Indian Cuisine – Wong Eats

Indigo

In my last blog, I quibbled about the logistical and parking issues that Washington D.C. poses to the suburbanite who wants to venture into town for a decent meal, hence my lack of blogs on its eating establishments as of late. After posting a photo of my meal at my favorite Indian eatery on social media, a friend of Indian descent invited me to join him for a meal at his favorite spot serving the same South Asian fare. Having not heard about that locale and realizing that it was in a quiet neighborhood, I decided to met up my friend and his lover, as well as another couple, to sample their offerings.

Indigo is a corner townhouse that has been remodeled with a few tables on the ground floor as well as the rather cramped kitchen behind it. But the appeal for the customer lies in the garden that is replete with brightly colored benches and tables, as well as a tikki-like bar to the side. After perusing the slightly over-whelming board of a menu, we placed our orders and found a seat in the garden patio with a bottle of Indian lager beer and some typical condiments. The alcoholic beverage was quite hopsy with a slight sweet aftertaste, reminding me of Southeast Asian lagers that I grew up on. The Chutney was fruity and sweet, yet hinting of some spice notes. The Achar pickles tasted house-made with the softened fruits and vegetables paired with some chili and seed spices, a good mix that made it quite proper. The mint/coriander sauce was a bit sour-sweet, redolent with the herbal qualities of the leaves present in the sauce, making it irresistibly sippable. As for our orders, here is the rundown of the different dishes that we savored:

Chicken Saag, Pumpkin, Mushroom, Okra, Cauliflower.

Chicken Tikka, Cabbage, Chickpeas.

Lamb Curry, Gobhi, Eggplant, Saag, Daal.

Goat Curry, Cauliflower, Okra, Eggplant, Pumpkin, Flat Bread.

The main/meat dishes:

The Chicken Saag was a combination of tender pieces of chicken that tasted well-seasoned due to a marination, paired with a silky smooth puree of spinach that was devoid of any bitterness, spiked by a good dose of fresh ginger that brightened the mix as well as providing some spice heat. This dish was very sumptuous and one of the best versions that I have tasted, making me return to it continuously. The Goat and the Lamb Curries had pieces of tender meat, an indication that they were stewed long enough in a sauce similar for both meats, but without falling apart due to some skillful timing in the kitchen. The tomato-based sauce was perfumed with the proper spice mixture that was well-balanced as not to overwhelm the natural meat flavors that managed to assert their presence without any extraneous gaminess. As for the Chicken Tikka, I did not manage to be presumptuous enough to poke my fork into a newly-made acquaintance’s plate, but he seemed rather satisfied evidenced by the few morsels left at the end of the meal.

The sides:

All the orders came with a copious amount of Basmati rice that was light and fluffy, seasoned with salt (which some establishments omit, unfortunately), studded with whole cumin seeds, and was made healthy with ribbons of fresh spinach.

The Cauliflower came in large whole pieces that were not overcooked, seasoned with cumin, tomato and a good dose of turmeric judging by its rich yellow hue.

The Okra was still al dente and surprisingly not slimy at all, paired with some sautéed onion and fresh tomato, reminding me of the Southern-styled preparation.

The Mushrooms were quite firm and meaty, cooked in a tomato puree sauce, tasting spicy with chili heat, and fragrant from cinnamon, making it a very appealing hit for this mushroom lover.

The Pumpkin was surprising not sweet like most other preparations, but it had notes of squash along with chili heat, spiking ginger, and onion sweetness.

The Eggplant was wonderfully smokey, vegetable sweet, and silky smooth, reminding me of a properly prepared babaghanouj which made me return my fork often into my friend’s tray.

The Daal Lentils were cooked until very smooth and spiced with woodsy spices without overwhelming the legumes.

The Cabbage was cooked without any mushiness and made interesting with anise seeds, and garam marsala, with some chili heat that produced a back throat burn.

