Vegging Out: Vegetarian Appetizer Sampler Platter at Naanolicious

There is a special at Naanolicious on Thursday evenings that vegetarians will definitely want to check out. The vegetarian appetizer platter, paired with a beer, for $14.95 is a huge portion on a large plate: one samosa, several veggie pakoras, a couple of aloo tikka patties, naan bread with a dipping sauce, and two chutneys. I managed to devour this flavourful feast myself, but if I was less hungry, I also certainly could have shared.

Karhi Pakora

Monika, who owns Naanolicious, has been talking to me about trying some of her mother's traditional East Indian cooking. I had the chance when I went to the restaurant for supper this past weekend, and one of the specials was created by her mom. The Karhi Pakora is something I would never imagine: vegetable pakoras in a light yoghurt curry sauce flavoured extensively by cilantro and turmeric. I find pakors, being fried, to be quite heavy and can usually only eat two or three of them in one sitting. However, in the sauce, they deconstructed into smaller bits of dough and potato. It was surprisingly one of the lightest dishes I have ever had at Naanolicious, and the abundance of the sauce made rice a perfect pairing. I encouraged Monika to add this to her vegetarian menu.

Veggie Pakora at Naanolicious

Veggie Pakora, a photo by raise my voice on Flickr.

Veggie pakora has never been my favourite item at East Indian restaurants because I find they tend to be very dense and dry. However, I decided to try Naanolicious' take on them when I was there the other day for supper.

I was pleasantly surprised. The pakoras (which is like a fried dumpling of potato and spinach, dipped in lentil dough) were bite-sized but very flavourful - and moist. Yes, they were a little greasy, but enhanced the flavour, along with the chutney served to the side. This is a really nice dish to share as an appetizer.