Rotee Restaurant

400 Haight Street, San Francisco

 

Last weekend we went to San Francisco to try the Pakistani cuisine at Rotee restaurant. Good thing we had Sam as our guide: he helped us select the traditional favorites of his native Pakistan.

Pakora

Samosas

First we ordered Samosas and Pekora as appetizers. The crispy Samosas were stuffed with hot potatoes and sprinkled with a mix of spices. The Pekora were made with garbanzo bean flour and stuffed with onions. A cilantro sauce and tamarind sauce accompanied the two appetizers. The Samosas were our favorite–crispy on the outside, hot on the inside…need I say more?

Lahore Karahi

I ordered Lahore Karahi, which is a specialty from Sam’s hometown in Pakistan. The combination of chicken, tomatoes, onions and various spices create dish fiery enough to make my nose run. A yogurt sauce helped temper the heat.

Rotee

Rotee, Pakistani flatbread, is traditionally broken piece by piece and dipped in the dish. Sam’s rating: above average.

Tikka Masala

Sam ordered chicken Tikka Masala, which was milder compared to the other dishes–and useful for tempering the heat of the other dishes. Not as flavorful as in the land from which it hails, Sam questioned its authenticity.

lamb chops

My mom, ever the lamb-lover, ordered lamb chops. While beautifully presented with frills of onion garnish, the lamb chops were salty and over-seasoned. Future blog mission: find good lamb chops.

Palak Chicken

My dad ordered Palak Chicken. Palak means spinach in Urdu, so spinach was the main ingredient. If you are a fan of Popeye the Sailorman, then this dish is for you.

Tulsi

Tulsi again

Our host gave us a sachet of Tulsi, a sort of after-meal palate cleanser composed of sandalwood pieces and anise, which was reminiscent of black licorice.

Overall, we gave it 3 out of 5 stars. While most of the food tasted good, the quality was not up to par. The lamb was a disappointment, and the Tikka Masala lacked depth, but the Lahore Karahi was rich with tomatoes and spices. And we must not forget the Rotee (above average) and the hot, crispy Samosas. If you find yourself wandering around Lower Haight looking for a place to eat, check out Rotee for yourself.

Flourless Chocolate Cake

This flourless chocolate cake has become a staple in my baking repertoire. A snap to throw together and always sure to please, this cake packs intense chocolate flavor. The cake is not as cloyingly sweet as fudge nor as cakey as brownies, but it possesses a sophistication of its own. Strips or circles of wax paper serve as stencils for the cocoa powder dusting. A dollop of whipped cream and cup of coffee complete a splendid dessert.       

Ingredients

 4 ounces fine-quality bittersweet chocolate (not unsweetened)
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter
3/4 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder plus additional for sprinkling

Whipped cream to serve

Preparation

Preheat oven to 375°F and butter an 8-inch round baking pan. Line bottom with a round of wax paper and butter paper.

Chop chocolate into small pieces. In a double boiler or metal bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water melt chocolate with butter, stirring, until smooth. Remove top of double boiler or bowl from heat and whisk sugar into chocolate mixture. Add eggs and whisk well. Sift 1/2 cup cocoa powder over chocolate mixture and whisk until just combined. Pour batter into pan and bake in middle of oven 25 minutes, or until top has formed a thin crust. Cool cake in pan on a rack 5 minutes and invert onto a serving plate.

Dust cake with additional cocoa powder and serve with sorbet if desired. (Cake keeps, after being cooled completely, in an airtight container, 1 week.)

from Gourmet November 1997

Grilled Pizza

If you like pizza with a crisp crust, trying making pizza on the grill. There’s no need for special equipment like a pizza stone or pizza pan–the fire is all it takes to produce a crisp, blistery crust. The recipe suggests dividing the dough into two portions, but make the pizzas however large or small you want. Offer a variety of toppings or stick to a few simple ingredients. We used pesto, grilled red onions and fresh mozzarella on our pizzas–superb!

Basic Pizza Dough

Makes enough dough for two 9-inch pizzas.

Active time: 30 minutes.

Start to finish: 1 ¾ hours (includes rising).

Ingredients:

1 (¼ -ounce) package (2¼ teaspoons) active dry yeast

About 1¾ cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus additional for kneading and dredging (half can be substituted with whole wheat flour)

¾ cup warm water (105°-115°F), divided

1½ teaspoons salt

1½ teaspoons olive oil

sauce and toppings for pizza

Make the dough and let it rise:

Stir together yeast, 1 tablespoon flour, and ¼ cup warm water in a measuring cup and let stand until surface appears creamy, about 5 minutes. (If mixture doesn’t appear creamy, discard and start over with new yeast.)

