INDIAN HEAT - WITHOUT THE MEAT WOODLANDS BRINGS NATION'S SOUTHERN STYLE TO CHATSWORTH.Byline: Larry Lipson Restaurant Critic IF I WERE a vegetarian, I'd be eating a lot of Southern Indian food. That's because Southern Indians do so much more with vegetables than any others who practice vegetarian cooking. And they don't depend so much on the amazingly versatile soybean soybean, soya bean, or soy pea, leguminous plant (Glycine max, G. soja, or Soja max) of the family Leguminosae (pulse family), native to tropical and warm temperate regions of Asia, where it has been , either. Woodlands, a new Southern Indian vegetarian restaurant in Chatsworth, is the second location of the original Artesia Woodlands. This, in itself, has meaning, because Artesia, with its large Indian community, is said to be the home of some of the best Indian restaurants in the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. . The most recognizable food item is the dosa (or dhosa), a large, thin crepe crepe (krāp), thin fabric of crinkled texture, woven originally in silk but now available in all major fibers. There are two kinds of crepe. , sometimes quite crispy, utilizing lentil lentil, leguminous Old World annual plant (Lens culinaris) with whitish or pale blue flowers. Its pods contain two greenish-brown or dark-colored seeds, also called lentils, which when fully ripe are ground into meal or used in soups and stews. flour, rice and wheat to make the doughs. Woodlands has more dosa variations, at least 15, than I've ever noticed before in a Southern Indian restaurant. Most of the fillings consist of mixtures of potatoes and onions, some more spicy than others. A few also have toppings. Anyway, you shouldn't visit Woodlands without trying both its dosas and uthappam (or oothappam). The latter are thicker than dosas, served pancake style with various veggies Veggies of Nottingham, also known as Veggies Catering Campaign, is a campaigning group based in Nottingham, England, promoting ethicalbum alternatives to mainstream fast food. mixed in with the lentil flour dough. My recommendation to first timers is the most diverse uthappam, the one with tomato, peas, carrots, chiles and onion ($6.25). Dosas, sometimes termed dosai, can be dipped into sambar, a seasoned gravy of sorts made with pureed lentils. Or you can dip into yogurt mixtures, not just the dosa, but a steamed rice and lentil patty called an idly (or idli). These can be ordered as an appetizer ($3.75) but are usually found on the lunch buffet ($7.95) where all sorts of exotic goodies can be sampled. One of them is rasam This article is about the South Indian soup. (Tamil: ரசம்,Rasam)(Kannada: Saaru; Telugu: Chaaru; is a South Indian soup. It is prepared mainly with the juices of tamarind or tomato with pepper and other spices. , a thin, very spicy soup. Another is the vada, fashioned doughnut-style out a lentil flour mixture. The vada doughnuts may also be dipped into the sambar, yogurt or rasam. One of the yogurt mixtures that can be ordered separately ($1.25) is a Southern Indian version of raita rai·ta n. An Indian salad made with yogurt and chopped vegetables or fruits, such as cucumbers, spinach, or bananas. [Hindi r (yogurt and cucumbers) called pachadi. Woodlands kitchen makes three additional soups, all worth trying: fresh tomato soup ($2.95), a sweet corn soup ($3.25) and a lilting vegetable soup ($2.95). One more appetizer item of note that's listed as a house specialty is a cauliflower cauliflower (kô`lĭflou'ər, käl`ĭ–), variety of cabbage, with an edible head of condensed flowers and flower stems. Broccoli is the horticultural variety (botrytis); both were cultivated in Roman times. dish called gobi Manchurian ($6.95). Florets of cauliflower dipped in flour, sauteed with garlic, ginger, chiles and soy sauce arrive as a bowl of slightly crunchy tidbits TidBITS is an award-winning electronic newsletter and web site dealing primarily with Apple Computer and Macintosh-related topics. Internet publication TidBITS has been published weekly since April 16, 1990, which makes it one of the longest running Internet publications. . Of 12 curried dishes made here, there's an enjoyable Southern rendition of the Northern saag paneer Paneer (Hindi: पनीर /pəniːr/, from Persian پنير sometimes spelled Panir or Paner), is the most common Indian form of cheese. (spinach and cheese) called mutter paneer ($7.25) and a good eggplant curry ($6.95) similar to the Northern version titled baingan (or bengan) bartha ($6.95). If you ask for hot (rather than medium or mild) here, be prepared for a fiery dish that needs something soothing or cold (like one of several Indian beers) or a dish of bagala bath ($5.50) served cold and made with yogurt, rice, cucumber and mustard seeds. Woodlands is a welcome addition to the Valley's ethnic culinary landscape, providing adventurous dishes for confirmed vegetarians and new treats for those who like Northern Indian fare and have never experienced South India's range of interesting recipes. Larry Lipson, (818) 713-3668 larry.lipson(at)dailynews.com WOODLANDS SOUTH INDIAN CUISINE South Indian Cuisine is a term used to refer to the cuisines found in the four southern states of India, namely Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. As opposed to North Indian cuisine, there is limited use of garam masala and other dried spices except cardomom, black Food: Three stars - Wine: One star - Service: Three stars Where: 9840 Topanga Canyon Blvd., Chatsworth. (Also in Artesia.) Hours: Open for lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, for brunch from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, for dinner from 5 to 10 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, from 3 to 10 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Closed Monday. Recommended items: Soups, sambar, vada, uthappam, dosai, baingan bartha, mutter paneer, bagala bath, paratha For Indo-Scythian kings of Baluchistan, see Paratarajas Paratha is a flatbread that originated in the Indian subcontinent. It is usually made with whole-wheat flour, pan fried in ghee / cooking oil, and often stuffed with vegetables, especially boiled potatoes, or chapathy bread, gobi Manchurian, pachadi. How much: All individual items under $8, combinations and complete dinner specials from $9 to $15. Weekday lunch buffet $7.95, weekend beer or champagne brunch $9.95. Beer and wine. AE, MC, V. Wine list: Very limited. Good Indian beer list. Reservations: Helpful. Call (818) 998-3031. CAPTION(S): 2 photos Photo: (1 -- 2) Above, chef Kumar Rengarat, left, and manager Pratik Patel offer a dosa - a thin crepe made with lentil flour, rice and wheat - this one filled with potatoes and onions. At right, falooda is an ice-cream-like beverage dotted with tukmaria seeds. Joe Binoya/Special to the Daily News |
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