The interior of Row 34 is bright, airy, and spacious with a modern industrial feel. Tall ceilings, beautiful brick walls, and wooden pillars adorn the dining room.

Seating options include standard tables, high top tables, and bar seating.

I arrived at Row 34 for a weekday lunch. I recommend making reservations, as they are often quite busy and sometimes completely packed during lunchtime on weekdays.

Their lunch menu features various seafood starters such as an oyster slider, blue crab & artichoke dip, and tuna tartare, as well as entrees like lobster rolls, crab fried rice, griddled crab cake, and crispy fish sandwich. Fried food options include oysters, clams, calamari, fish tacos, and beer-battered fish & chips.

I opted for a New England clam chowder and a mayo-based lobster roll.

Like almost all other seafood joints in Boston, Row 34 offers two types of lobster rolls: cold mayo-based or warm buttered. I chose the former, called Ethel's Creamy Lobster on the menu. It was served with a creamy coleslaw and french fries.

The brioche roll was on the smaller side compared to other lobster rolls I've had, but delicious with a nice toasted exterior and a soft plushy interior. The lobster meat was a pitifully meager amount, by far the least generous amount of lobster meat in any lobster roll I've had in the Boston area. It was partially made up by the fact that it was tender, well-seasoned, and juicy. The french fries and slaw were acceptably good, but nothing special. Overall, I was expecting a lot more for a $64 lobster roll that is 30-50% more expensive than other lobster rolls in the area.

The clam chowder was at least more reasonably priced, served with bacon and a house saltine. It tasted very fresh and flavorful, without being overly creamy or heavy.

Service was good: my server was efficient and helpful in answering questions, and our food arrived promptly. If I returned again, I would be interested in trying the oyster slider, crab fried rice, and/or cornbread.

Related recipes

• Parish Cafe Review
• Mei Mei Dumplings Review
• Bao Bao Bakery Review
• Savin Bar and Kitchen Review

I visited Shojo's Chinatown location on a weekday for lunch — this is a great time to visit because there's hardly anyone else in the restaurant and I can enjoy the same menu as dinner, minus the wait.

Shojo is easily recognizable from its graffiti-inspired artwork on the exterior of the building. Inside, I'm greeted with exposed brick walls, elaborate murals, wooden paneling and tables, and moderately loud hip-hop music. The dining room is a decent size, considering this is in Chinatown. Nearly all seating is high top seating. There is only one single-person bathroom for the entire restaurant.

I chose a table near the windows, next to the street. One of my seats was not clean, with many crumbs and greasy smudges on it. My server was friendly, but it took her a surprisingly long time to stop by my table to take my order. I asked for a Shojonator burger with a side of duck fat fries, and my food arrived quickly thereafter.

If you prefer not to dine-in, Shojo also offers online ordering for pickup or delivery.

The Shojonator is an award-winning burger with a quarter-pound angus beef patty, smoked BBQ sauce, bacon, cheese, and fried shallots on a house-made sesame bao bun. I thought this was a fun take on a traditional burger, and I found it to be very flavorful and tender.

The only downside was that it was a bit messy to eat (what burger isn't?), with sauce and grease oozing out and sometimes making the bun a bit soggy. Note that the portion size for the burger is on the smaller side, so it's a good idea to pair it with a side.

The duck fat fries were served with sriracha aioli, and they were delightfully crispy and fresh tasting.

Overall, I think the menu is very creative with interesting food offerings — if I returned, I would love to try the shadowless fries with beef mapo tofu and scallions, kimchi fried rice with sichuan ribeye, or edamame dumplings — but I didn't find the restaurant to be a comfortable space for dining so I might opt for takeout next time.

Related recipes

• Mei Mei Dumplings Review
• MJ Teriyaki Review
• Bao Bao Bakery Review
• Burro Bar Review

Levain Bakery started in New York in 1995, named for the French word for the natural leavening agent levain, more commonly known as a sourdough starter. The founders started their business making artisanal breads for NYC restaurants, and later became known for their massive 6-ounce cookies. Their cookies are so popular that they even have a Levain Cookie Club, where members receive an 8-pack box of cookies every month delivered to their home.

I visited their Boston location, which is in Back Bay on Newbury St near the beautiful Boston Public Library and Copley Square. The bakery is small but cozy, and has some seating for those dining in. Service is very fast, but if you want to skip the line, you can order online for pickup or delivery.

