Taj of the Valley - Indian

Deep fried food is the most common Indian snack and Indian street food consumed by every ethnic group, geographic border throughout India. The word pakopa is derived from Sanskrit pakvava?a-, a compound of pakva 'cooked' and vafa 'a small lump' or its derivative vataka 'a round cake made of pulse fried in oil.
In southern states of India, such preparations are known as bajji rather than pakora. Usually the name of the vegetable that is deep fried is suffixed with bajji. For instance, onion baiji is sliced onions wrapped in batter and deep fried.
You will notice that our deep fried entrées don't come out looking like soaked in oil. This is because we do not pre prepare, store and reheat. Once the item is deep fried and reheated it absorbs twice as much oil. There may be a slightly longer wait time, but our cuisine is made to order, thereby giving you an advantage of fresh food and saving us costs by not having to throw out food that is not sold. We only use pure vegetable oil (no animal fats whatsoever) in our frying or cooking.
Paneer is the most common Indian form of cheese. It is an unaged, acid-set, non-melting farmer cheese that is similar to acid-set fresh mozzarella and queso blanco, except that it does not have salt added, much like hoop cheese.
Another significant difference between mozzarella and paneer is the fact that mozzarella melts like many oth er cheese whereas paneer does not melt while cooking.
Although the word Paneer is of Persian origin, the food item itself is mentioned in the ancient Vedas. It is also known by the name chenna in parts of India.
In India, paneer, a fresh cheese, is usually made from cow or buffalo milk. Unlike other chesses the making of paneer requires no animal products, such as rennet, for coagulation. Instead it is coagulated with acids such as lemon juice. This makes it one of the important sources of protein for lacto-vegetarians, the majority type of vegetarians in India.

Tandoor originated in Persia (Iran) and brought to India via Afghanistan by Arabs.
Evidence also exists that Tandoor may have been native to India dating back to 3000 BC. Small mud plastered ovens resembling Tandoor with a side door have been found amongst the ruins of Harappa and Mohenjodero settlements of ancient Indus Valley.
The word Tandoor' originated from the Persian (Iranian) word Tannur', which was derived from a Babylonian word 'tinuru' based on Semitic word "nar" meaning "fire". In Turkey, Tannur became Tandur. In Afghanistan, the Tandoor was built in the ground and served as a bread making area for entire communities.
Emperor Jahangir is said to have pioneered portable Tandoors. The cooks were instructed to transport Tan door where ever he travelled. Tandoor was used to make Naan, Roast whole baby chicks (Chooza) and large pieces of lamb.
Tandoori chicken originated during Emperor Jahangir. Modern commercial recipe for Tandoori chicken is at tributed to the original Moti Mahal restaurant in Peshawar during 1920s.
Our meals are not pre prepared , hence meals can be made mild, medium or hot. Please specify when placing your order.

The biggest religious festival that is celebrated all over India is Diwali which marks the victory of good over evil and is also beginning of a new year for many. However in some states, it is a festival dedicated to Goddess Kali, and is known as the Kali or Shyama Puja. After an evening of lighting up the home with Diyas and candles and a riot of fire crackers, there comes a time when everyone flocks for the very late night worship of Goddess Kali or Shakti, associated with empowerment or the redeemer of the Universe.
There was a time when animals were sacrificed and is still done in some places. This sacrificial meat would then be cooked as Prasad or offering to the Goddess. Onion or garlic is never used while cooking the sacrificial meat. I would assume that it is the same religious reason, that the Kashmiri Pandits cook their Rogan Josh without onion and garlic. If you see a version which has onion, garlic, ginger, tomato and everything else like any usual Indian curry, it is not Rogan Josh.
It is not the tomatoes that make this curry, red. It is Ratanjot which is a root of a herb grown in Kashmir in India and which is not readily available and therefore the use of Kashmiri Red Chili Powder or even paprika.
It is believed that the roots of this dish originated in Persia. The flavors and style have been brought in to India during the innumerable invasions it went through in the past.
The Potuguese were the first to set out on pioneering voyages to the Indies to find spices at their source rather than as astronomically expensive commodities that oriental traders brought to their countries in small amounts. It was Vasco Da Gama who started his voyage on 84 July 1497 from Lisbon, Portugal and reached Calicut on 20th May 1498 via the Cape of Good Hope. Calicut (now Calcutta) back then was the main port for the global spice trade, although the main cargo was black pepper, the so-called "king of spices".
After many years, Portugal attacked Goa and took hold of the whole island. Goa remained a Portuguese colony from 1510 to 1987 when it returned to being Indian territory. Needless to say, 500 years of Portuguese rule led to a very different population and culture in Goa compared to the rest of India. Among other things, their food was highly influenced by the Portuguese. The Goanese food item most commonly known (or rather, stereotyped) in the West is Vindaloo.

We cook all our meals in pure vegetable oil and can cater for vegans or special needs, as we do not pre - prepared any of our meals. This results in additional preparation time but your meals are tailored and always fresh.

Our naans do not contain any animal fat, egg or milk product and are made out of 60% wholemeal and 40% plain flour.