At the brand-new Rasoi, taste the most delicious dishes from all over India
Do you also love the fragrant and spicy dishes from India? And are you curious about the diversity of the different cuisines found across this vast country? At the new Indian restaurant Rasoi in Amsterdam, they showcase the entire Indian food culture instead of focusing on one region in the north or south. And if you can’t choose, there’s a tray full of delicious little dishes.
India has 30 states, 22 official languages and a dizzying number of 19,500 (!) dialects. Naturally, there isn’t just one cuisine either; there are huge differences between the food in each region. Northern India is closer to the mountains than the coast, which means ingredients such as fish and rice are, for example, much less common here than in the rest of the country, while in the drier areas in the west, people eat a lot of lentils and other legumes. It’s wonderful that at Rasoi you can discover something of this diversity.
Upon entering
Rasoi consists of two spaces: the lounge and the restaurant area. You enter through the lounge, with its gold-colored bar, deep-blue and gold walls, and blue velvet benches. Around the corner is the restaurant area, which seats 60 guests.
Mango lassi
Of course, we immediately order a mango lassi; the milkshake-like drink made with yogurt, water and sugar may not sound very exciting, but believe me, the acidity of the yogurt combined with mango and the cold temperature at which it is served makes for a winning combination—even when it isn’t scorching hot outside, as it is in India. On hot summer days in northern India, lassi is sold on every street corner and is often served between meals to stimulate digestion. Interestingly enough, Rajiv Mehra, the owner of Rasoi, tells us that mango lassi is a modern variation that did not originally come from India at all. But it is delicious!
Tandoor
The Indian kitchen has no raison d’être without a tandoor, so the Asian clay oven—filled with charcoal—is also present at Rasoi. In Indian restaurants, naan is the most frequently ordered flatbread, but here you will find 12 different types of (flat)bread, such as Laccha Paratha, made with whole-wheat flour. Traditionally, you eat flatbread with a curry or dal by tearing off pieces to use as a spoon.
The menu: plenty of choice
The menu offers a wide variety of dishes: vegan, meat, fish and poultry classics—including Chicken Tandoori, the best-known Indian dish in the world—as well as signature dishes, such as Aloo Gobhi Paneer, paneer with mashed potatoes and cauliflower tandoori, and Laal Maas, a slow-cooked lamb dish based on a recipe from Rajasthan. Can’t choose, like me? Then order the Rasoi ‘Diwali Special’ Thali, and for €37.50 you will get a tray full of golden bowls filled with different curries, with Burani Raita (a yogurt sauce) to cool your mouth, delicious rice and potatoes. There is a vegetarian option and one with chicken, lamb and fish.
Super-tender chicken
And everything tastes absolutely fantastic. We order an extra portion of the Murg Awadhi Korma, chicken in a rich cashew-and-onion sauce, because it is so delicious, and the same goes for the Kuttanad Fish Curry, white fish in a spicy and sour sauce. The dishes are spicy and wonderfully balanced with the Masala Buttermilk served alongside them, a refreshing yogurt drink with spices. The dessert on the tray is also delicious: Phirni, a slow-cooked pudding made with rice, milk and nuts, wonderfully fragrant with saffron and cardamom, the spice at the heart of the many masalas (spice blends) found in Indian cuisine.
Peak early
So here’s a tip: settle in for a delicious Indian meal, or drinks in the lounge bar. The lounge has its own menu with various bites, which you can also order as starters. Then peak early and go home to digest on the sofa with a Bollywood movie. And good to know: in India, people don’t say ‘enjoy your meal’ before eating; instead, they thank the chef afterward. Annadata sukhibhava!
Rasoi, Maasstraat 10, Amsterdam
