Feast on Punjabi delights at this hidden gem in Westchester
Punjab Indian Café is hidden in a strip mall on Southwest Eighth Street near the entrance to the Palmetto. Once there enjoy infectious beats of Bhangra music on the soundtrack and the hearty food of the the “land of five rivers.” Chef-owner Avtar Saini is from Amritsar, a Sikh holy city in the Punjab and has run restaurants in South Florida for 35 years. He opened this one two years ago.
Start With These Dishes
Get the papdi chaat, a street snack of crispy savory wafers mixed with chickpeas and tamarind chutney topped with sev (fine crisp noodle bits), cilantro and chaat masala, a mix of spices, tart green mango powder and tangy black salt. For paneer pakora, slices of firm cottage cheese are coated in chickpea flour batter and fried until crispy served with tart tamarind chutney. There are also tikki potato patties with tamarind chutney.
Share These Dishes
Butter chicken was created as a way to use up tandoori leftovers. Punjabi street sellers in Delhi came up with a creamy mildly spiced tomato gravy that would keep the chicken moist. The version here has chunks of boneless tandoori chicken in a flavorful bright reddish-orange sauce that is good for scooping up with potato-stuffed naan bread hot from the clay oven. Or accompany it with a whole wheat tandoori roti. Get the shrimp curry in tangy tomato sauce for spooning over cumin rice.
Amritsari fish tikka brings pieces of mahi marinated with ginger, garlic and spices cooked in the tandoor. Spice marinated lamb chops are also cooked in the clay oven. Another specialty is Punjabi dal makhani with black lentils and red kidney beans simmered with onions, tomatoes and spices finished with cream for a rich buttery flavor. Navratan korma or “nine gems” is a vegetable braise enriched with cream and nuts. Choose from lamb, chicken or shrimp for biryani rice served with cooling yogurt raita.
Save Room For Dessert
Get pistachio ice cream topped with crushed pistachios or gulab jamum, a type of fried doughnut ball soaked in rose scented syrup.
If You Go:
Place: Punjab Indian Café
Address: 7950 SW 8th Street, Miami
Contact: 786-420-2021, punjabiindiancafe.com
Hours: Monday 5 p.m.-10 p.m., Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m. and 5 p.m.-10 p.m., Friday and Saturday 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m. and 5 p.m.-11 p.m.
Prices: Appetizers $5-$10, soups $3-$9, breads $3-$5, entrees $10-$25, desserts $4-$6
This story was originally published November 12, 2019 at 3:18 PM.