Something to tickle a Scottish Tongue

By Suruchi Restaurant | Published: 16 July 2010

We are very proud of our menu – the food on it is the best of India getting served here in Edinburgh.  What you may not know is that not only do we have our authentic Indian menu – but we also have a proper Scots Tongue version so for you real locals you’ll be able to see exactly what you are getting!

Our tourist visitors love the Scottish menu too – whether they like their meal nippie or no, or are looking for something laced with tatties then our special menu adds a real charm to the evening.

When you come to see us – ask for our special Scottish menu – we’ll take your order whether you want to ask for it wi breid or noo.

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A Vegan Variety

By Suruchi Restaurant | Published: 9 June 2010

Being a vegan can make it extremely difficult when eating out in Indian restaurants.  Trying to work out what dishes are made from can be a real challenge – so just for you guys – here are 5 dishes that we guarantee will meet with Vegan standards which you’ll find at either of our Suruchi restaurants in Edinburgh!

Aloo Hara Piaz – Spicy

A fiery little dish where pan cooked potatoes tangle with the most flavoursome trio of spring onions, garlic and ginger.

Chana Masala – Medium spiced

A traditional masala sauce of tomato and onion coats the plump earth chick peas.

Baingan Bharta – Medium spiced

The lovely texture and taste of roasted aubergine fresh from the tandoor.  To this we add green chillies and ginger  to create a spicy sauce.

Bhindi Bhopjphur – Spicy

Lovely ladies fingers (okra) – quickly pan fried with a range of spices and gram flour with a real heat created by fiery fresh green chillies and ginger

Palak Kofta  - Mildly Spiced

The same as the Palak Kofta Makhani (less the Makhani – which literally means ‘with butter’).  Lovely fresh spinach and potato dumplings in a rich gravy.

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Suruchi’s Great dishes

By Suruchi Restaurant | Published: 6 June 2010

All of our dishes are very special – and our chef takes the greatest pride to ensure that everything we serve meets the highest possible standard.  We can strongly recommend anything on the menu – but the following 5 are dishes that are something a little bit different to what you may have tried before.

Palak Kofta Makhani – Mildly Spiced

Potato dumplings and fresh spinach in a lovely smooth sauce with spices and a hint of butter.

Baby Corn Masala – Medium Spiced

Lovely yellow crunchy fingers of baby corn cooked in a traditional onion and tomato gravy.

Nirvana – Mildly Spiced

Incredible flavours combine in this dish.  Chicken is cooked with lemon, lemon grass, curry leaves and creamed coconut for a truly luxurious treat.

Lamb Malabar – Spicy

A classic Indian Lamb curry where the tender meat is complemented with lovely fresh spinach.

Goa King Prawn Curry – Medium Spiced

Fresh from the fishing villages of Goa, a coconut flavoured gravy with subtle spicing coats the juciest king prawns.

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Suruchi Soiree

By Suruchi Restaurant | Published: 2 June 2010

There is nothing we like more than putting on special evenings.  Whether you want a simple private party, or something a bit more unusual – we’re pretty sure that here at Suruchi we can come up with something quite unique that your guests will never forget.

Suruchi Too, our Sister Indian Restaurant

To give you an idea of the type of things we do – at our sister restaurant “Suruchi Too” we have regular Bollywood nights.  These fantastic evenings are becoming legendary in Edinburgh as they introduce the glamour and excitement of India’s Home of Cinema to the city.  Combining traditions such as Henna handpainting, sample roadside style food as well as slideshows of India this really is an evening of complete immersion in some of the finest that India has to offer.  To finish the evening – partygoers are encouraged to join in with some traditional Bollywood dancing which can’t help but send everyone home happy.

The only way to get closer to the colours, sounds and tastes of India is to go there!

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Recipe of the Month – Palak Paneer

By Suruchi Restaurant | Published: 28 May 2010

Palak Paneer

Our recipe of the month is a little something for you to try in the peace and tranquillity of your own kitchen.  This month we have gone for a classic vegetarian dish of spinach with Indian cheese.  It uses the classic Indian ingredient of Paneer cheese – which is available in lots of supermarkets these days.  If you can’t find it in yours – cottage cheese is a good substitute – just don’t go for the pineapple variety!

Ingredients:

  • 500 grams Fresh spinach
  • 100 grams Paneer
  • 2 grated Onions
  • Ginger & Garlic paste (about half a tablespoon of each)
  • 5-6 tablespoons of vegetable oil
  • 1 tsp pure ghee
  • Garam masala to taste (ideally about a teaspoon)
  • Red chili powder to taste (ideally half a teaspoon)
  • 1 teaspoon cumin powder
  • Salt – to taste

Clean and wash palak (spinach) nicely. Boil it in water, cool it and then mash it in a mixer.

Heat oil in a kadai (if you don’t have a traditional kadai – a deep frying pan will suffice). Add the ginger-garlic paste and stir-fry for a minute before adding the onions and then fry them until they are golden brown.  Once they are – add all spices except red chili powder and stir them in.

Now add the spinach and little water if needed and cook for 4-5 minutes.

While you are doing this – cut the paneer into pieces (Paneer can be fried to golden brown in a seperate pan or can be used as it is).   Add the paneer to the pan and cook it all together.

When you are ready to serve – put the curry in a nicely warmed serving dish.  Heat the pure ghee in a small pan.  If you don’t have ghee – use the best quality olive oil you can – just be aware not to burn it.  Once hot – add the chilli powder – give it a quick stir and pour over the dish.

Serve with freshly cooked rice and eat with a big smile!

