A new take on the champagne brunch

Mary Furr

Bukhara offers a new twist to the usual Sunday champagne brunch

($9.95). It’s not bacon, eggs and waffles -- it’s chicken tikka, dal

makhani with aromatic rice and the spicy hit of chicken masala. It’s

not coffee, but a wonderful cool glass of mango lassi, a yogurt drink

to quench the fire of the masala.

This quiet, single storefront on Edinger Avenue across from the

old Huntington Mall has chef Sunjet Singh who comes early to prepare

the dishes in limited amounts, in order to maintain the perfect

balance of herbs and spices. Beyond the trays of saucy selections are

those prepared in the tandoor oven -- a large, earthenware pot about

three feet deep, in which meat is cooked over charcoal.

Begin with the only American-style selection, some fruit and

lettuce with tomato to dress with a creamy white yogurt, which is

used extensively in Indian dishes. Then on to the steam buffet,

thankfully labeled with names and ingredients. This is northern

Indian cooking, so there are trays of chicken, lamb and beef. My

chicken tikka is cooked in the tandoor, which gives it a smoky flavor

and blackened edges.

Lamb bhuna, generous pieces of diced boneless lamb cooked in chef

Singh’s secret spices with ginger and garlic, is delicious. To this I

added a samosa, a crisp pastry filled with mildly spiced mashed

potatoes and peas. To me, it lacked flavor and was too heavy, though

in India it sells like hot cakes from street vendors.

Vegetables are offered with great variety -- one of my favorites

is palak paneer, creamed spinach cooked with bits of cheese. The

usually avoided cauliflower is offered here as aloo gobi sauteed with

potatoes in a mild herb and spice sauce. Mushrooms matter (and they

do) are sliced with green peas in an herb sauce. Bukhara is indeed a

culinary adventure.

Don’t forget to add plenty of steamed basmati rice (translated as

“queen of fragrance”) with its nut-like flavor and fine texture.

Another extra brought to the table by server Gurne Kaur is naan, a

white-flour flatbread baked in the tandoor with a charred bubbly

surface that comes from being slapped against the side of the

high-heat oven.

Desserts at Bukhara are simple. There is Kheer, a milky rice

pudding quite mild and good after the spicy entrees, and Gulab Jaman,

an Indian milk cheese ball about the size of a ping-pong ball, fried

and soaked in a honey syrup. It will set your glucose level soaring

but it’s wonderful.

If you decide to skip dessert, then try the lassi or have Indian

tea ($2), usually a combination of strong teas like Darjeeling and

Assan -- which is sweetened before being brought to the table. At

Bukhara, a light chocolate flavor has been added. It’s a sipping and

lingering drink, perfect to end an exciting cuisine.

* MARY FURR is the Independent restaurant critic. If you have

comments or suggestions, call (562) 493-5062 or e-mail

hbindy@latimes.com