Pongal

Yesterday I went to New York to write an exam and to do some last minute Christmas shopping with Maryn. We ate at Pongal, considered one of the best if not THE best Indian restaurant in the city. They specialize in, get this, South Indian Vegetarian Kosher meals.

We started with an iddly and vadas combo - iddly are steamed rice cakes and vadas are lentil donuts. I then had rasam - a traditional south Indian spicy lentil and tomato essence soup - which was tasty but also the second spiciest thing I've ever eaten in my life. By the end of it, my lips were tingling and cheeks were numb. Our waiter told us that this soup is often eaten for breakfast and also when people have colds. Who needs NyQuil when you have this stuff!

My main dish, called paper masala, was a sight to behold: a huge thin crepe with potato filling served with coconut chutney and sambar - hot Indian bean soup. It was so large it deserved to be immortalized in a photograph.

I've been to a lot of restaurants in New York since moving to the US but this is the first one we both unanimously agree to return to. It's highly recommended.