PrintSerious Sandwiches: Najib's Special at Nuba
Cauliflower is a pretty unpopular vegetable, isn't it? I'm not a huge fan (possibly because of the cauliflower and ketchup pasta I was subjected to as a kid), and I'm not alone, due in no small part to the fact that most people boil it to death. Take that same cauliflower, deep-fry it, and serve it in sandwich form, like they do at Nuba, in downtown Vancouver, and you may see a lot more converts.
"Najib's Special," as the sandwich is called there, starts with organic cauliflower that's been deep-fried to a perfect golden brown and tossed with lemon and sea salt. It gets put into a whole wheat pita that has been smeared with Nuba's house-made hummus (organic dried chickpeas, extra-virgin olive oil, and organic lemon juice), and topped with taboulleh (parsley, tomato, scallions, burghul, and lemon-mint dressing). Finally, it gets a nice handful of lettuce, and cabbage, that has been pickled with actual fresh beets.
I will never say "I don't like cauliflower" again.
Nuba
Address: 322 West Hastings Street, Vancouver BC V6B [map] Phone: 606-688-1655Address: 1206 Seymour Street, Vancouver BC V6B [map]
Phone: 778-371-3266
About the author: Zach Brooks is the proprietor of Midtown Lunch, where he blogs about affordable lunchtime eats in Midtown Manhattan. The guy knows his sandwiches.
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3 Comments:
That fried cauliflower is called zahra, at least in much of the Middle East. I know this only because I once reviewed a Syrian restaurant and went nuts over the zahra.
mamster at 12:51PM on 09/26/07
Oh man. That looks like heaven. The cook at the dig house in the Western Desert in Egypt, where I visit each year, does fried cauliflower, too, which I scarf down like it's going out of style. And I LOATHED cauliflower as a kid, unable to eat it unless it was drowned in a lake of melted cheese.
There's also a great recipe for a roasted curried cauliflower at Epicurious.com that has made more than its share of converts.
klg19 at 3:28PM on 09/26/07
WOW! After reading this article I put Nuba on my list of Eateries to Investigate in Vancouver and, after two months on the list, it's finally crossed it off. Najib's special is everything Zach made it out to be and more. The lemon juice gives the cauliflower an amazing aroma and flavor, which just can't be beat! Thank you for the recommendation - I'm a regular already.
Warning: to those who wish to devour a mouthwatering Nuba dish - the restaurant is packed from 11:45 to 12:30. If you want to avoid a line and increase your chances of grabbing a seat, avoid the lunch rush.
mille at 2:39AM on 06/22/08