I crave Mayur’s Tandor chicken. My affair with Indian food started when I lived in London. In London Indian, Pakistani, and Iranian food was available and inexpensive. Americans just think Indian food is only curry. Indian food can be healthful, and not necessarily laden with heavy oil and hot spices. Ask for lighter dishes with yogurt, less oil, less salt, they can prepare spice to your taste.
There are many regional cuisine styles of India. All are based with vegetables and spices. A dish from Bengali or Goan or Punjabi or Rajasthani may all be named the same but be handed down by generation with different techniques and use local produce. Food is integral part of Indian life experience. In Indian temples, meals are served not only during festivals and holidays but all religious visitors and guests are offered food. Food donation is considered a necessary community service. The food given this way is known as Prasad, which means blessed edible gift.
My favorite spices are: cumin, turmeric, garam masala, pomegranate seed (anardana) and Fenugreek (methi). Ghee is used in many dishes. You can order “mild” or spicy- meaning hot. Not all Indian food is chili hot. Studies show chili to be extremely healthfully blood pressure rising. Religious reasons and poverty over history forced Indians to invent marvelous vegetarian dishes, which will surprise your senses to be satisfying and filling
Majur creates a wonderful Palak Paneer, (also known as Saag Paneer), which has a warm flavor of cooked spinach (Palak) with fresh delicate Indian cottage cheese. The spinach is dark and meaty. This is not American creamed spinach. You can add chicken if you crave more protein. As a side order, garlic nan is the perfect complement. Nan is a flat soft bread. Basmati rice comes as a side. For vegans, substitute the paneer with firm or extra firm Tofu.
You will find the staff at Mayur respectful and gracious. Anju Kapoor has been running the restaurant most of her adult life. She’s a bit shy for my camera but a warm host. The restaurant is small, and not as cheap as I recall the days in the late 1970’s in England- but then nothing in this world that is great is that price today