The Raita was quite thick for a yogurt sauce, tasting much creamier than the usual kind, quite salty, and having thin cucumber strands running though it, which became the perfect relieving foil for all the spices and heat in the other sides and meat courses.

The flatbread was not the usual fluffy Pratha or Naan Bread but more a wheaty textural bite that reminded me of Chapati bread or the Tamil-style Tosai.

My friend was right, and thankfully so, to steer me to this place. What Indigo offers is what superb Indian food is all about: interesting and differentiated spicing (not a monolithic seasoning approach like some inferior establishments practice), freshly cooked dishes with equally fresh ingredients (not reheated tired leftovers), and a good variety of dishes to accommodate the knowledgeable diner. What I tasted that night exemplified the above qualities, which made the experience satisfying on many levels and pleasing to this diner who has found an Indian establishment in the city, albeit not downtown (a relief), worth mentioning and with high praises. The place’s funkiness has a wonderful charm that makes good food the great equalizer, with the garden furniture making no distinction whoever sits on it to enjoy their meal. Indigo is a great find indeed which deserves my many future repeat visits.

Curry Leaf

Food, Restaurants

I currently find myself in the throes of change, a period filled with stress, doubts, hope, excitement, and ultimately a need for relief. Yes, I am in the process of purchasing a new home that is just 6 miles down the road from my current abode. I have chosen to stay in Laurel, MD, as I find this township quaint with historic homes and accessible to both Washington DC and Baltimore. Furthermore, I have been mildly surprised by some real good eats located in this part of the suburbs which some may not expect to find in this rather quiet area. Recently, I have stumbled across one such Indian delight around the corner from me.

Curry Leaf has only been opened since the beginning of summer. It is located on busy Route 1, in a space once occupied by an all-you-can-eat Korean/Japanese restaurant that had a long stint in the area – I was getting slightly leery of its sushi offerings during its last few weeks. Not much has changed in the furniture setup but the space is warmer with some nature and spice colors along with some exotic prints on the wall, as well as the sushi bar that has taken on a transformation into a drink bar. Initially, I was quite leery of another Indian eatery in the neighborhood that has seen the demise of a couple of them. But a few visits to this new establishment has proven that it has injected an infusion of South Asia to the local eating scene. My visits were made during the lunch buffet and during dinner service.

For dinner, my BFF insisted that we tried the Vegetable Samosa which I was not keen on, having tried many versions of these greasy dough balls that have proven to be lackluster on most occasions. But this version did pique my interest. The pastry here was crispy, thin and light, speckled with whole cumin seeds that added interest to the outer shell, perhaps baked judging by no trace of oil on the finger or the serving plate. The stuffing was a tasty mixture of mash potato and whole peas, made fragrant with whole curry leaves, bits of cumin and coriander, and spiked with a tinge of spice heat. The accompanying sauces were the obligatory partners to these tasty bites: the tamarind sauce was tangy and slightly sweet with a faint hint of its clove-like aftertaste, and the coriander sauce was bright green, spicy and packed with the herbaceous coriander/cilantro, both tasting home-made and fresh. A fragrant and spicy start.

For my buffet visit, I sampled the Vegetable Pakoras. Pieces of zucchini, green pepper, and eggplant have been dipped in a yeasty dahl lentil batter and deep-fried, providing a more mealy dough made quite light with pockets of air from the fermentation, a far cry from the uninspired flour-water combination used by most establishments. But what really grabbed my attention were the delicate pieces of vegetable made puree-like by the frying and tasting vegetal sweet. The sides of lemon peel pickles and coconut chutney were well-made and worth sampling, tasting fresh and house-made.

Another starter served on the buffet line were some traditional soups. Rasam was a light soup, tasting a bit sour from tamarind, and spiced with whole mustard seeds and curry leaves with a nice backthroat bite from the chili. However, it tasted a little bit insipid compared to other versions that I have sipped before. In contrast, the Sambar was more satisfying for me, a soup that carried a similar flavor profile as the above soup, but made more substantial by the addition of bits of squash, and made creamy by lentils pureed into the soup. If weren’t for the main courses coming up, I would have gulped down a couple more steel cups full of this hot liquid.

