Here in the States, we see a pretty limited restaurant representation of India’s diverse cuisines. The menus found here are often heavy on meat and rich sauces. There are vegetables, too – mainly thick gravies, the veg cooked very soft, but the flavors, they’re what give those meatless dishes their depth. Years ago, I learned to recreate those flavors at home with a masala dabba (an Indian spice box) of cumin seed, turmeric, garam masala and others. With that tool, there is no such thing as a boring vegetable.
It’s time to pick your Milwaukee favorites for the year!
Dining out at an Indian spot, my intention is always to capture that depth in what I order. I’ve found I can accomplish that at (not new, but under-appreciated) Taj Mahal, which lives in a Hales Corners strip mall on busy Highway 100. The resto had floated under my radar until recently, and while they’re not reinventing any wheels, they’re doing some classic – and less seen – dishes quite well.
One of my fallbacks for its simplicity is aloo gobi – potatoes and cauliflower cooked in turmeric, cumin and ginger. Virtually every Indian restaurant I’ve ever been to makes this, and Taj Mahal is no different.
I like their creamy version that includes spinach, a comforting mushy stew ($17). The North Indian staple dish chana masala (chickpeas cooked in a tomato-based sauce) is zesty and ever so subtly tart, the chickpeas a little al dente ($13). Okra masala – cooked in an onion-tomato sauce is delicious as well. (You choose mild, medium or spicy; I like medium so the heat doesn’t mask the earthy sweetness.)
Seriously, my relationship with legumes was changed (for the better) by Indian cuisine. And that’s largely because of the spice box. I fell away from using my own masala dabba, but I haven’t forgotten what it taught me – that vegetables can be versatile and marvelously satisfying.
Taj Mahal
5114 S. 108TH ST., HALES CORNERS
Phone: 414-427-5900
Hours: Tues-Sun lunch and dinner
Prices: $13-$27
Reservations: Recommended on weekends
Two Other New Indian Restaurants
Since this time last year, the city has welcomed two new Indian establishments. Downtown, the old Mykonos Greek restaurant became Turmeric (1014 N. Van Buren St.), and a spot kitty-corner from Humboldt’s Bel Air Cantina is now Curry Hut (1888 N. Humboldt Ave.). They both cover the typical bases with tandoori meats and breads and plenty of stews, meat- or veggie-based. Nothing stuck out as extraordinary at Curry Hut, but the basics I ordered were just fine – plump, flaky samosas stuffed with potatoes and peas ($3 for two), and a suitably rich and creamy butter chicken ($16).
At Turmeric, the offerings are a little more diverse, including tasty chicken or veggie momo (steamed dumplings) dipped in a sweet, lightly spicy chile sauce ($14). I also liked the tandoori paneer tikka, a kebab-like dish with firm chunks of paneer, a fresh cottage cheese ($18). Most memorable for me was the malai chicken ($18), a tandoori dish in a customarily creamy sauce. Here the cream served a marinade function, keeping the meat tender but with a delicate roastiness. Definitely a dish worth ordering again.
The way I like to eat it is to tear off pieces of savory onion kulcha (a bread similar to naan, $4) and use them to scoop up the stews. Another of my favorites is baingan bharta ($14), an eggplant-onion mash with smoky heat. The dish is very common on Indian restaurant menus, but the seasonings aren’t always balanced. They are here.
In Indian cuisine, lentils, peas and other legumes are classified as dal (a Sanskrit word that means to split). Two I like are dal tadka ($13) – made with toor dal (split pigeon peas) cooked down so that the texture is very creamy with the nutty flavor of cumin coursing through it – and dal palak, where the lentils are cooked with spinach, the ginger, chiles and again cumin tying it all together ($13).
