Shere Punjab Sweets & Restaurant

FOOD

Naan comes with the buffet in butter or garlic versions. The garlic naan is baked in a clay tandoor with roasted garlic, nigella seeds and cilantro. It is bread made for a lunch of curries and lentils, particularly the butter-and-cream richness of dhal makhani. Keep a little alongside the sauce; the last bit is often the reason for another piece of bread.

Amritsari channa masala combines chickpeas with a dark, spiced gravy, dried pomegranate seeds and ginger. Bhatura, a fried, leavened bread made with flour and yogurt, is a natural companion. Puri is another fried bread on the menu, made with whole wheat flour. Between those and the table-served naan, bread can be a particularly enjoyable part of lunch here.

Bhangan bartha is fire-roasted eggplant mashed and cooked with onion, tomato, ginger and garlic. Dhal makhani uses black urad lentils and red kidney beans with butter and cream. Saag paneer brings spinach and mustard greens together with paneer, garlic and cumin. The roasted eggplant, creamy lentils and garlicky greens make an appealing meal together, with rice or bread alongside.

For chicken tikka masala, charbroiled chicken goes into a tomato-and-onion gravy with ginger and garlic. The chicken curry uses bone-in pieces, while goat masala comes in an onion-and-ginger gravy seasoned with black cardamom and cinnamon. Lamb curry has its own onion-and-tomato gravy, and egg curry uses hard-boiled eggs in a spiced masala. The bone-in chicken, goat and lamb are worth knowing about before settling on a curry.

Peas pulaou accompanies the main dishes with basmati, peas, cumin and cinnamon. The warm spices echo some of those in the meat curries, making it an easy choice beside the goat or lamb. Plain basmati is also available.

The chutneys are particularly welcome with curry pakora, the gram-flour fritters seasoned with curry leaves. Mint-coriander chutney includes green chilli and lime; the tamarind version uses dates and jaggery for a sweet-and-tangy accompaniment. Boondi raita combines yogurt and gram-flour pearls with cumin and black salt.

Gulab jamun finishes the meal with milk-solid dumplings in sugar syrup scented with cardamom and rose water. Cantaloupe, green grapes and watermelon are also on the dessert menu.