Mughals and Meals
Buccachio | 17 January 2007
Catalonia, the Great Dame, and I completed a day of mountain galavanting in great spirits. We had been lightly snacking on chips and tea the whole day in expectation of our promised reward—dinner at Asheville’s finest Indian restaurant with Elizabeth Ann. The group invited to the feast expanded by fits and starts throughout the day. First, we heard that Elizabeth Ann would be bringing an old friend currently staying at A Bird’s Nest. During our lunch break Catalonia called her friend Samantha from California, who now lives near Asheville. Before dinner, we dropped the Great Dame with the Dame Mother in Weaverville, and they agreed to rendezvous again at the restaurant.
Half an hour passed. Catalonia and I and huddled our way along the street through the wintery cold. We easily found the place and discovered we were the first to arrive.
Mela Indian Restaurant is situated within an old downtown building within minutes walk of the Civic Center, Grove Arcade, Pack Square, and other Asheville landmarks (70 North Lexington Avenue : 828.225.8880). This typical Carolina brick and hardwood-floor structure has nevertheless been integrated seamlessly with markers of traditional Indian culture. Paintings of kings and philosophers adorn the walls, and perhaps even a representation of the blue-skinned Krishna, all sparkling with bright colors and lavish details. The dining area is spacious, beginning with tall windows beside the street and moving far backward into the warm heart of the building. High ceilings emphasize these dimensions, producing an effect of voluminous invitation.
The Dame and the Dame Mother arrived while I was busy absorbing the setting. Moments later, Elizabeth Ann entered with her friend Suzanne, a professional singer-songwriter from Nashville. Catalonia wondered where her Californian friend could be. Now I had become (by no fault of my own) the only person who would not have a “date” for the evening. While I might normally have scrambled to find one, in this case I followed my father’s advice and decided to “mingle”. We were soon seated, and I received the place of honor beside our host Elizabeth Ann. We had an unusually interesting conversation, but that’s another story.
Mela was voted the Best New Restaurant of Western North Carolina in 2006. The reasons why were immediately obvious. Aside from the great atmosphere, service was superior, and the dishes reward the imagination. Mela’s menu contains a selection of delicious appetizers, soups, breads, and entrees for both meat lovers and vegetarians. Elizabeth Ann ordered the Vegetable Samosa, which are triangles of baked pastry stuffed thick with savory spiced potatoes and peas. The tamarind-mint chutney that accompanies these morsels offers a bright, tangy splash of intense flavor. We shared these and discussed geology (which is a favorite topic of mine), water rights, and the politics of downtown real estate. Catalonia’s friend arrived just prior to the main course.
Our entrees were equally impressive. I ordered a dinner special called Mughlai Salmon. The menu identified this as a royal dish from the court of Shah Jahan (1592-1666), who captained the Mughal Empire to a golden age. The salmon was prepared with a marinate of ground almonds, pistachios, raisins, sour cream and herbs. Having developed a mature flavor in this rich bath, the Salmon was broiled in the tandoor oven—a central feature of every Indian kitchen. These ovens date from prehistoric times and have been discovered among the ruins of the ancient Indus river civilization. The often reach almost 900 degrees Fahrenheit, hot enough to cauterize meats, thus trapping the flavorful juices inside. Mughlai Salmon did not disappoint. Steaming fresh from the over, the tender and aromatic fish flaked gently away from the delicately spiced and crunchy skin. Both elements were perfectly complemented by the inclusion of yoghurt sauce and tamarind chutney.
Elizabeth Ann ordered another special, the Lamb Pistachio Korma. Some say the greatest Indian restaurants can be identified by the quality of lamb and curry sauce employed in house dishes. This mild dish incorporates both, offering a virtual culinary tour of the subcontinent in every bite—coriander, cumin, cardamom, cloves, ginger, and coconut are painstakingly blended with curry to produce a multifaceted, smooth texture. Korma also benefits by stewing meats within the evolving sauce, and this effect is best achieved through dicing or pulling meat into small pieces which increase the surface contact between solid and liquid components. Elizabeth Ann commented that the result was scrumptious. Having traded a few bites of our respective dishes, I was almost inclined to order a second dinner.
Indian sauces also double as excellent flavoring for the exquisite traditional breads present with almost every meal. On this occasion, ElizabethAnn and I shared Spinach and Goat Cheese Naan. Naan is a traditional wheat flatbread somewhat softer in texture than pita. Famous as a vessel for delivering warm, buttery satisfaction, Naan is also a prime vessel for various vegetable and meat stuffings. Inspired, it would seem, by the vegetarian staple dish Saag Paneer, Mela stuffed this evening’s Naan with spinach and goat cheese. The menu identified this as a tradition farmer’s meal from fertile agricultural regions straddling the modern states of India and Pakistan. The ancient Persians named this land Punjab, meaning “The Land of Five Rivers”. Repeatedly conquered and wrecked by dualing empires across the millennia, Punjab is a cultural crossroads embodied by its proud cuisine. The last empire to leave, Great Britain, departed in 1947, but the farmers and bread remains.
We retired from Mela warm with pleasant satisfaction. I cannot recommend Mela highly enough. The food was remarkable both for its excellent preparation and reasonable price—but also by positive comparison against the mediocre and pricey dishes delivered by most Indian restaurants in the southern United States. Those who enjoy exotic flavors and carefully prepared traditional dinners should plan to visit the incomparable Mela.