We were in the mood for a healthy vegetarian brunch today. A week of overeating had put my system in a turmoil and I needed to set it right. I am certainly not advocating that vegetarian meals are always healthy. The preparation of these meals also matter.I have always enjoyed indian vegetarian meals. Growing up, mum would make it a point to cook a vegetarian meal at least once a week, and so I got acquainted with “baby food” (as my Makan Club always calls it) at a very early age. My friends call it baby food for a very simple, and obvious, reason. A lot of these vegetarian meals are mashed up with the various ingredients until they are unrecognisable. “You mean that’s spinach??” is a normal reaction to a popular mashed spinach dish cooked with onions, garlic and a dash of tamarind juice. The Bald Eagle stopped eating eggplant after seeing it all gooey and slimy in another popular vegetarian dish.

Saravanaa Bhavan is part of a chain of restaurants around the globe with locations in India, UAE, Singapore, USA, Canada, UK, Oman and of course, Malaysia. In the Klang Valley, there are three outlets: Bangsar, Masjid India and Jalan Sultan, PJ. I am only familiar with the Bangsar outlet, having frequented it quite often for a quick and pleasant vegetarian meal.

curd vada
For our starter, we ordered the curd vada, which is essentially a lentil “doughnut” immersed in yoghurt and garnished with carrots, parsley and crispies. Don’t be misled by the word “doughnut”; the vada is a savoury dish.

parattha
The Parattha (RM3.50/US$1) is a South Indian bread (like roti canai) served with curry.

tomato and onion uthappam

I love the Tomato & Onion Uthappam (RM4.50/US$1.30), a thick rice crepe cooked with a generous portion of onions and tomatoes. If you don’t like onions, I suggest you stay away from this dish! The onions lent a sweetish taste to the otherwise sourish taste of the uthappam. It was thick and fluffy and went well will the dhal and chutney served on the side.

onion rava thosai
The onion rava dosai (RM4.50/US$1.30) is made from wheat and rice and cooked on a flat surface to obtain a crepe-like texture. This is filled with cooked potatoes and onions.

rava kichadi

The Bald Eagle is a creature of habit. A big fan of Rava Kichadi (RM4/US$1.20), he makes it a point to order this dish everytime we visit Saravanaa Bhavan, and today was no exception. The rava kichadi is made of roasted sooji and cooked with onions, tomatoes, carrots, green chillies and green peas and sauteed with flavoured herbs. This dish is served with chutney and sambar, but it can also be eaten sweet with a dash of sugar.

bru coffee with fresh cow's milk

My favourite drink when I visit an indian restaurant is Bru coffee with fresh cow’s milk (RM2.50/US$0.70). To learn the art of drinking coffee served in this manner, check out my post on Anjappar’s.

Also check out:

Saravanaa Bhavan
52, Jalan Maarof, Bangsar.
Tel: 03-22871228

Opens daily, 8.30am – 11.00pm