The mixed appetizer platter ($8.99) offers a pupu plate perspective on this tricultural kitchen. Feast on crisp samosa turnovers, bursting with savory meat and vegetable fillings, and inch-thick aloo tikki potato cake. Pakoras - vegetable latkes - are porcupine-pointy with shredded veggies. Wedges of cauliflower and potato, dipped in chickpea batter and deep-fried golden - are kin to tempura, only less fluffy.
Dunk chunks of fork-tender, carmine-red, tandoor-roasted chicken tikka into a trio of relishes: coriander-mint salsa, sweet tamarind and onion-chili chutney. Or alternate bites with Indian salad ($4.25), a refreshing combination of diced cucumbers, onion, tomato, jalapeno and cilantro that you toss in gingery vinaigrette.
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To outsiders, the similarities of Bangladeshi, Indian and Pakistani cuisines outweigh any disparities. All three employ the same palette of spices and aromatics: garlic, ginger, cardamom, clove, cumin, curry, coriander and chili. All three embrace curries, kebabs, rice, dried legumes and tandoor-baked breads as staples. The major distinction, we're told, is textural - Bangladeshi food being "creamier" than its culinary counterparts. And, of course, all Bangladeshi and Pakistani meats must be halal, slaughtered in accordance with Islamic religious law.
Such subtleties may elude those without ties to the Indian subcontinent. But even nondiscerning diners will be bowled over by the big, bold flavors of this cooking, whatever country it's from.
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