A Jewel in the crown
By Cherie Mercer Twohy, The Leader

I admit to being a novice when it comes to Indian food. Growing up in Southern California, I was exposed to more tacos than tikka. In order to put together an Indian cooking class, I began to explore the vast array of dishes that comprise the Indian table. One thing I've found is that the work involved in preparing the simplest of recipes can be considerable.

The spice cupboard alone is mind-boggling, and most items are not easily found on grocery store shelves. The techniques for even simple dishes involve many steps, and are daunting for someone not raised at an Indian grandmother's knee. So my advice to most people is to explore Indian food in restaurants before attempting to prepare it.

One local arena for this taste-testing is India's Flavor in Glendale. This tiny, family-run restaurant is tucked into a corner of a strip mall on Verdugo Road, and boasts, at most, eight white-cloth covered tables. A lengthy menu offers a mind-boggling assortment of dishes.

A good way to dive into Indian food is with an assortment of "chaat" or snacks. Just like with Spanish tapas, this is a fun way to share nibbles of many different dishes. Several samosas are offered, filled with vegetables or meat. These golden pyramidal pastries are crisp-fried to deep gold, and encase subtly spiced fillings ($3.50 for two large vegetable samosas, $4.50 for meat).

Pakoras are fritters made with a chickpea flour batter, and have a nearly orange coloring, from turmeric and chile powder. Several fillings are available, including shrimp, vegetable or chicken. Paneer pakora is the Indian version of cheese sticks, with a mild homemade cheese inside ($2.95 to $5.50).

One of my favorite chaats is the onion bhaji -- a beautiful clump of deep-fried, battered onion threads.

Dipped into a yogurt-based raita, these are a fragrant, crispy treat (Bhaji, $2.95, Raita $1.50).

Naan is my new favorite bread, and garlic naan is my favorite favorite. A slipper-shaped flat bread, baked on a smoking hot tandoor oven and studded with lots of glorious garlic, this is addictive stuff ($2). But don't skip the puris, sort of pita-like puffs of whole-wheat dough. Any of the breads make a great base for piling on some of the chutneys or cachumber, a chopped vegetable salad.

If you want more than snacks, move on to one of the many curries, tandoor-oven roasted meats, or choose one of many vegetarian entrees. Paired with a fragrant basmati rice dish, any one of these will afford you enough food for a feast, at a pauper's price.

Meat dishes range from $13.95 to $17.95, basmati-rice dishes $2.50 to $12.95. Try one of the alluring beverages, scented with rosewater or mango or cardamom, for an exotic sip of India.

Kudos: Friendly family-run spot with traditionally prepared menu of dishes.

Quibbles: Décor is spare and dining room can be close quarters on busy nights.

Jagjit Sikka and his wife, Anju, acquired the only Indian restaurant in the Glendale area at the beginning of the year.

Now, their mission is to turn the once-flailing restaurant into a success story, and they are at it with the same determination that they have looked at everything else in their lives.

“We make the food more similar to the way we used to cook at home, the way we used to cook in Punjab,” Jagjit Sikka said.

When they bought the restaurant in January, it was a losing business, Sikka said.

To save money, the previous owners had started cutting costs on the quality of the supplies they bought, the freshness f food and even the upgrade of the restaurant, he said.

They were determined to change all that.

“We cook everything fresh,” he said. Everything is made to order here, even the coffee.”

Things are changing slowly but steadily.

“One day, we had a customer, and he sad the food was so delicious, and he asked the lady cooking inside, 'You cook so good. Will you marry me?'” Sikka said.

Things, however, haven't always been easy.

The Sikkas migrated from India six years ago because of their son's health problems, said Sikka, who has a doctorate in engineering and works as a systems analyst at a Pasadena firm. Their 19-year-old son, Punar, had cataract in both his eyes and required numerous surgeries.

They decided to move here to provide him opportunities for the best medical care possible.

Their son is now an engineering student at Cornell University.

The Sikkas remember working late nights at 7-Eleven to survive, but they're optimistic about the future and have no regrets.

“That is the way we chose, and we have no regrets,” he said. “When we left for this place, we knew we were leaving our homes and relative comfort.”

The food they serve is primarily North Indian and has tastes to satisfy a variety of palates.

“Most people think Indian food is too spicy, but spicy does not mean hot,” he said. “Indian food uses a variety of herbs, which are good for the body.

Indian food uses cumin, cilantro, cloves, cinnamon, turmeric, celery, cardamom, saffron, tamrind, parsley, bay leaves, fennel, garlic mint, pepper, different types of chilies, and several other ingredients in its preparation. These spices have several health benefits including aiding digestion, strengthening bones and some have cancer-preventing qualities, Sikka said. But for Nisha Sharma, who has dined at the place a couple of times, the food tasted great.

“It's very authentic,” she said. “There are not many restaurants in the area, and I love what they had. They're very reasonable and wholesome.”

The restaurant has a lunch buffet during the week for $6.95 and offers free dessert or garlic naan for orders over $20, and also provide free deliveries for orders of $20 or more.

“I used to cook for 17 to 18 people when I was in India,” his wife said. “This is the way I cook. We don't serve in a business-like way. We serve in a homely way.”

May 23, 2005