There are cookies, loaf cakes, breads, pastries, and brioche to select from. The cookies incorporate various flavors such as chocolate, walnut, oatmeal, raisin, and peanut butter. Pastries options include blueberry muffin, oatmeal cranberry scone, and sticky buns (weekends only).

I ordered the oatmeal raisin cookie, dark chocolate chocolate chip cookie, two chip chocolate chip cookie, and an oatmeal cranberry scone for takeout. The cookies looked very enticing and were artfully packaged in a box.

Levain's cookies are large cookies, about 6 ounces each or 800 kcal. Very filling. They're perfect if you're looking for thick and indulgent cookies. They're intentionally crisp on the outside and gooey on the inside, with an almost brownie-like texture. My favorite was the two chip chocolate chip cookie.

The oatmeal cranberry scone was very well executed — buttery, fluffy, airy, and moist without being too poofy (almost as good as my cranberry orange scones recipe!). This scone is a Boston exclusive and not available at other locations. Made from local dried cranberries, it pays homage to Massachusetts' most famous export.

If I returned again, I would be interested in trying the caramel coconut chocolate chip cookie, which combines gooey caramel chips with shredded coconut. My only hesitation is that the cookies are rather dense and heavy. I'd also be interested in their lemon slice, which is traditional pound cake with a lemony twist.

Related recipes

• Savin Bar and Kitchen Review
• Taiwan Bakery Review
• Parish Cafe Review
• Row 34 Review

The interior of the restaurant is bright and airy, with large windows and contemporary decor. You can choose from bar seating, booths, and tables. Upon seating myself, I was disappointed to note that (a) my table was rickety and uneven, and (b) there are no physical menus so I had to browse the menu on my phone. These are both pet peeves of mine as they are fairly easy tasks for management to address.

I visited Savin Bar and Kitchen for their weekend brunch, which is offered Saturdays and Sundays from 10am until 3pm. On weekdays, the restaurant only offers dinner; they have $1 oysters from 4pm to 6pm, and trivia nights on Tuesdays starting at 7pm.

Their brunch menu offers a moderate selection of breakfast classics such as waffles, pancakes, french toast, egg sandwiches, corned beef hash, and omelets. I ordered the stuffed french toast and chicken & waffles.

My main complaint about the stuffed french toast (photographed above) was that there was too much cream cheese for the amount of fruit. Sometimes I felt like I was eating globs of cream cheese. Otherwise, I thought it was flavorful and delicious, especially the fresh berries and compote.

The chicken & waffles (photographed below) was decent, but I was disappointed by how plain it was. I don't recommend getting it, as I can't imagine a more basic tasting chicken & waffles dish.

Service was so-so. My server only spoke to me once (to take my order), and never addressed me again; I'm used to servers at other restaurants asking me how my food is, if I need anything else, or at least a "thank you" or "have a nice day" when dropping off the check. I likely would not return again since the quality of food and service are mediocre.

Related recipes

• Burro Bar Review
• Row 34 Review
• The Friendly Toast Review
• Mei Mei Dumplings Review

Parish Cafe has ample indoor and outdoor seating as well as a full bar that stretches the length of the restaurant. Despite its casual ambiance, it's a sit-down restaurant with table service, not an order-at-the-counter type of cafe. They also have late hours compared to most cafes, opening until midnight or 2am depending on the day of the week.

Parish Cafe is unique in that its menu is mainly composed of gourmet sandwiches created by local chefs. The restaurant's owner approached some of Boston's best chefs and asked them to each create a sandwich for Parish Cafe. The result is twelve interesting sandwich creations, from Eggplant Milanesa (fried eggplant and avocado on torta roll) to The Hajj (grilled lamb kofta on toasted naan) to The Bondir Brisket (slow-roasted BBQ brisket on sesame bun).

The sandwiches are on the expensive side, about $20-$25 each, but they are large and hearty enough to be shared between two people, especially if appetizers or sides are also ordered.

The menu also includes a limited section of soups, salads, and comfort food entrees such as mac & cheese and bolognese pasta.

I ordered a "Le Mistral" sandwich as well as a half order of onion rings (photographed above).

"Le Mistral" was created by Chef Mitchell Randall of Ostra, featuring medium-rare beef tenderloin, caramelized onions, mashed potatoes, arugula, bel paese cheese, truffle aioli, and crispy onions on ciabatta bread. This was a very dense sandwich bursting with flavor, very tasty but sometimes feeling a bit heavy or repetitive at times. The ciabatta bread was delicious, with perfect texture and softness.

