Recently Wayne and I discovered The Curry Pot at 6940 Lee Highway. This is the newest restaurant in town serving Indian cuisine (authentic north and south Indian cuisine).

We went for dinner on a Saturday night and found it had also been discovered by many others. It wasn’t packed, but they certainly had their share of customers. The restaurant is neat and clean, all booths, and the people were friendly. The Curry Pot is a buffet style setting, so if you aren’t familiar with this type of food, the buffet would offer you the opportunity to sample different items to see what you might like – and the price is extremely reasonable. For two people (one soft drink), the price, including tax was $16.66.

The buffet offers a variety of items that change from day to day, so you won’t find the exact same items each time you go. Some of the items they will be featuring frequently are Tandoori Chicken, Vegetable Pakora, Basmathi rice, Biriyani , Naan, Dal Makhni, Chicken Curry, Malai Kofta, and Fish Fry. Dessert might feature Gulabjamun, rice pudding (paisam), fruit salad and tapioca pudding. There is a small salad selection, along with a multitude of sauces and chutneys.

We are not as familiar with Indian cuisine as we are with others, so this experience left me with research to do. I will say that the food was quite good, as well as fresh-tasting. I noticed they were attentive to the buffet, keeping items stirred and replenished. Everything is made from scratch and their ad/website state they use herbs and spices such as those used in ayurvedic medicines (conventional herbal treatments) used to treat blood pressure, diabetes, etc., so it is very healthful.

I’m sure most everyone, even those not acquainted with Indian food, has heard of Tandoori Chicken. Classic tandoori chicken is marinated in yogurt, lemon juice and plenty of spices, then cooked in the tandoor oven. The tandoor oven is essentially a very large, clay pot designed to provide very high (up to 900 degrees), dry heat usually by charcoal, although there are gas and electric versions. Tandoor cooked meats, due to the high temperatures, develop a crust on the outside while remaining moist on the inside.

Pakora is a deep fried Indian fritter especially popular in the north of India, usually served as an appetizer or snack, while Basmathi Rice is an aromatic long grain rice that is grown in the foothills of the Himalayas and is particularly well known in India.

A "biriyani" dish is rice with a mixture of whatever takes your fancy. Naan is a flat, leavened bread of northwest India, made of white flour and baked in a tandoor. I enjoyed this bread dipped in one of the several sauces offered.

Dal Makhani is a rich, hearty dish full of proteins as it is usually made from black lentils and red kidney beans, simmered in a creamy sauce of butter, onions, tomatoes, ginger-garlic and spices and liberally garnished with cream.

Malai Kofta is the vegetarian alternative to meatballs made of a khoya dough often including double cream and a little flour in a sugar syrup flavored with cardamom, rosewater or saffron. Gulabjamun is most often eaten after dinner. My research tells me it is usually eaten at festivals or major celebrations, such as marriages and Diwali (the Indian festival of light).

Paisam is basically a simple kheer (rice pudding) made with milk, sugar and rice, cooked together till well thickened and syrupy. I have eaten this on several occasions and like it, although you will find that it is definitely not like your southern (U.S.) style rice pudding!

We really enjoyed our meal at The Curry Pot and I am sure we will go back. Hopefully we will learn more about the food in our future visits. The vegetarian should be able to find plenty of choices.

The Curry Pot is open for lunch Tuesday through Friday from 11 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.; Saturday 11:30 a.m. - 3 p.m.; and Sunday 12-3 p.m. Dinner hours are Tuesday through Saturday from 5:30-10 p.m. Sunday dinner is from 5:30-9 p.m.

There are no stairs so this is easily wheel-chair accessible.

READER PET PEEVE OF THE WEEK:
Ostensibly unused napkins that remain from the previous dining party, even though the table has been cleared and wiped down. If napkins are not in a holder, they should be removed along with plates and other utensils when the station is bused.

cdojanet@chattanoogadineout.com