Indian To Go from Raga

Some nights, after a long day at work, I'm not only too tired to cook but I'm too tired to go back out to a restaurant to eat, and what I want most is for someone else to prepare some tasty food and bring it to me in my cozy apartment. On these nights, when my cravings run along the lines of Indian, I turn to Raga Indian Restaurant (142 Smith St., between Bergen and Dean Streets, 718-522-3027), an Indian restaurant on Smith St. that provides consistently good and thoroughly satisfying food.

I usually start with the Assorted Indian Hors D'Oeuvres which is a mix of Pakoras (Veggie, Chicken and Banana), a Samosa and what looked like a big fried slice of eggplant. It arrives with three different sauces (Mint, Tamarind, and Onion Relish) and a touch greasy, is the perfect beginning to this meal. The Pakoras are my favorite; flavorful nuggets of fried-ness, and the Tamarind Sauce is the best.



I also usually get some kind of Chicken Tandoori - this time in the form of Chicken Tikka - which is a good portion of nicely cut up chunks of chicken meat with loads of onions and lemon wedges. I love tandoori; it's been a favorite since I was a kid and Raga's tandoori is tangy and savory and the chicken is not dried out.



We also ordered the Lamb Kurma and the Sag Paneer. The Kurma is a lovely creamy sauce, slightly sweet from the almonds and raisins, and the lamb is tender. Sag Paneer is Fresh Spinach with Cottage Cheese - but not like small curds of cottage cheese - this comes with cubes of a mild cheese and is another of my favorite Indian dishes. The photo below shows both, as well as the various sauces. PLENTY of food for two people with enough left over for lunch!



This all came with two containers of Basmati rice which has a nice, delicate flavor to balance out the strong flavors of the other dishes. I also usually order some bread - Nan is my favorite, a denser, tastier choice as opposed to the more greasy, insubstantial Poori. Yay Raga!