Stir together 1¼ cups flour and salt in a large bowl. Add yeast mixture, oil, and remaining ½ cup warm water and stir until smooth. Stir in enough of remaining flour (about ½ cup) so dough comes away from sides of bowl. (The dough will be wetter than other pizza doughs you may have made.)

Knead dough on a dry surface with lightly floured hands (reflour hands when dough becomes too sticky) until smooth, soft, and elastic, about 8 minutes. Form into 2 balls, put on a lightly floured surface, and generously dust with flour. Loosely cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm draft-free place until doubled in bulk, about 1¼ hours.

Shape the dough for grilling:

Do not punch down dough. Carefully dredge 1 ball of dough in a bowl of flour to coat and transfer to work surface. Holding one edge of dough in the air with both hands and letting bottom touch work surface, carefully move hands around edge of dough ( like turning a steering wheel), allowing weight of dough to stretch to roughly 7 inches. Lay dough flat on lightly floured work surface and continue tot work edges with fingers, stretching it into a 9-inch round. Transfer to a floured tray. Repeat procedure with remaining ball of dough. Lightly dust a piece of plastic warp with flour and invert loosely over pizza rounds. Let stand for 10 to 20 minutes before grilling, to puff slightly.

Grill the pizza:

Preheat on high, covered, for 10 minutes, then reduce heat to moderately high. Lightly brush dough with olive oil. Carefully transfer rounds, oiled sides down, to grill rack with your hands and brush tops with oil. Grill crusts, uncovered, until undersides are golden brown, about 2 minutes (rotate them if one side of grill is hotter than the other). Flip crusts over with two metal spatulas, spread each crust evenly with sauce and add desired toppings. Grill pizzas, covered with lid, until undersides are golden brown and cheese is melted, about 3 minutes more.

Notes:

–The dough can be allowed to rise, covered and refrigerated in a bowl (two bowls if making the grilled pizzas), for up to 1 day. Bring to room temperature before shaping.

–The dough can be frozen for up tot 1 month. Thaw and bring to room temperature before shaping.

From The Gourmet Cookbook (Houghton Mifflin 2004, p 199).

Pumpkin Apple Bread

 

Autumn-time means pumpkin-time, but it also means apple-time. Good thing this recipe doesn’t make me choose between the two–we get the best of both worlds: pumpkin and apple in a delicious spiced bread. Not only is the bread simple to make, but it keeps well, making it the perfect treat to make on the weekend and take to that mid-week brunch or party. 

Pumpkin Apple Bread

Makes two 9-by-5-inch loaves
Active time: 30 minutes
Start to finish: 3 hours (includes cooling)

For Topping
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
5 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened

For Bread
3 cups all-purpose flour
¾ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking soda
 1½  teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
¼ teaspoon ground allspice
1 (15-ounce) can solid-pack pumpkin
¾ cup vegetable oil
2¼ cups sugar
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and chopped (2 cups)

Make the topping:
Blend together flour, sugar, cinnamon, and butter in a small bowl with your fingertips until mixture resembles coarse meal.

Make the bread:
Put a rack in middle of oven and preheat oven to 350°F. Butter two 9-by-5-inch loaf pans.

Sift together flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and allspice into a medium bowl. Whisk together pumpkin, oil, sugar, and eggs in a large bowl. Add flour mixture, stirring until well combined. Fold in apples.

Divide batter between buttered loaf plans. Sprinkle half of topping evenly over each loaf. Bake until a wooden pick or skewer inserted in center of bread comes out clean, 50 to 60 minutes.

Cool loaves in pans on a rack for 45 minutes, then turn out onto rack and cool completely, about 1 hour.

Cook’s Note:
The bread keeps, wrapped well in plastic wrap and foil and refrigerated, for up to 1 week. It can also be frozen for up to 1 month.

From The Gourmet Cookbook. (Houghton Mifflin 2004, 599).

Germany Part 5: More Winzerkeller Wiesloch Photos

Freshly picked.

One of the three master winemakers draws us a sample from the premium Spätburgunder.

"Without wine and love, life is dreary."

Warehouse.

Waiting to be pressed.

Filling time.

Traditional.

Composition in blue and orange.

Here is the steeple.

Germany Part 4: Winzerkeller Wiesloch

A glass from Winzerkeller Wiesloch with their grape leaf logo.

