade food we got. And, clearly, the breakfast meals are large enough to share, so we could've gotten out of there for about $4.00 each if we'd split one.

Appreciating the works of a local artist on the walls, the coziness, the music (which ran the gamut from Gladys Knight to Jefferson Airplane to Billie Holiday), and of course THE FOOD, I never wanted to leave that hole in the wall. I found myself spinning fantasies featuring us living in an old Airstream off a dirt road in Flagstaff and eating at MartAnne's every morning.

It was not to be, but I was in such a chilaquiles-induced euphoria after leaving that even when, on the road to the Grand Canyon, a rock bounced up and made the second hairline crack of the trip in our car's windshield, I couldn't have cared less. 

A thousand thanks to Aariq, who left a comment on one of my chilaquiles posts recommending MartAnne's. To think that we might never have known about the place otherwise! If you're ever in the area of Flagstaff, please do whatever it takes to stop in and eat.

MartAnne's Burrito Palace
10 North San Francisco Street
Flagstaff, AZ
According to a comment on their Facebook page, the cafe doesn't have a phone, which is somehow not surprising. Only cash is accepted, and hours seem to be variable but I believe the idea is 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. daily. Expect crowds on the weekends.