If you’ve driven down East Main Street lately and wondered about the relatively new Indian restaurant, consider this your sign to give it a try.
Maharaja Indian Restaurant & Bar, located at 464 E. Main St. in Spartanburg, offers an extensive Indian menu in a setting that feels a little more like a night out than your typical casual takeout stop. The restaurant serves lunch daily from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., with dinner beginning at 5 p.m. Dinner runs until 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
On a recent weekday evening, my husband and I stopped in for dinner. The restaurant stayed steadily busy throughout our visit without ever feeling overly crowded, and both the atmosphere and service were excellent.
Then came the food.
We started with the samosas, crispy pastries filled with potatoes and peas and served with chutneys, along with garlic naan. For dinner, we ordered the Murgh Makhani Maharaja — better known as butter chicken — and Bhindi-e-Khaas, an okra dish cooked with onions, tomatoes and spices.
Everything was absolutely delicious. The butter chicken was rich and creamy and exactly the kind of dish that begs for another piece of naan to scoop up the sauce. The okra was another standout and a good reminder that you don’t have to stick to the most familiar Indian dishes to find something you’ll love.
The menu is large enough that one dinner barely scratches the surface. There are tandoor dishes, lamb, goat, seafood, vegetarian entrees, biryani and an entire selection of naan and roti. One reason we’re already planning a return trip is the Maharaja Thali. The non-vegetarian version includes butter chicken, lamb rogan josh, dal makhani, navratan korma, rice, raita and naan, while a vegetarian version swaps in dishes including palak paneer and chana masala.
We also plan to head back for a visit to the lunch buffet, which is served daily. Maharaja lists weekday and weekend buffet options, with the weekend version offering additional selections.
If a visit inspires you to experiment with Indian flavors at home, here’s an easy place to start. Aloo tikki isn’t currently on Maharaja’s menu, so save the restaurant’s specialties for your next visit and try these crispy potato cakes in your own kitchen.
Easy Aloo Tikki With Mint-Yogurt Sauce
Serves 4
For the potato cakes:
• 3 large russet potatoes, peeled and boiled
• ½ cup frozen peas, thawed
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro
• 1 teaspoon garam masala
• ½ teaspoon ground cumin
• ½ teaspoon ground coriander
• ¼ teaspoon turmeric
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 2 to 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
For the sauce:
• ½ cup plain Greek yogurt
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh mint
• 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• Pinch of salt
Mash the cooked potatoes until mostly smooth, then mix in the peas, cilantro, garam masala, cumin, coriander, turmeric, salt and cornstarch.
Form the mixture into eight small patties. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat and cook the patties for about three to four minutes per side, or until deeply golden and crisp.
For the sauce, stir together the yogurt, mint, cilantro, lime juice and salt. Spoon it over the warm aloo tikki or serve alongside for dipping.
It’s simple, crispy, flavorful and an easy introduction to cooking Indian-inspired food at home.
As for the nights when you’d rather leave dinner to someone else? Maharaja is an easy recommendation. Our first visit gave us four dishes we’d happily order again — and a much longer list of things we still need to try.
Have a recipe worth sharing? The Cook’s Corner welcomes submissions from home cooks, local residents, chefs, and restaurants throughout our community. Selected contributors may be contacted for a brief interview so we can share the story behind the dish. To submit a recipe or inquire about a collaboration, email the kitchencorrespondent87@gmail.com.
