Roasted Masala

When I write about restaurants on Instagram, they’re usually brief takes accompanied by a photo or two. (You can see my feed right here on ethnojunkie.com, updated almost daily, by selecting the “Instagram” category from my home page – no signup required.) But because of Instagram’s character count limitations, it’s often necessary to break up a review into several parts. This one originally appeared as three posts, published on October 15, 16, and 17, 2019.


There are scores of cookie cutter Indian restaurants in Manhattan; clones with pretty much the same mix-n-match menus: a predictable assortment of curries with your choice of protein. So as much as I love Indian dining, I sometimes leave wondering if that’s all there is around these parts. When I crave food from Goa, the Indian state that had been formerly colonized by the Portuguese, I usually head to New Jersey. But that may no longer be necessary.

Roasted Masala Indian Cuisine emerged at 914 Columbus Ave in Manhattan about eight months ago under the purview of Samson Severes, its co-founder and manager. Hailing from Goa, India, Sam’s family owns two restaurants, so his culinary bona fides in this arena are well established. We were treated to a lunchtime feast that day. In no special order, here are a few of the dishes we tried.

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Lamb Cafreal

A unique combination of flavors featuring tender lamb, coriander, mint, tamarind, green chilies and the distinguishing acidic note of this preparation, lime juice. Its roots are in the Portuguese colonies of Africa; cafreal (also made with chicken) made the voyage to Goa via the cuisine of Africans that had been modified by the Portuguese under whom they served.

Goan Fish Curry

Chilean sea bass in this case, served in a tasty but not spicy coconut sauce.

Katori Chaat

A katori is a bowl, in this case an edible one; chaat is an Indian snack and a popular street food boasting myriad variations. This one has been split to reveal chickpeas, crunchy mini croquettes, and lots more goodness plus pomegranate chutney, all topped with yogurt and sev (crispy noodle bits). Don’t try to deconstruct this savory appetizer, just dig in and enjoy!

Lasooni Gobi

This delicious starter from the Vegetarian Appetizers section of the menu is Lasooni Gobi; lasooni refers to garlic and gobi means cauliflower. I’ve seen this Indian-Chinese dish by other names like Gobi Manchurian but it’s the sweet-spicy element that’s so compelling regardless of the designation. Crispy outside, crunchy inside, with a sticky, ketchupy crust, this one is a crowd pleaser.

Chicken Xacuti

“Xacuti” (or a similar spelling) is your cue that it’s a coconut based curry. A classic in Goan cuisine, this version features roasted spices in a masala paste pureed with coconut along with fresh curry leaves. Spice level was noticeable, but not intense. Good eats.

Daal Palak

Yellow lentils and spinach, herby with a gentle touch of spice, from the Vegan section of the menu.

Boti Kebab

Grilled cubes of marinated lamb; green chilies in evidence and tastefully seasoned, but not overwhelmingly spicy.

Chicken Sorpotel

Back to the cuisine of Goa. Often prepared as a Christmas dish, sorpotel boasts a distinctive spice blend that incorporates vinegar, but don’t think “vindaloo” just because vinegar plays a role. Roasted Masala offers vindaloo as well – and that’s a significant factor in my admiration for this restaurant: if you’ve dined at any number of Manhattan’s Indian eateries, you’ll find tasty renditions of your favorites here, but Roasted Masala also provides an opportunity to taste some delicious Goan specialties that may be less familiar to you and that you shouldn’t miss.
 
 

Note: This was a complimentary meal sponsored by the management of Roasted Masala. The opinions expressed in this post are uninfluenced and impartial.
 
 

Bombay To Goa

Instagram Post 11/5/2018

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On a quest for Goan food, we made the trip to Jersey City (because mass transit doesn’t go to India) where we enjoyed a bite at Bombay To Goa, 785 Newark Ave.

A pair of entrees from the “Carnivore’s Delights” section of the menu:

[1] Mutton Sukkha. The word mutton generally implies goat in India and when you see sukka (or a similar spelling) on the menu, it refers to a dish that’s not swimming in gravy (the word सूखा means dry in Hindi): tender baby goat, in a thick, spicy, meaty reduction.

[2] Xaccuti de Galinha. Xacutti (or a similar spelling) is your cue that this is a coconut based curry. Galinha (chicken) harks back to the time that Goa was a Portuguese province. The coconut is roasted and enhanced with poppy seeds and dried red chilies. Piquant and flavorful, it was perfect with our order of [3] Goan Pulao.
 
