As many of you know, we take great pride at Kasa in our daily vegetable specials. But Chicken Kofte, those delicately spiced chicken meatballs in a tangy tomato-based sauce, are so delicious that we make an exception and have served the dish sporadically over the past year.
(Sincere apologies to our much respected Vegetarians for listing the dish on our Vegetable board — we are simply tight on chalkboard space!)
I’m excited to announce that due to countless requests, we’ve finally committed to a regular schedule for Chicken Kofte and will now offer Monday Meatball Mania every Monday dinner starting this Monday!
I can’t mention Chicken Kofte without also expressing my deep gratitude to Zaida, who works for my mum in the Indian Fashion industry in London. Zaida first fed me this dish and shared the recipe with me. As so often is true with food, there are memories and emotions so closely tied together with a dish that it becomes tough to separate the two. In this case, it is impossible for me to think of Kofte without also always thinking of Zaida.
When Zaida finds out that folk here in San Francisco are eating, demanding and loving her Kofte, I know it will bring her immense pride and joy. And if you knew what a gem of a woman she is, the Kofte would bring a deeper fulfillment than just their delicious taste for you too.
Thanks Zaida for everything. Your calm, humble and dignified manner inspires everyone: genuinely visiting my grandma in the nursing home, working with my mum and dealing with all her diva clients with grace, and most of all for always feeding me and making me feel special.
I have not written forever because things have been CRAZY! And crazy is a state that we are grateful for at Kasa, even if it does mean that we have been worked to our bones.
After months, I am finally able to breathe calmly after having gone back to back with:
Dealing with the city extensively for truck permits
The launch of the Kasa Indian Truck, aka The Kati Roller aka KIT
Three grueling days of vending at Outside Lands in Golden Gate Park
The sheer and utter madness of the SF Street Food Festival
In the midst of all this chaos, we’ve thankfully hired some great new additions to our team. Welcome Charles, Mike, Sarah and Juan!
This post is a quick update to share that I am madly in love with the truck. It is beautiful and bright and brings a smile to my face. As an added bonus, being only 5′ 2″, I also love being taller than everyone else on the street for a change. It’s still blowing my mind that we’re able to simply load up and drive down to Berkeley or the Financial District or outside of a wine bar and further Kasa’s mission of serving up simple, delicious, Indian food from scratch.
People have been asking me about the phrase ‘Horn Ok Please’ on the back of our truck. This was a nod to India and its many many trucks. If you’ve ever visited India, it would be hard to miss this phrase painted colourfully on most trucks and commercial vehicles. The origin of the phrase is not clear, but there are some interesting theories (Wikipedia):
In WW2, trucks ran on kerosene engines. Kerosene, being highly unstable in nature, would cause the trucks to explode at the slightest accident. Hence a warning would be painted on the back saying “Horn Please, OnKerosene”.
Most trucks in India are manufactured by TATA. In India, when wishing someone goodbye, one commonly says, “OK TATA!”, where TATA means goodbye. Since most trucks had the TATA logo on them, truck owners often painted the word OK above it. The HORN PLEASE phrase surrounds the OK TATA vertical combination. Thus, a person reading just the first line would read, “HORN OK PLEASE”.
The Tata Oil Mills unveiled an economy detergent powder called OK. This brand had a symbol in a shape of a lotus flower. To market this detergent better, it is believed that the symbols were painted on trucks and lorries. Since the trucks had HORN PLEASE already painted on the left and right edges of the back flap, the lotus flower symbol and OK were painted in the center of the flap. That is what got OK in between HORN PLEASE, making it HORN OK PLEASE.
I believe the current use, other than for pomp and circumstance, is also to let cars know that they simply can’t see them and so they should horn if they want to overtake. Either way, if you are a Kasa fan and the bright pink colour brightens up your day, give us a horn too!
This is an amazing ‘must watch’ short video from India featuring some serious pros making naan. Their skills are unparalleled. If they didn’t make naan, they would have a career in baseball or frisbee!
I’d love to see the Health Department’s reaction to this here in the US! I reckon the health inspector would have a heart attack! Although I can’t see any particular rule being broken.
As for the customers, they would either love it or be appalled. The customer in this video does’t even blink an eye You got to love India for this kind of stuff.
I’m dedicating this post to our seriously hard working and skilled roti makers at Kasa. Day in, day out, they are at our roti station labouring away at making freshly rolled rotis at high speed. Our guys are machines, rolling out around 800 rotis or more per shift.
Having watched this video though, hmmmm. Roti guys watch out. It might become a job requirement to entertain us in this manner too!!
Call 415-690-8512 for reservations or email popup@kasaindian.com for reservations.
I’m sticking with Vegan this week! The demand is intense and it is personally fulfilling as Vegan and Indian homestyle cooking are a match made in heaven! The beauty of Indian cuisine is that it delivers all the taste, flavour and nutrients that delicious food should while offering a huge variety of Vegan choices.