The last three days of our trip were spent visiting Winzerkeller Wiesloch, about an hour south of Frankfurt. Caroline’s company is importing wine from Winzerkeller Wiesloch, so we were there to observe the production process, take photos for marketing material and talk business (ok, Caroline did this with her fluent German–I only caught bits and pieces).

The town of Wiesloch. Some vineyards are visible on the hill in the horizon.

The word Winzerkeller means “wine cellar,” and Wiesloch refers to the town where the winery is located. Winzerkeller Wiesloch is a co-op, producing wines from all the different vintners’ grapes in the area. As a result, Winzerkeller Wiesloch offers many different varietals. The most popular and prized varietal, though, remains the Riesling. Since the 1970s, people associated German wine with a particular sweet, saccharine Riesling. While there is such a Riesling, German winemakers also craft dry Rieslings (the label will read Trocken). If you’ve stayed away from German wines because of their reputation for sweetness, try a Trocken Riesling.

Spätburgunder or pinot noir grapes.

While white wines do comprise the majority of German wines (81%), Germany is not without its red wines (19%). The most common red wine is the Spätburgunder (pinot noir). While the American pinot noir is often a deep red color, the German Spätburgunder is much lighter in color, almost the same color as a deeper Rose. The pinot noir has been explained to me as a versatile wine, able to paired with food we normally think to pair with white wine (such as chicken or pasta) as well as red wine (red meat). Considering this, it makes sense that a pinot noir would be lighter in color as it is able to vacillate between the regions of white and red wine.

Riesling grapes.

The harvest season in Germany is later than in many parts of the world because Germany’s cooler climate means the grapes stay on the vine longer. Our visit in late September coincided with the Spätburgunder harvest. Winzerkeller Wiesloch has different quality lines of Spätburgunder–both table wine and premium wine–and the grapes are cared for accordingly. The table wine is harvested by a large tractor that straddles the grape vine. Caroline and I were lucky enough to ride in the cab of one of these tractors as the harvester drove up and down the rows of vines. The floor of the cab was glass so we could look down and see the grapes being harvested. I didn’t want to look down for long, though, because the view of the valley from 20 feet in the air was exhilarating. We bumped along, holding on tightly, as the tractor labored over the rough ground to harvest the grapes. When we got down, our host at the winery asked me, “As good as Disneyland?” “Better!” I replied. Unpredicatable, rustic, connected to the land–beats Disneyland any day.

Harvesters hard at work.

If the tractor harvesting the table wine grapes was all excitement, the people hand-harvesting the grapes for the premium were all about community. When we stopped to take photos of them harvesting, they were all smiles, eager to hear what we were doing and joke with us. From the five-year old boy from Denmark to the 85-year old woman who had been harvesting grapes her entire life, the workers had cultivated their own community while harvesting these grapes. Our host explained that for these workers harvesting is something they enjoy doing doing together: they rise early in the morning, work hard for hours (hard work tempered by deep jollity) and at noon feast together on Zwiebelkuchen and Federweisser or other German fare.

The Kapelle in the middle of the vineyards.

The vineyards of Wiesloch provided a gathering place not only for the harvesters, but also for community members by providing a place to pursue leisure activities. A troupe of ten year old boys pedaled hard up the steep hills on their bikes; an older couple walked along the dirt road, sampling the grapes; and a young family rode their bikes, kids in the bike trailer, dog running alongside them. For the people of Wiesloch, the vineyards and winery are an essential part of both the local economy and recreation.

Oak barrels holding the premium wine.

After the grapes are harvested, they are driven by tractor to the winery as often as every thirty minutes. The grapes are immediately pressed so as to maximize their potential. After pressing, the wine is put into large casks, either steel or oak depending on the wine being made, sugar is added and the wine is left to ferment. Caroline and I were guided through the warehouse where large steel casks brushed the top of the 30 foot ceiling. In a smaller hallway, ten 40 liter wooden barrels held prized wine reserved for the Christmas season. We sampled wine that had been fermenting for one week (it still had its carbonation), wine in the oak barrels that had recently been put in the oak barrels (lacked some depth) and the premium wine (Wunderbar! Deep, layered, rich).

Conveyor belt in the bottling department.

Next it was off to the bottling department. Between the clinking of hundreds of glass bottles and the not-too-gentle hum of the machines, it is no wonder the workers were wearing ear plugs. Steam rose from the machine that washed and sanitized the bottles. The bottles were then shuffled along a conveyor belt, whirled round the filling spigots, capped (these particular caps were screw caps) and labels were attached. After being distributed among boxes, the wines were stored in a warehouse until they were sold to grocery stores, alcohol stores or other clients. Some wines were sent to the retail center and tasting room, where one could sample the various wines and purchase their favorites.

