Shalom Bombay
On my recent trip to the East Coast, my goal was not only to visit my sister, but also to explore intriguing, ethnic, kosher, dining spots. After a hard day of shopping, what better way to finish the day then a stop at an authentic, Indian food, hole in the wall in Teaneck, New Jersey? We arrived late, hungry, and tired, but the delicious food soon had me re-energized for the long drive home.
Papri chaat are crisp crackers served with chopped potatoes, onions, mint chutney, and tamarind sauce, delivered to our table by a cheerful Indian girl with long chocolate-colored hair and a pleasant manner.
As in our Turkish restaurant experience, our strategy was to order too much, taste everything and pack up the leftovers. The waiter resisted our ordering tactic and thought we were a bit eccentric, however, the customer is always right and we prevailed.
Vegetable Samosas, burning hot, with a trio of sauces, including tamarind sauce, green mint chutney sauce, and minced red chili sauce, were crisp and spicy with a melt in your mouth-filling. Tandoori Chicken , red glazed, tender, and infused with Goan spice and flavorful Lamb Vindaloo were were luscious eaten atop basmati rice. The beef stewed in a Rogan Josh curry with vegetables was soft and gelatinous in its thickend red gold juice.
We ordered a unique, house speciality, naan bread stuffed with nuts and dried fruits along with Vegetable Biryani or rice that contained green chili, cauliflower and cashews. How could anyone eat so much food? I enjoyed the food so much one mouthful just followed another, although we did pack up a lot of leftovers.
As a point of interest, while researching the topic of Samosas, I discovered that they are an Indian version of a Boreka!!!
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