RAAGA A PASSAGE TO INDIA.Byline: Larry Lipson Restaurant Critic Replacing Mother India in Chatsworth, Raaga is a neat and comfortable new Indian restaurant, consisting of a single, spacious dining room decorated in invitingly fresh yellow and green tones. Located in a strip mall on Topanga Canyon Boulevard, Raaga, which gets its name from Indian pop music, offers a menu that lists mostly familiar Indian dishes. However, Raaga's kitchen generally produces a lighter style of fare than many Indian restaurants. Its sauces don't appear to possess that somewhat heavy gloppiness that may be attributed to too much ghee ghee: see butter. , a form of clarified butter used extensively in Indian cooking. Possibly its best dish is chicken Hariyali ($12.99) which has moist, cubed pieces of chicken immersed in a delicious, medium-spicy, bright green mint, green chile and yogurt sauce. If you don't specify mild, hot or extra-hot, the dishes come forth medium spicy. A generous beginning Complimentary servings of green mint chutney chut·ney n. A pungent relish made of fruits, spices, and herbs. [Hindi ca  n and a sweetish
tamarind tamarind (tăm`ərĭnd), tropical ornamental evergreen tree (Tamarindus indica) of the family Leguminosae (pulse family), native to Africa and probably to Asia, but now widely grown in the tropics. chutney along with crispy papadums for dipping are brought to
the table soon after customers are seated.
Appetizers include a variety of pakoras and samosas plus India's answer to onion rings, called bhaji bhaji Noun pl bhaji or bhajis an Indian savoury made of chopped vegetables mixed in a spiced batter and deep-fried [Hindi] ($2.99). Conical-shaped lamb samosas (two per order, $3.99) provide a tasty starter, but you may prefer to try one of Raaga's three good soups, the richest being the chicken rendition ($3.59). Full-flavored tomato soup ($2.99) here is obviously made in-house with fresh tomatoes and the traditional daal (lentil lentil, leguminous Old World annual plant (Lens culinaris) with whitish or pale blue flowers. Its pods contain two greenish-brown or dark-colored seeds, also called lentils, which when fully ripe are ground into meal or used in soups and stews. ) soup ($2.99), here made from yellow lentils, has a welcome slight kick. First timers interested in the tandoor-baked items might want to try the mixed grill ($17.99), a satisfying assortment of ground lamb, chicken two ways, shrimp and seabass served up with sizzling siz·zle intr.v. siz·zled, siz·zling, siz·zles 1. To make the hissing sound characteristic of frying fat. 2. To seethe with anger or indignation. 3. onions. Lamb here appears to be of good quality. I like it combined with spinach in a dish called lamb saagwala ($11.99). Vegetarian possibilities Numerous vegetable recipes can be had. Two that caught my fancy are a tomato-sauced mushroom and peas mixture named mushroom mutter makhani ($8.99) and the mashed eggplant and peas specialty known as baingan bharta ($8.99). If you're a bit adventurous, you should go for Raaga's goat pickle plate ($12.99) that has goat on the bone floating in a rich, piquant brown sauce tinged with vinegar. There's no shortage of tandoor tan·door n. pl. tan·doors or tan·door·i A cylindrical oven made of clay, heated to a high heat over charcoal or wood, and used in India for baking bread and roasting meat. breads to choose from. Parathas and naans dominate the 13-option list. And there's a good onion kulcha For Australian band, see . For Kulchawheels, see . Kulcha is a north India bread, usually eaten with Cholay. It is typically made with Maida flour. Kulcha is a typical Punjabi recipe, like any other ethnic food available in its true style in the state of bread ($2.29) speckled speck·led adj. 1. Dotted or covered with speckles, especially flecked with small spots of contrasting color. 2. Of a mixed character; motley. Adj. 1. with cilantro. Need a touch of sweetness after exercising your palate with Raaga's spicy curries? Kulfi Kulfi is a popular South Asian dessert made with boiled milk. It comes in many flavours, including pistachio, malai, mango, cardamom (elaichi), saffron (kesar), the more traditional flavors, as well as newer variations like apple, orange, peanut, and avocado. ($3.59), India's ice cream -- either pistachio pistachio (pĭstăsh`ēō, pĭstä`shēō), tree or shrub (of the genus Pistacia) of the family Anacardiaceae (sumac family). The species that yields the pistachio nut of commerce is P. or mango flavor -- will do the trick nicely. Larry Lipson, (818) 713-3668 larry.lipson@dailynews.com RAAGA Food: Three stars - Service: Three and one half stars - Wine: Three stars Where: 10110 Topanga Canyon Blvd., Chatsworth. Phone: (818) 407-8898. Meals/hours: Open for lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and dinner from 5 to 10 p.m. daily. Food type: Indian. Cost: Appetizers and soups from $3 to $8, main-course dishes from $9 to $22 (shareable), desserts from $2.59 to $3.59. Lunch buffet daily $7.99. Weekend (Saturday and Sunday) brunch buffet with champagne $9.99. Credit cards: All major. Patio dining: No. Parking/valet: Free parking in large lot. Full bar: No. Beer and wine license. Wine/Corkage: Surprising list, small (around 30 labels from $18 to $58) but interesting. Includes half a dozen wines by the glass ($5, $5.50 and $6) and Gruet sparkling from New Mexico ($7.50). Also six different Indian beers. Corkage cork·age n. A charge exacted at a restaurant for every bottle of liquor served that was not bought on the premises. corkage Noun a charge made at a restaurant for serving wine bought elsewhere : $8. Music/entertainment: No. Takeout/delivery: Yes on takeout, no on delivery. Reservations: Helpful. CAPTION(S): 2 photos Photo: (1) Owner Harjinder Vij, center, with chefs Jose Guttierez, left, and Nachattar Toor, presents one of the items from the menu at Raaga in Chatsworth. (2) Mango malwa provides a sweet ending to a meal at Raaga. Tom Mendoza/Staff Photographer |
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