Kabab & Curry: A Hero’s Tale and Culinary Love Affair

My mom has completely ruined Indian food for me – but not in the way you think; rather, her authentic recipes simply taste too good, so no local restaurants’ attempts at the cuisine remotely compare to her culinary masterpieces. Unfortunately, with the responsibilities of both being a mom and a doctor, her food can’t always be the knight in shining armor, arriving just in time to save the damsel in distress, which is my craving for the cuisine.

My search for edible Indian food boils down to this exact need, and for the past 16 years of my life, I’ve only found unsatisfactory results. Yet on February 27th, after seeing a Facebook post on my dad’s feed announcing its opening, Kabab & Curry became the light at the end of the tunnel of my years-long search. 

After ordering in and unpackaging the food, its smell was immediately captivating, replicating the characteristic aroma that makes chaat off the streets of New Delhi so irresistible. Accordingly, Its colors – an array of greens, yellows, reds, and whites – reflect the liveliness of Indian streets; the fire red tandoori chicken, fittingly, with spice levels to match, forms an appetizer that ‘melts’ the ice of any awkward dinner conversation. 

The naan, a perfect combination of flaky, crispy, and chewy, creates a strong foundation for the rest of the meal and compliments the tapestry of subjis the restaurant offers, and the palak paneer, a verdant delight with its jungle of flavors, provides the perfect combination of smooth velvet spinach and soft paneer that mimics the feeling of drinking water in an oasis after trekking hours through the heat of the Great Indian Desert.  

Their shahi navratan korma, a sunflower yellow bowl of happiness, can best be explained as a dish I couldn’t stop eating, and the chicken curry, paired with the fluffy, white basmati rice, packs enough flavor and spice to resemble the gentle heat of an Indian summer.

For dessert, the gulab jamun serves as a cold drink on a hot summer day, and its explosion of sweetness bursts in your mouth as if the universe conspired to stop time just to allow you to enjoy the flavor of these syrupy golden balls of joy for a few moments longer.

While my mom's cooking remains an unparalleled love story, Kabab & Curry is the exciting and unexpected plot twist that adds a thrilling chapter to my culinary journey – a vibrant brushstroke on the canvas of my taste memories. It's the fusion of tradition and innovation, the marriage of nostalgia and exploration, creating the authentic culinary narrative that I’ve always needed. February 27th, 2023, will forever remain a monumental day that goes down in history.