Add Some Spice to Your Life

Since 2012, Taste of India has been narrowing the space between cultures one spice at a time. Now at its new location, this restaurant is ready to bring the spice to your life.

ARTICLE BY Vanelis Rivera
PHOTOGRAPHS BY Andrew Bailey
STYLING BY Taylor Bennett

Whether you’re taking advantage of the delectable buffet selections or menu items, Taste of India’s new location is like dining in Monroe’s own Taj Mahal.

The space between cultures narrows when it comes to food. We’ve heard it before: the proverbial idea that food unites even the most distinct groups. If you happen to visit Monroe’s favorite Indian restaurant, this can be seen in the form of a boot-clad, jean-styled gentleman contently scooping one of India’s classic dishes, mushroom saag, onto his buffet plate. Since 2012, Taste of India has lured in locals from all walks of life one spice at a time. Now with a spanking new location, this restaurant is ready to bring the spice to your life.

Krishna Thota, head chef and owner of Taste of India, has cooked since the age of fifteen when he lived in southern India. This family endeavor that spans generations began with his grandmothers who both owned restaurants in India. His brother, also inheriting the family heirloom of creating authentic cuisine, also owns a restaurant in the subcontinent. Swathi Thota, Krishna’s wife and co-owner of the restaurant, beams as she mentions her grandmothers-in-law and their stand-alone dishes, which are fashioned approximately eight thousand miles from their origin. Krishna’s mother also serves as cook at the restaurant, and though Swathi only ventures into the kitchen once in a while, she is most notable for providing ideas for their family-based cooking and business.

Krishna first arrived to the United States around 1995 in California. He migrated to Portland, Oregon around 2003 to serve as chef at an Indian restaurant, which is where, by chance, he first heard about Monroe, Louisiana. Interested in opening a restaurant in a place that had yet to experience the warmth and comfort of Indian cuisine, the couple took a year to establish the restaurant, and the first two years proved a challenging start. Business was slow, and they were making so little profit that they worked with no salary during those turbulent times. It wasn’t until 2015 that the business took a firm hold, a testament to good things come to those who wait, coupled with perseverance and a little faith. Seven years later, they solidified a prolific reputation and loyal customer base, a credit to their attentive service and singular dishes.

As the world’s seventh largest country with a population of around 1.3 billion to match, you should expect Indian cuisine to mimic the versatility of the land masses’ topography, marked distinctly by region. North Indian cuisine utilizes of a lot of yogurt and cream and is mostly meat-based. While South Indian food is spicier, it is also more vegetarian and uses coconut milk, cream, and gravy for its dishes. Unique to the south’s dishes is the use of curry leaf, which provides a fresher flavor to rice, soups, and stews than curry paste or powder. Similar to the US, North Indians tend to use more breads, while the South incorporates more rice with their meals. At Taste of India, the menu serves as a food map to India’s most outstanding staples, welcoming both seasoned and novice travelers to stay awhile in any region of the menu that satisfies their taste. If you get lost in the spices, walk to Swathi’s spice wall, an immersive wall display exhibiting the majority of the spices used in their cuisines and their health benefits. Listed spices include: tumeric, chili powder, cumin, tamarind, and coriander.

Structured by style of dish and type of protein, the restaurant’s menu is customer-friendly. For appetizers, we recommend trying the chicken or vegetable samosas, crispy stuffed vegetables pyramids filled with baked potatoes, peas, and mild spice. On the spicier end lies the gobi manchurian, batter fried cauliflower sauteed with onions, red chillies, and spices—a vegetarian favorite. Their South Indian Specials mainly consist of a visually captivating dish called dosas, crepes made with lentil flour and stuffed with vegetable curry, served with mild chutneys and sambar—a lentil-based vegetable chowder. Not to be confused with the beloved French-style crepe, the Indian dosa is gargantuan, approximately a foot and a half when rolled. Vegetarians will love the Mysore masala, which is smeared with coconut, tomato, and cilantro chutney as well as the spring masala, stuffed with onions bell peppers, and carrots with potato masala. Meat lovers can’t go wrong with the chicken or lamb selection.

