Himalayan Taj Indian & Nepali Cuisine

FOOD

Himalayan Taj’s daily buffet brings Indian curries and Nepali cooking into the same lunch. Chicken makhani, palak paneer and samosas are among the regular choices, with handmade steamed momos appearing frequently. The selection changes, but those dumplings are a good reason to look past the familiar curry names. They come from a kitchen that gives the Nepali dishes attention of their own.

The handmade momos have pleated wrappers around a finely chopped filling seasoned with Nepali spices, including ginger and coriander. Steaming leaves the dumplings soft, with a slightly translucent casing. Their careful folds are part of the pleasure of these little dumplings. Look for the steamed style when it is offered at lunch.

Chicken makhani is made with puréed tomatoes, rich cream and house spices. It is the butter-chicken style many diners know well, with a smooth sauce around the chicken. Palak paneer has cubes of mild cheese in creamy baby spinach, seasoned with the kitchen’s spices. If those are your familiar favorites, there is no reason to abandon them in the excitement over momos. They remain central dishes in the buffet, with rice and naan alongside.

The fried snacks are worth considering before settling into the curries. Samosas enclose potato, green peas, turmeric and house spices in crisp pastry. Aloo chop uses mashed potato inside a chickpea-flour coating, so a bite goes through the fried outside into a soft center. Vegetable pakora is another lunch possibility, also made with chickpea batter. A potato enthusiast has a few decisions here, none of them especially troublesome.

The vegetable selection can include okra bhaji, with baby okra sautéed in tomatoes, onions and house spices. Vegetable korma also appears among the buffet dishes. Between these dishes and palak paneer, there is more to a vegetarian lunch than the fried snacks. The handwritten labels make it easier to see what the kitchen has prepared that day.

Chow mein adds stir-fried noodles seasoned Nepali style with house spices; vegetable chow mein has been part of the lunch spread. It makes sense beside the momos and aloo chop, especially if the dumplings have drawn you toward the Nepali dishes. Chicken tikka can join the buffet as well. There is room in this lunch for noodles, fried snacks and grilled chicken without every choice being another curry.

Basmati rice accompanies the cooked dishes, while naan comes to the table. Naan arriving at the table is a nice touch when there is still sauce on the plate.