See also Hudson River Sampler, 9/2006

Poughkeepise Journal, May 26, 2006

Curry House Cuisine is Consistently Delicious

Nestled in a boxy, nondescript building just a block away from Red Hook’s main drag is one of Dutchess County’s better spots for Northern Indian cuisine.In 2001, the Red Hook Curry House reopened here after moving from its previous Staatsburg location, where it was formerly known as Mughal Raj.

Our initial greeting came from the pervasive perfume of curry spices, though we were soon motioned by one of the servers to choose atable among the bank of bright red vinyl booths. Framed Indian batiks and prints make up the simple décor, barely disguising the fact that, in a previous life, this was once a Hunan restaurant. The former cocktail lounge has been put to good use as a staging area for the semi-weekly all-you-can-eat buffet ($10.95).

Though alcohol is no longer served at this address, you can BYOB if you like .Otherwise, homemade sweet Lassi ($1.95) was a fabulous example of the chilled yogurt shake; notonly was the beverage refreshingly tangy, but also nicely spiked with rosewater, providing some exotic appeal.Hot Masala Chai ($2.95) was also delicious, striking a lovely balance between the flavors of the spiced tea, the sweetness and the amount of milk.Other beverage choices ($1 -$2.95) include sodas, juices, sparkling water, hot or iced teas and coffee.

Off to a Vibrant Start

Vibrant is the word that best describes our fresh shrimp ($6.95) appetizer. The mound of small, butter fried prawns had a wonderful crustacean flavor that intermingled with the fragrant spicing and also carried with it a tinge of piquant heat. These florid beauties were accompanied by a large, softball-sized sphere of tender Poori bread, puffy and fully inflated by steam created when these are deep-fried.

I wasn’t as wild about the Banana Pakuras ($3.95), which seemed rather dry and farinaceous.At the center of each of the four round fritters was a tiny piece of banana, which infused them with a bit of sweetness and flavor, but failed to persuade me that this was much more than a ball of fried dough.

Curry:Rich Satisfying Options for Vegetarians

Because Indiahas such a high percentage of folks who don’t consume meat, the cuisine offers some rich and satisfying options for vegetarians. Mutor Ponir ($9.95) combined crisp green peas with brown cubes of the firm cheese known as paneer (or ponir).This tasty version of the classic dish was in a creamy, rather than tomatoey sauce that adroitly kept the focus on the tiny bursts of pea flavor.

Powerof the Ammato

Ammato seeds are used by numerous cultures around the world (in the United States,it tints our butter yellow).and provide the characteristic bright red hue present in many Tandoori-cooked dishes.Tandoori Chicken Tikka Bhuna ($13.95) consisted of boneless, marinated chunks of white meat (tikka) that were firstcooked in a clay oven (tandoor), then quickly sauteed with a thick, pureedvegetable sauce (Bhuna).This was well-executed and proof positive that chef Maksoud Haque knows his way around the tandoor.

If you’re in the mood for a splurge, sink your claws into the Lobster Malabar ($17.95). This opulent dish featured succulent chunks of lobster tail in a scrumptious coconut-almond cream sauce.Relatively mild spicing allowed the ethereal lobster perfume to escape from the curry in sublime wisps of fragrant steam.Texturally, this dish also pushed the limits of sumptuosity, the thick, rich cream embracing sweet shreds of chewy coconut and friable slices of toasted almond.

Carbohydrates notwithstanding, it was hard to pass up on the made-to-order Indian breads.The burrito-like Alu Paratha (#3.95) was a thin, multilayered flatbread wrapped around a well-spiced potato and onion filling.Griddled on a shallow pan known as a tava, the paratha was crisp yet still pliable, with a buttery flavor that embraced the mashed veggie stuffing well.

Other breads are baked in the tandoor, such as the Gobi Naan ($3.95), which was literally slapped on a hot inside wall of this beehive-shaped clay kiln.Ours was an excellent naan, with a crunchy bottom crust and soft, fluffy top sandwiching athin layer of finely minced cauliflower (gobi), onion and chopped cilantro.

Homemade Desserts

With the exception of ice cream, desserts are all made in-house.Malai Kulfi ($2.95) was a nutty, molded granite-style confection with a granular, somewhat icy texture. Chopped almonds, cashews and pistachios flavored this milky dessert, not the best but far from the worst version of khalfi I’ve tasted.

Ras Malai ($2.75) were small, ovoid pillows of paneer in a warm cardamon-rosewater cream sauce and a chopped pistachio garnish.We liked this yin-yang juxtaposition of firm, neutral-flavored cheese against the luscious complex sauce and dispatched it rather quickly. In case you’re wondering, the word “malai”, common to both desserts, means “cream” in Hindi.

I was impressed by the fact that our server committed ourentire order to memory with nary a mistake. The service is of the stern and functional, rather than warm and fuzzy variety. It was a personal challenge to get our waiter to crack asmile, but eventually we saw some teeth.Courses came out in an orderly flow, with the exception of one of thebreads, which arrived right after our starters.Requests were dealt with efficiently and accurately, and table clearing was very good.

Like the former Mughal Raj, owner Mohammed Haque has createda restaurant that emphasizes consistent and tasty cuisine as its centerpiece.Judging by the frequent weekend queues at the door, his move to Red Hook was a smart one.

The PoughkeepsieJournal pays for the meals that are the subject of restaurant reviews andreviewers do not identify themselves prior to the end of the meal.Daniel Mochon graduated in 2000 with highhonors from the Culinary Institute of Americain Hyde Park.He is the director of wine and cuisine at theHudson Valley’slargest wine and spirits store.

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