Most dish names indicate a main ingredient, style of preparation, or both, so you may notice similar designations in different entree categories, which depicts their dish flexibility: vindaloo (high spice curry), korma (mildly spiced curry), masala (type of spice mixture), paneer (type of curd cheese), and saag (spinach). If you are looking for unequaled dishes, among the vegetable entrees is dal tadaka: yellow lentils prepared and flavored with Indian spices, prominently tamarind, a potent sweet/tart fruit and a popular base for sauces and stews. The navaratan korma translates to “nine-gem” curry, and it is the creamiest and tastiest way to enjoy the restaurant’s veggies. Among the chicken dishes, Swathi raves about the butter chicken. Also known as murgh makhani, this dish is composed of boneless pieces of chicken cooked in a tomato based sauce with butter and fenugreek leaves (nutty-flavored herb) and finished with cream. Hailing from the southern state of Tamil Nadu, at the east coast of India’s southernmost tip, is the chicken chittinad dish. Here, boneless pieces of chicken simmer in black pepper sauce, coconut, tomatoes, and dry red chillies—a must-stop in your local culinary adventure.

Here, at BayouLife we love the lamb entrees! Though deceptively anglo-sounding, the lamb rogan josh (“stewed in ghee”) is an aromatic meat dish of Kashmiri origin (northernmost India) uniquely prepared and spiced. In the lamb makhani, tender pieces of meat are cooked with yogurt and cashew nuts for a delectable crunch. Another bold lamb choice, the lamb do pyaza, prepares tender morsels of meat with fresh ginger, onions, tomatoes, and bell peppers. Menu tip: you can substitute goat in any of the lamb dishes.

If your menu excursion brings you to the tandoori region of the menu, you are in for a treat. These dishes are cooked in skewers in a clay tandoori oven with a blend of spices and herbs. This preparation has roots in the Punjab region of India (northwest) and diners can select from the paneer, chicken, lamb, or shrimp options. The biriyani specialties are just as exciting and are served with curry sauce and raita (condiment made with yogurt, cucumber, and mint). Though this dish is especially popular in India, it also has roots in other nearby regions, such as Iraqi Kurdistan. Enjoy from the chicken, vegetable, lamb, goat, or shrimp options.

Most entrees come served with the choice of naan, an oven-baked flatbread, but don’t let this deter you from the bread section of the menu. You can carb the Indian way with roti (round, stretchy, and chewy), poori (deep fried puffed whole wheat bread), aloo partha (potato-stuffed bread), paneer kulcha (bread stuffed with homemade cheese with cilantro), or varieties of naan, of which the garlic is the most popular. Can’t choose? Try the bread basket and combine!

If you still have enough room for dessert, BayouLife always finishes their meal with the warm syrupy gulab jamun, mini roundels in a sugar syrup. When eating buffet style, try combining the gulab jamun with the milky kheer, an Indian rice pudding finished with nuts, raisins, and cardamom, reminiscent of milk and honey combined. If fruit-based desserts are your prefered palate cleanser, then the mango custard is a must: fresh cut fruit mixed with ice-cream. Another way to enjoy the juiciness of mangoes comes in the form of the creamy mango lassi drink made by blending yogurt, milk, sugar, and mango slices.

The Indian dining experience is not commonly associated with beer, but due to British imperialism, the West’s most popular drink gained traction in South Asia. Taste of India features a few brews that any beer enthusiast would enjoy exploring. Kingfisher and Taj Mahal are temperate lagers known for their refreshing light taste. On the bolder-side is the Godfather, smooth and full-bodied. A mouth of fullness awaits in the beverage section, even in the form of the traditional chai tea, black tea mixed with spices and herbs, traditionally served with milk.

Whether you’re taking advantage of the delectable buffet selections or menu items, Taste of India’s new location is like dining in Monroe’s own Taj Mahal. The new building boasts their new fuchsia and plum elephant logo, enhanced only by large white lettering of the restaurant’s name. With three spaces designated for seating, the inside is spacious and sleek. Accents of magenta brightens borders, the bar area, cafe-style chairs, and booths. A room divider lined with booths also functions as open-face shelving. Displayed are colorful and intricate Indian crafts, mostly elephants, as they are associated with Ganesha, deva of intellect and wisdom. “He blesses the customers and he blesses us,” informs Swathi.

You’ll know that you’ve come to the right place when, upon entering the restaurant, warm spices and Bollywood songs waft your senses. In one way or another, you’ll spice up your life a little or a lot (it’s your choice) at Taste of India—where spice and life meet on the same plate.

Experience Taste of India’s new look at 1809 Roselawn Ave, Monroe, LA 71201. Call them at (318) 651-8999 for take out, to learn more about their dishes, or to ask about catering.