The onion rings were beer battered and served with a chipotle aioli dipping sauce. They were very fresh and crispy with a beautiful golden brown exterior, but understandably a bit oily and messy to eat. I wish the ratio of onion-to-breading was a bit higher, as I felt like I was mostly eating the breading and not getting enough onion.

Service was a bit lacking. Despite visiting the cafe during a quiet time, service was slow. It took 15 minutes just for someone to stop by my table to take my order. I also had to be vigilant about getting my server's attention in order to ask for my check to avoid further delays. If you're looking for a quick meal, I recommend ordering takeout instead of dining in.

If I returned to Parish Cafe, I would be interested in trying out the Eggplant Milanesa sandwich, Back Bay bolognese, or the white chocolate bread putting.

Related recipes

• MJ Teriyaki Review
• Bao Bao Bakery Review
• Row 34 Review
• Mei Mei Dumplings Review

Burro Bar (South End)

Overall Rating: ★★★★ out of 5 stars
Address: 1357 Washington St, Boston, MA 02118
Neighborhood: South End
Perfect For: Mexican small plates and brunch cocktails in a lively spot
Bottomless Brunch Hours: Sat - Sun 10am - 3pm
Dinner Hours: Mon - Thu 5pm - 10pm, Fri 5pm - 11pm, Sat 4pm - 11pm, Sun 4pm - 9pm
Reservations: Yes
Parking: Street
Links: Website, Menu
Cost: $40 per person (food and drinks) + 5% kitchen admin fee

View location on Google Maps

The interior of Burro Bar is large and spacious, with plenty of seating in a colorful and vibrant atmosphere. There is a large rectangular bar in the center of the restaurant, surrounded by individual tables, a lounge area in the front, and a separate dining room in the back.

Most tables seat two to four guests, but the sunlit lounge area facing the street has more flexible seating and may accommodate larger groups, albeit a bit uncomfortably given the low tables and needing to bend over to eat.

The music is fairly loud at Burro Bar, so it's not the place I would go for a quiet brunch. The vibe is very upbeat and bustling, with fun decor and TV screens plastered on the walls.

Their Saturday and Sunday brunches are all-you-can-eat-for-90-minutes for $25 per person. Side dishes, cocktails, and non-alcoholic drinks are not included. Note that there is a 5% kitchen admin fee applied to all checks. I recommend making reservations to guarantee your full 90 minutes of bottomless brunch, as the restaurant is very busy during peak weekend hours.

The $25 price tag seemed fair to me, given the reasonable selection of tapas, tacos, and entrees to choose from. I noticed that all of these items have roughly the same portion size, which is quite small (for example, their waffle took only 2 bites to consume) so you may need to order multiple quantities of the same item depending on the size of your party.

For drinks, I ordered the horchata iced coffee and jugo tropical (photographed above). They were both enjoyable, but nothing extraordinary: the horchata contained cold brew, milk, peanuts, and cinnamon sugar, whereas the jugo tropical was a soda drink with pineapple, strawberry, and mango.

I did not try any alcoholic beverages, but their menu boasts drinks such as burro mimosa and "hair of the dog" (horchata iced coffee with rumchata and coffee liqueur). They also have over 100 bottles on their tequila list.

In my first round of food, I ordered Mexican street corn esquites, papas bravadas, French toast, and short rib benedict (photographed above). The street corn was flavorful, with cotija, cayenne, lime, and garlic. The papas bravadas were essentially crispy pan-fried potatoes with a delicious chipotle queso and aji amarillo aioli. The French toast was well-executed enough that it warranted a repeat order, although its topping of caramelized plantains was a bit scarce. The eggs benedict was OK; the poached egg was slightly overcooked.

In my second round of ordering, I tried the huevos rancheros, el montanero "superbeasto," and crispy brussels sprouts (photographed above). The huevos rancheros had pork charro beans and roasted corn on crispy tortillas, and the "superbeasto" had chorizo con papas, burro rice, and guacamole on a crispy tortilla and topped with a sunny side egg, chipotle mayo, and baja crema. I preferred the latter's combination of flavors and textures. The crispy brussels sprouts were OK, fairly standard but not as tender or flavorful as my homemade roasted brussels sprouts.

In my third and last round of food, I ordered a waffle (photographed above) as well as another slice of French toast (photographed below). The waffle was tiny and fairly basic, served with strawberry mermelada and tres leches crema.