Tomorrow: more photos from Winzerkeller Wiesloch.

Germany Part 3: Weingut Stutzmann

The drive from Meckenheim to Einselthum was beautiful--little villages with red roofs, sparkling rivers and ruined forts.

Driving through Einselthum to Weingut Stutzmann. The German villages reminded me of the villages in England.

Weingut Stutzmann. On the other side of the house there is a courtyard, barn, cellar and of course, the vineyards.

View from the back.

Flowers in windowbox.

Notice the reflection of the church steeple in the tractor window? Every German village had a steeple reaching higher than any of the other buildings.

Grapes. Or Trauben, as they say in Deutschland.

More grapes.

Casks.

Crate of Stutzmann wine. The Stutzmann winery has been in operation for 130 years.

Corks.

Labels.

Walnuts from the walnut tree in the backyard.

Discussing the corks.

Reflection.

Germany Part 2: Meckenheim in Photos

Our hostess, the wonderful Kuchen baker.

Relaxing in the afternoon sunshine.

Our hosts' granddaughter, Leonie.

What remained of the popular Apfelkuchen.

After our Kuchen, we went on a bike ride through Meckenheim.

Here I am with our host and Leonie. The apartment on the left is where my family and I used to live.

See the small square window in the center of the photo? That was my room, which was actually a second kitchen. Our family actually had two adjoining apartments because the typical four-person apartment was too small for our family of six.

Same apartment from a different angle. I remember standing on the balcony and looking out on the street. The trees and plants certainly have grown a lot in the last 18 years.

Caroline is standing with the bicycles. Every bicycle has to be registered in Germany, and children have to pass a bike test and driving course in 4th grade to receive a special bicycle license.

Caroline sneaks one last look at our old backyard.

Many of the streets in Meckenheim were named after composers. This is Mozartstrasse, and we lived on Beethovenstrasse.

This is Caroline's elementary school, which she rode her bike to every day. Notice the European Union flag painted on the school building.

Leonie loved going down the slide at the park and didn't want to go home!

Germany Part 1: Kaffee und Kuchen

Almond kuchen in Meckenheim.

On this pilgrimage of sorts to the country of my ancestors, the country where I spent the first four years of my life, I made an important self-discovery: the intensity of my weak spot for sweets. Of course ice cream and dark chocolate had always ranked high on my list of favorite foods, but why was I so enamored with Kuchen, the cake of Germany? Well, it all began in the Frankfurt airport.

My plane arrived a couple hours before Caroline’s plane, so I set about to find a credit-card accepting café where I could begin my German food tasting. Marche café, which markets itself as Frisch, Gesund, Schnell (fresh, healthy, fast), caught my eye with its bakery cases of pastries, baskets of fresh fruit and offerings of traditional bratwursts. I chose a pastry that looked like a soft focaccia topped with sliced almonds and apple pieces. A cappuccino was all I needed to complete my meal. I sat in the Treffpunkt (meeting place) next to the café, opened the brown paper bag holding the warm pastry and immediately the inviting smell of yeast wafted towards me. Warm, sweet, slightly sticky and utterly comfort food.

Federweisser in Wiesloch.

After Caroline arrived, we drove two hours across the countryside to visit friends in Meckenheim, the town where we used to live. Though we arrived past lunchtime, our hostess had a traditional German lunch waiting for us: Zwiebelkuchen and a savory broccoli tart. Zwiebelkuchen is an onion tart served in autumn with Federweisser, a half-fermented wine available during the grape harvest season. Because it is still fermenting, the sugars, which are turning into alcohol, release carbon dioxide and make the beverage carbonated. After having spent many sleepless hours in the plane and braving the autobahn in our rental car, the home-cooked tarts not only satisfied our hunger but between the tender crust and mellow, earthy flavors of the onions and broccoli schmeckt sehr gut!

Apfelkuchen at our friends' home in Meckenheim.

Four o’clock rolled around and what luck!–that wonderful smell of baked yeast goods filled the house. I peeked in the kitchen to see our hostess pulling an almond-covered Kuchen out of the oven. Soon the electric mixer was whirring –freshly whipped cream. Our hostess had made also made an Apfelkuchen (apple cake) for our afternoon repast. The sun broke through the cloudy sky and streamed in the windows of the living room where we sat–the type of sun where I would curl up and take a nap if I were a cat. With Apfelkuchen, the almond kuchen, coffee and bowl of Schlagsahne (whipped cream), we were treated royally. And the Kuchen was so delicious! The Apfelkuchen was moist and had a fine crumb, a fitting cake for Autumn. The crisp almonds on top of the almond Kuchen provided a lovely contrast with the buttery, sweet, soft Brioche-like Kuchen. A bike ride through Meckenheim ensured we got some exercise in the midst of our feasting.

