First Seattle Restaurant "Review": Pabla Indian Cuisine

I used to think there was no good Indian food in Seattle. When I lived in the San Fernando Valley I definitely had my choice of places within a few minutes from my apartment. Last summer I went to Pabla Indian Cuisine lunch buffet during a lunch break while taking an Ayurvedic class. I really enjoyed it but for some reason never went back.

This past Monday night, I wanted to buy some mustard oil. I remembered Pabla had a little Indian store attached to it so my bro-in-law and I decided to make a night of it. We drove to Renton so I could get my oil, had dinner there at Pabla, then when to pick my sister up from the airport. We went about 6:30 to the little restaurant located in the back of the Fred Meyer parking lot. It was pretty quit in there, just a few tables were filled (mostly with Indian people, that's always a good sign). The walls were adorned with brightly colored paintings and curtains. The waitresses were nice, but not at all overbearing.

For an appetizer, we had vegetable pakoras. A variety of vegetables dipped in lentil paste and fried, served with a mint chutney. Such a delight for two people on a no-wheat diet! The fried lentil paste gave a "breaded" feel to the vegetables. For dinner, we had Saag Channa, Spinach cooked with broccoli, tomatoes, garbanzo beans and ground spices; and Jeera Aloo, Potatoes cooked with onions, cumin seeds, turmeric, garam masala and dried mango. These dishes came with a side of white basmati rice. As garnishes we ordered vegetable rahitha and mango chutney. All I can is WOW! It was 10x more tasty than the buffet! I didn't really take notes on the flavors (because I wasn't planning on writing this review) but every bite was amazing.

The restaurant is also vegetarian and kosher. The store offers a variety of fresh Indian desserts, a plethora of imported spices and oils, and Ayurvedic personal care products. I have found my favorite Indian restaurant in Seattle and can't wait to go back!

RENTON (Pabla Indian Cuisine)
364 Renton Center Way SW #C60 Renton WA 98057 Phone: (425) 228-4625 FAX: (425) 228-4629 E-mail: pabla@pablacuisine.com Timings: Monday- Sunday (7 days a week) 11:00 am - 3:00 pm (Lunch Buffet) 5:00 pm- 10:00 pm (Dinner) (Last customer for buffet 2:45 pm) (Last dine-in order 9:30 pm) Grocery Hours: 11:00 am- 10:00 pm

Stinging Nettle

One hot summer day during summer camp at "Indian Village" somewhere in the San Bernardino Mountains of Southern California, a group of children were taking a hike through the forest. It was a typical California wilderness, pretty dry but green from pine trees and other botanicals. Through the trees ran a stream that trickled with the water of melted ice from the mountain above. A little girl, about 9 years old, noticed her sunburnt leg started stinging just a little bit more. The pain continued to grow so she mentioned it to one of the camp counselors. They told her she had been stung by Nettle and the pain would go away pretty quickly. The girl had no idea that 20 years later this would become her favorite herb.

Urticia Diocia (Nettle) is a very common plant that can be harvested from the wild in the fall or spring. (For more information on where to find it in the wild click here). In some nutrition savvy cities it can be purchased at the supermarket in the bulk herb section, or from most herb stores. The sting is caused by the tiny hairs on the leaf that contain formic acid, the same acid that ants inject when they bite. This is denatured when the leaves are dried or cooked.

Nettle has one of the highest nutrient profiles I have ever seen. When asked for a vitamin and mineral rich green, most people would think spinach or kale. Nettle has almost 30x the amount of calcium compared to spinach, and 20x the amount of iron (see below). Nettle is also considered an adaptogen, meaning it will balance the adrenals - promoting more energy through the day and better rest at night. Some herbalist believe daily infusions of nettle will cure ANYTHING, including growing parts of the body or organs back.

Nettle is easy to use and tastes delicious! I use to replace a multi-vitamin, as the vitamins and minerals are more easily absorbed than in pill form. To use as a daily infusion: 1 Tablespoon of nettle to 1 cup of cold water. Let sit overnight. Strain in the morning and drink throughout the day. For best results, drink 2-4 (or more) cups per day. Nettle is also delicious in any recipe that would call for cooked spinach such as soufflé, baked into some lasagna or my personal favorite, creamy nettle soup. If you can't get it in your area, Mountain Rose Herbs has a great organic supply.

	RDA	Spinach	Kale	Nettle
Calcium	800	102	206	2900
Magnesium	300	96.8	37.4	860
Iron	18	2.96	1.8	41.8
Potassium	1875-5225	518	244	1750
Vitamin A	4,000 IU	8,920 IU	9,130 IU	15,700 IU
Vitamin C	60	56	102	83
Thiamine	1	.116	.11	.54
Riboflavin	1.2	.22	.2	.43
Niacin	13	.6	1.8	5.2
Chromium	.05-.20			3.9
Cobalt				13.2
Phosphorus	800			447
Zinc	15	.618	.78	4.7
Copper	2-3			+
Manganese	2.5-5	96.8	37.4	860
Selenium	.05-.2			2.2
Sodium	1100-3300	98	47	4.9
Protein	3.6%	5%	10.2%	16.5%

Fruit and Yogurt : Breakfast of champions?

It seems like for most of my life I have heard that the perfect, most healthy breakfast (or desert) is yogurt with fruit. What could be better than a bowl of creamy yogurt topped with colorful, sweet, just in season berries. There are fruit smoothies for that on the go morning meal or quick afternoon pick me up.

Imagine my surprise when I learned in my Ayurvedic class that fruit with yogurt is a big no-no! Ayurveda is a system of medicine that India has been using for thousands and thousands of years. It focuses on disease prevention by using diet, lifestyle and herbs. Diet should be modified according to the individuals constitution, but there are only a few absolutes that apply to anyone - one of them is never eat fruit (except mango) with yogurt. So far they have been right about everything else I have learned so why not this??

According to Ayurveda eating fruit with yogurt blocks the channels and creates a gooey mucus throughout your body and especially in the intestines. My teachers claim they have taken people off their daily fruit-and-yogurt smoothies, and within a few weeks their skin conditions have completely cleared up. It's a hard thing to process considering how popular it is here today. Is it worth a try? I've tried it and noticed significant results. It can't hurt.