On to the main courses. For my buffet visit, I decided to make a vegetarian/vegan plate. Spinach Kofta: The vegetable-ball consisted of slightly crunchy bits of carrots mixed with semolina-like starch coated with a creamy non-bitter spinach sauce that wowed me with its subtlety and a high level of satisfaction. Egg Curry: What I enjoyed about the dish was the light handedness in the spicing of the curry sauce that matched the mild egg whites yet creamy enough to pair with the yolk. Rajma Masala: Again, I appreciated the under spicing of this green bean and potato dish aided by a fairly subtle use of mustard seeds and cumin, enough to allow the green bean’s natural flavor shine through. Vegetable Korma: a medley of very tender peas, cauliflower, carrots and peas, brought together by cream and turmeric, with a hint of chili heat and fragrant spices. Aloo Beans: I marvelled at this simple yet savory dish with red beans cooked with the skin intact and starch cooked through with a hint of cinnamon wafting through each bite – who knew cinnamon worked with beans! Throughout my tasting of this plate, I kept going back to the spinach sauce which I couldn’t get enough of. The above dishes only reaffirmed my affinity for Indian vegetarian/vegan dishes that when prepared well, they are exciting and satisfying to the omnivore.

On to the meat dishes. Goat Curry: the gamey pieces of goat were moist and tender coated by a delectable slightly sweet sauce hinting of dark spices and rich without the use of cream. Tandoori Chicken: the piece of red-stained meat was slightly firm on the outside encasing a moist and tender interior, made tasty from some proper marination with yogurt and spices, and it was far flung from my expectation of a flavorless piece of dried out meat which I usually encounter on some buffet lines. Butter Chicken (mislabeled Chicken Tikka Masala): The pieces were moist and tender, paired with a creamy buttery sauce that was slightly tangy and sweet that give me an impression that the dish was prepared with care rather than throwing the elements together. Vegetable Biryani (ok, I had to balance the meat pieces out): What I truly enjoyed about this “simple” dish is that the pieces of peas and green beans felt integrated with the rice spiced with cinnamon, cloves, star anise, and bay leaves, further brought together by a faint hint of butteriness from the use of ghee (clarified butter). This reminded of my BFF’s order of Shrimp Biryani one night that had a similar profile but richer with more sinfully good buttery rice coating the tender plump shrimp – I was amazed by this seafood dish tasting like a unified dish without any element feeling out-of-place. No wonder it is BFF’s favorite.

Lamb Vindaloo was my dish on one night’s visit. Pieces of lamb were properly cooked to a very tender stage without falling apart and partnered with wedges of potato. But what brought the pieces of meat to another level is the sauce made fiery by dried chili evidenced by the chili seeds throughout the sauce. The chili heat was tempered with the use of fresh tomato cooked through leaving behind some of its skin. What was noticeable with this dish is that a skilful hand was behind the production of the balanced sauce, being not too salty, and the bare hint of oil. The accompanying Basmati rice was cooked to its perfect fluffy state with the random aroma-popping cumin seed running through the mound of grain. This dish, along with BFF’s Shrimp Biryani and Vegetable Samosa, made it an eventful night.

For my sweet craving, I helped myself to some Suji Halwa which was the only dessert offering on the buffet line. Initially, I thought that the pudding was too stiff when I cut into it along with the impression that there was too much of the pungent cardamom with the first spoonful. With subsequent mouthfuls, all the elements came together with the cream of wheat tasting slightly buttery, spicy from the cardamom, and sweet enough without being cloying. The pieces of ghee-soaked raisins (wow), pistachios and shards of almond slivers added interest to the sugar-laced starch. Somehow I made room for this sweet finale despite having ingested the above dishes.

