As far as I'm concerned, yes. I already have.

there was a question (sort of ) at the start o fthis thread about which dish the "potato curry" goes with.

the potato curry I'm pretty sure was actually sambhar (familiar to those who have evered a dosa), it accompanied the uttapam. uttapam, like dosa is a common S. indian dish often accompanied by a sambhar (which can include any number of vegetables and usually incorporate some lentils as well)

I thought the food at swati not bad, better for the S. Indian stuff then for the chaat type items.

After enjoying the LTH dinner so much, I couldn't wait to bring a few friends to Uru-Swait and last night I enjoyed another excellent meal there. Vishal was again the perfect host and very helpful with suggestions.

We most enjoyed the Malai Kofta (vegetable balls served in tomato-based cream sauce?) and the Muli Paratha (w/ radishes). The lentil dish served with the Paratha was excellent.

I again enjoyed the khaman dhokla (chickpea cakes), served with the side of roasted serranos for the perfect kick, and the Deluxe Bhel. Also very good was the Mysore Masala Dosa, which I believe was spread with a red chili chutney. The Samosas were crispy and very tasty. The only item we were not wild about was the Tadka Dal, which we all agreed was a little on the bland side.

After all of the above, and some garlic naan, lassis, tea and dessert, the bill was just over $10/person. Given the excellent food and service, and the very low price tag, I will definitely be returning, probably again and again.

Ate here last night with my dad and he was so pleased with all of the veggie choices (he eats meat, but prefers vegetarian when he goes out). We had the veg uttapam, which was unremarkable except for the spicy tomato soup/dip that accompanied it (I just ate that on its own), the samosa chaat, which retained its crispy texture even with all of the toppings and was delicious, and the doh missal which was covered with the same "crispy snacks" as the samosa and was equally good.

For dinner we ordered the baigan bhartha, ras puri and dal makhani. And some garlic naan as well. Having never tried the ras puri before I really enjoyed the sweet mango puree with the nicely fried puri and savory vegetables. It never fails to delight me how Indians incorporate sweet into their savory. The eggplant was okay, but fairly typical. Even though we tried to convince the server that we liked things spicy, he apparently didn't believe us as everything was fairly tame (but still yummy).

The service was friendly, but a little clingy (we were the only table in the restaurant). With our drinks (mango lassi and thandai), the bill was about $15pp with tax and tip. Such a deal!

Had a great meal at Uru swati last week. We ordered enough food that it wouldn't all fit on one table and we had to use the adjacent table for our masala dosa and veg. uttapam. Other dishes included samosas (I find theirs esp. good), bhel puri, paneer bhurji, chana masala, garlic naan and baigan bharta. Excellent meal--we spent about 13 bucks a person for an excellent, gluttonous meal.

Our table:


Overflow:

eatchicago wrote:
I was very excited to learn about Uru-Swati as an alternative to MW for me. The setting is more casual, the menu is more chaat-heavy, and the prices are lower. (The menu only uses the Indian (Hindi?) names for dishes with no English explanations. So, if you aren't familiar with Indian menus, be prepared to ask a lot of questions or study-up before you go).

They do have a "gringo menu," with fairly extensive English descriptions, which they brought out after we asked our first few questions.

Eva Luna wrote:They do have a "gringo menu," with fairly extensive English descriptions, which they brought out after we asked our first few questions.

That's a switch! So many ethnic places offer the round-eye menu and you have to beg for the authentic one. Nice to know.

I made a return visit to Uru-Swati for lunch yesterday. The simply prepared vegetarian food still resonates with me. In my protein-centric way of life, I often forget how satisfying it can be. My only complaint is that they had the incense dialed up to 11 yesterday, and for a person with a sensitive palate, the odor can be a little off putting and deadening to the taste buds. the food itself was very good, though. Among other things, we had:

Black Lentils (daal)


Banana Pepper Pakora


Paper Masala Dosa


The paper dosa was a thing of beauty, stretching nearly 2.5 feet and generously filled with a potato/curry mixture. It was more than enough food for 2 hungry LTHers, with plenty left over to take home. Also served with one of the dishes we ordered was a delicious little cup of achar, a type of chutney.

Achar


It was an inexpensive, healthy and very satisfying lunch!

Nice pics.

BTW, achaar is a generic term for Indian pickles i.e. preserved veg or fruit, can be preserved in oil or lemon/lime/salt etc. What's in the picture looks like achaar made of chopped mango flesh without the peel, preserved in mustard oil with whole mustard seed.

Chutney (actually chatni) is also made from fruit or veg, but is not preserved, its meant to be made & eaten fresh, sort of like salsa is. Achaar & chutney - not the same thing

One thing that seems to be missing from all the masala dosas is the traditional coconut chutney which is also served in addition to the sambar with this style of Udipi dosa. My mother wont eat masala dosas without it, so nice as the dosas look if its missing we'll probably stick to Udipi for those.