Overall, I thought that the drinks and dishes were creative with fun flavors and sauces, despite varying levels of quality and execution. I appreciated that care was given to the presentation of dishes. I also noticed that all of the food tasted lukewarm, which is a pet peeve of mine. It's not surprising given that it's bottomless brunch, so I expect that dishes are made in advance and probably sitting out for a bit before being served.

Service was very friendly and cheerful, and I was able to fit in three rounds of drinks and food within an hour. I estimate that it took about 10 to 15 minutes for food to arrive after each bout of ordering. I think the 90-minute limit should be plenty of time for most people to sample the menu. I may be interested in returning to try their dinner offerings, such as the tres burro enchiladas, burro burger, and burro churros.

Related recipes

• Parish Cafe Review
• Levain Bakery Review
• Bao Bao Bakery Review
• Row 34 Review

You may have heard of Burro Bar's older sibling, The Painted Burro in Somerville.

Mei Mei Dumplings was founded in 2012 as a food truck by James Beard Award winning chef Irene Li and her two siblings. Mei mei means "little sister" in Mandarin, and dumplings were some of the Li siblings' favorite childhood foods.

This cafe has a cheery and upbeat interior, with colorful chairs and bright wall art. In addition to being a cafe, Mei Mei is also a dumpling factory and classroom. Their class offerings include a dumpling class, scallion pancake class, noodle class, and more. Since the restaurant doubles as a classroom, note that the dining room may not available if a cooking class is being held, in which case you can order takeout only.

Mei Mei's menu includes seven dumpling options — dumpling party (a sampler plate), lemongrass pork dumplings, cheddar scallion potato dumplings, five spice tofu dumplings, curried sweet potato dumplings, cheeseburger dumplings, and cumin lamb dumplings — as well as side dishes like sweet potato hash cake and scallion pancakes. They also offer a "Double Awesome Sandwich" with eggs and cheese tucked into a scallion pancake, a scallion pancake cheeseburger, and a kale salad. If you prefer not to order in-person, you can order online for delivery or pickup.

I ordered the cheddar scallion potato dumplings (photographed above), which came with the option of pan seared or crispy fried. I chose pan seared for a lighter version. These dumplings featured creamy potatoes, Cabot cheddar cheese and butter from Vermont, and garlic. I thought they were a delicious and creative take on traditional dumplings, and I enjoyed pairing them with the refreshing apple chili sauce.

I also ordered the sweet potato hash cake (photographed above), which came as a pair in a wrapper. These delicious savory treats are extra crispy and contain sweet potato, bacon, and shiitake. I enjoyed the rich flavors and contrasting textures of these hash cakes. Mei Mei Dumplings sources many ingredients from local New England farms; the sweet potato is from Schartner Farms and the bacon is from Lilac Hedge Farm.

Overall, I enjoyed the food and ambiance at Mei Mei Dumplings. If I returned, I would be interested in trying their cumin lamb dumplings and scallion pancakes. My only complaints are that the portion sizes are on the smaller end, the menu is rather limited, and there is no available dine-in seating when classes are being held.

Related recipes

• Bao Bao Bakery Review
• MJ Teriyaki Review
• Burro Bar Review
• Row 34 Review

The interior of Taiwan Bakery is small and snug, but clean and organized. There are a number of displays with individually wrapped breads and pastries. You can browse through a wide assortment of savory options, such as mince meat bun, parmesan cheese ham bun, BBQ pork bun, and scallion hot dog bun. Sweet buns include red bean mochi bun, coconut butter bun, and coconut raisin bun.

There are round flaky swirl pastries with red bean, taro, and green tea fillings, offered in twin bags or boxed as a set of four. Similar flavors are available for crisp-type cookies.

Taiwan Bakery also has a large selection of traditional mooncakes year-round, both with and without egg yolk, available in flavors such as lotus seed, red bean, and matcha. There are also a number of colorful sponge cake rolls infused with green tea, red bean, almond, and coffee flavors.

I have visited this bakery a few times, and service is always attentive and quick in ringing up my purchases. As is the case with other Chinatown bakeries, there are no tables or chairs in the shop, so everything is ordered for takeout only. Items are individually selected by the customer and placed on a tray, then brought to the counter for payment.

