No Food / Water / Sleep = Death
No Love / Family / Friends / Sex =  Deep Seated Psychological Problems

(Wait this post is heading into the pits of despair!!)

There’s a different category of needs which, if not met, lead one to getting Really F’ing Annoyed!

For me, eating GOOD food well flavoured with herbs, spices and green chilly falls into this category.  I literally need the SPICE of life, or else I’m just pissed.   But I’m not a fan of over-spicing or abusing the use of the green chilly.  I cherish my ability to enjoy simple pure tastes.  I have the utmost respect for this beautiful, slender, powerful little pepper.

But there’s a rather large contingent of Kasa fans who have some seriously Hot Needs.  You can spot them by the devilish look in their eyes as they ask, ‘Do you have any HOT SAUCE???’  For the past two years, I’ve been sending them straight to the source of the heat by throwing in cut up green chillies in their rolls and letting them knock themselves out.  I watch them sweating, smiling and looking at me with real gratitude, as though I just put crack into their rolls.

Recently I decided to show honor my fiery-hot chilly fiends and work on that much requested HOT SAUCE.   To my surprise, I’ve created a truly impressive gem.   It’s a green chilly emulsion, simply named ‘The Hot Sauce’ for now.  It really is amazing and hot, hot, hot. And it has super powers that I wasn’t expecting!

Whilst creating the sauce, I had to keep tasting it along the way and I’ve finally seen the light.  I see where all the chilly freaks are coming from now.  Me and all the Kasa crew are on a serious ‘Hot Sauce’ addiction.  Just a little of this fiery, zingy, garlicky sauce on my lamb curry and rice, and I’m awake, buzzing, happy and ready to move.  I definitely feel the rush!!

Surprised by this intense euphoric reaction of my body and mood (and being the dork I can be), I researched the biological science behind my reaction to the Birds Eye Chilly.  It turns out the capsicum in the chilly reacts with the body’s pain receptors.  My body then tells me that I’m being burned, and the result is that I feel pain.

A little sadistic?  Yes.  But why are billions of people addicted to this taste bud torture?

It’s the pleasure that follows soon after, the rush you receive as the body releases endorphines in response to the pain.  Endorphines are natural morphine like compounds that are just about the strongest drugs you can do without doing drugs.  AND they are not addictive (although I wonder), don’t incapacitate you or dull your senses.

To add to my increased admiration of the green chilly, I also learned that it is a micro miracle worker.  It’s loaded with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, calcium and heck, it even boosts your metabolic rate.

To all of you who have ‘Hot’ needs, next time you are in, just ask for the Hot Sauce in your Kati Roll or Thali.  But be careful, it’s hot! And for those who are not yet ready to go there, we still have all our dishes appropriately spiced

Anamika

In London’s defense, I will say that I spend most of my time in Hounslow/Southall, the Indian enclaves of London where I grew up — if you’ve seen the film Bend It Like Beckham, it was filmed round the corner from my house. There is some really good Indian/Pakistani food in Hounslow/Southall, but the rest is just fast food pizza, fried chicken and doner kebab shops. I usually don’t eat out much as I’m busy enjoying my Pinky Aunty’s Indian home cooking. (Most of Kasa’s recipes originated from Pinky Auntie.)

As a result, I’m not really in the know as to which restaurants to try in Central London for amazing food.

Having said that, English food can get a bad rap abroad, and I spend much of my time trying to defend it’s honour. I’ve spent the last two weeks in London visiting my cousin Amars who had a major operation and I took this opportunity to get through my list of ‘MUST EAT’ English food before I head back to San Francisco:

1) English Breakfast

There really isn’t anything as satisfying as this, especially after a hangover. Much as I like American breakfasts, nothing quite hits the spot like pork sausages (with absolutely no hint of apple or anything sweet in it), baked beans (again a lot less sweet), proper bacon (that is bacon with meat on it and not crispy fat), eggs, tomatoes and fried mushrooms. Admittedly the whole thing can be a little greasy and seriously filling, but it is utterly delicious and you don’t have to think about food for many many hours to come!

