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Friday and Saturday:
11:30am to 9:15pm

December 7, 2018

The British love affair with curry has a history that goes all the way back to the early 1800’s when British commercial agents and military representatives from the East India Company first started landing in India to explore business and colonizing opportunities. At an initial dinner seating, whether at table or with a banana leaf on the floor, these first men from England were bowled over by the artful spice mix feast of meats and vegetables sauces. Many of them learned to cook the Indian style, or hired cooks for their bungalows in Calcutta, Bombay, Delhi and dozens of outposts spread across the country. And recipes were written down, and brought back to England on ships with expats out of the East Indian Company returning home.

One such curry recipe was recently discovered in a cook book put together by the cook at Begbrook House near Bristol in 1793, some 225 years ago. It’s a chicken curry recipe, hand written in the book that was found by monks of the Downside Abbey recently as part of private book collection donated to the Abbey. Begbrook was burned down by British suffragettes in 1913, but parts of the library survived. Dr. Simon Johnson, keeper of the Abbey's archives and library, told the Telegraph: “You can tell it’s been very well used. It’s in a pretty good condition, but there are a few splatters of something or other all over it.”

Curry Mode on Washing Machines, Other Interesting Curry Bits

October 23, 2018

Have you ever had to face curry stains on your clothes? Things happen, and stains from a favored, richly colorful, spicy dense curry can splash on blouses, shirts, sweaters, pants, dresses, scarves and everything else. And they’re very hard to get out. Well, not to worry about curry anymore as Panasonic has a new washing machine out (2 years in development) that has a Curry Mode for tackling stains that are as tough to remove as curry. Yes, on the dashboard dials is a Curry Mode. So, you can either do some hand care washing, or put curry stained clothes into this special Panasonic.

Last year’s Indian Chef of the Year (a worldwide honor) – Milon Miah of Spice Island restaurant in Britain – told his secrets for winning the coveted crown that’s been given out since 1991. And his advice really applies to any wannabes who want to cook top level Indian food. He says, “You need to know everything – grinding spices and doing all the laborious work – so you understand the foundations before you start cooking.” Now 36, Miah began in Indian kitchens when he was 15, peeling potatoes and chopping onions and doing what he calls “donkey work.” Critics say it takes decades to master the nuances of Indian cooking, so Miah’s considered pretty young to win the prize, beating out 10,000 other chefs from around the world.

Curries in Bottles and Other Culturally Interesting Phenomena

August 28, 2018

You’ve probably noticed (in fact you can’t miss them) all the new brands of bottled or seal-pouched curry simmer sauces sitting on store shelves in the international foods section of neighborhood mainstream stores. Safeway to Trader’s Joes to Molly Stones to Wholefoods and United here in northern California. There they are, so nicely packaged to entice you into thinking ummmm those will taste so good. And they’re so convenient. Open the bottle, split the pouch or box, and just pour it into a sauce pan and add a favored meat or vegetable and simmer away. Some pouches have all the vegetables in them, diced down very small – so small your mouth can hardly tell they’re there. And there are a large variety of dhals too, ready in a fancy package. Very enticing. Trader Joe’s even has some canned items like peas and paneer. Get out the can opener for these.

Now, are any of these any good. I mean any good at all? Well, the pouch already prepared curries and dhals are not that good – many just taste mechanical even. The canned peas and paneer from Trader Joes was as bad as you would expect. I even tried some of their boxed split pea soup and jazzed it up with some masala and coconut oil, and it was still pretty unpalatable. Some of the simmer sauces are okay. About 3 out of 10 stars. Some plastic tray and box items in the freezer section or okay, but 10,000 miles away from great and sumptuously delicious.

So, when you get tired of trying out convenient Indian cuisine that’s been machine-poured into a tall bottle or vacuum sealed into a shiny pouch or tray (or can), then come on over to Roti Bistro in West Portal, SF, for a real, authentic, true to the Indian arts curry meal, with all the naan and rice and dhal and raita and appetizers you love. Experience what real mastery of Indian cuisine does to your taste buds and your mind. We produce ragas of tastes.