My favorite items to order are traditional mooncakes — in particular yolk-less lotus seed ones — as well as Taiwanese-style mooncakes which are flaky swirl pastries. The traditional mooncakes are delicious, dense, and not too sweet. As for the Taiwanese-style flaky swirl mooncakes, I prefer the green tea flavored one but the taro one is a pretty close second. These mooncakes have a flaky layered exterior and within is a sweet flavored paste that is lighter than the dense paste in traditional mooncakes.

Overall, I prefer Taiwanese style bakeries than traditional Chinese bakeries (such as Ho Yuen Bakery next door to Taiwan Bakery), as the food looks more appealing and in line with my personal tastes. Prices at Taiwan Bakery were reasonable, maybe slightly higher on average than other bakeries in Chinatown. If I returned again, I would be interested in trying the coffee sponge cake roll and the coconut bun.

Related recipes

• Levain Bakery Review
• Burro Bar Review
• Shojo Review
• Parish Cafe Review

I've visited MJ Teriyaki three times since they opened. The exterior of the restaurant is easy to spot from the street, as they occupy a rounded street corner and have a wide brick storefront. The interior is small but there are a few tables if you decide to dine in. Ordering is done at the counter.

Their menu includes appetizers such as spring rolls, tempura, dumplings, crab rangoons, and dumplings. Main dishes include bento boxes (chicken, beef, shrimp, salmon, and tofu options), teriyaki dishes (served with vegetables, steamed rice, fried rice, or noodles), and sushi rolls. I looked forward to trying out their food as I enjoy meaty teriyaki bowls with vegetables and rice (see my chicken teriyaki recipe).

I ordered their bento boxes, which include a protein teriyaki option as well as vegetables, steamed rice, California roll (4 pieces), and fried dumplings (3 pieces). Photographed above is their beef-and-shrimp bento (left) and the beef bento (right).

The bento boxes are a great value, as they come with a generous heaping of tender and flavorful meat. The teriyaki sauce is rich and flavorful without overpowering, and just the right amount amount of sauce is provided. The fried dumplings are crispy and provide nice textural variety, and the California rolls are basic but good. It's a sizable amount of food for one meal, and prices range from $11.49 for a chicken bento to $12.79 for a beef bento and as high as $13.99 for a beef-and-shrimp bento. I thought that these prices were quite reasonable for the quantity and quality of food provided, especially in comparison to prices for similar Japanese bento boxes that I've ordered in the South End or Cambridge ($20-$25).

Service is very fast and friendly. Whether I order online or in person, it only takes about 10 minutes for the order to be ready. The staff are also the friendliest I've seen around Boston — I am usually warmly greeted by both the person behind the register as well as the cooks in the kitchen.

Overall, I think MJ Teriyaki is a great option for anyone who lives or works in the neighborhood, given their tasty food, reasonable prices, and efficient service. They're also a good late night option, not closing until midnight on Fridays and weekends. I would be interested in returning to try out their scallion pancakes and specialty sushi rolls.

Related recipes

• Parish Cafe Review
• Burro Bar Review
• Mei Mei Dumplings Review
• Shojo Review

The Friendly Toast (Back Bay) is located on a quiet street across from the Frieda Garcia Park. Its entrance is through the double wooden doors to the right of its sign, not the see-through door below its sign.

The restaurant is quite busy on the weekends after 10 am, and does not accept reservations. However, you can check current wait times and join their waitlist using Yelp. Once you've joined the waitlist, Yelp provides a range of estimated seating times. The wait time is typically 1-2 hours during peak weekend hours. Upon arriving at the restaurant, check in with the staff and you will likely need to wait further until your table is ready. You might be able to be seated sooner if you're OK with bar seating, which I found to be reasonably comfortable and well-spaced from neighboring guests.

The restaurant has a ground floor dining room with natural lighting as well as a basement dining room with a few tables and a bar. The interior surroundings are very colorful, quirky, and full of interesting signage.

I recommend checking out their online menu ahead of time, which has photos of each dish, instead of using the printed menu which does not include all photos. I ordered the "Appetize Me Captain" which contained a sampler platter of churro bites, breakfast egg rolls, and jumbo tots, as well as the "Doughnut Stop Believin" breakfast sandwich.

I thought that my server was very friendly and upbeat, and my order arrived in a reasonable amount of time.

