Punjab Cuisine of India

By Tobin Bennison

Reviewing restaurants is always an enjoyable experience, but it's often difficult to come up with an engaging angle when pen's put to paper. Overwrought superlatives sometimes prove useless in describing the deliciousness of much of the food we consume for this feature. Every now and then, we come across a place that defies fancified, writerly razzle-dazzle and stands confidently on its own as a simply fantastic restaurant. Cocoa Beach's Punjab Cuisine of India is one such place.

I should say that this review has been a long time coming. We've been regular Punjab customers since moving to the area, so our recent review appointment was a mere formality. People who know me have probably tired of my touting Punjab, so it should come as no surprise that each member of the Resident staff is a die-hard fan.

I'd been a lover of Indian cuisine long before I strode through Punjab's doors, but never before had I witnessed it presented with such disarming simplicity. Anyone familiar with Indian food can attest to the often complicated process of ordering a basic appetizer-entree-side order-dessert meal. Part of this is due to many Indian eateries' reliance on encyclopedic menus, but the rest may be due to Americans' unfamiliarity with many of the items.

Here in the States, tandoori and korma are recognizable enough, but they've somehow failed to impress themselves on our minds in the same way that once obscure dishes like Pad Thai and ceviche have. Friends also probably tire of me pointing out that tikka masala recently beat out fish and chips in a poll to determine Britain's national dish, and that the "Friday night curry" has become as pervasive a pastime as their 4 o'clock tea time. If we have anything to do with it, Indian food will soon obscure the popularity of the burger here, and you'll be craving nan and vindaloo on a regular basis.

Owned by the Singh family since 1996, Punjab will surely have a hand in that triumph, thanks to a helpful staff, a pared-down explanatory menu, and masterful preparation. For those unaquainted with Indian food, Punjab is the perfect introduction to this delicious cuisine and seasoned aficionados will chalk it down as some of the best and most consistent around.

It's a common misconception that Indian is inordinately spicy. In fact, it's no more fiery than Thai or Mexican. If you're still wary, the Singhs can prepare your selection mild, medium, or hot. Regardless of your choice, you'll find the flavor of the food as sumptuously rich as Punjab's elegant interior.

Stepping inside is like entering another world, adorned with chandeliers, lavish tapestries, deep scarlets, browns and scintillating golds. But if this elegance suggests a stuffy attitude or exorbitant prices, a moment's glance at the menu reveals Punjab's devotion to the common man's appetite and wallet.

Punjab, a region in northwestern India bordering Pakistan, created the most representative and popular variety of Indian food, due to its reliance on curries, fresh vegetables, and lamb and chicken cooked in clay tandoor ovens. Punjabi is also one of the most diverse of the country's many cooking styles. One of the things I like best about Punjabi cuisine is its seemingly bottomless well of flavor. I've been enjoying its tasty brilliance on and off for close to 10 years, and I'm convinced that my palate's barely scratched the surface; it never fails to surprise me with new flavors and nuances.

Built around freshly-ground masalas (mixtures of herbs and spices), recipes for which are handed down through generations, Punjabi cuisine also employs ghee (clarified butter) and creamy sauces. Anything off Punjab's menu is a great introduction, but their popular luncheon offerings (served Tuesdays through Saturdays from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.) can't be beat for value. Choose from murgh tandoori (chicken marinated in yogurt, garlic, ginger and spices), exellent vegetable, fish, chicken or lamb curries, lamb or chicken saag (cooked with spices and spinach), aloo chole curry (with potatoes and chick peas), dal (lentils and tomatoes with spices), aloo matar tamatar (potatoes, green peas, and tomatoes and spices in a heavenly curry sauce), aloo palak (potatoes with spinach), and mushroom matar (cooked with green peas, onions and tomatoes). Each dish is priced at $5.95 and comes with rice, soup, onion chutney, papadum, and bread.

A rundown of Punjab's breads fits well here. There's fluffy onion kulcha, tandoori roti (baked on the side of the clay tandoor oven), regular nan (an Indian staple -- delicious unleavened bread from the tandoor) and four other variations: aloo nan (stuffed with aromatic spices and potatoes), keema nan (stuffed with expertly-prepared ground lamb), garlic nan, and kashmiri nan, filled with cashew nuts and raisins. Choosing a bread should be the first on your ordering list. Traditionally, pliable Indian breads are used to scoop up portions of the meal, and when paired with your choice of entree and a chutney, unending combinations of flavor are open to discovery.

Next, zero in on one of Punjab's incredible appetizers to enjoy while your meal's being prepared. The vegetable samosas (two crisp dumplings stuffed with potatoes and peas) are probably the most popular, but you're missing out if you haven't tried the onion bhaji (fritters made with onions, green pepper, potatoes and spinach), papadums (two crisp cracker-like disks made from lentil and chick pea flour), aloo pakoras (patties made from potatoes, chick pea flour and spices), or the chicken or cheese pakoras. If you're in any doubt, opt for the chef's special appetizer platter which offers a selection of each. As delicious as they are on their own, they take on new depths of tastiness when paired with either one (or all) of their spiced condiments: raita (a cooling yogurt sauce made with cucumbers), mint chutney, mixed fruit chutney, or a mixed pickle relish. You can also choose one of two soups as a starter, either lentil or mulligatawny (pureed vegetables).

