TASTY BITES

The unending Edinger Avenue eating establishments, found in strip mall after strip mall, are generally casual affairs with plastic furniture and very little atmosphere.

So, when we opened the door to Bukhara Cuisine of India, we were astonished to find ourselves in an elegant little dining room with a crystal chandelier hanging and soft lighting on the walls, creating a tranquil atmosphere. The linens on the table are in tones of dusty rose and pale aquamarine while silvered floral wallpaper provides a background. On the windows, gathered curtains block off all memories of the parking lot beyond.

Samosa

Indian food is distinguished by its use of freshly ground spices combined in an infinite variety of ways. If you’ve never tried this cuisine, the samosa is a good place to start. This classic appetizer is a deep-fried triangular pastry, traditionally filled with spicy potatoes, onions and peas. It can be viewed as India’s contribution to the world of snack food, and it appears in various guises all over the world, such as empanadas, boreks, curry puffs, briks etc.

Breaking open the crispy shell, an aroma redolent with cumin, coriander and some other mysterious spices is released. These potato packets are usually served with chutneys but here, they were accompanied by a tamarind sauce, providing a sweet, fruity contrast to the savory, slightly spicy potato filling.

Chicken Korma

If you’ve avoided Indian food in the past because you think it’s too hot, we would like to recommend chicken korma, a creamy, silky Persian-Indian dish, which can be traced back to the 16th century, when the Mughals ruled India. Bukhara marinates the chicken and cooks it in a tandoor (a clay oven), which reaches high temperatures in order to quickly seal in the juices. It is then served in a mildly spicy complex cream sauce. This version combines onion sauce, a little tomato sauce, chicken broth, chopped almonds and cream. It is seasoned with ginger, garlic, chili, coriander, cardamon and cumin. The depth of the sauce with its many layers of flavor makes a delicious blanket for the chunks of chicken breast.

A fragrant basmati rice pilaf accompanies the dish along with a side of cooling raita (yogurt sauce). Usually, these additions need to be ordered separately, but Bukhara generously includes them with the entrée.

WHERE: 7594 Edinger Ave.

CALL: (714) 842-3171

WEBSITE: saagarcuisineofindia.com

ELLE HARROW AND TERRY MARKOWITZ owned a la Carte for 20 years and can be reached at themarkos755@yahoo.com.