Restaurant Review: Indikitch

One of my favorite aspects of NYC (and USA for that matter) is the melting pot of cultures. Where else can you go experience the Chinese New Year, watch the Thanksgiving Day Parade, take salsa to Bollywood dance classes and eat Lebanese or Ethiopian cuisine?! I love it and feel so blessed to be able to experience it all! We take the best every culture has to offer and make it our own. Since immigrants started coming to America, they brought what they knew from their homeland and introduced it to the American culture in a way that would appeal to the masses. I call it making that culture “mainstream.” We did it with Italian food, Mexican food and Chinese food. However, Indian food has not broken into this mainstream. Until now that is. I present to you Indikitch. The new way of eating Indian food that’s fast, healthy, simple and integrated into the American lifestyle. Many have tried and many have thought of doing this (believe me, I know!) and I think this place has succeeded!

Indikitch is now open in New York City (and it’s only been 6 days since it opened) and I can see it franchising into something big all across the USA. Why, you may ask? Simple: It’s modeled after Chipotle but for Indian food. You first chose your style (feast, rice, salad or sandwich) and then you chose your main protein/veggie that you would like in your style.

Then you can get any sides and/or drinks. The best thing is, your main is prepared to order and it’s fast. I decided to go with the sandwich with mushroom kadai as my main. It took all of 3-4 minutes to toast my bread, get my main on the tawa (an Indian sauté pan/grill – you must watch this part!) and assemble the sandwich for me to enjoy.

The verdict – an excellent sandwich indeed! I loved the coriander mayo and the tandoori spices used for the mushrooms. It made for a great combination. My only complain is they should cut the sandwich in half. It would have made it easier to eat. Regardless, it is a place that I will definitely be going back to again. Stay tuned for more adventures at Indikitch!

To the Indikitch family – Good luck!! I am so happy to have tried this from the beginning and can’t wait to see it grow!

And lastly – just a few more pictures of my amazing sandwich that I will definitely try to recreate!

Cauliflower, Potato and Tomato Curry

An Indian wedding goes many many days long. The typical Indian wedding is approximately 3 to 5 days long. Can you imagine planning all different breakfast, lunch and dinners for hundreds of guest for all those days? Especially when the bride’s family loves food and looks for the innovation and the groom’s family is in the restaurant business? That is what happened in our situation. Menu planning was a feat for my family and we wanted to make sure we had unique dishes that were not the standard fare and therefore will be remembered by our guest. For me, it was important to surprise my soon to be hubster with some of his favorite dishes all throughout the event. Everyone loved it! Till this day, we get complimented on the feast we had catered. (Special thanks to Rasoi and Palace of Asia and my cousins for making this happen!) For our wedding day lunch, I had Palace of Asia create a punjabi spiced version of the dish that I am about to share with you – Cauliflower, Potato and Tomato Curry. The hubster loves this dish! My mummy would make it for him all the time when we dated and once we married, I learned to make it for him. It’s hearty, simple, fast to throw together and requires very few ingredients.

The main veggies in this dish are cauliflower, tomatoes and potatoes.

The spices are very basic as well – just salt, red chilli powder turmeric and a pinch of garam masala. It’s perfect for a cold winter night.

Cauliflower, Potato and Tomato Curry (serves 4-5)

1 large potato – chopped in 1/2″ cubes
1/2 head of cauliflower chopped in small pieces (approximately 2 1/2 cups)
2 1/2 plum tomatoes – chopped in medium pieces
1 1/2 tbsp. oil
1/2 tsp. mustard seeds (rai)
1/2 tsp. cumin seeds (jeeru)
1/2 to 3/4 tsp. red chilli powder (I used 3/4 tsp. since we like ours a little spicer)
1/4 tsp. turmeric powder (haldi)
1 1/2 to 2 cups of water
Salt to taste
1-2 tbsp. chopped cilantro (optional)

1) Heat oil in a kadai/skillet/sauté pan on medium high heat.

2) After 1-2 minutes (once oil is heated) add mustard seeds and cumin seeds and wait for them to sputter.

3) Add chopped potato, turmeric powder and red chilli powder and mix.

4) Lower heat, add 1/2 cup of water and cover pan/wok. Place heat back on medium high and let potatoes cook for 3-4 minutes.

5) Add cauliflower and mix. If water has evaporated, add another 1/2 cup.

6) Cover and cook on medium high heat for approximately 5 minutes until cauliflower are slightly tender.

7) Add chopped tomatoes and an additional 1/2 to 1 cup water if needed. (We like ours with more gravy so we added 1 cup).

8) At this point, my mother recommends squishing some of the potato pieces with the back of your spatula/serving spoon to help create a thicker gravy. It really works! After all, mummy knows best!

9) Add garam masala and mix. Cover and cook for another 2-3 minutes until the tomatoes soften up and some of the water thickens to a gravy.

10) And voila! It’s ready to serve. Garnish with fresh cilantro and serve with roti/paratha or rice along with your favorite accompaniments. (We used homemade mango pickle, pickled peppers, onions and papadum).

Hope you enjoy this dish as much as we do! I hope this inspires the hubster to make it for me one day! Keeping fingers crossed!