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Bright-flavored, family-friendly South Asian favorites from all corners of India.
ASHEVILLE, NC
$$
Chef Meherwan Irani of Chai Pani
“This food is multi-textural, multi-flavor, multi-temperature. You've got hot dishes with sweet cool yogurt; you’ve got multiple taste sensations—sweet, tangy, salty, sour, spicy; you’ve got textural contrast, going from soft to crunchy.”
Butter Chicken
A North Indian favorite: Marinated chicken breast in a spicy tomato-butter-cream sauce, sweetened with jaggery (sugarcane syrup), and full of fragrant spices.
Samosa Chaat
Flaky pastry triangles filled with cumin-y potatoes, served on a spicy chickpea stew, along with sweet yogurt, tamarind, and green chutneys.
Naan
Your favorite Indian bread, hand-stretched and tandoor-baked to pillowy, toasty goodness and brushed with clarified butter.
Desi Salad
A zesty blend of shredded cabbage, cilantro, scallions, spiced cashews, toasted sesame seeds, and sev (crunchy chickpea noodles), tossed with a cumin-lime vinaigrette.
Daal
Based on his grandmother's daal recipe, Chai Pani chef-owner Meherwan blends creamy red masoor and chunky yellow toor lentils for maximum silkiness and richness.
