So what if Sanjiv Dhar inherited the name Kabob and Curry when he bought the Thayer Street restaurant 12 years ago. He kept the name for continuity but has reinvented the menu well beyond that cutesy concept as he deepens his knowledge of, and passion for, the cuisine of India.
Dhar was born in India and ate daily at the family table, but it is on his twice-a-year sojourns home to Delhi that he says he experiences Indian cuisine to the fullest. His latest visit unearthed the spices, specialties, science and traditions of southern India, a region to which he had little previous exposure.
The stories Dhar related took me on a cultural tour of India transporting me to the land of chutneys, chilies and curries. His culinary history lesson was accentuated by the aromatic scents wafting gloriously around us from the sampling menu of the southern-style food that he's been serving on Saturday afternoons.
Dhar is a European-trained chef, first studying in Austria and then working in England before coming to cook in Manhattan. He moved to Rhode Island to get a degree from Johnson & Wales. His tour of duty may have stopped on Thayer Street when he bought Kabob and Curry, but his education continues.
He loves to experiment but is careful not to lose the aspects that are the essence of Indian cooking. He said that kind of loss may well be what happened when "kari," the southern Indian word for spicy sauces, became "curry" in British-colonized India a few hundred years ago.
The British were only the last in a stream of people who occupied the subcontinent of India, including Arabs, Persians, Syrians and Portuguese, said Dhar. "Whoever took over made their mark, and the cuisine took shape."
Such occupations, as well as geographic factors, explain why the nation's specialties differ by region, he said. These regional differences dictate whether cooks use whole spices like cardamom and cumin seeds or ground spices including turmeric and coriander. Some sauces are milk-based and others water-based.
When Dhar was growing up, his mother made curry sauces with ginger, garlic and fennel. "She cooked for my father, and that was what he was used to," he said.
So it is with Americans who have gotten used to a curry style that was probably the first one they tried. But Dhar wants to expand that palate with what he has learned about regional Indian cooking.
Coconut, bay leaves
In the southern regions, a cuisine evolved using coconut (which grows on the coast), bay leaves, whole red peppers and fenugreek seeds (a member of the pea family with a spicy, sharp and bitter taste).
But Dhar brought back more than spicy knowledge. He introduced dosas, a regional specialty, to his menu. Made with crepes using fermented ground lentils and rice, they are then stuffed with a potato mixture spiced with mustard seed, green chili and turmeric. Dhar also likes to do different stuffings sometimes, anything from lamb to chicken.
Vadas are fried lentil dumplings that look like little doughnuts. They are served with sambhar, a lentil sauce filled with veggies.
That sauce begins with boiled lentils. Then Dhar adds tempered mustard seeds, ground coriander, soaked tamarind and a spice mixture called asafoetida. The mixture is bold and intense rather than spicy hot. Southern sauces are not heavy but rather flavorful and aromatic.
Dhar also offers a spicy rice cake, served in India as a breakfast item, complemented with sambhar or yogurt, another ingredient in regional cooking.
At the heart of his enthusiasm for what he does is this: "I see Indian cuisine as the cuisine of the 21st century," he said.
He offers several reasons for his belief.
"It offers great choices for vegetarians," Dhar said. A Hindu, he can find an endless supply of non-meat items with which to cook.
New breed of chefs
Secondly, a new breed of chefs are rediscovering the history of Indian spice usage and using a creative touch to weave them into their own new recipes.
"Food is a science, and a good chef is always asking how can I blend something new into my cooking," he said.
Dhar also says the medicinal aspects of many of the spices used in Indian dishes, such as curry, are being investigated for their value in a healthful lifestyle.
All this convinces Dhar to keep pushing the envelope to bring new dishes to his restaurant and acquaint diners to these once foreign tastes and concepts.
"If I can sell Indian cuisine, I'm happy to help the cause," he said.
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CHILI CHICKEN
1/2 teaspoon tamarind concentrate (available at Indian stores)
5 jalapeno peppers
5 tablespoons vegetable oil
12 to 15 fresh curry leaves
2 and 1/2 cups sliced onions
2 teaspoons garlic paste
2 teaspoons ginger paste
3 teaspoons coriander powder
1 teaspoon cumin powder
1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper powder
1 cup chopped cherry tomatoes
1 and 1/4 teaspoons salt
2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast, trimmed and cut into 1-inch cubes
In a small bowl, combine the tamarind concentrate and 2 tablespoons of hot water. Dissolve the concentrate.
Remove and discard stems from the jalapeno peppers and slice in half lengthwise. Remove the seeds.
In a pan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Toss in curry leaves; as soon as they crackle, add onions and fry until soft. Stir in the garlic paste, ginger paste and jalapeno peppers. Keep stirring until onions turn brown. Add all the ground spices, tomatoes, salt and 1/4 cup water. Keep stirring until the mixture becomes a paste.
Add the chicken and dissolved tamarind concentrate, and simmer over medium heat for approximately 15 minutes. Stir occasionally. Adjust the salt. Serve with rice pilaf or a bread of your choice. Serves 6 to 8 people.
COCONUT SHRIMP CURRY 1 tablespoon oil 1 teaspoon mustard seeds 1 medium onion, chopped 1 teaspoon ginger 1 teaspoon garlic paste 12 to 15 jumbo shrimp 1/2 teaspoon turmeric 1 teaspoon red chili powder 1/2 teaspoon coriander powder Salt, to taste 10 ounces coconut milk
Heat the oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds; as soon as they start to sizzle, add chopped onion. Saute until light brown. Add ginger and garlic paste, stir for 2 minutes. Add shrimp, turmeric, red chili powder, coriander powder and salt. Stir for 1 to 2 minutes; add coconut milk. Cook for approximately 5 minutes, covered with a lid, over medium heat. Serve with rice, bread or pasta. Serves 3 to 4 people.
ALOO POSTO (POTATOES WITH POPPY SEEDS) 5 to 6 medium-size potatoes 4 tablespoons poppy seeds 2 tablespoons vegetable oil 1/2 teaspoon Nigella seeds (known as Kalonji at Indian stores) Salt, to taste 1/2 teaspoon sugar 2 green chilies, cut into thin strips
Peel and cut the potatoes into 1-inch pieces. Keep them in cold water.
Soak poppy seeds in 1 cup warm water for 15 to 20 minutes. Drain and grind to a fine paste in a blender.
Heat vegetable oil in a pan. Add Nigella seeds and stir fry briefly. Add potato pieces and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
Add the poppy seed paste; stir and add 1/2 cup of water. Cover and cook over low heat until the potatoes are almost done. Remove the lid; add salt, sugar and green chilies.
Continue to cook for 1 minute more or until potatoes are completely cooked and serve hot.
