WHAT’S COOKIN’ RESTAURANT REVIEW:

Voted best in O.C., Niki’s offers authentic Indian cuisine

By Affad Shaikh, Contributing Writer

You might be thinking same old curry, same old naan - I will pass. I would roll my eyes and sigh in consternation, but do you know there is an Indian restaurant out there that was voted Orange County’s Best for People’s Choice in September 2003, and it is totally zabiha? Yes, neither did this food reviewer, until I heard about Niki’s Indian Food. Located in an inconspicuous business area of Santa Ana, cloistered in what resembles a World Food Fair- with sushi, Mexican, American and fast food joints all around it; Niki’s is not a place to fit a large party. It is decorated with hand-painted murals of Indian sights. Upon arriving at the restaurant, I thought I would put the award to the test and see if it is truly "the best." Walking in, I was impressed by the variety in the menu. If you are new to Indian food, the choices might seem a bit overwhelming but not to worry. The owner, Anjum, is an easygoing guy who will help you find what you want. Personally, what caaught my eye were the reasonable food prices and menu items, such as the Express combo and the family ‘Take Out Special’. The combo meals are served from a buffet counter. Although I am not a fan of Indian buffet, others can enjoy the paalak paneer (the spinach with cheese), samosas, biryani rice (a rice prepared with meat, yogurt and spices), and various other meat and vegetable curries. The samosa, which is a fried triangular bread stuffed with either chicken, beef or potatoes, was spicy, which is not normal for many Indian restaurants that cater to the American palate. Anjum, who hails from Karachi, Pakistan, took over the restaurant less than a year ago. It was his decision to make all the items "zabiha." He explained that what sets Niki’s apart from other Indian restaurants is the use of personally prepared spices as opposed to commercial prepackaged spices. I decided to take that challenge and ordered a separate dish of chicken tikka masala, chicken tikka and beef kabab, along with an order of naan and raita (yogurt dip) that were not offered at the buffet. The chicken tikka (tikka is chicken cut into small pieces) and the beef kabab are both prepared by being put on an open fire after being marinated. I enjoy eating these with chopped onions sprinkled with lemon, breaking off pieces of the naan to eat portions of the kabab or tikka. The spices did set them apart, but one important factor was the care with which they were prepared. The chicken tikka was moist and juicy, while the beef kabab was heavenly. It just melted in my mouth because of the tenderness of the meat and moisture; the taste had a distinct fresh ground coriander taste. The chicken tikka masala consists of the boneless tikka meat but added to a thick gravy of cream and marination. The richness of this dish was exquisite; however, for this reviewer’s palate, the taste was a bit too strong and was best complimented by the biryani rice that was prepared in a bland style with little spices and yogurt. Food worth waiting for is food well worth eating is how I see it. Good Indian food is differentiated by the special care put in preparing the spices and the style in which it is cooked; this is the hallmark approach at Niki’s Indian Food. This is most probably a significant factor to Niki’s being voted Orange County’s Best. The special ordered dishes were flavorful and did not cater to American palates but rather stayed true to Indian standards of rich and vibrant flavors from fresh ground spices. However, I also believe two other factors help Niki’s – simple menu choices, including the Express and Family take out specials, and the quantity of food served at a reasonable price. Get your Indian cuisine on and see if Niki’s lives up to People’s Choice recognition.

Leaving for San Francisco

I am going to be travelling this weekend. I have to admit, I have not flown anywhere for close to a year now, man I miss flying so much. I do not know what this facsination with flight is all about- probably the idea of freedom, ability to go wherever and whenever you want too, yeh I do like that ability.

But I realized that many of the things relating to passenger carry-on have changed. So I visited the TSA (transportation security adminstration) website to make sure I was up to date on the new rules and that I brought myself to comply with them.

Being Muslim is difficult already when everyone suspects you for something, but at an airport that heightened sense of scrutiny is only further exacerbated if Muslims seem incapable of following directions, or God Forbid stopping and finding a place to pray before their flight. I encourage everyone travelling to re-aquaint themselves with the new rules and follow them to the letter. Its always better to be safe then sorry and in a unfortunate situation.

