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| Photo Credit: LoopNet |
I write this post of paying contribution to one of Manhattan’s finest restaurants that had ever opened its doors in the heart of Aggieville, Dancing Ganesha. New to the area, it has opened its doors to offer Manhattan citizens a tasteful experience of traditional, Indian cuisine, mixing with the flavors and wonders of Middle-Eastern and Northern African delight. Step right inside, and a cool breeze hits your face. It’s dark, but not too dark. More so a dark, neon blue light would shine upon you. Punjabi music fills the air, coming from the speakers hidden in the corners. After being greeted by the waiter, or waitress, you were seated at a table, booth, or sometimes bar, depending on if you ate there before or after the renovation. Regardless of where you were seated, a movie, typically a Bolly or a Hindu movie from Netflix, would often show on the wall, that way you get a source of entertainment as you enjoy your meal.
The Appetizer
As I sit here reminiscing its early years when it was first opened, looking at the old menu, I remembering ordering two appetizers. One that is a popular dish in many Indian restaurants, Tandoori Chicken. The other dish, Samosas. Let’s begin with the Tandoori Chicken. This is a dish that was made popular in the late 1960’s. It is typically prepared by marinating chicken in dahi, which is a yogurt, along with tandoori spices of turmeric, kashmiri chilis, cinnamon, and black pepper, all in which the chicken is then heated and cooked inside of a tandoori oven that is generated by a charcoal or wood fire. When the chicken came, the spices and marinade made the chicken to be tender to the bite, and not overpowering of the flavor. It still had that smoked flavor within the chicken while it coincide with the tandoori flavors on the outside, thus creating a great balance of both worlds. It wasn’t spicy, but it had a slight kick in the mouth where maybe a hint of the peppers perked in flavor. Next came the samosas. A samosa is a savory, fried or baked pastry that is filled potatoes, peas, and any other vegetables. In this case, it contained potatoes, peas, and ground pork. This dish is similar to what is known in both North and South America called, Empanada. Similar concept, but different background. Samosas originated not only within India, but in other parts of the Middle-East, as well as Asia and Northern Africa. The potato filling inside, if I remember, had a slight curry taste. The ground pork itself, also gave it a nice boost. The texture inside, wasn’t like a mashed potato, nor like chunky like a potato salad, but a combination between the two. Almost like the texture of either a soft baked potato or a soft plantain.
The Main Course
From there, I ordered a traditional rice dish called Biryani, and also another popular Indian dish, Butter Chicken. The Biryani is made up of Basmati Rice, lamb cubes, hyderabad spices, and yogurt raita. Though many people think biryani is like a fried rice because of the color, it is far from that in how it is cooked. The colorization comes from the spices and the marinade of the meat. When the meat is marinated, it is cooked at the bottom of the pot. But instead of cooking on its own, the cooked rice is covering the meat, so that the meat and aroma steams upward into the rice. On top of the rice, contains a lot of the herbs, seasoning, vegetables, saffron, and rose water, so that goes down into the rice. Once finished, you take what’s at the bottom, flip it to the top, and let the flavors come together. Butter Chicken was not what I originally thought it would be. When I first saw it on the menu, I thought it was going to be what it was called. Chicken in a “Buttery Sauce.” When it came to my table, I thought, interesting. After taking one bite, I realized it tasted like tomatoes. Even though it did say tomatoes in its description on menu. But other than that, it was like the taste buds took a dive into a whole different world. I’ve always been a dark meat person because of how tender and flavorful a chicken thigh was. And that’s the first thing my mind went to when I realized how tender the chicken was. I knew at that moment, it was sliced chicken thighs in a delicious, creamed-tomato sauce. But this sauce wasn’t just a creamy-tomato sauce like my ignorant mind was thinking. There had to have been a process behind it in which I wasn’t sure what it was at the time. What made this a butter sauce, and why was it called a butter sauce? It’s not like you take a tomatoes, sauce, and add cream to it as if you were making a tomato bisque soup. The process is much beyond that. From what I have learned, It starts off by creating your base and marinade for the chicken. Now, keep in mind, all marinade in Indian cuisine is made from scratch and by hand, and it differs depending on what dish you’re making. As you cook the chicken, you then have to take whole tomatoes, slice them, and you would stew them. However, there’s more things you would have to add such as onions, spices, cashew nuts, and so on. Sorry, I can’t give away all of the secrets. But why is it called ‘Butter Chicken’? Well, here’s your answer. When you are cooking the chicken, spices, and tomatoes, you would have to add a lot of butter to it. That butter creates another layer in its flavor and texture. You also have to add yogurt, and cream to it. The butter is what gives it that richness. The other stuff added, is creating a balance so that it’s not too acidic in flavor. If you’re ever in a Indian restaurant, see if you can spot the difference in taste and texture between ‘Butter Chicken’ and ‘Tikka Masala’ Similar dishes, but different in cooking and in historical context. I’ve realized that Indian cooking is a skill, art, and talent. It takes a lot of time, preparation, and patience. Because, it’s not like it takes an hour to cook. Sometimes it takes hours, and that’s also from experience.
The Experience Overall
Ending the night, I knew I would have to go back, but I always felt as if that restaurant was to be eaten occasionally. I was wrong again. By the time the summer hit, I went back a couple of times for lunch. On one occasion, instead of getting their lunch buffet, I decided to order off the regular menu instead. This time, I ordered what is known as, Malabar Fish Curry. Almost like a stew, but not quite. It still came with your usual Naan bread and Basmati Rice, but it was fish in a coconut milk curry, with mild spices. It was the same day I fell in loved with a movie called, Dear Zindagi.
Years have went by, and the restaurant was undergoing renovations and new menu items, it was decided that pork was removed from the menu. I thought it made sense, even though the Samosas would be a little different without it, we still had a large Indian, Mid-Eastern, and African presence. After hearing about the changes, and also making the menu with more vegetarian options, I returned for a visit on a Sunday afternoon, and since then my desire increased. There, after talking with the owner and chef, I was beginning to like the new hospitality and service the staff was displaying to its customers. Asking questions, checking back frequently, being friendly, and always inviting you to want to come back. Each Sunday, after I would watch The Potter’s House, I would dine at Dancing Ganesha for lunch. What’s very unique, is that each day they have a lunch buffet, but it was always new things (In most cases that aren’t on the menu itself). Flavors and combinations in which I never tried before made me explore the taste of it. A few things to name for example, Beetroot Poriyal, Mint Rice, Tomato Rice, Coconut Rice, Spinach Rice, Egg Rice, Pongal, Turkey Biryani, Paneer Curry, Kesari, Mixed Vegetable Poriyal, Cabbage Poriyal, and so many to even name. This is the only the restaurant that has increased my desire to explore food of Indian, Mid-East, and North African cuisine, and it has increased my desire to explore a variety of vegetarian/vegan dishes. Though I try to imitate the dishes at home, it will never come as close as to the dishes in Dancing Ganesha. Though I know that there are many more restaurants like it, I will never forget how much of an impact Dancing Ganesha has made in our community, as well as my life. And so I end by saying Thank You! For leaving a precious mark in Aggieville.