Athena wrote:One thing that seems to be missing from all the masala dosas is the traditional coconut chutney which is also served in addition to the sambar with this style of Udipi dosa. My mother wont eat masala dosas without it, so nice as the dosas look if its missing we'll probably stick to Udipi for those.

The dosas at Uru-Swati come with coconut chutney (and sambar) as they should. Those are dahi vadas in the background, one of the few things I don't think they do a good job with.

Athena wrote:One thing that seems to be missing from all the masala dosas is the traditional coconut chutney which is also served in addition to the sambar with this style of Udipi dosa. My mother wont eat masala dosas without it, so nice as the dosas look if its missing we'll probably stick to Udipi for those.

Rene G wrote:The dosas at Uru-Swati come with coconut chutney (and sambar) as they should.

Athena,

As Rene G mentions, and pictures, paper masala dosa comes with coconut chutney and sambar. The coconut chutney was simply not shown up to now.

Paper Masala Dosa



Enjoy,
Gary

Rene G wrote: Those are dahi vadas in the background, one of the few things I don't think they do a good job with.

I like swati too, though I'm not sure I'd go as far as Rene, i think there are a few more items I'd rather not order there, mostly of the chaat variety.

probably my favorite dish there, is the vegetable kesari biryani (though I'm not sure its technically a biryani, to be honest though, I've never really been able to keep the difference between pulaos and biryani's straight), it was areal surprise to me as I would never think to order it at most restaurants because biryani without some sort of meat seems well kinda silly, but its reliably pretty tasty

Rene G wrote:Those are dahi vadas in the background, one of the few things I don't think they do a good job with.

I was there last night and I agree that these aren't very good. I was also underwhelmed by the samosas, which were full of mealy mashed potatoes and a few peas, and the accompanying coriander and tamarind chutneys were no better than fair. The naan was tasteless and limp.

Are they called "paper masala dosa" because they are large and thin or because they taste like spiced paper?

The only really good thing we had was the aloo jeera.

zim wrote:
probably my favorite dish there, is the vegetable kesari biryani (though I'm not sure its technically a biryani, to be honest though, I've never really been able to keep the difference between pulaos and biryani's straight), it was areal surprise to me as I would never think to order it at most restaurants because biryani without some sort of meat seems well kinda silly, but its reliably pretty tasty

It's simple - Pulaos are a whole lot better.

Seriously tho, a true pulao involves more complex process that layers flavors into the rice.

I am no authority by any means, but I THINK, in one of my cookbooks, a pulao is defined as a fried rice, and a biryani is defined as a baked rice casserole. Again, I'm no expert, and I'm simply remembering something. I'm sure a definitive answer will show up.

From the venerable "The Hindu" Newspaper.

http://www.hindu.com/mp/2006/10/14/stor ... 860400.htm

Draining method v. Absorpotion method? Anyone care to elaborate? In my experience, biryani is a South Asian or occasionally Arabic thing, whereas Pulao (or Pulov, or Pilao) is more central Asian.

Step up experts.

I am no authority by any means, but I THINK, in one of my cookbooks, a pulao is defined as a fried rice, and a biryani is defined as a baked rice casserole. Again, I'm no expert, and I'm simply remembering something. I'm sure a definitive answer will show up.

Pulao is characterized by layers of rice & other ingredients that are steamed together; the rice is cooked together with the other ingredients (this is the "absorption" method sometimes referred to, water is added to steam the rice).

Biryani OTH has ingredients that are fried or roasted separately & then combined with cooked rice before finishing by steaming or baking the mixture together. Biryani is also often garnished with fried ingredients, particularly onions & various nuts, unlike pulao. (The word biryani is derived from Persian "berya" for fried & biryani is essentially a Persian dish that has migrated, particularly through India by the Moghuls).

(thanks for the info on the coconut chutney).

Was excited to go to Uru-Swati last night. I REALLY wanted to like the place, but wow did we have an incredibly mediocre meal there.

The wife and I ordered a paper dolsa, which was quite good and some samosas which were quite boring. The samosa filling was rather bland (which seemed to be a recurring theme).

For entrees we ordered Alu gobi, Malai kofta, Navratan korma and Dal makhani. The dumpling was quite good but the sauce over it was overwhelming and bland. Everything else was very one-dimensional and lacking in ANY spice.

The wife and I both agreed it was very reminiscent of the Tasty Bite stuff you can buy at the grocery store: While not bad, it is certainly lacking character.

Jamie

A couple of friends and I went to Uru Swati on Monday and had a great meal. We over ordered--samosa, samosa chat, the fried peppers, a dosa, palak paneer, mattur paneer, baigen bhurtha. It was crazy and we had a lot of left overs. I like the "chat" side of the menu better than the meals, but enjoyed all the food. I'm already scheming about when I can get back.