2) Chicken and Mushroom Pie

This pie is comfort food at it’s best. Shortcrust pastry soaked in the thick gravy of the chicken and mushroom filling… yum! Or even yummier is Steak and Kidney pie… wow! Pot pies in the US just don’t compare.

3) Savoury pastries

• Sausage rolls – a delicious, basic English sausage covered in a very light flaky pastry… when it’s cold and raining outside and you need a snack, this totally lifts your spirits.
• Cornish pasties – a thicker pastry filled with minced beef and vegetables.  I crave this from accross the continent constantly.

4) Treacle Pudding with Hot Custard

I might say that sometimes I miss this dessert more than my family in London. It’s a light sponge pudding that has been steamed with a thin layer of sweet treacle and covered with steaming hot custard. The endorphins released when you eat this are unparalleled. I really really wish that I could find this in SF. Has anyone seen it around?  I probably have gained quite a few pounds on this dessert alone.

5) English Roast

Roast Lamb, mint sauce, yorkshire pudding, basic boiled vegetables and roast potatoes (NO MASH) with really rich gravy (very different to American gravy) is divine. Eating this on a Sunday in the pub brings back great memories.

6) A visit to Nandos

No trip to London is complete for me without a trip to this popular South African chain of Chicken and Chips. They are super successful here and on their way to the US soon. Their peri peri marinated grilled chicken with peri peri sauce and wild herb sauce with chips (thick french fries) is superb. The sides are really good too. They have different levels of heat from lemon and herb all the way to xtra hot! I keep mine at the sensible medium heat.

I come back home to San Francisco tomorrow and will have to crave these foods until my next visit. It was funny to hear, though, that my cousin Amar was craving Kasa’s Chicken Tikka Masala Kati Roll from his recovery bed at Kings Hospital!

Get better quickly, Aams, so you can get to San Francisco for your kati roll fix!

Anamika

As the newest addition to the Kasa serving team, I’ll take this moment to reflect on a few things I’ve thought about in my first month of making Kati Rolls and Thalis…..

My body is still getting used to the server’s life (after having spent the past several years sitting in a cubicle at a computer) so I usually get to work feeling a little stiff, but leave energized.

To me, spice is the most interesting element at Kasa. It’s what makes our food so special, from the cardamom that I toss into our rice before cooking and the sweet cinnamon steam that wafts out as I scoop it. From the handfuls of fresh mint that I get to scatter over our onions to the mustard seeds that dot the Gobi Aloo.

But spice also complicates things when customers entrust me to steer them towards the dish with the right amount of heat for them. It’s like they’re walking in the door, approaching the counter, and asking me what song they’re in the mood for at that moment. I’ve never met them before, I don’t know a thing about them, and I’m supposed to know what level of spice they will enjoy. I’ve slowly learned to read their faces and tones and to decide pretty easily whether this is a Lamb Curry (mild and safe) or Chicken Tikka Masala (more fiery) kind of diner.

I can tell how hungry I am based on how godly the rotis smell as they’re lifted off the griddle and land in front of me to become a Kati Roll.  Sometimes the scent of the butter (ghee) overwhelms me and reminds me of Dad making pancakes on Sunday mornings growing up.

I love the routine of my mid-day sidework. Zoning and listening to music as I spoon thick dollops of cucumber raita and crunchy bites of salad into to-go containers is a nice antidote to the lunch rush before and the dinner rush that follows.

One little boy comes in after school most days and I help him learn to count money through buying Mango Lassi. He’s recently decided that his favorite dish is the Gobi Aloo.

This week, we were visited twice by a customer who taught me a thing or two about Kati Rolls. Being an Indian, she respectfully instructed me on how to create a special Kati Roll to her tastes: unda (egg) style, with cilantro coconut chutney and onions mixed right into the egg before frying.  Roll it just like that with some salt and a few more onions for crunch. I can handle a customer like that – she knows what she wants but makes me want to give it to her.

I’m heading to work in a couple hours – come visit me on the other side of the counter!

Kirsten