Hot Breads Bakery - My Favorite Indian Street Food Cafe

What do corn on the cob with queso fresco, fried yams, kenkey, injera, cassava bread, dhal puri, badam vaja, soto ayam, jalebi, empanadas, sabikh, and crepes have in common? Any guesses? They are all varieties of street food found across our borders. Street food is a ready to eat food or drink that is sold on the side of streets in stalls, portable carts, or folding tables, travelling pedestrian vendors, public markets.
My stomach cannot handle street food from a street vendor in India anymore (as I've tried and tested on my previous trips). Man I miss those gol gappas or pani puri served in dried banana leaves. It was all about the experience, you see. Lucky for me there are a few bakeries/cafes that sell such street food near my town. I can enjoy these in the comforts of air conditioned and spacious seating accommodations. The one I really like and go often is Hot Breads Bakery. I reviewed them about two years ago and cited how much I loved their cakes and cookies.
This year, it's all about their take on street food such as samosa chaat, kati rolls, and bhel puri. Oh man just typing these is making my stomach grumble.

Feast your eyes on this mighty filling and mouth watering Samosa Chaat. By far the best I've eaten in the NY/NJ area. It beat out Sukhadia's version in Edison. The breakdown of this meal starts with a warm and toasty samosa that is fried to perfection without being too oily and/or crispy. It is also important to note that the potato curry filling had just the right amount of seasoning without overpowering it. Once this crispy samosa is cut it into pieces, it's layered with other equally flavorful ingredients such as chole curry, tamarind and mint chutneys, sev, chopped red onions and fresh coriander. 

Check out these Super Sized Kati Rolls!

Their Paneer Kati Rolls are good as well! My parents are pretty picky and even they loved them; probably because they were well seasoned. I ate this for lunch and dinner one day because each  half was pretty filling. The Indian flatbread or tortilla is filled with roasted paneer, bell peppers, onions, tomato, and seasoning. It's flavored to perfection. You can ask them to make it mild, medium or spicy depending on your spice level as well as request more tamarind chutney (sweet) to tone down the spicy taste. 

The takeaway from all this talk about Hot Breads is that it doesn't break the bank..hence the term street food. Every "street food" item on the menu is between $5-7 and it's quite filling. That's enough for me to return. Next time, I'm going to try this popular Bombay item called Vada Pav. Have you ever heard of it?

Also check out Wanderfood Wednesdays; where Laura takes you on a journey around the world one dish at a time. Until then, tata! 

I Cheated On My Vitamix Blender!

It's tough to eat healthy when you're traveling on business. Last week I attended PITTCON in Philly and boy did I miss the Vitamix blender. Ever since we bought this baby, we've been whipping up all sorts of shakes, soups and sorbets. I didn't know veggie smoothies tasted so good. Vitamix, where have you been all my life?

The Reading Terminal Market, a delicious wonder!

It took me a day or two to get acclimated with my surroundings and find this wondrous place called the Reading Terminal Market, steps away from the convention center. Hallelujah!! So many cuisines at one location: Japanese, Indian, Middle Eastern, Cajun, Greek, Mediterranean, Gourmet cheeses, etc. I can go on and on but I think you get my drift!

Flying Monkey Whoopie Pies

My favorites:
Kamal's Middle Eastern - good Shwerma sandwiches & platters
Nanee's Kitchen - Spinach and paneer curry, yellow dal, and the other veg varieties; Mango lassi (just be mindful that veg and non veg mixed platters - not cheap!)
Flying Monkey Bakery - Whoopie Pies: Red Velvet and Banana Foster (oh so heavenly)
El Rey, 2013 Chestnut St. location (my cousin's pick) - Loved the ambiance! Corn on the cob w/ chipotle and queso fresco, the tacos and Salted caramel ice cream. Yum!!!

Though I cheated on my Vitamix diet regime, I maintained my figure with exercise. I took advantage of the jog parks by the hotel and jogged as far as my legs could take me. I even participated in a 5K Run/Walk (benefiting Wounded Warriors Project) that took place at the Boathouse Row, a couple miles away. It felt great kicking off my heels for a pair of Skeletoes, my new running footwear.

After a week long of experimenting with my palate, there's nothing more I enjoy than good ol' home cooking and a healthy shake. I called from the road and my mom had hot rotis served with Sarson Ka Saag waiting at home for her baby (me of course). Moms are awesome, aren't they. They know just what you need. Recipe will be up soon.

Hot Breads Bakery - More than Just Bread!!

