For someone who has never tried Indian food before, dining at Kalia Indian Cuisine took my taste buds somewhere they hope to return very soon.
At first glance, the menu was somewhat intimidating for both my girlfriend and I, due to foreign words which I was sure to butcher on first utterance, such as ‘“alfrazie,” “peshawari” and “botikabab.”
Rather than offend our more than hospitable hosts, we decided the best way to experience Indian food was to try a variety of foods that we could comfortably pronounce. The “Kalia’s special banquet for two” offered us both, yet the name could have easily been the “Kalia’s special banquet for four or five.”
We were treated to a delicious variety of appetizers and entrees by owner Sarbjit Kalia and his brother, Harvinder Kalia.
The first item was vegetable samosa, crisp patties of mashed potatoes, peas and spices. This was accompanied by lentil crackers called papadam and potato cakes. A delicious chutney sauce, a blend of mint, garlic, ginger and lemon, was included for dipping.
My girlfriend was so impressed, that she offered to come back and do the dishes if Sarbjit would teach her his recipe for the chutney. There was also an exquisite mango chutney which tasted like a really good sweet and sour sauce all mango’d up.
For the entree, we were bombarded with four dishes, including butter chicken, lamb vindaloo, dal makhni and vegetable jalfrazie.
The butter chicken resembles something one might find in a fondue pot, however, more buttery and less cheesy. It came in a traditional Indian spice sauce, which was perfect for dipping the ‘nan’ in, which is leavened bread baked in a clay oven, and strongly resembles pita bread, but is thinner and is easier to chew.
The lamb vindaloo was a yummy spiced stew. It went well with both the garlic nan and saffron rice.
The vegetable jalfrazie is a melange of vegetables marinated with fresh ground spices, and sauteed with tomatoes, onions, green peppers and mushrooms.
The dal makhni, was an Indian bean dish which we couldn’t finish due to being too full from the rest of the meal.
When we thought we couldn’t eat another bite, the Kalia brothers then brought out deserts of mango custard and rice pudding, and then followed it up with Chai tea.
Sarbjit Kalia has 18 years in cooking experience. He’s studied from culinary schools in India, Norway and Sweden. Both he and his brother are from Jalandhar, India.
Kalia Indian Cuisine opened in May, and has catering service available.
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