 

Cardamom – Part 5

Instagram Post 10/21/2018

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Cardamom, the new Indian restaurant in Sunnyside, Queens at 43-45 43rd St, features the cuisine of Goa, the chef’s homeland, but not to the exclusion of other regions. Located on India’s west coast, Goa was formerly a province of Portugal, consequently the food is strongly influenced by their culture and imports; you’ll see chouriço keeping company with xacutti on a typical Goan menu.

[1] The most impressive dish we tasted at lunch that afternoon was Goan Tandoori Shrimp; it only took one bite to elicit a chorus of “oh yeahs” from our assemblage.

[2] Chicken Xacutti, a signature dish from the Indo-Portuguese section of the menu, boasts a complex blend of spices tempered with coconut. Delicious, but I would have welcomed more of a kick – again, possibly a communication misfiring since friends who visited here on another occasion were treated to a more robust level of heat.
 
 

Cardamom – Part 4

Instagram Post 10/15/2018

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More from Cardamom, the new Indian restaurant in Sunnyside, Queens at 43-45 43rd St. The chef hails from Goa, the former Portuguese province in India; the menu includes a selection of dishes from his homeland.

Savoury (sic) Crispy Baingan gets the prize for the most unusual item we ordered. Truly crispy wafer thin slices of fried baby eggplant topped with yogurt inflected with mint and tamarind.

Lamb Caldin (or caldinho if your Portuguese roots are showing), a flavorful curry with a ginger/garlic onset and a coconut conclusion. Goan food has a reputation for a embracing a confident degree of spiciness but most of the dishes we were served never peaked above the medium level, perhaps a communication misfiring.

More to come from Cardamom….
 
 

Cardamom – Part 3

Instagram Post 10/14/2018

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Two more tasty dishes from Cardamom, the new Indian restaurant in Sunnyside, Queens at 43-45 43rd St. The chef hails from Goa, the former Portuguese province in India; the menu features a few dishes from his homeland.

Prawn Balchao from the Starters list prepared in a tangy Goan style tomato chili sauce, with careful attention to presentation.

Bhendi Masala. Lightly seasoned pan fried okra with onions. If you think okra must always be slimy, this dish will disabuse you of that notion.

More to come from Cardamom….
 
 

Cardamom – Part 2

Instagram Post 10/13/2018

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Two more from Cardamom, the new Indian restaurant in Sunnyside, Queens at 43-45 43rd St that’s offering a few dishes of Goan provenance. Located on India’s west coast, Goa was formerly a province of Portugal, consequently the food is strongly influenced by their culture and imports; you’re as likely to see the word galinha as you would murgh on a comprehensive menu.

[1] Flavorsome fried chunks of chix in Chicken 65, a dish that hails not from Goa but rather from Chennai. The origin of its name is the subject of irreconcilable debate: Does it contain 65 chilies? Was it fed to Indian defense forces in 1965? Did the dish cost 65 rupees? Was 65 the customary retirement age for chickens?

[2] Goan Fish Curry, described on the menu as “a staple dish in every household of Goa” and “Grandma’s secret recipe!” Coconut based, smooth and creamy, almost Goan comfort food.

More to come from Cardamom….
 
 

Cardamom – Part 1

Instagram Post 10/5/2018

(Click on any image to view it in high resolution.)

There’s a new Indian restaurant in Sunnyside, Queens at 43-45 43rd St with an emphasis on the cuisine of Goa. Located on India’s west coast, Goa was formerly a province of Portugal, consequently the food is strongly influenced by their culture and imports; you’ll see chouriço keeping company with xacutti on a typical Goan menu. The food is not as spicy as that of other regions of India although it does have a kick.

From Cardamom’s Tandoor category, we ordered Lamb Chops in a tamarind, ginger and garlic marinade, all of which were in delicious, succulent evidence.

Vindaloo is listed in the Indo Portuguese section of Cardamom’s menu. It’s often regarded as a pan-Indian dish unless you dig a little deeper: more specifically, it’s a Goan recipe and the name, sometime spelled vindalho, stems from the Portuguese vinha d’alhos referring to wine and garlic. These days, vindaloo is more about vinegar along with the garlic, chili peppers and spices we’ve come to expect. At a recent lunch, given a wide choice of proteins, we opted for goat. Tasty, but not nearly spicy enough although YMMV.

More to come from Cardamom….