I wanted to warn people who haven't been in a while, that the prices have gone up a little. I remember the meals being in the 6 dollar range, and now it's around 8-10. The portion sizes increased too, so it's still a great deal, but we got a little sticker shock at the end of dinner. Again, entirely fair, especially considering the range of prices on Devon, but it's more than it used to be.

Habibi wrote:From the venerable "The Hindu" Newspaper.

http://www.hindu.com/mp/2006/10/14/stor ... 860400.htm

Draining method v. Absorpotion method? Anyone care to elaborate? In my experience, biryani is a South Asian or occasionally Arabic thing, whereas Pulao (or Pulov, or Pilao) is more central Asian.

Step up experts.

Also not an expert, but I remembered a discussion here on the subject (that I'm darned if I can find) about cooking basmati rice the way one normally cooks pasta: in copious boiling salted water that is then drained off. I did find a chowhound reference.

I went to Uru-Swati last night, which is now my favorite Indian restaurant in Chicago thanks to LTH. I am slowly working my way through the menu and finally discovered my “go to” dish … Malai Kofta (a vegetarian dumpling dish consisting of balls made from housemade cheese, cream and vegetables, and covered in a spicy tomato-onion-garlic curry). It was rich, creamy and elevated the senses. I only wish the dish contained more than two dumplings. The creamy curry was excellent for dipping the dosa. I also thoroughly enjoyed the Bhindi Masala (okra slices and thinly sliced onions and tomatoes, stir-fried in a spicy ginger-garlic paste with cumin seeds). The Vegetable Jalfrezie (curry dish made with vegetables) was a lighter dish and not as impressive as the other two.

The Mysore Masala Dosa is now my favorite crepe. I was in a rush against the rest of my party to reach the middle of the crepe for the potato filling cooked with onions, mustard seed and turmeric. Lastly, we ordered the Idli vada sambhar. I was not fond of the fried doughnut shaped fritter of ground lentils. However, I loved the steamed patties of ground rice and white lentils because of the soft texture.

Here are some pictures from my iPhone …

Idli vada sambhar



Mysore Masala Dosa



Potato filling of the Mysore Masala Dosa (sorry for the blur)



Bhindi Masala



Vegetable Jalfrezie



Malai Kofta

TAC Crazy,

Nice pics. I love the Masala dosa, too. But I also think the fried lentil donuts are very good. I kinda miss the cocoanut chutney they serve with the idlis at Mysore Woodlands, though.

I don't know if anyone has posted about this, but I tried something great the other night: the cumin lemonade.
It's almost like a cold soup: salty-no sweet, cumin-dominant, with hot pepper and little lentil crisps floating on top for a crunch with every sip.
Try it!

Josephine wrote:TAC Crazy,

Nice pics. I love the Masala dosa, too. But I also think the fried lentil donuts are very good. I kinda miss the cocoanut chutney they serve with the idlis at Mysore Woodlands, though.

I don't know if anyone has posted about this, but I tried something great the other night: the cumin lemonade.
It's almost like a cold soup: salty-no sweet, cumin-dominant, with hot pepper and little lentil crisps floating on top for a crunch with every sip.
Try it!

You must be talking about the Salted Lassi. I tried the Kulfi Falooda last night. It is ice cream mixed with vermicelli noodles and reduced milk flavored with rose syrup and topped with nuts. It was interesting to have vermicelli noodles running up the straw haha

Very happy to bump this old thread. My wife and I had a great meal at Uru-Swati tonight. We had:

Mysore Sada Dosa
Deluxe Bhel
Malai Kofta
Ras Puri with Undhiyu
Garlic Naan

Nearly everything was impressive, but the Malai Kofta was probably the highlight. This was our first try here and we both look forward to working our way through the menu.

Darren72 wrote:Very happy to bump this old thread. My wife and I had a great meal at Uru-Swati tonight. We had:

Mysore Sada Dosa
Deluxe Bhel
Malai Kofta
Ras Puri with Undhiyu
Garlic Naan

Nearly everything was impressive, but the Malai Kofta was probably the highlight. This was our first try here and we both look forward to working our way through the menu.

Sounds delicious Darren.
Note to self: Still need to get here. Ugh!

When we couldn't get into the CDP Anniversary Dinner with Nick and Lydia from Great Lake last night, my wife suggested dosas...

With Rangoli and The Spice Room so close to home and preferred by us over any of the Devon restaurants, we only get to Devon if convenient or craving dosas. I wish we could find dosas without needing to go to Devon.

This was our first visit here, since we usually go to Mysore Woodlands or Udupi Palace on Devon. Disappointed it has taken us so long.

Really enjoyed the Mysore Masala Dosa, better than both Mysore and Udupi. The waiter talked us into the Veg Uttapam, better than Udupi, but no burning desire to order again. Loved the Bhindi Masala, one of the best versions we've ever had. The waiter also steered us to Veg Jalfrezie, which I would not order again. It was like unseasoned, acidic tomato puree with mixed vegetable cooked in it.

Looking forward to returning and trying some other entrees. Again, support your local BYO's!