The main entrees are divided into six sections: lamb, chicken, vegetarian, tandoori-cooked dishes, seafood, and Indian pilafs called biryanis. Lamb selections (all of which are served with rice and onion chutney) include a straight curry, tikka masala (comprised of cream, tomato sauce, onion and green peppers), rogan josh (cooked with a yogurt, tomato, onion and garlic curry sauce), madras (with fresh tomatoes), saag (spinach), shahi korma (a creamy sauce made with almonds, cashew nuts and raisins), and the ever-popular vindaloo style, a scrumptious curry-like preparation made with potatoes.

The "murgh," or chicken selections mirror many of the aforementioned lamb recipes (curry, saag, madras, vindaloo, tikka masala, and korma), but are rounded out with two not-to-be-missed varieties, including the curry-sauceless jeera (cooked with butter, cumin, garlic, ginger, onion and green pepper) and butter chicken, cooked in a tandoor with a fresh tomato and butter cream sauce. We're still working our way through the chicken dishes, but we've been hindered by our unwillingness to pass a Punjab visit without revisiting the beauty of their korma and tikka masala.

The tandoor is a cylindrical charcoal clay oven used prominently in Punjabi cuisine and has links to the oldest in recorded history, with several having been uncovered in the Indus Valley region, deemed by many to be the cradle of civilization. Tandoor are often kept lit for long periods of time, the better to maintain their 900-degree temperature. The ingenious, practical design of the tandoor locks in all juices and flavors, resulting in superior-tasting and far healthier meats. The chicken tandoori is excellent, marinated and broiled with spices and ginger-laced yogurt, but try the chicken tikka, the tikka kebab (boneless chunks in the Singhs' special marinade skewered with green pepper, tomatoes and onions), or the seikh kebab, made from minced lamb and herbs. A mixed tandoori platter gives you an assortment of each, and all items are served with a side of madras curry sauce, onion chutney and rice.

Punjab caters to vegetarians with a wide range of dishes. There's bombay aloo (potatoes cooked with tomatoes, onions, herbs and spices), a mixed vegetable curry, tarka dal (lentils), navratan shahi korma (veggies cooked with nuts and a creamy korma sauce), eggplant bhartha, mushrooms cooked with green peas, onions and tomatoes, and aloo gobhi (cauliflower, potatoes and green peas). But you shouldn't leave without trying at least one of these favorite concoctions: matar paneer (homemade cheese cubes and green peas), chana masala (chick peas), saag paneer (spinach with cheese), malai kofta (minced veggie balls), or the paneer masala, made with cheese in tomato sauce, onion and green pepper. All vegetarian entrees are served with rice and onion chutney.

Along with a great selection of seafood (shrimp, lobster and fish prepared in several styles -- curry, madras, shahi korma, masala, vindaloo), Punjab also provides several long-grain biryani rice dishes, all of which are served with raita and onion chutney. Choose from vegetable, chicken or lamb biryani, pillaw rice (simmered with green peas, nuts and raisins), shrimp pillaw (with nuts and cream sauce), and nawabi biryani -- a mixture of lamb, chicken, shrimp and vegetables garnished with cream sauce and raisins.

If you're at a loss, special "house dinners" (made with either one or two diners in mind), come replete with each of Punjab's finest creations. At $35.95, the Punjab dinner for two is especially enticing. Enjoy an appetizer platter, mulligatawny soup, a choice of two curries (lamb, chicken or vegetable), pillaw rice, nan, onion and fruit chutney and a dessert. The $14.95 one-diner version is just as much of a mouth-watering bargain.

I'm surprised at how many devotees have never tried Indian desserts, for they're just as incredible as the rest of the spectrum. Gulab jamun are soft, fried cheese balls bathed in sweet syrup, and Punjab's kulfi is unbelievable -- simmered milk, cardamom, pistachios and other nuts frozen to resemble a type of ice cream, but far more natural and subtle than our over-whipped variety. Rice pudding and mango ice cream also make appearances, as do all your favorite beverages (soft drinks, tea, chai, wine and Kingfisher beer), but don't deny yourself a lassi (a kind of smoothie made with yogurt), a fresh mango shake or mango nectar.

If you place importance on the stars, then give Punjab six shiny bright ones. If you're more of a thumb-oriented person, then give them two thrust enthusiastically skyward. Whatever your fancy, rest assured that the Singhs' Punjab serves up excellent food. Go hungry and with an open mind and belly. Once you're hooked, you'll never wriggle free.

Punjab Cuisine of India is located in the White Rose Shopping Center at 285 W. Cocoa Beach Cswy. (SR 520). They're open for lunch Tuesdays through Saturdays from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. and serve dinner 7 days a week from 5 to 10 p.m. The Singh family offers delivery service to a limited area (with a minimum order of $50), take-out, and catering for all manner of events. All items can be prepared according to your tastes: mild, medium, or hot. A special $5.95 luncheon menu (served during above lunch hours) is popular with local workers, and special dinner platters for one or two diners draw in the hungry supper crowds. Please call ahead to reserve space for larger groups. All major credit cards are accepted. Call (321) 799-4696 for information or visit their menu on-line at: www.punjabindianrestaurant.net