From the Spice Islands with Love

By Affad Shaikh

I admit, this intrepid food reviewer has a palate yearning for the “exotic” and on my most recent trip I went to another uncharted cuisine. You might have read about Sri Lankan curries, or Thai pannang in my previous restaurant reviews. This time we head further South East to visit Toko Rame Halal restaurant in Bellflower to get a taste of the far off Spice Islands of Indonesia.

Toko is fairly small, and the compact size makes it difficult to take large groups. More of a family environment you are greeted by a warm and smiling woman wearing the Hijab and service is prompt and courteous. Beware; they take cash and only cash, however, twenty bucks can feed four people easily. The food list is extensive- vegetarian choices are numerous- but spicy means spicy. Hours are short; the kitchen closes 15 minutes before closing.

Speaking of kitchens, the Indonesian kitchen is one of the first to use spices like cloves, nutmeg and mace. Indonesia's indigenous techniques and ingredients are influenced by and have influenced cuisine in India, the Middle East, China and Europe. Its 190 million people comprise some 50 large ethnic groups and 18,000 islands make up Indonesia. That makes for one busy kitchen at Toko Rame Halal, where you can find selections from across the Indonesian islands- I ate food from Java, Sumatra and Bali.

I began with an appetizer- Lumpia, a fried egg roll. Like egg rolls found at Chinese or Thai restaurants, Lumpia was served with a chili paste sauce that was slightly sweet very spicy, and I found some portion of beef scattered inside the rolls. I quickly moved on to my Lunch special which was Nasi Rendang Padang.

For 6 dollars you get a serving of rice, beef curry, potato cake and a vegetable curry along with some brightly colored rice chips. The serving is great for the price. Padang cuisine, anything with that word, is ubiquitous to spicy, fiery-hot West Sumatran food from the Minangkabau people. These people were most influenced by the Indian and Arab traders and quickly adopted their versions of stews, curries and kebabs into their diets. The beef was prepared in a dry curry, with strong tastes of coriander and cumin, and it lacked the “kick” that most Indian spices have. The vegetable curry was sweet in taste, while the potato cake was dry and bland a perfect match for the stronger tasting beef and vegetable curry.

My next meal, Curry Noodles- was a mountain of surprise- reflected the Chinese and Indian food that is found in Jakarta where meals are lighter in spices, and lean on the sweeter side using sweet soy sauce or palm sugar in the main dish. The curry was very light and aromatic, nothing like Indian or coconut curries I have eaten. It had a very light taste that was punctuated by the strong ginger, garlic and basil found in the meal. Served with angel hair pasta, the curry was a mouth watering delight; however, there are cut chilis, surprise pineapple pieces as well as cabbage and bean sprouts. The meal could feed two people, and was under $7, I was very pleased with this choice.

My final dish was a Bali favorite and those Bali cooks add hot chills with complete abandon because this food reviewer found himself panting and gasping for breath and water after eating the Ayam Bumbu Bali. I take Bumbu here meant, super spicy knock your shocks off sort, because I started off sensing this very distinct sweet taste and found the chicken to be very flavorful, but then this train of hot chili blasts into my mouth. Bali Chicken perked my taste buds and played around with my senses, sweet yet distinctly spicy I recommend only to those who can handle spicy.

Indonesian spices long fought over by the world, can now truly be enjoyed in the mix of cuisine that is Toko Rame Halal. A rare and exotic treasure trove of various foods and possibilities to choose from are near endless, and very inexpensive, this food reviewer highly recommends trying Toko Rame Halal.

New Passport Rules

Dont Forget your Passport!

By Affad Shaikh

New brings new laws and policies. One that affects all of us is the US policy on travelling. According to the State Department, all travellers to Mexico, Canada and the Carribeans must have a passport with them upon entry to the United States.

