Today I decided to go to Ahimsa, an Indian vegetarian restuarant in Murray Hill, Manhattan, NY. I had been here once before, about 2 years ago, but I wanted to come back. This is a nice restaurant to dine in. It has a bright, comfortable sitting area with plenty of tables. I was craving simple food, especially without garlic and onion. The restaurant has clearly labeled dishes, which it actually is not easy to find Indian vegetarian restuarants with clearly labeled vegan, gluten free and/or Jain/Swaminarayan religious diet options. Jain and Swaminarayan are religions that have dietary restrictions, such as both cannot have garlic and onion. This is helpful to know even if you don't have those restrictions, as sometimes it is good to avoid having garlic and onion and to know that this is actually an option at an Indian restaurant.
I ordered palak tofu (w/out garlic/onion and vegan) and stuffed paratha (w/out garlic/onion and vegan). Palak tofu was "tofu simmer in a smooth spinach puree with cumin seeds, ground coriander, tumeric, and curry powder". The stuffed paratha (potato) was "paratha stuffed with green chilies with potato stuffing". The palak (spinach) tofu came with basmati rice. This was an amazing, hearty meal. It was a "wow" meal. See images below.
The spinach tofu was perfection. It melted in my mouth. It was a green gravy with cubes of tofu in it. It was perfectly spiced. It was not spicy at all (because I had requested mild). I think this is the best way to have this dish, without cream/butter/cheese, onion/garlic, and high spice levels, as those ingredients overpower the dish. (The non-vegan version of this dish has paneer or cheese cubes in it.) I really tasted the rich spinach and tofu combination because of not having these ingredients in it. The tofu didn't even taste like tofu with the spinach because it went so well with it. Without overdoing it, they made it very tasty. It was cooked and spiced extremely well and it was fresh tasting, because if it wasn't, not having all the other extras added to it would have revealed that. The spinach tofu went so well with the rice and the bread. You can see pictures of both combinations.
The potato bread was ultimate comfort food. Mashed and spiced potatoes are stuffed inside the wheat bread dough and cooked on a pan. I opened one up and you can see the mashed potatoes inside. This also did not require extra green chilies or any butter. It was pure heaven without those. I felt I could actually taste the potatoes and the mild spices more without those overpowering ingredients. This has always been one of my favorites growing up and I'm so happy I got to have it today. Of course, I am also including the customary empty plate picture. Thank you Ahimsa for the delicious vegan Indian food! I had come out for a solo lunch, so the amount of food was perfect. (Did start getting full towards the end though.) Also had green tea at the end and the tea bag had a inspirational quote on it.
To get to lunch, I took the J train to Chambers St., then transferred to the 4 train, and got off at Grand Central - 42nd St. In the first photo, that's Grand Central Station in the background, (and a disappearing statue). I walked on 3rd Ave to 38th St, and then arrived!
After lunch, I walked on 38th St. towards 5th Ave. as today was Black Friday and I wanted to walk around in Midtown just to see a lot of people walking around. I love walking in Midtown. I passed the Empire State Building, and also went inside the Starbucks Reserve.
Then I walked back on 5th Ave. towards 34th St, then walked on 34th St. towards 6th Ave. and got to Herald Square where the Macy's is. I took a picture of the Empire State Building again but from the 34th St. side. What a wonderful area to walk around in!
I kept walking on Broadway towards Times Square. I walked around Times Square and went in a few stores. I didn't really shop, but I did get a BTS souvineir as a gift for a family member. Then started walking back where I had walked from.
Lastly, I went to The Drama Book Shop and had hot apple cider. I continued browsing the same books from the day my friend and I had went there and sat in there for a while and read. Also got some souvineir totes. It was so relaxing to sit in the bookstore.
Then at 4pm I decided to take the train back to Brooklyn. I'm glad I did leave then because it got really chilly once the sun started setting. I took the A train to Broadway Junction, and then transferred to the J train to get off at 75th-Elderts. I almost did 9,000 steps today, which wasn't bad at all, considering I had a late start.
Comments
Post a Comment