Summer Solstice and Indian Curries

June 21, 2018

It’s the summer solstice 2018, and that’s a very good time to be dining out on the best Indian cuisine in San Francisco. Or perhaps you’ll want to cater a special event using our fabulous catering services.

What’s hot this year is an Indian style brunch – that classic New Orleans inspired between-breakfast-and-lunch – taken into the savory, beautifully blended spice world of Indian table fare. So, why not put together a brunch right out of Mumbai or Delhi or Chennai? And we can create custom, contemporary dishes for you and your guests. Call us about out catering services.

Other ideas for the summer solstice: go out to dinner at Roti Bistro right in the best neighborhood block of West Portal and enjoy the longest day of the year while tucking into sublime Tandoori meat or fowl dishes, or perhaps savoring our vegetarian dishes that are redolent of South India. Or share a variety of dishes with each other. Take a walk around the West Portal area as the sun is still hanging high, then come in and order up a memorable solstice meal.

The Difference Between North and South Indian Cuisine

April 25 , 2018

Quick differences between south Indian and north Indian dishes. In the south, cooking goes toward rices (many varieties), lentil or dhal soups or stews as side dishes along with the curries. In the north there are breads and other wheat products, and not so many soupy-type dishes. In the south, there’s a huge variety of vegetables, fruits, legumes worked into curries and the curries are often fairly to very hot. Many south Indian dishes are vegetarian and (for the gluten free crowd) are actually gluten free as the dumplings, pancakes, and other bread type items are made with chickpea flour, or rice flour – but not wheat. Many dishes (without any dairy) are vegan. Some south Indian foods are fermented for a delectable sourness to them, as in a very favorite dosa, or idli. Yogurt in the south is served with every meal. 

What Makes the Perfect Curry?

February 21, 2018

Many of us have had good curries, both from the meat protein or the vegetarian fare types. Good curries can be found in restaurants or at homes, in canteens in India or even in the hostels or pilgrimage houses in India. Good curries are pretty common. And sometimes for neophyte Americans attempting to make a curry, the results are pretty sad and unsavory. A lot of things can go wrong if everything is not done just right, and the approach itself is just right.

A great curry is pretty rare, and it is memorable. I had a great curry and rice presentation at the Gall Face Hotel in Columbo, Sri Lanka, and in a handful of several other places, including in the US. And this includes some rather unlikely towns like Kansas City, known for its BBQ, not its curries. 

Here at RotiBistro our chefs strive with every curry dish that comes in to our kitchen from our guests to make it truly great. Experience does add to greatness, but experience can breed a bit of laissez faire, and our chefs definitely don’t do that. Everything is created in the moment, not from rote, so each curry dish (again either meat centered or vegetable centered) is supposed to meet the high meritocracy bar of “great” or “sublime” or “fabulous.” With knowledge and familiarity comes the crafting of spice blends, often hand grinding and always ensuring freshness. A really great Indian cuisine chef is a master of spices, and India uses the greatest range of spices in the world. Always has. Always will. Then, the fresh “body” elements that give the curry its body: ghee, butter, coconut milk, cream, yoghurt and more. Keep it fresh and organic as we do.

A Prosperous and Healthy New Year to You

December 29, 2017

An admired philosophical and practical cuisine aspect of Indian food fare is the sense of abundance, of prosperity, it brings to you, the diner. Indian food, whether it be Northern or Southern style, comes to you as an abundance of flavors, of spices, of vegetables and meats, of rices and breads. Every meal, at least a complete meal, is a feast of sorts. If you've ever been to India and have gone to an ashram or other public religious or philosophical or social institution and partaken in a "feast," then you know what we're talking about. You sit on woven matts on the floor, and banana leaves (or tali plates) are laid out before the guests, then dish after dish after dish is served by hand with ladles to your leaf or plate. From rice to the pepper water in a tin cup, to chutneys and raitas and the bread on the side, and yogurt of course. It is astonishing, and the aromas are so intricate and so orchestrated, it's olfactory music.

Enjoy your dining with us and please spread word of our popular Indian restaurant.