In a short period of time, Curry Leaf has already made its presence known in the Laurel area, judging by the filled tables (a noticeable South Asian crowd) during the lunch and dinner services, even despite a torrential rain one night. In my estimation, what stands out in their offerings are dishes that taste freshly made, a judicious hand with the spices and seasoning, and a skilful and knowledgeable kitchen staff that cares about the final product. Yes, Indian cuisine can be tired-tasting and predictable. But I think I can count on this new establishment for something beyond the norm that is exciting and worth looking forward to.

P.S. I just read that the chef comes from the defunct yet successful vegetarian restaurant, Udupi, which was my favorite for a long time. Now this explains the exceptional quality in the food.

Woodlands

Restaurants

The Lunar New Year has arrived already and as an annual custom, I would put up a fairly much-to-do about this occasion, especially given the fact that it is The Year of the Snake, my zodiac year. Such cause for celebration has propelled me to recreate some dishes that reflect my background and the customs that I grew up with during this festivity. In pursuit for some difficult-to-find ingredients for the Nyonya dishes that I’m about to cook this weekend, I had to visit some Indian stores in the heart of immigrant city, Langley Park, MD, in search of fresh curry leaves and dried red chilies.

Stepping out of the hallway of a strip mall that exuded a combination whaft of heady incense, exotic dried spices, and fragrant fresh strange herbs, I was about to head to my car when I suddenly recalled that a responder to my blog of a close-by Indian restaurant, Tiffin, recommended another establishment in that plaza that was pure vegetarian. I looked around and walked past it in the rather busy run-down strip mall before stumbling across it on my way back. Woodlands has been around for a number of years, back when I first visited it one night in the early 90’s. I recall that my experience that night was quite memorable but unfortunately I never went back to pay it another visit until this serendipitous encounter, hence the cellphone photos unlike those from the Nikon. Standing at the door, the restaurant had just opened its door for customers, and after a quick perusal of the lunch buffet line, I quickly took a seat in the half empty space.

When a buffet line is being served, there is no time for waiting and I went straight to it. The starter was the Rasam Sambar which is a soup consisting of chunks of squash swimming in a light sour broth made spicy with dried chili and fragrant from curry leaves. The buffet line offers two version, one with whole yellow lentils, and the other with pureed lentils that gives it a thicker consistency. I enjoyed the biting spiciness along with the tasty bits of vegetable along with the lentils, which I preferred whole since this version’s broth was lighter for me – this hot sip always sets the right tone for me.

When approaching the buffet line, you are assaulted by a humongous circular flat cast-iron pan serving the dish called Pav Baiji . In the middle of the flatpan is a mound of potato curry surrounded by a ring of bits of raw cabbage and onion, followed by an outer ring of slices of baked bread loaf. I was not sure how to eat this dish since it was very novel to me, but upon research online, it is a typical lunch fare in Mumbai that has been made lighter for the back-breaking worker who has to return to menial labor after lunch. I appreciated the authenticity of this dish and found the combination of the raw bites of vegetable complementary to the mild potato curry. I did not touch the bread since I wanted to make room for the other good stuff.

A typical South Indian vegetarian fare is Masala Dosa which is rice flour pancake with a stuffing in the middle. This restaurant’s version is as crispy as in others but it is not overstuffed with a heavy potato mixture. Instead it is rather light with a thin layer in the middle. The customary accompaniment of Coconut chutney made it more irresistible with its nuttiness punctuated with some fragrant curry leaves and spicy dried chilies.

