Until now, I hadn’t really offered any reviews on our local ethic eateries other than through the visual aid of photographs, so I felt compelled to take a few excerpts to highlight a few for the Tara’s Taste of the Town friends and family!

For the first installment, I will start with our area Indian cuisine – Taste of India, located just off North 4^th Street, in Monroe.

If you are unfamiliar with the flavors of Indian food, and have been afraid to try this eatery for fear that some of the dishes may be too spicy, I can assure you that Indian food is really no different than going to eat in any spicy Cajun eatery.  Like Cajun cuisine, Indian food can be ordered mild or it can be ordered with your desired level of spice!  Insofar as the types of dishes, I will be happy to highlight a few of my personal favorites and give descriptions for those of you who would love to expand your culinary tastes to include indulging in one of this areas uniquely flavorful eateries!

One of my favorite Indian dishes is called “Saag Paneer”.  This dish consists of spinach cooked until is quite tender, with cubes of homemade mild Indian cheese, with very flavorful mild seasonings.  There are many other types of “Paneer” offered, from the “Mutter Paneer”,  (which consists of peas and the homemade mild cheese in a tomato type sauce), to “Paneer Butter Masala” (consisting of cubes of homemade mild cheese, cooked down in a tomato based “gravy”, then finished with cream).  Several types of “Paneer” are typically served weekly on the buffet at Taste of India, so you can sample this dish and determine just which type of “Paneer” is your personal favorite!

Now for a few chicken dishes! As with the Paneer, there are a variety of chicken dishes available to sample, so finding your own “personal favorite” should be a palatable adventure you can enjoy!  As for my own personal favorites, I have always enjoyed the “Butter Chicken” (which consists of boneless pieces of chicken cooked down low and slow in a tomato based sauce with butter and fenugreek leaves, then finished with cream).  I typically eat this dish served atop Indian rice with a side of their wonderful pita style bread (nan) as this dish is very creamy and full of savory flavor.   Then, there’s Tandoori Chicken!  This dish may “look” spicy, but it is actually very mild and the red color is simply from the color of the spices that it is cooked in.  Tandoori entrees actually are a method in which dishes are prepared in a clay Tandoori oven with savory spice blends. The Tandoori chicken dish is actually comprised of a game hen that has been marinated in yogurt with mild Indian spices, and is then fished by cooking in a clay oven- typically one will chose to eat this dish with rice or nan.

 If you should have room for dessert, Kheer is one of my utmost favorite Indian dessert dishes!!!!!!!!! This creamy, sweet delicacy is an Indian version of rice pudding that is finished with nuts, raisins and cardamom!!!!  On those “extra lucky” days, I’ve been able find Gulab Jamun (milk cake balls that are lightly glazed in syrup) that I absolutely LOVE to roll over into the bowl of the Kheer, which allows the cake to absorb the liquid from the Kheer for an extra special treat!

As always, for a palatable sampling one need not travel outside the lovely confines of our surrounding area! Just remember to roll up your sleeves and don’t be afraid to dig in to savor the local flavor!

For a more in-depth look into these menu items and more visit Taste of India located at 903 North 4^th Street, Monroe, Louisiana or their website at http://www.monroetasteofindia.com/.   I am certain the Thota family would LOVE to serve you and your guests!