Petaluma Indian restaurant serves health-conscious dishes with bold flavors

This previous year’s eating development could be known as “dichotomy.” On one particular hand, pandemic stress has had lots of of us consoling ourselves with luscious, artery-clogging convenience food like fried hen, loaded pizzas and monster burgers draped in cheese and bacon.

On the other hand, far more of us have turn out to be acutely aware of our health and the importance of a wholesome diet program. That has meant many of us are ingesting a great deal more contemporary and neighborhood generate, lean proteins, plant-based dishes and great-for-us fat like avocado, nuts and seeds.

To that listing of therapeutic elements, Petaluma restaurateurs and brothers Harish Chowdhary and Kamal Chowdhary would like to incorporate spices and herbs. The brothers opened their new Ambrosia Indian Delicacies in the course of the COVID-19 ramp-up previous year and swiftly received a subsequent for their smart information: seasonings increase one more layer of healthiness to recipes, whilst boosting lovely flavors.

“If you know a lot more about spices, it is seriously interesting how they truly impact your system,” reported Harish, who imports staples from India such as turmeric, fenugreek leaves, star anise, clove, purple chiles and cassia bark. “Our grandfather was an Ayurvedic health care provider, and we realized a good deal of wonderful issues from him that we use in our cooking. For case in point, turmeric is just one of the finest spices, with antioxidants that reduce heart disease and arthritis.”

Indeed, Ambrosia’s direct chef Kamal features quite a few considerate recipes on his expansive menu, which showcases — along with the classics — quite a few vegan and vegetarian dishes. Up to date, deeply seasoned alternatives involve a vegetable stir-fry brightened with pickled spices ($15) Chilean sea bass in fragrant Kerala coconut milk curry ($32) and ginger root-smoked paprika lamb stewed with tomatoes, garlic and a splash of cabernet sauvignon ($24).

Dishes also can be cooked with nut creams rather of dairy, and 90% of the restaurant’s recipes are gluten-cost-free.

Standard dishes continue to be common — the bestselling rooster tikka masala is anything it ought to be, with tender breast meat soaked in a vibrant, soupy sauce of tomatoes, wealthy product, onions and fenugreek ($18).

But then there is the a lot more surprising grilled vegetables platter, a festive toss of al dente broccoli, cauliflower, potato and bell peppers tumbled with sweet apple, pineapple, paneer, a rainbow of gentle spices and a drizzle of tangy sour cream ($18).

Contacting their thought “progressive Indian cuisine,” the Chowdhary brothers plainly love including tiny twists to their fare, inspired by their developing up in the bountiful food items lose that is the Bay Area. Once Kamal realized he preferred to be a chef, he returned to the family’s homeland of India to make his culinary diploma, concentrated on the northern region’s specialties.

That indicates a single starter, avocado bhel, is a pretty, molded mound of velvety avocado and crispy rice puffs laced with sweet-tart chutneys ($9). I like it with a aspect of crispy-sensitive papadum lentil crackers for dipping and swirling the chutneys into each individual chunk ($3). Another captivating appetizer, the Malbar Coast-design and style prawns, get a swift sauté with a great deal of garlic, mustard seeds and coconut milk ($13), when a side of olive naan adds a Mediterranean touch with its green olives, dry crimson pepper and olive oil topping ($4).

For entrees, the Northern Indian murgh makhani hits the ease and comfort spot with roasted pulled rooster in savory butter-tomato chile and creamy almond-cashew curries ($18). The thick sauce receives its silkiness and a slight sweetness from the nut cream, and that sweetness may well not be for everybody. I did like it finest when I scooped in aromatic basmati rice for an earthier taste ($3).

The kitchen generates a distinctive design and style of chana lamb as well, veering from the more typical stew. Here, a few petite chops are marinated with ginger, herbs and a flurry of spices, grilled and then smothered in full, seasoned chickpeas, cooked soft ($24). It’s an consume-with-your-fingers affair, and I utilised slabs of Kashmiri naan as a utensil, enjoying the bread’s dots of blended dried fruits and nuts complementing the mild lamb taste ($5).

On the vegan aspect, the chef provides a great deal of refreshing veggies and much more of people spices. Bhindi masala ($15) delivers out fried (fairly than sautéed) okra, only paired with caramelized onions, fennel seeds and amchoor (dried mango powder). The light-weight fry presents satisfying crunch and is awesome dunked with a side of spiced roti ($4).

The vegan foods have plenty of admirers, sufficient that Harish hopes to extend the at the time-a-thirty day period special of a vegan sampler platter into a common item when the restaurant can open outside of its present-day consume-outdoors-in-a-tent arrangement. The huge wooden board is a like a own buffet shipped to the table, laden with specific portions of some 50 percent-dozen entrees, additionally breads, rice, colorful salads and chutneys.

In the meantime, I’m incredibly joyful with the day-to-day altering bento box, available 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Monday as a result of Friday. For $18, we get blended salad, an appetizer, two vegetarian entrees, another meat or veggie entree of our option, plain naan, rice and dessert. It is an enough feast, and we can even personalize to our wanted spice degree.

Definitely the Chowdhary brothers didn’t program to open all through a pandemic, but they experienced signed the lease in 2019 for their house in the previous Mike’s at the Crossroads burger site on Petaluma Boulevard North at Payran Street.

The timing introduced a double whammy. After opening their very first cafe Taj Grill in Vallejo in 2014, they planned to extend to a more substantial sector, examine extra modern fusion recipes and host functions like stomach dancing and live new music.

“I was 24 a long time previous, and my brother was 20 when we opened Taj,” Harish stated. “That restaurant was our baby, but sadly we have to allow it go due to the fact of pandemic. Oh man, COVID just hit us truly terribly simply because we signed the Ambrosia lease and we ended up renovating the space. But we did not have any other choice apart from to open, for the reason that we nevertheless have to pay out the costs no subject what. I am really grateful for the group who has appear out and aided us endure.”

The men’s father, Sudershan Kumar, when owned two restaurants in San Francisco. While he’s retired now, he jumped in to assist, much too.

The crew is optimistic this new yr will be superior, for diners wanting to test a little something distinct with nutritious, but soul-satisfying, dishes spiked with tons of spices.

“Most of my close close friends stay in Sonoma County, and any time I frequented them, they constantly took me out to Petaluma,” Harish explained. “I usually questioned why. Then I understood that Petaluma is a foodie town, but they did not have nearly anything like us in town. So we crammed the hole.”

Carey Sweet is a Sebastopol-centered meals and cafe writer. Study her restaurant evaluations every single other 7 days in Sonoma Lifetime. Make contact with her at [email protected].