There were many highlights from the buffet line. Beetroot Poriyal is a combination of fine cubes of red beets cooked with fragrant cumin seeds that produced a dish devoid of the earthiness associated with this root vegetable. Pala Paneer is a dish combining fresh firm cheese with a spinach puree. What sets it apart from the more known Saag Paneer is that this version is not mixed with mustard green and it is not enriched with cream like the latter. I enjoyed the smooth green puree that did not taste too bitter from the pure spinach and the cheese was mild but rather firm. One dish that I could not get enough of was Avial, which consisted of tendli, which tasted like a chayote squash, “drumstick vegetable”, and potato that is thickened with some yogurt that provided a mild sourness which I enjoyed thoroughly. Chickpeas are prominently featured in Indian vegetarian cuisine and one version offered here is Chana Chaat. It is a melange of chickpeas and mashed potato seasoned with tamarind sauce, cilantro sauce, and tomato ketchup, elevating this dish beyond pure starch. The bits of puffed vermicelli on top provided the necessary crispy texture to the mushy consistency. It was one of my favorite dishes.

The first serving was not enough since another plateful revealed more wonders. Another common Indian appetizer was the first bite from this plate – Medu Wada. These small savory lentil doughnuts were lighter than the ones I have savored, packed with some spice fragrance and a slight sourness that was complimented by the typical sauces. The tamarind sauce was thick and dark, an indication of it being house-made with its sourness well tamed, and the cilantro sauce was flourescent creamy green replete with its herbaciousness – here we see the restaurant paying close details to the background players. A couple of bites of the Fried Noodles dispelled any doubts of the dish’s appearance and I quite enjoyed the sweet and sour tomato-based sauce coating the delicate strands of noodles. The Veggie Biryani was a heady rice dish spiked with whole pieces of cinnamon, cloves, and whole curry leaves. The bits of pumpkin added the sweet element to this savory dish along with bits of rich cashew nut, which added a bit of unctousness to the mouthful. Veggie Manchu are bits of whole vegetables that have been battered and deep-fried and lightly coated with a slightly sweet dark sauce, paying homage to its meat version, General Tso Chicken, which left me sated as if having eaten its original meat version. A couple of servings of Chana Bandar sealed the deal for me about this restaurant’s authenticity and quality cooking. Puffed dough shells are available for the customer to be stuffed with cooked chickpeas, further topped with fresh tomato and onion, puffed rice crispy, and moistened by a gravy or the tamarind or cilantro sauces. I had only seen this dish on travel and culinary channels, and I was excited to finally savor this multi-flavored and textured dish – Yumm!

Despite the level of satedness I was feeling, I could not resist having a few bites of dessert. The first offering was Vermicelli Kheer made with strands of fine vermicelli and tapioca pearls swimming in a pool of sweetened cooked milk. I enjoyed a few spoonfuls of it before deciding that it was a bit too sweet for me. Just when I thought I was eating some Halwa, a sweet carrot puree, it turned out to be Rava Kesari, a thick sweet cream of wheat orange mixture, filled with surprising chunks of sweet pineapple and almond slivers that made it difficult to put the spoon down. Note to the diner – leave some room for these sweet dishes.

I walked out of Woodlands feeling both gastronomically satisfied and pleased that I had a chance encounter with this wonderful establishment, especially one serving authentic Southern Indian vegetarian fare. An hour after my entrance, I passed by a long line of customers waiting for a table for Sunday lunch, hungrily anticipating the delicious offerings on the buffet line. I walked past them noting to myself, “Why have I not been back all these years?” Now I know what I have been missing all these years. Neither should you.

Tiffin

Restaurants

Langley Park is a real funky place in an interesting way. Where else in the DMV (DC, MD, VA – not the dreaded lines to pay your traffic tickets) can you find a slew of different cuisines within a stone throw of this Maryland suburb – Vietnamese, Pakistani, Chinese, Caribbean, Latin American, African, and countless more. Since it is located just down the road from my university halls, I used to haul myself down the road for these tasty bites and also head to the different markets that cater to the ethnic population in that area. Without amiss, there is a slew of Indian eateries and markets dotting that same strip which I have paid my many visits, especially to one of my favorites.

