Many professional and actually qualified food writers (unlike myself) feel that trends in American cooking point towards an upcoming popularity in Indian cuisine. Much like Thai foods have exploded across the country, Indian food seems to be filtering through the mainstream at a slower, but noticeable pace. Indian cuisine may indeed contain some unusual dishes with obscure ingredients, but many of them are imaginative and brilliant, simply applying combinations of flavors we haven't experienced. To that, I find no objection.
Putting geographical proximity and my Middle Eastern heritage aside, I've never been apprehensive about Indian food. And since many of the cultural ingredients and spices crossover to Thai food, I have every reason to love it. If curry is involved, you can count me in.
A very good friend of mine, who contributes to this article on the condition of anonymity, has become the biggest advocate of Indian food, this side of Calcutta. Because I don't have the time to come up with a clever nickname, he will be henceforth known as "LF." LF joined me for our revisit to Red Pepper (we have been there before). This small establishment is nestled in a tiny strip mall between a Burger King and martial arts academy in Scotch Plains across from Bowcraft Amusement park. LF is a connoisseur of Indian fare, as he frequents many such establishments.
The lunch buffet is an amazingly reasonable $8, and certainly worth much more. Given a choice of approximately 10 total dishes, two of which being desserts, Red Pepper's buffet is perfect for the budding gastronome, who can flirt with the idea of Indian food without committing to a full dish.
I began with two small ramekins of sauces. The first was similar to pesto in appearance but that was about it. It was mint chutney with coriander and bell pepper. The second was raita; a cucumber yogurt dipping sauce with many subtle flavors. Both sauces are meant to have a cooling effect on any spicy dishes you may eat.
I returned to the table with a dish of four different foods. I admired the color that each dish held,
contrasting it to the others. While a visceral experience to all, eating is also very much visual. And since that may prohibit others from attempting new dishes (a hypocrisy I from which I have been known to be guilty) it is that dichotomy that makes the risk-taking so rewarding.
Our server brought oven-fresh naan to the table as soon as we sat down. I am absolutely infatuated with this bread. Commonly found in Northern Indian cuisines, this bread shares its name as from a generic term for flatbreads used across the world. Soft and bursting with large "blisters" (those bubbles on your pizza slice near the crust that you never had a name for), its texture is delightful. It is light and a tremendous compliment to any dish, but strong enough to stand on its own.
The first was kadhi pakora, a bright-yellow, yogurt-based soup with chickpea-flour/veggie dumplings. Meant to be served over rice, I tried dish alone first to see how its flavors present themselves. Despite the curry, ginger, cumin, clove and many other spices that begin with the letter "C," I was unimpressed. Nothing stood out so therefore I concluded that if it had been absorbed into rice, it would not have brought out any flavors. I found this rather bland.The second dish was tandoori chicken. Cooked in a tandoor, you may have seen such a vessel on the Food Network on a show like Iron Chef America. And since a tandoor is a cylindrical, clay oven that is able to reach temperatures of 900°F, it totally qualifies to make my list of "things that I think are awesome." This is certainly the most popular Indian dish and for good reason. Marinated in yogurt and seasoned with curry and other spices, it has a heat to it, but not overwhelming. I appreciated that the sauteed vegetables support the spiciness to the dish, but do not take away from the focus of the chicken, which remains the star. The raita's cooling effect does wonders for the flavor if you find it too spicy.
For my third course, I enjoyed chicken tikka masala. I think this dish is why naan was invented. Much like you would use your garlic bread to sop up the sauce at the bottom of a good Italian dish, naan absorbs every morsel of deliciousness to satiate your palate. Cooked in a velvety smooth, red tomato based sauce, this curry dish of roasted chicken chunks is out of this world. Commonly served over rice to add fullness to it, LF encouraged me to do so. I didn't listen though, because I was too concerned with the fact that I had exhausted the basket of naan.
After a second serving of the above dishes, I noticed my stomach was nearing the edge of the table. And since I hadn't pulled my chair in, this was problematic. With a great exhale and pie-eyed expression, LF decided to be completely unsympathetic. He told me I was too skinny to come to buffets if I can't make it to thirds. I nodded and headed for the desserts.
I tried the rice pudding and gulab jaman. I suspect my father would have enjoyed the gulab jaman. He's a big fan of rosewater, and that's the "water" component of the simply syrup in which these small gelatinous rounds are served. Not a fan. The rice pudding was very standard. I like that they used almonds and raisins to jazz up the flavor, but it didn't do enough to impress me.
It was immediately after this that I applied the universal sign. The double-handed belly tap didn't seem enough to indicate my fullness, so I needed to follow it up with tapping the table. It was as if I was submitting in a UFC fight.
Twenty-three dollars for two people for lunch? I've spent more than that on fillet mignon. And since both were delicious, it proves that good doesn't have to be expensive. Red Pepper is a great way to transition to Indian food. It doesn't compete with more upscale establishments like Raagini a few miles down the same road, but it certainly succeeds.^)_(^ --- fat guy smiling
