Eastern Parade Indian cuisine leaves you well-fed BY TRICIA CHILDRESS Heavenly scented and nearly fat-free dishes are the hallmarks of Northern Indian food. “We do not add sugar,” says owner Kumar Balvinder of his Taj Mahal Indian Cuisine. “That is the difference between Northern Indian cooking and Southern Indian cooking.”There is no one “typical” Indian cuisine. India is a vast country with multiple regional culinary traditions that have been modified by numerous religious groups. What is true, though, is Indian cuisine of all types offers an imaginative, usually subtle, use of spices and herbs, creating endless permutations and range of tastes. Last October, Balvinder opened the 50-seat Taj Mahal in a small strip shopping center across the street from UNCC. The smells of cardamom, cinnamon and cumin greet you in the parking lot. The interior, however, is sparse. A mural of the ethereal Taj Mahal, a three-month endeavor by Balvinder, is on the left wall. The opposing wall remains starkly white. Comfortable booths line the side walls and tables fill the middle. Near the lunch buffet line at the back is a window into the kitchen. As is the case for many Charlotte area ethnic restaurants, Taj offers a lunch buffet. This one is $6.95, plus tax. Balvinder is a native of Punjab, India, and came to the US a dozen years ago. While working as a truck driver based on Long Island, NY, he crisscrossed the country looking for “the” location to open an Indian restaurant. “That was always my dream,” he says. During an exploratory excursion to Charlotte he met his future partner, Jatar Singh, through a connection at the hotel where he stayed. Singh owns both the India Palace on Independence Boulevard and the one downtown. “We decided that the university area would be a good place to open a northern India restaurant,” Balvinder explains. For those who seek healthful, yet savory, food, Taj Mahal may fit the bill. The meat and poultry is skinned and trimmed of all fat since animal fat is not used in Indian cooking. The meat is neither sauteed nor fried, rather it is roasted or braised. Vegetable dishes and some breads are fried in pure vegetable oil. In the Taj Mahal kitchen is Suvershan Kumar, a vegetarian. “People (who are vegetarian) always ask if the chef is a vegetarian. That is important,” Balvinder says. The menu also includes many meat, poultry and seafood offerings, which are Balvinder family recipes and are cooked by Balvinder. Service is conscientious, friendly, and good-natured. Servers must have been instructed to determine diners’ heat tolerance and the kitchen follows these specifications perfectly. Once you are seated, a tray of crispy pappadam, thin lentil wafers, arrives accompanied by contrasting condiments. The best beverage choice is an icy, palate-cleansing Indian beer served in large bottles ($7); although fruit juices, shakes, lassis (yogurt drinks), tea, and soda are available as well. The lengthy menu ranges in price from $10 for Curried Chick Peas and Potatoes to $17 for Tandoori Shrimp Marsala, although most entrees are between $10 to $12 and breads are $2 or $3. The menu includes 18 vegetarian dishes, 15 varieties of bread, dozens of curries — half of which are lamb — tandoori items, biryani, seafood, the works. We started with crispy potato Samosas appetizers and a spicy Aaloo Chaat, a dish of seasoned potatoes, chick peas, tomatoes, and onions. Next up were the freshly baked Roti and Naan, which are as good solo as when torn off to dunk into a savory sauce. Tandoori, or Indian barbecue, is the classic cooking method in the Punjabi region. Even the Roti is cooked in this open-flame earthenware oven by slapping it up against the walls. The Chicken Tikka was moist and flavorful slices of marinated boneless chicken still hinting of the earthy aroma of the tandoori oven in a spicy yogurt gravy. Then came sizzling onions and finely ground spicy lamb skewers on a hot skillet and served with a bowl of Basmati rice. Our appetites were further tantalized by the vegetarian Baingan Bhurta, a savory mix of flamed eggplant, cooked tomatoes, herbs, and spices. Desserts consist of rice pudding, gulam jamun, rasmalai (homemade cheese with sweetened milk and pistachios) or ice cream. I like less copious desserts such as their homemade mango ice cream, which tastes almost like summer. Taj Mahal’s robust and hale cuisine will provide respite from fat-filled foods, yet leaves one feeling well-fed — a good thing now that winter has finally ended and spring is in the air.
This article appears in Apr 2-8, 2003.