Käsekuchen at Weingut Stutzmann in Einselthum.

The next afternoon Caroline and I hugged our friends goodbye, exchanged good wishes and called Tschus! Next stop: Einselthum further south in the Pfalz wine region. Einselthum is a charming town tucked amid fields of grass and low, rolling hills covered with grape vines. Einselthum was also home to Weingut Stutzmann, and this was our destination. We were greeted by three very friendly Stutzmanns, who graciously gave us a tour of their winery. As it was late-afternoon, we were also invited to stay for Kaffee und Kuchen. Die Frau had baked a Käsekuchen (cheesecake). Sehr Lecker!

An almond kuchen topped with apricots in Heidelberg.

The last three days of our trip found us further south in the town of Wiesloch visiting the Winzerkeller Wiesloch (winery of Wiesloch). At breakfast in our hotel I tried Marmorkuchen, sometimes called Tiger Cake because its chocolate and vanilla marbling resembles a tiger’s fur. Another lunch of Zwiebelkuchen and Federweisser had me wondering how hard it would be to get a bottle of Federweisser in the States. On our last day we spent an afternoon in Heidelberg, half an hour to the north. With the Schloss (castle) to tour and the town to see, we needed sustenance. A small café with home-baked Kuchen was the perfect place for lunch. Cake for lunch? Yep. The theme of Kuchen on this trip had already made itself apparent to me, so in the name of research I had Kuchen for lunch. I had a slice of almond cake with apricots on top, while Caroline had a slice of Apfelstreusel with whipped cream. This was the last day of our trip, but not our last Kuchen. That evening we ate dinner at a farm restaurant, open only 6-8 weeks of the year during harvest time. For dessert: Apfelkuchen and Zwetschgenkuchen (plum cake).

I’ve been Kuchen-less since I’ve come back to the States, but that will soon change. No, I’m not going back to Germany. And I’m not having Kuchen shipped here from Germany. I’m going to put the 6″ springform pan and Kleine Kuchen cookbook I bought in Germany to work. Looks like that chocolate bar will have to sit in the cupboard a little longer while I enjoy my Kaffee und Kuchen.

Germany: A Prologue

A tree on which even the bark was green.

Not long before I went to Germany I was asked what I hoped to gain from the trip. What do I hope for? I wondered. I hope my picture of Germany is redeemed. My idea of Germany was colored by two frigid (for a Californian, at least) days I spent in Berlin last December with Laura. We had been studying abroad in England for nearly four months and had spent the previous seven days touring Italy, which was just as disappointingly cold. Homesick and tired, we spent our days seeking respite indoors: the world-famous Kaufhaus des Westens department store kept us occupied for a couple hours, with its six floors of fur jackets, fine china and restaurants (don’t worry, we also made it to a couple museums). Apart from the colorfulness of the tropical fruit at the Kaufhaus café, though, Berlin was cold, gray and bleak.

When I had the opportunity to accompany Caroline on a business trip to Germany this September I was exultant. Here was someone who spoke German fluently, who could lead me along and help me have personal interaction with the people. Our family lived in Germany when we were younger, but since I was only four years old when we moved back to the U.S., I needed someone to tell me that this was the brand of coffee our family used to buy or these were the orchards we rode our bikes through. Germany is a part of my past, and I wanted the Germany where my siblings and I got our favorite Steiff stuffed animals; the Germany where my parents loaded us four kids into the VW bus to tour little villages, salt mines and the Black Forest; the Germany where I first recall looking out my bedroom window at the starry sky.

It didn’t take more than a day for my idea of Germany to change. Strangely, though, it wasn’t my memories as a four-year old in Germany that helped create a new picture of Germany for me; it was my semester spent studying in England a year ago. I discovered that much of what I loved about England – cobblestone streets, stone walls draped in ivy, little towns tucked between grassy hills,  – was also present in Germany. The things I loved about England, while undoubtedly distinctly English in many ways, also partook of something bigger than England – they were part of the Old World. These were the elements not found in the U.S., the elements that made me want to put down my camera and take a picture in my head.

So what words characterize Germany for me now? Green. Beautiful. Charming. History-laden. Welcoming.

——————

To come: Kaffe und Kuchen, The Wineries and more!