Turks in East India

I'm back at Nine One for the third time in the two months since the restaurant's opening. A friend who is a big fan of Samaira's has rounded up a few fellow winos for a dinner, with the theme being one of my favorite wines. I had initially hesitated to join this gathering, as I was already scheduled for a lunch today, but eventually the allure of drinking beautiful wines paired with delicious food from a friend proved too irresistible. So here I am...

As usual, we asked the chef to decide what to serve us. With 6 of us tonight including our Indian friend, I looked forward to trying dishes I hadn't tasted on my previous visits.

Khakra, chundo - the khakra (ખાખરા) and chundo (छुन्दो) are always the first order of business.

Corn chips and kachumber - not surprisingly, some of our friends visiting for the first time wondered why they were eating tortillas with salsa in a place serving Indian food...

Khekda (केकड़ा) - I do love the King crab with the pomegranate seeds and pomelo, and this was very well-received.

From Chef Samaira's family farm, kokum: tuna bhel - this may seem like it's the same type of dish as the crab salad with the acidity from kokum (कोकम) and those pomegranate seeds, but the addition of those crunchy boondi (बूंदी) adds texture as well as a deeper flavor profile.

Eat a rainbow: bhel-puri - our resident Indian friend seemed to like the bhelpuri (भेलपूरी).

Tonight they portioned the dish for us, and I do love it as it comes with a little more heat than the other dishes.

Bombay veg toast sandwich - this is another item that's not familiar to me but deeply familiar to my friend. The thought that a sandwich like this might be a staple in India never crossed my mind. Shows you how little I know...

So we've got potatoes, bell peppers, beetroot (!), and onions inside, toasted over fire and cheese on top. Kinda interesting.

East Indian lamb potato chop, green pea chutney, kachumber - happy to have one of my favorite dishes here again. That lamb filling is just so tasty, and perfect with the browned mashed potatoes.

I have a spell on you: chicken lollipop, schezwan chutney - this is another crowd favorite and very fun to eat. Love the spicy kick. I wish Samaira would slowly add more "Chindian" dishes to her menu.

Koli-wada: prawns, pickled onions, herb tamarind chutney - another dish with more heat. Nice.

From North-East India, the Himalayan dumpling: pork momo - the momo from North-East of India was adapted from the Tibetan original. The chutney was made with Kashmiri chilis, tomatoes, onions, and cumin. This was OK.

Bhaji pao: veggies, onion, coriander, lime - first of the two paos, the bhaji pao (भाजी पाव) has a vegetarian dip and comes with a very soft and fluffy roll.

Lamb kheema pao: minced lamb, onion, coriander, lime - no surprise that I found this version much, much more tasty. I loooove lamb, and the cumin here was just so fragrant! Yes... this does remind me of sloppy joe.

Gucchi "khichdi": bottle masala spiced morel mushroom, basmati rice - this was a fantastic dish I enjoyed very much last time, and I love that we got to have it again tonight. The flavors of the morels were so rich, and the rice was really creamy and tasty. After taking in two paos right before this, I knew I didn't need more carbs in my stomach... but I just couldn't resist! Love the curry leaves here. Gobble, gobble, gobble...

Mauhra: pan fried stuffed whole "hirva" pomfret, laccha onion, solkadhi - I'm so happy to have the chance to taste the pomfret again. No, it's not fish curry - which I will surely request from Suveg the next time I'm at Caprice - but the green masala stuffed inside the tender fish is better. And the shot of solkadhi (सोलकडी) on the side still livens up the palate with the mix of acidity, saltiness, and creaminess.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Diary of a Growing Boy (@growing_boy)

Roasted: bottle masala, Three Yellow Chicken, yakhni and rice - so I finally had this chicken... after seeing so many people post about it. I know it's very performative, but it is always nice to smell that lovely fragrance when lids are opened and the smoke gets released.

And the Three Yellow Chicken (三黃雞) does not disappoint. Very tender. Loved the smoky flavors, and that 22-spice bottle masala sure did its magic.

The yakhni (यख़नी) on the side made with chicken bones was very nice.

Well... this is Samaira's version of "chicken rice", so here we go! The rice was flavored with yakhni and came with birista (बिरिस्ता).

Not curry: East Indian lamb stew - I loved this dish on my previous visits, but tonight the lamb was totally overcooked and had become tough. The flavors were still really nice, though.

Fugias for the lamb.

Finally, we had the three seasonal desserts:

Shrikhand, berry twist: yoghurt, mixed berries, strawberry chutney, waffle crisps, pistachio - the shrikhand (श्रीखंड) came with berries this time, since Alphonso mangoes are no longer in season.

Rabdi: rich milk dessert, saffron infused cantaloupe, nuts - loved the combination of saffron with the melon.

Satvic malai kulfi: tender coconut, Medjool dates, saffron, nuts - the kulfi is satvic so it's animal-free, and also has no refined sugar. Loved the saffron and the ground pistachio.

The main event tonight, of course, were the wines. The theme was La Turque from Domaine Guigal - one of the famed "LaLa's". We coordinated amongst ourselves and brought out 8 vintages - with our host generously sharing a bottle of '91 with us at Nine One...

2019 Georges Vernay Condrieu Coteau de Vernon - very floral and pretty ripe on the nose, plenty of lychees just like viognier. A little flinty, too.

2018 Clos Saint-Jean Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc - started out pretty soft and ripe on the palate, but later the palate became really ripe.

First pair:

2000 Guigal Côte-Rôtie La Turque - started drinking about 1 hour after opening without decanting. Pretty soft on the palate now. This was pretty muted, so while it was OK it wasn't the classic La Turque I would have wanted.

2001 Guigal Côte-Rôtie La Turque - started drinking about 30 minutes after opening without decanting. A little smoke on the nose, and the acidity was higher than the 2000. About 1½ hours after opening some savory notes started to appear on the nose.

Second pair:

1998 Guigal Côte-Rôtie La Turque - started drinking almost 2½ hours after opening without decanting. Some grilled meats.

2006 Guigal Côte-Rôtie La Turque - started drinking nearly 2 hours after opening without decanting. The nose showed a little smoke and grilled meats, a hint of savory notes, and ripe fruits like cassis. Some half hour later the wine was showing a nice level of ripeness, but also started to reveal some stewed fruits.

Third pair:

1991 Guigal Côte-Rôtie La Turque - started drinking a little more than 2 hours after opening without decanting. Very smooth on the palate now. Finally, a beautiful bottle of wine showing the classic floral notes along with bacon fat, and lovely sweet fruit.

1999 Guigal Côte-Rôtie La Turque - started drinking around 3 hours after opening without decanting. The nose was a little smoky with a hint of chalk, along with some ripe fruits, which was nice.