So that means: You must take your passport, but you dont need a visa. You have to present your passport when you are arriving back into the United States, but you should still take all precuations you would take when travelling with such an important document.

Muslims have faced "interviews" with Customs agents frequently, but those who can not produce a passport will be interviewed by customs agents, who will decide whether to let them into the country. I wonder if the treatment metted out to Muslims will also be visited upon these negligent air travellers.

The only valid substitutes for a passport will be a NEXUS Air card, used by some American and Canadian frequent fliers; identification as a US Coast Gaurd merchant mariner; and the green card carried by legal permanent residents. Active members of the U.S. military are exempt U.S. Coast Guard

The policy signals a shift in how the United States controls the access to its borders by requiring all people to present proper identification in this case a passport versus what used to be a drivers liscence in the past. This policy will be further enhanced by January 2008, when all border crossings- land, sea and air- will require US citizens to have a passport upon seeking entry into the United States.

Party poopers indeed. Imagine all those drunk UCSD and SDSU students trying to remember where they left their passport, some coyote probably slipped them a pill, a hot mamasita and swiped their passport from under their nose- sucks to be intoxicated. This new measure will definatly dampen the cross border economy built on tourist and party animal money alike.

Win Thai: A Fresh Alternative

A Fresh Alternative

By Affad Shaikh




Thai food is a wonderful alternative to the "where should we eat" question; there is always something for everyone.

The variety of dishes found at a Thai restaurant can be mind boggling for a hungry palate, so I’ll take it upon myself to guide you through the menu at Win Thai.

Win Thai is not the place to go if you are looking for service or ornaments. Down-to-earth and cheap are the two characteristics that define the Win Thai experience. What you are here for is food. The "halal" sign on the door should guide you here. There are no pork or alcohol dishes to contend with like many other Thai restaurants.

Lunch is quick in service and offers a well-balanced meal. It comes with a main dish, side of rice (steamed or fried) as well as your choice of a bowl of soup or salad. All of this is just under $6. The soup, Tom Kah Gai, is worth trying. A hot and sour concoction, flavored with chili, lemon grass and coconut milk, this soup creates a lip-smacking tart taste with chicken and mushrooms.

Quintessential to Thai food are pad thai, panang, and curries. If you have never had Thai food, these are the main dishes to choose from before experimenting with other options.

Pad Thai is a one meal deal from the streets of Bangkok. It’s a mix of rice noodles, fried eggs, bean sprouts, and cabbage (to name a few ingredients), in addition to a choice of chicken, beef, or shrimp. Prepared in a wok, seasoned to taste, and topped with peanut sauce, the dish is amazing in its blending of sweet and spicy. I find it quite filling. Pad Thai can be difficult to eat due to its consistency of noodles and vegetables, but the taste is tantalizing, though I have tasted better at other places.

In Thai cooking there are four flavors: sour, sweet, creamy and salty. Heat stirs the flavors up, and all tastes are basic and concentrated. For example, mint leaves means large mint leaves in the dish, but that is what creates the "sweet spots" where the flavor just tastes right. This is what makes Thai curries different from Indian curries.

I strongly recommend the panang at Win Thai, although it is an acquired taste. Chicken or beef is cooked with coconut milk. This basic ingredient is the base that gives a sweet and creamy texture to the dish, while the spice is found in the basil leaves and chili flavoring. However, put a touch of soy sauce on the rice because I found the salt lacking.

If you are not a sweet curry fan, then try the mint, ginger, garlic or green curry dishes. Each curry is built around the one defining ingredient and is spicy to taste. Green curry is a good replacement for the creamy texture of the Panang but without the sweetness. Keep in mind that each curry has a strong taste of the one main ingredient.

A King of Thailand once mandated to his cooks that no dish be served more than twice a year and that each meal must be different from the previous. At Win Thai, you can choose from a wide variety of exceptional flavors and have a different culinary experience with each visit. Win Thai offers a refreshing alternative to the Indian, Arab, American and Persian restaurants with little damage to your wallet.