A few weeks ago, we stopped in for an early dinner at the Tandoori Restaurant on Kirkwood Highway heading towards Newark. It is in the same shopping center as my very favorite Sushi Sumo. This center has some gooooood juju as we had a delicious dinner and can’t wait to return.
I did not have my camera, so bear with the cell phone photos 🙂 …
The restaurant was quiet but we got there fairly early. Our appetizer was recommended by one of the owners, Samosa Chaat; a delectable dish with potato and pea samosas, heaped with boiled chickpeas, tomatoes, onions, and amazing tamarind chutney. My nephew informed me through a mouth stuffed with it that he was not a fan of chickpeas but could eat this all day!
Samosa Chaat
We ordered two entrees, Chicken Tikka Masala and Lamb Biryani. I have thought about both multiple times since our visit! The Chicken Tikka Masala was exceptionally well done with just enough spice and creamy layers of onion, pepper, and smoke. The Lamb Biryani was mild, but one of the tastiest biryanis that I have ever had. The lamb was very tender and echoing my nephew, I could eat it all day! Both dishes could have fed two more people, but were awesome leftovers the next day instead. Prices were very reasonable and I cannot wait to go back with a larger group so we can taste more.
Stop by for a visit and I believe that there are several days that they have buffets. Two forks up from The Hungry Goddess!
Tandoori Restaurant on Facebook (not active)
Menu for Tandoori Restaurant
The Samosa Chaat appetizer became a focus for us after experiencing it at The Tandoori Restaurant. We were craving it again! I popped over to my local Indian grocery, Apna Bazaar (on Old Capital Trail) to procure some samosas and discovered to my delight that they had fresh made. I did grab a box of frozen as well, but their fresh samosas are delicious! So delicious, I have been back a few times because they last about 5 minutes here at the house.
For those unfamiliar with samosas, they are fried or baked pastry pouches with savory fillings, most commonly potatoes and peas with spices. Samosa Chaat is an Indian street food using the cut open or smashed samosas and then topped with all the goodies! I read through some of the recipes online and they also include yogurt and a green chutney. We did it quick and simple, before the urge to devour the samosas took over!
Ingredients (served 3 people)
- 3 samosas per person (our samosas were on the larger size)
- 1 can of chickpeas, rinsed (you can boil them or warm them, but we did not)
- 1-2 tomatoes diced
- 1 large sweet onion diced
- 2/3 cup of chopped cilantro
- 1/2 lemon to squeeze on top
- salt to taste
- tamarind chutney (I bought it from the Indian market)
Directions
Warm the samosas for a very brief time in the microwave if they are fresh. I did 20 – 30 seconds. Cut them open into halves or thirds and lay on the plate. Chop tomatoes and onions and cilantro. Rinse the chickpeas and then mix in bowl with tomatoes, onions, and cilantro. Sprinkle a bit of salt on the veggie mixture. Stir a few times and then put spoonfuls on top of the samosas. A few squeezes of lemon and serve with tamarind chutney on the side. Or as the guys did and scooped the chutney right onto the mix!
Next stop … making my own chutney to do this again!
Enjoy!
I love samosas. I never tried making them(I just get the ones from Trader Joe’s). Will give this a try. thanks.