There is always a mystic with India. The colours of their saris that would flow almost forever. Their spices that lingers in the air and explodes in their dishes. This explosion some times feels like the atom bomb, that for the inexperienced would numb your taste buds.
However, I discovered that not all Indian kitchens produce such bomb exploding dishes, which are usually in the North region and those high in the mountains. So, I was so happy when I came about an Indian-Nepalese restaurant in the Jordaan area of Amsterdam (Netherlands), called Kathmandu Kitchen (www.kathmandukitchen.nl).
What did I eat? It was hard, because there were so many of them, but there were quite a few that were new to me, which I learned was more Nepalese. I decided to start on my all-time Indian favourite, the Samosa.
Their samosa was looking no different, in their triangular shaped and formed. The filling was the usual potatoes with green peas and seasoned with the typical Indian spices that I have always enjoyed. How these spices played in my taste buds was where all the difference and set this Samosa apart ... It is was sensation that one has to wait and let the spices slowly blossom, until it unravels it's magic that would make you want to keep on putting more of it in your mouth. Though it was flavourful, it was still so soft, that you are not over-whelmed with it. So, we ended having a second round of the Samosa.
Then we had the dumplings called Momo. We had chosen the lamb Momo, which was tasting so close to the beef-lamb type of Chinese siomai. They came in a plate of 10 pieces, that seemed to have fallen to the floor, because in wink it was all gone with only 6 people sharing it.
What made this Momo so interesting, aside from the dish itself, was the sauce it came with it. We enjoyed it, but the group commented on how the heat of the chillies were still too soft. So, the server (the owner, I think) gave us the most exquisite chilli sauce that I have had in my life. It tasted a bit sweet at start, slowly caressing your buds to accept more of it. Then it continues opening every surface of your taste buds to accept the heat it is starting to exude. Afterwhich, you would want to just let the sensation sit in your mouth, and decide to order another round of Momos.
After the Samosa & Momos, we shared a number of dishes (from left to right):
* Chicken Tikka Badami;
* Chicken Madras;
* Peshawari Naan;
* Daal Makhani, and;
* Lamb Karahi.
Of course, we also had RICE ... HAHAHAHA!!!
Though rice is lovely with the curries, but some of the Indians do eat it with just the Naan bread (http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naan). The one we choose was the Peshawari type, because of the lovely fillings of nuts and dried fruits.
The main course were as exquisite as the starters, though I was a bit disappointed with the Chicken Madras, as it missed the needed spicy kick which I have been accustomed with in the past. I loved the creamy Chicken Tikka Badami, which in my opinion can afford the kick too. However, all the dishes were perfected by the lovely chilli sauce that we used for our Momos.
My favourite our our main dishes was the Lamb Karahi, which is my usual choice in any Indian restaurant. It is like the stew of the Indian dishes, which is why it is cooked in a Karahi (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karahi), where the sauce thickens and makes it more tasty to eat with rice or exciting to dip or wipe your dish clean with your Naan.
The Daal Makhani was perfection to me, which was the perfect accompaniment for the whole ensemble. Guess this is the reason that they would always have this dish always in their table. At the sametime, it is a vegetable dish, that packs a good source of protein.
After all that flavour, and the generous amounts of the chilli sauce, it cannot be denied that heat quencher was needed and this was answered by their Lassi drink (http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lassi).
If they are able to keep the standard that I have experienced last week (13 August 2014), I would highly recommend the Kathmandu Kitchen (Elandsgracht 36H, 1016TW Amsterdam; info@kathmandukitchen.nl) to anyone who loves to taste flavour and enjoy the soft heat growing slowly in your taste buds.
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