Say what you will for all other cuisines, nothing beats Indian, especially street food, when it comes to comfort!
A new kid on the block, The Indian Canteen (TIC), does just that. That too in the comfort of your home as it is a delivery/catering only enterprise from the makers of Nevermind. Specialising in Indian Street Food, regional and Royal Family recipes, with Chef Shildendra Singh Rana at the helm, I enjoyed the twist on some Indian classics. What struck me the most was all the food retains the flavour without necessarily being heavy.
The highlights of my order are the Beetroot Lollipop, which was beetroot, fried potato in spices coated with semolina with mint chutney and Lagan Ki Boti that is an Awadhi-style, boneless mutton leg. The former is clever but not complicated, and I loved the ease of eating it. But the mutton took top honours for the smoky flavours all wonderfully soaked in by the meat. I devoured it without any accompaniments though the naans and parathas would have gone well with it.
So something less substantial, try the Boondi Ghewar Chaat, topped with chutneys, yogurt, spices or the Deconstructed Samosa Chaat which are samosas crushed and topped with cheese, chutney, onions and then baked in the oven. Next on my list to try is the Magodi Spring Onion Chaat, the DIY Pani Puri and the Chicken Tikka Samosa. There’s even a Lamb Kheema Burritto, which I am on the fence about, but hit me up in the comments section if you’ve made your mind up about it! I also had the Dal Baati Churma which was just delicious. The baati was perfect and the spice of the dal was cut with the hint of sweet that the churma crumble brought. Make sure it to heat the dish if your delivery takes more than 45 minutes as you’ll miss out on the experience otherwise. This one’s best had piping hot!
Bihar represent is the Champaran Gosht, which I am told is a must-have. And have it I will. Stay tuned for more on that, but make sure you end with Malai Ghewar Tart - it’s nostalgia in a modern avatar!
