SusteNation

My second hot sauce

I finally made some hot sauce out of my hot pepper mash.  After some discussions on this thread over at DiscussCooking, I decided to boil the mash for a bit to be on the safe side.  Then I added some vinegar and let it sit.  I consider it a success and a failure.  The success is that I really like what the aging process did.  I got some of that rich flavor that you expect in a hot sauce that was missing from my previous attempt.  The failure is that it still wasn't spicy enough.  Maybe I didn't add enough habanero, or maybe I just need to find a better source for peppers, but after the aging, it just wasn't nearly as spicy as I had hoped it would be.

Udipi Cafe

Although it's not technically in Pittsburgh, this is one of my favorite restaurants, and well worth the little bit of driving to get there.  It is truly authentic South Indian Cuisine.  The Mysore Masala Dosa is just like the one I ate in the town of Mysore in India.  They are completely unpretentious, located in the middle of nowhere, and the silverware is plastic, but that's half of the charm.  The other half is the awesome food.

I start every meal there with a plate of Idli with Sambar.  I have mentioned this before as one of my five favorite foods.  The Idli is like a little rice flour sponge that soaks up the Sambar, which is a delicious spiced soup.  (I think technically it's more of a condiment, but by calling it a soup, I don't feel silly grabbing a spoon and finishing off any that is left over.

Then I usually order some of the South Indian standard dishes, like Uthappam or Dosa.  They also make a very good Malai Kofta, which is not technically South Indian, but all I care is that it tastes good. 

This is hands down one of my favorite restaurants in the whole Pittsburgh area.