Where I Ate Last with Tony Astle: Original South Indian recipes at Sahana

This week Tony Astle ate at Sahana, a South Indian restaurant specialising in Chettinad cuisine. Their website boasts the cuisine to be the most aromatic in India, synonymous with spice that has a kick even for the Indian palate. 

Tony sampled a variety of both vegetarian and non vegetarian dishes, including the Dosa, the Crispy Shredded Lamb and Raita, the Eggplant Curry, Aloo Gobi, and the Lamb Saag. 

 

LISTEN ABOVE 

 

Recipe of the Week: Chocolate Souffle 

Serves 6

 

Ingredients 

10 free-range whole eggs, separated 

3 tbsp castor sugar 

1 tbsp finely chopped fresh mint 

350g dark chocolate 

6 tbsp brandy 

Butter, to grease ramekins 

3 tbsp castor sugar, to dust 

 

Method 

Beat egg yolks, sugar and mint in a food processor until thick and creamy. Melt chocolate with brandy over a double boiler. It is important not to let the water come to a boil underneath or let the bowl touch the water.  

Combine melted chocolate with the egg mixture; mix thoroughly. Set aside until required. The mixture could be refrigerated at this stage. 

Butter individual ramekins thoroughly and dust with the second measure of sugar. Set aside. 

Gently re-heat the chocolate mixture to tepid, stirring continuously. Preheat oven to 180°C. 

Whip the egg whites to soft peaks. Fold a quarter of the whites into the chocolate mixture, then carefully fold in the remainder. Pour into the ramekins to just below the top. Bake for 15 minutes or until cooked. Serve immediately, dusted with icing sugar and lashings of whipped cream. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Finding the hidden gyms at the hospitality scene where I
ate last with Tony Astell on kerry WOODAM Mornings, Oh Tony,
Good morning, Tony Estel from the iconic Antoine's Restaurant in
Parnell back with us and this week Sahana Southern Indian cuisine.
You've been eating there quite different southern and Northern Indian cuisine,

(00:21):
isn't it?

Speaker 2 (00:21):
Yes, it sure is? And and good morning to you.
I've actually been to this restaurant twice in a week.
Because it's not become my local guy. I just have
to come down on the lift and go across the
road and I'm there. So and after just spending six
weeks in India last year, and I'm not being a
great Indian food lover, I thought, let me, I've never

(00:42):
eaten so many fries when I was in India, fries
and gin. But anyway, I decided it's time I learned
a lot when I was in India. So I decided
to go and have a look to its restaurants around Auckland.
So I started with Sahanna and it's Southern Indian and
it's been there for quite a few years now. However,

(01:05):
I thought let's go in. And so we went in
and look, I have been pleasantly surprised and I'm now
becoming I'm not an Indian food virgin anymore. I'm actually
getting into it. And the funniest thing about this restaurant is,
you know, I went in and I said, oh, I'll
just order the busted chicken. That'll be safe. And you
know what, they wouldn't let me there, so they took

(01:27):
they said no, no, no, no, that's too kiwi. So
they talked me into a few things and I'll tell
you what that on the second visit, they were very
excited that I came back after the first.

Speaker 1 (01:35):
So but that's what you want from a good restaurant
is people who know their food, know what they serve,
and want you to extend your taste buds and say,
come on, just try this. I promise you'll enjoy it.
That you know that to have the confidence to be
able to say that I think is really good.

Speaker 2 (01:51):
Yeah, And look the people at the owner that she
serves as well. And then there were two other waiting stuff,
these wonderful gentlemen who realized that I was probably not
the best customer they're going to have. But well, they
took me these, but they took us right through the
menu because we really didn't know. It's very large menu,
and I must say, very very reasonably priced, so I thought, oh,

(02:12):
here we go. However, they were so fantastic and they
talked me all the way through it, and I tell you,
it was very very good. And I was so surprised
that we went back the second time.

Speaker 1 (02:23):
So what did you end up having? What seid of
the buttered chicken?

Speaker 2 (02:26):
Well, well, we started we got talked into a few things,
but we started with the garlic and cheese Nana, and
then we had a dosa which dosa is fermented rice
and lental batter. It's like a big scroll like crape
and it was unbelievably it just oozed ge all down
my little beer, I might say, and it was absolutely beautiful.

(02:46):
And then we had the crispy lamb, which was deep
fried and then stir fried with vegetables and red red chili.
And we just thought that was a little bit sort
of probably a little bit dry and a little bit
hot us so we ordered Writer, which is cucumber, onion
and yogan. That cooled it down beautifully. Now you know,

(03:06):
I have a tick system. So I gave that two
and then we the dish that they talked me into
because me not being a great vegetarian person. This restaurant's
fantastic for vegetarianism, as Indian restaurants are. And I had
the eggplant curry and that was simmered in a curry
sauce with onion, tomato, tamar and herbs and spices. Now

(03:29):
that was and they served that was rice, and so
I asked what the had quite a citrus taste to it,
So anyway, that was actually the tamarin in It was
absolutely beautiful and I must but I had that the
second night as well though, and then they talked us
into vegetables to go with it. So we had the
Alu gobi. I'm sure I'm not saying it properly, but

(03:52):
that's roasted colliflower and potato and that spice with onions,
tomato and marsala, and that was The vegetables were still
quite crisp. It was absolutely great, perfect, yeah, And then
we had the dish of the day, and the dish
of the day was lamb sag oh.

Speaker 1 (04:10):
I love that spinach lamb oh unbelievab.

Speaker 2 (04:13):
I'll tell you what I gave that four ticks, so
that's pretty good for me. And it was mild because
we didn't want it too spicy. They were very very
good at giving us what we wanted. And to tell
you that so many different flavors in there, but it
was just so easy to eat.

Speaker 1 (04:30):
Okay, So Sahanah Southern Indian Cuisine reasonably priced b yo
according to one of our texters. And how many ticks.

Speaker 2 (04:39):
Overall, well, I've actually given them three ticks overall because
a couple of things. I'll tell you what. They lost
A tick for bringing a vacuum cleaner out at nine thirty.
Wasn't a good idea. I haven't had that since the
j Garden in the seventies, so obviously they wanted us
on our bike.

Speaker 1 (04:58):
Okay, but without the vacuum cleaner, sounds like it could
have been a four. That's good, okay. And the recipe
of the week, we've got about thirty seconds, Tony.

Speaker 2 (05:05):
You have you have the recipe of the week, which
is the Antoinees chocolate sufra. Oh my god, I wasn't
going to give it away, but I decided that time
people had it before I died.

Speaker 1 (05:14):
Oh oh tiny, there's plenty of years.

Speaker 2 (05:16):
Well yeah, that will be a bit deflated if I
keep going much longer, you know.

Speaker 1 (05:21):
Ah, fantastic, thank you for the review Sahana Southern Indian
cuisine and the chocolate su fla. The famed Antoines chocolate
soufly is the recipe of the week, got to newstalk,
said b dot co dot Nz.