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Welcome to Suruchi

By Suruchi Restaurant | Published: 25 May 2010

Welcome to the new Suruchi Restaurant blog. We’ll be posting here regularly with any news updates, some monthly features and any offers that we think you’ll want to know about. Some of the regular features will include authentic Indian recipes for you to try at home and more details about some of our classic dishes

2 way discussion

Not only are we wanting to tell you things – we want to hear from you. If you like what we’re saying or don’t like what we’re saying- please tell us. Not only that- but if there is something you want us to tell you about – please just ask.

Whatever happens we just hope you find our new blog interesting.

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Recipe of the Month – Salmon Kebabs

By Suruchi Restaurant | Published: 25 April 2010

Salmon Kebabs on a Banana Leaf

  • Serves 4
  • 5 salmon steaks, each 1 inch thick
  • 120ml vegetable oil
  • 80 ml lemon juice
  • 4 garlic cloves, very finely chopped
  • 1 onion, peeled and chopped
  • 2cm cube of ginger, chopped
  • 1 tsp of salt
  • 1 tsp ground turmeric
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 banana leaf

Instructions

In a blender, mix 2 tsps of vegetable oil, the lemon juice, garlic, onion, ginger, tumeric, cumin and 1 tsp of salt.

Blend till you have a consistent paste. Place the marinade in a bowl. Cut salmon into bite-sized chunks. Mix it in the marinade and keep it in the fridge for at least an hour – the longer the better.

When you’re ready to cook, remove the salmon from the marinade, brush it with oil and place it on the grill, on high, for 6 to 7 minutes.

Turn it over, brush on some more oil and cook for a further 6 to 7 minutes.

The salmon chunks are ready when they are lightly browned. Serve on a banana leaf, with lime or lemon wedges

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Pukka Punjabi Food Festival

By Suruchi Restaurant | Published: 11 May 2009

14 May – 4 June 2009 at Suruchi and Suruchi Too, Edinburgh

Celebrating The Maharajas’ Cuisine

Photo of food dishes at Suruchi

Yellow mustard fields, painted tractors and trucks laden with harvest, young
villagers dancing the Bhangra, all these images evoke the rich, fertile North Indian
region of Punjab.

Punjab literally means the land of five rivers. Suruchi and Suruchi Too bring you
tasty mouth watering and feisty cuisine from the Punjab as part of their monthly
‘FOOD FESTIVAL.’

Punjabi cuisine is rich, unlike other parts of India, Punjabi cuisine use a lot meat and
chicken, fresh seasonal vegetables like corn, spinach and mustard greens and a
plethora of flavours. From the gorgeously grilled Tandoori Chicken and tantalising
Tikkas to the India’s national dish Butter Chicken (India’s equivalent to Britain’s
Chicken Tikka Masala) have all been significant culinary contributions of the
Punjab.

From 14 May to 4 June 2009 the master chefs have made a new PUNJABI MENU
with a wide selection of dishes for you to sample available from Thursday to Sunday
every week.

View the Pukka Punjabi Food Festival Menu [PDF - 792KB]

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Maharajas’ Cuisine: the Riches of Rajasthan

By Suruchi Restaurant | Published: 15 February 2009

Celebrating The Maharajas’ Cuisine

Rajasthani festival photo

Rajasthan is a land of majestic forts, fierce warriors, intricate temples, palaces, tigers, desert landscapes and, of course, the Maharajas. This fascinating land has a unique cuisine, shaped by local ingredients, climate, history and traditions. The Maharajas served elaborate delicacies, rich fanciful dishes created to impress. This desert land has natural produce which sets its cuisine apart from other parts of India. Ghee, gram flour, lentil, bajra (millet), chillies, corn, mango powder and buttermilk are typical, while game dishes and vegetarian cooking grace many tables. From 26 February, the chefs at Suruchi will be celebrating the culinary riches of Rajasthan in a three-week festival, The Maharajas’ Cuisine.

As with most of India, Rajasthan has strong ties with Britain. The castles and clan warfare have obvious parallels with Scotland and it has been the destination of many Scots through the ages. To celebrate the launch of its food festival, Suruchi has invited Scots with close ties to Rajasthan to share their experience of this rich and powerful land. We hope you will join us to meet them and gain a personal insight into this vibrant world. We will also be entertained by sitar music, traditional Rajasthani puppetry and folk dance.

26 February – 16 March 2009 at Suruchi and Suruchi Too, Edinburgh

An Edinburgh restaurant is looking for people who have met a Maharaja – or better still eaten with one.

Rajasthani festival photo

Scotland has a long tradition of close ties with India and many Scots have lived or worked there. But how many people have actually spoken to a Maharaja? If you have, Suruchi would like to hear from you.

“When we started research for our Rajasthani food festival, we found the Maharajas had a major influence on the area’s cuisine,” explained Ankur Jasuja, marketing officer at Suruchi.

In their heyday, Maharajas served elaborate delicacies, rich fanciful dishes created to impress their guests. The royal chefs (Khansamas) competed to create the most unforgettable concoctions – live birds flying out of food served on the finest of gold platters was typical. The recipes were closely guarded secrets and the specialities became legends in their own right.

“Then we realised that there are Scots alive who would have met Maharaja and we wanted to hear their experiences at first hand,” said Ankur. “We’d like them to be our special guests at the official opening of our food festival next week.”

If you have met a Maharaja and would like to attend the launch of “Maharajas’ Cuisine: the Riches of Rajasthan” on 23 February, please call Ankur at Suruchi on 0131 554 3268 or 0782 893 5952.

Suruchi’s food festival will let everyone experience the flavour of Rajasthan. Not only will there be a special Rajasthani menu devised by chefs who come from state, but weekend diners will also be entertained by traditional Rajasthani puppetry, folk dances and sitar music.

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