If you follow the madgood page on Instagram, you may have seen my photo of a Paper Dosa I had at Uru-Swati years ago. We found this vegetarian Indian restaurant through the VegOut Chicago Guide, a reference for vegetarian and vegan-friendly restaurants around Chicago (check out their Best Vegan Restaurants in Chicago list).
Trying something new, I ordered this light and flaky crepe made with lentil and rice flour. On the menu, it read, 2’ long, and I didn’t believe it!
But it arrived, filled with spiced potatoes and with two fantastic sauces… (I later found out they are a chutney and a stew.)
My son noticed the photo (above) and asked what in the world I was sitting in front of. I explained it was from a restaurant up north called Uru-Swati that serves Paper Dosa. We were in Andersonville, so we took the relatively short drive up to Rogers Park and Devon Avenue, where some of the best Indian and Middle Eastern restaurants are known to be.
I told him, “I didn’t think it would actually be two feet, but it was.” It had been some time since I had last been there.
I looked at their website:
“Uru-Swati meaning the “Morning star of peace” is a family oriented comfortable, 14-table North and South Indian full service vegetarian restaurant serving food that is fresh and of the highest quality.
Uru Swati offers a menu of flavorful, vegetarian Indian dishes in one of the most culturally diverse neighborhoods in Chicago. You will find traditional samosas, dosa, masala, and paneer, as well as house-made naan and garlic breads.
The recipes come from owner Hansa Chhabria. She and her husband also own Raj Darbar, a North Indian restaurant in Lincoln Park. But Uru-Swati, which opened in late May, is strictly vegetarian. As for the claim of “healing through food,” Hansa’s son, Vishal Chhabria, explains, “We use Indian spices which in ayurvedic science are proven to be helpful in aiding digestion and have antiseptic properties.”
Vishal, who has studied Sivananda yoga, continues, ‘There is no alcohol and no meat and no eggs; those kind of tamastic [non-health-promoting] foods are not part of our kitchen in any way. The energy of the kitchen is very pure and very clean. It’s very sattvic [beneficial to the body and mind], very pure.’”
Yes - this was the place. I remember the food being so nourishing and delicious. We loved the use of ayurvedic spices, and the chai tea.
So we went! And the look on his face when he saw the crepe was priceless :) We enjoyed Paper Dosa, along with a mango lassi, Dal, and different curries and paneers with Basmati rice.
We highly recommend Uru-Swati for amazing food made with intention. And we’ll be stopping by a lot more often :)
Much Love,
L and M
