Restaurant Review: Pronti Bistro in Needham, MA

Contact info:

• Pronti Bistro
• 11 Second Ave. Needham, MA 02494, 781-455-8555
• On Facebook
  

Price: $10-15 per person

AshaCool Recommends: Salted Lassi that soothes the soul! and of course Paneer, Chicken, Aloo roll with mango chutney which is pretty hutke

Story: The first reason to love Pronti - the name! Regular parantha is large, sumptuous and manly.. how about a smaller version of our beloved Parantha.. as a wrap. Since it is a petite parantha, we decided to call it "Pronti" - how cute is that!

Friendly service, cozy decor and apna authentic desi touch - Owners Maneet and Raman have done a great job with their brand new set up in Needham.

But what about the food?? yeah yeah - I am getting there..

Paneer was nicely spiced and really tender, chicken and lamb was quite good as well. Of course the thing that makes a difference in a wrap - is the chutneys.. the mango chutney is a great combo of sweet, tangy and spicy taste.

The salted lassi is to die for - may be on the salty side for some people - but I loved it. Could easily drink a gallon of it.

With every wrap, you get a small piece of their home made brownie - it is moist, sweet and the top is perfectly textured.

Granted I haven't tried many of the menu items - eggs, rice platters etc.. but I was impressed enough that I had to share my experience!

BTW - I went with my school crowd and here's a silly video where everyone's trying to do the famous Indian nod.

Saag Uday Paneer

Story: What is your definition of true love? Is it the filmy laau that gets you a red heart shaped balloon and chocolates on Valentine's day? Or is it the casual love you feel everyday? The kind of love that does not have the burden of expectations, the kind of love that goes without saying the cliched "I love you" 25 times a day...

One thing is sure.. Uday Naik's love for Saag Paneer goes beyond any definitions! Who is Uday Naik? - a Friend, philosopher and local guardian for a couple of grad students who moved to USA a decade ago. He also happens to be my brother in law :P

Uday always orders saag paneer in an Indian restaurant. Every Friday's desi take out automatically includes saag paneer. We are all tired of seeing him eat saag paneer.. but Uday's excitement about saag paneer is the same - every single time!

Reminds me of the Rafi-Lata song:

Source: My mom - inspired by one of SK Guruji's recipe

Time: 30 mins

Ingredients: for 4 people

• 2 bunches of baby spinach
• 3 inch square of paneer cut into 1 cm cubes
• 2 tbsp cream
• 1 tbsp ghee or butter
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 2 cloves of garlic - shredded or minced
• 1/2 tsp sugar (optional - it is my Maharashtrian gene)
• salt to taste

Recipe: The beauty of this recipe is in its simplicity. Short list of ingredients, pure spinach taste and the dashing green color. But if you are looking for the ghisa-pita restaurant style saag paneer - this ain't it. You will either love this recipe or hate it..

Here goes it:

Blanch the spinach leaves in boiling water for half a minute. Remove them and immediately place them in ice cold water to lock in the beautiful green color. Squeeze out extra water from the leaves and grind them into fine paste.

Heat ghee in a pan. Add cumin seeds to the hot ghee. Once cumin seeds turn brown in color, add the minced garlic and saute for half a minute. Add the spinach paste, salt and sugar. Saute for half a minute. Add 1 tbsp of cream and mix well.

Add the paneer cubes, cover and cook for about a minute.

Serve hot and garnish with the other tbsp of cream.

Restaurant Review: Sichuan Gourmet in Framingham and Billerica, MA

Contact info:

• Sichuan Gourmet
• 502 Boston Post Road, Billerica, MA 01821, 978-670-7339
• 271 Worcester Road (Rte. 9), Framingham, MA 01701, 508-626-0248
• 1004-1006 Beacon Street, Brookline, MA 02446, 617-477-4226
• 386-388 South Main Street, Sharon, MA 02067, 781-784-2833

Price: $10-15 per person

AshaCool (a fish eating cat) Recommends: Jin Gu Fish Fillets, Gangou dry fish aka Xiang La dry fish, Spicy string beans

Jin Gu Fish Curry - yes those are dry red chilies on top

Note: The amount of hot curry in Jin Gu fish is more than enough for four people. It will be way too much for two people. I have had Jin Gu fish in Framingham and in Billerica - The Billerica one in my opinion has a superior taste.

Gangou Dry Fish with Sichuan Peppercorns

Story: Are you always complaining about the low spice level in the US? Are you tired of the predictable taste and menu in a Chinese restaurant in the US? Do you crave for smoking hot food? If you answered "yes" to any of the above questions.. Sichuan Gourmet is for you!

Here are a few reasons for loving this joint:

• The taste is super spicy, hot and delicious
• This is one of very few places where I can eat spiced up fish preparations in the US
• My Chinese friends say the food is "pretty close" to authentic Sichuan cuisine. So I can brag about it too :-P

Apart from the two fish recommendations, I have tried their lamb and beef dishes also - and they are equally delicious. The meat is extremely tender and perfectly spiced. After this hot and sassy meal you may want to visit an ice-cream place to balance things out a bit.

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