I'm always on the lookout for cute little places to spend some of my down time...maybe to read a book while I enjoy a treat or catch up with friends on my lappy (laptop). I know there's an array of places like coffeehouses and eateries but I really dislike coffee and I don't like noisy places. Furthermore since I moved back to my hometown, I've been exploring more places around my town. One day as I was running a couple of errands for my mom, I passed by this place. It's one of those places where you could easily miss it unless you were on a mission. Anyways, I walked inside and right away I got a whiff of whatever was baking in the oven at the other end of the bakery. At most bakeries I've been to, the menu items consist of the usual baked goods such as breads and more breads and specialty pastries. At Hot Breads, aside from the usual, as you can understand from my title, they have a variety of items to choose from. Here's a short list of some items I do remember from my visit: curry puffs (both vegetarian and non-vegetarian), snacks like bhel puri, chaat, samosas, and more filling meals like pizzas, paninis and vada pav sandwiches. It was like a One stop shop.

It took me a few good minutes to decide what I wanted to order. I'm not sure if you can tell from my illustration above but the order counter was placed between two shelves adorned with mouth watering and appetizing pastries of all flavors and colors. Savory ones on the left and sweets on the right. You might think weird of me but for as long as I can remember, dessert came before dinner, lunch or whatever. I have a sweet tooth that just doesn't rest until it's satisfied. So, I settled on a few curry puffs that were alright because I was so engrossed with the pleasing view of the sweets before me. Each and everyone of them were calling my name, waiting desperately to be spooned into my mouth. After the puffs, I returned to the counter once more, ordered a chocolate mousse cake and brought it back to my cafe style dining area.

Little did I know that my choice wasn't the most popular pastry. I enjoyed it nonetheless since it was nice, creamy and sweet (my unofficial middle name). I heard from one of the staff members that the Black Forest Cake is delicious too...so I will keep that in mind for my next visit. Now I'm not the PR spokeswoman for this delightful place but I gotta tell ya...their pizzas and paninis must be popular. While I was enjoying every last bite of my cake, I saw one the skilled staff making 5 vegetable paninis in one go and man can he move! My short visit became an extended stay filled with good eats, information and company from the staff in between their orders. I finally made my exit and made a note of the items I will try next time I'm in the area. 

If you're in the neighborhood, stop in and try some of their goodies. And if you're in a hurry or on the run, you can always place an order over the phone. Maybe I'll see you there sometime...

Hester Street Fair

It's that time of the year again...the start of the street fairs season. I love it! It gives me a chance to get outside, stretch my legs, and support the local talent. The day before Mother's Day, I attended the Hester Street Fair's grand opening day in New York City. I made an excuse to go to the fair just so I could get something for the two special ladies in my life, my mom and grandmother. My friend and I took our time strolling through the fair; taking in all the sights, sounds and smells. I even found some things for the ladies so I wouldn't go home empty-handed. Here are just a few of the highlights:

As we walked into the fair grounds, we that the first stall was adorned with these beautiful mini garden creations, which are custom designed by Ms. Vashali Maria. They are perfect for all kinds of spaces and gardeners-at-heart, whether you live in a small city apartment or have a greenhouse. I love this idea of bringing inside "a piece of nature" into your home and enjoying it all year around.

Casa Helecho

Next up are the simple and colorful Indian wooden block print designs on clothing, accessories, and home furnishings by Juli Raja. I found some great gift items for my friends' kids (cute lil dresses and shirts for boys).

While we visited a few more of the stalls, we heard some weird sounds coming from nearby and realized they were from our own stomachs...we were really hungry from all the walking.

We came across a stall called  La Sonrisa where they were frying empanadas and so we tried one that was filled with coconut curry chicken. It was pretty good. The outside texture and crunchiness of the snack reminded me of these sweets from India called Kajjikayalu or Gujiya which are usually filled with coconut and jaggery. We also had the opportunity to sample some watermelon sorbet where the chefs used nitrogen liquid as the freezing agent as we have seen often on shows like Iron Chef America.
After we sampled more savory treats like cheddar and jalapeno topped pretzels from Sigmund Pretzels and soft tacos from Brooklyn Taco Co., we headed over to Melt Bakery for some dessert. We decided ahead of time we would buy one item from each of the stalls, so we could try more. So at the Melt Bakery, we chose the peach ice cream and brown butter burbon shortbread cookie sandwich. The sweetness of the shortbread cookies complemented the tangy flavor of the ice cream (the one on the far left). It was a winner in my book.

On our way out of the fair, I saw Roni-Sue Chocolates and became super excited. I sampled their chocolate creations at the 2009 Chocolate Show and so I knew how delicious their chocolates were. They didn't have my favorite chocolate and so we went to their store located inside the Essex Market.

I bought a dozen box of truffles for Mother's Day and my friend bought a couple of nickel bags of bacon chocolate for himself and his friends. The next day, I surprised the ladies with a special breakfast and lots of "sweet" love.

Overall, I had a great time at the fair. The food prices were reasonable and fun to learn about the various cuisines and sweet treats. The business owners were really friendly and informative. So, you haven't checked it out yet, go for it. The Hester Street Fair is open every Saturday from 10am-6pm until October. It is located between Hester and Essex streets in Lower East Side, NY.