The churro bites were my favorite part of the sampler platter — delicious crispy fried doughnut pieces tossed in cinnamon and sugar, then topped with a creamy cheesecake glaze and chocolate drizzle. They are served with a strawberry habanero jam, which I ended up using to dip the egg rolls in. The egg rolls themselves were OK; they were crispy but not particularly tasty or flavorful. The jumbo tots were fun to eat and had interesting flavors and textures: golden fried on the outside, cheddar stuffing on the inside, paired with a cheese sauce with caramelized onions, crumbled bacon, and scallions. And topped with a sriracha glaze.

The "Doughnut Stop Believin" dish sounded more delicious than it looked or tasted. It's a breakfast sandwich on French toasted donuts, filled with sausage, cheddar cheese, scrambled eggs, and chipotle-maple sour cream, and topped with powdered sugar. On the side are home fries and strawberry habanero jam. This dish was OK, but not really my jam.

Overall, I thought that the food at The Friendly Toast was mostly good, service was great, and I like how it's an all-day breakfast place. If I returned, I would be interested in trying out their Hash Quiche. However, given the lack of reservations and difficulty in planning ahead (the wait times for their online waitlist fluctuate throughout the day, which makes planning a visit more cumbersome than usual), I likely won't return again.

Related recipes

• Levain Bakery Review
• Shojo Review
• Burro Bar Review
• Taiwan Bakery Review

Boston's Chinatown has a surprising number of Chinese bakeries, all of them quite small with no seating available. Bao Bao Bakery is no exception, and it can be a bit crowded if multiple people are shopping at the same time. Inside the shop, there are several displays featuring individually wrapped buns and pastries. If you're buying multiple items, you can grab a tray and tongs near the entrance.

Their selection ranges from savory buns (bacon and cheese buns, scallion buns, curry beef buns, hot dog buns, pork sung buns) to sweet pastries (coconut cream buns, pineapple buns, egg custard tarts, red bean buns) to cakes (roll cakes, Japanese fluffy cheesecakes). Each bun or pastry is priced at about $2 - $3. They also make custom cakes for weddings and special events.

The pineapple buns at Bao Bao Bakery are some of the best I've had in recent memory. This is a sweet bread that does not actually contain pineapple but has a crusty topping that resembles the texture of a pineapple. I ordered a pineapple bun with taro filling, and I thought that the topping was crunchy and thick with the right amount of sweetness. The taro filling made it more interesting than plain pineapple buns.

The egg custard tart was great — delicious and fresh tasting.

I also ordered a beautiful bun with swirls of red bean paste. I thought it was unique and tasty, but not as good as their pineapple buns.

Overall, I thought that the pastries at Bao Bao Bakery were creatively executed and delicious. I would return again if I ever had cravings for pineapple buns, or to try their brown sugar boba cream puffs or matcha cream puffs. Service is good; the staff is efficient in ringing up orders and I've never had to wait longer than a few minutes.

Related recipes

• Row 34 Review
• Burro Bar Review
• Mei Mei Dumplings Review
• Shojo Review

This Mediterranean-inspired potato curry is a comforting side dish with onions and peppers. It's a dry curry with rich spices that comes together quickly on the stovetop. This easy-to-make side dish is suitable for vegan and gluten-free diets.

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

• 2 pounds gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 inch chunks
• 1 large onion, thinly sliced
• 1 large green bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 1 large tomato, chopped
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• chopped fresh cilantro, for garnish

Instructions

1. Add olive oil to 6 quart or larger pot. Add chopped potatoes. Cover with lid and place over medium heat. Cook for 15 minutes to give potatoes a head start on cooking, giving the pot a shake occasionally to mimic stirring. While waiting, prep other ingredients.

2. Carefully uncover (watch out for oil splatters). Add onion to pot. Cook uncovered until onions are softened, about 10 minutes, stirring frequently.

3. Add bell pepper to pot. Cook uncovered until softened slightly, about 3 minutes, stirring frequently.
4. Add all dried spices (turmeric, cumin, coriander, garlic, salt) to pot. Stir constantly until aromatic and well-mixed, about 1 minute.
5. Stir in tomatoes until softened, about 3 minutes.
6. Check that potatoes are tender and cooked through; if not, cover with lid and cook until potatoes are tender.

7. Turn off heat. Stir in balsamic vinegar until absorbed. Transfer to serving dishes, garnish with chopped cilantro, and serve immediately.

NOTES & TIPS

Leftovers can be covered and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. To reheat, microwave until heated through.

Related recipes

• Jalapeño Cornbread
• Air Fryer Potatoes
• Cornbread
• Mexican Cauliflower Rice