Tiffin is located just off the amazingly busy University Boulevard that never ceases to slow down even on the weekday. It is sandwiched by other Indian stores that are hawking off either cheap saris or the latest Bollywood DVD. Not too long ago, Udupi, an Indian vegetarian restaurant, merged with this meat-serving eatery. But Tiffin still serves the same vegetarian buffet with the adddition of a few meat selections at the end of the line. What better day than a cool dreary one for me to step in and taste some Indian food.

My favorite starters are the soups that greet you first. Without doubt, Samber is what I look forward to to ingratiate my tongue with. It is a complex concoction of lentils, zucchini, pumpkin, red radish, red chili, long squash, “vegetable drumstick”, curry leaves, bay leaves, mustard seeds, and tamarind pulp that brings the sour element to this light yet flavor-packed vegetable broth. A Yellow Dahl Soup maybe less complicated than the above but it is not short in flavor and spiciness from both dried red and fresh green chilies, especially the whole cumin seeds that explode in the mouth with their pungent fragrance.

An array of small bites made some decent appetizers on that day. Alu Bonda is basically Fried Potato Balls and Medhu Vada are, as the waiter put it, Lentil Donuts. They are lightly spiced with either some cumin or curry leaves, but they are rather tame in comparison to the other highly spiced offerings. What elevate them beyond the level of starch are the side sauces of one consisting of cilantro and the other sweat and sour made with tamarind. Masala Dosai is a crispy fermented rice pancake stuffed with a potato curry onion mix that is contrasted and complemented by a cooling, slightly sweet and sour, and rich nutty Coconut Chutney that immediately transports you to South Asia with this tasty bite.

For the vegetarian mains, there is a wide variety and here we see the kitchen’s cooking strength. This day’s offering were Mixed Vegetables that consisted of cauliflower, corn, spinach, daikon; an Aloo dish made from broccoli, mushroom, potato, carrots, and spiced with cumin, and curry leaves; the omnipresent Chana Masala which are chickpeas cooked in a tomato sauce and various spices; and an exotic Tendli Masala which had the interesting small cucumber-like vegetable cooked with onion and tomato spiced with cumin, mustard seeds and bay leaves. These offerings were very satisfying due to the skilful manner and the variety in the kitchen’s handling in the spice department. Such wonderful vegetarian dishes would only change the mind of the skeptic or naysayer.

Since the merging of both restaurants, Tiffin offers, along with the above dishes, meat dishes to appease the carnivores and their primordial desires (just kidding). The buffet offerings were Butter Chicken, Goat Curry, Chicken Curry, and Tandoori Chicken. All the dishes were perfectly spiced and cooked properly – the Butter Chicken was moist and a bit rich from the butter sauce, and the Tandoori Chicken was quite smoky from its high searing in the charcoal tandoor. But the radioactive red coloring on it, which seems common in most Indian eateries, was quite scary and in my estimation, and quite unnecessary. Once I could get past this slight eye-sore, I was enjoying the rather moist and tasty bite.

The now-defunct Udupi had near its entrance a sweet and candy display counter, which, regrettably, is missing in its new location. However, the buffet line does have a sweet offering at the end. I finished my fiery and spicy meal with something rather mild – Rice Pudding and Almonds. It was only slightly sweet with the rice grains completely cooked and filled with bits of fragrant almond slivers. The use of cardamom and probably rose-water added some interesting fragrant notes to this simple yet tasty dessert.

With the abundance of Indian restaurants in the metro area, Tiffin stands out for its dishes that are well-spiced and that do not shy away from flavor. In addition, it is a place where one can indulge in vegetarian and non-vegetarian choices, and the presence of many satisfied Indian or non-Indian customers is a testament to the high quality cooking. Even if you are not vegetarian, you will walk out of there quite sated from the spicy and tasty offerings, whether made with vegetable or meat. Just make sure to stop by the counter for a breath mint, or a spoonful of anise seeds from a bowl sitting by the Hindu God Ganesh, before heading back to work, unless you run it at your workplace!