March 23 Vegan Menu ($20 Prix Fixe)
Appetizer
~ Dhokla ~
A fermented batter made of seasoned chickpea flour steamed into a spongy cake, then drizzled over with a spicy tempering mixture and served with a sweet tamarind chutney.
In snack shops in Bombay, a very prominent sight is a huge tray on the counter piled high with squares of a delicate and spongy yellow savoury cake called Dhokla. They disappear just as fast as a tray of gooey fudgey brownies would in the U.S. Dhokla comes from the Gujarati tradition and are one of the icons of that snack-loving cuisine.
Mains
~ ‘Sarson’ Greens with Garbanzo Beans ~
Sauteed mustard greens in garlic, spiced with fennel, cumin and coriander seeds
Beautiful mustard green (“Sarson”) fields adorn the Indian state of Punjab (my homeland!). During the Sarson season, Punjabis will eat a puree of mustard greens and spinach literally every day for lunch. These greens have a deliciously addictive bitter taste that is insanely good for you. This particular recipe is inspired by my love of Chinese stir-fried greens with garlic.
~ Bombay Aloo ~
A comforting, divine dish of potatoes in a tangy tomato and mustard seed curry
~ Punjabi Kale Channe ~
A fantastic Punjabi dish of curried black chickpeas.
This is my Pinky auntie’s recipe. Pinky auntie remains one of the most amazing home cooks I’ve ever come across.
Black chickpeas are a super-healthy, nutrient packed, rich in protein food with a unique flavour.
Dessert
~ Fresh orange slices with vanilla and vegan chocolate shavings ~
Accompaniments
Fresh wholewheat phulkas – light, wholewheat bread cooked on a tawa
Basmati Rice
Papads
Mango Chutney
Mint and Apple chutney
Cucumbers in a curry leaf and lime vinagrette
Pickled chillies
Kasa Hot Sauce
One common thread throughout the regional cooking styles in India is that no meal is complete without accompaniments. They take an already complex meal to the next level. The way to use them is limitless. Use different chutneys with every bite and feel the change of that particular bite. Eat a tiny piece of chilly, feel some of the burn and see if you like it. Change the texture up a little with a crunchy piece of papad. Freshen up the next bite with a cool piece of fresh vegetable. You don’t have to eat them all, but it’s more about having a variety to cater to everyone’s individual quirky likes.
As an aside, I wanted to remind everyone that these pop-ups are done in a makeshift kitchen without our normal staff. It’s *tough* to put out a lot of food at the same time, so your experience might be a bit more leisurely than you’d find at Kasa Castro (where we are a MACHINE!). So have a glass of wine, chill with the candles and Bollywood music and enjoy each other’s company whilst we bring you out some really authentic Indian Vegan food.
Hope to see you out this Wednesday!
Anamika
Call 415-690-8512 for reservations or email popup@kasaindian.com for reservations.
Thanks to everyone for a fantastic first pop-up event last Thursday at The Corner. Our next event is this Wednesday, March 9 at The Corner (18th St and Mission) from 6 – 10pm.
This week’s menu is an All Star Punjabi Night featuring some of our all-time favorite dishes. We highly recommend reservations — please email popup@kasaindian.com or leave a message at 415-690-8512.
All Star Punjabi Night Menu
Option 1: Non-Vegetarian Course ($25 prix fixe)
Amritsari Fish — tangy fish pakoras from the home of the Golden Temple, served with mint chutney
Sarson Ka Saag – mustard greens with a dollop of butter, this is the heart of Punjab
Rajma – red kidney bean curry served by grandmothers across Punjab on Sunday afternoons
Karahi Chicken — wok-cooked chicken in a tomato-garlic sauce, because Punjabis love their chicken!
Phirni – a lovely almond custard dessert with rosewater and a fresh fruit topping
Option 2: Vegetarian Course ($20 prix fixe)
Vegetarian Pakoras — the ultimate punjabi snack food, served with mint chutney
Sarson Ka Saag – mustard greens with a dollop of butter, this is the heart of Punjab
Rajma – red kidney bean curry served by grandmothers across Punjab on Sunday afternoons
Phirni – a lovely almond custard dessert with rosewater and a fresh fruit topping
Accompaniments for both courses include:
Phirni with fresh cut strawberries and rosewater
Fresh Chapatis – light, whole wheat bread cooked on a tawa
Basmati Rice
Fresh Mooli salad — daikon served with lime and chaat masala
Lime-marinated onions
Cucumber Raita
Chili Chutney – super sonically hot but flavorful sauce for those who always want it hotter. This is Kasa’s “Hot Sauce” if you’ve tried it in the restaurant
You got to love India for this kind of stuff.
~ Dhokla ~
~ ‘Sarson’ Greens with Garbanzo Beans ~
~ Punjabi Kale Channe ~
