Dining Out

MARY FURR

It seems appropriate that India, one of the largest and most populous

countries in the world, would have a diverse cuisine. Punjab, at

Brookhurst Street and Ellis Avenue in Fountain Valley, serves the

tempting, exotic dishes of India--buffet-style.

Prepared by owner and chef Kuldip Singh and his wife, Manjit Kaur, the

labeled dishes on the steam table will take you on a journey to Punjab,

the northern Indian state from which the recipes originate.

The exotic smell of spices greets you at the buffet (lunch $5.95).

There’s a wonderful pureed spinach called saag, mixed with paneer, which

is similar to cottage cheese but has more body--a simple and healthy

combination you must try. Paneer is made from boiled milk, and the curds

are pressed into small cubes.

Except for the tandoori preparations, most of the dishes have sauces,

such as the chicken tikka masala, which is a marinated breast of chicken.

Tikka in Hindi means cutlet and masala is a blend of spices including

cardamom, cloves, cumin and coriander. Each tender piece is soaked

through with flavor--wonderful to eat with naan brought hot from the

oven.

Naan, a thin, lightly leavened flat bread, is prepared in the tandoor

oven--like the one that Ali Baba hid in.

At Punjab, brothers Balwinder and Kuldip Singh man the tandoor,

preparing naan by slapping tennis-ballsize pieces of dough against the

hot oven’s wall. The bubbly, charred bread bakes along with skewers of

meat and chicken.

The tandoor at Punjab is kept at 850-degrees with a constant charcoal

fire at the bottom. Lamb and chicken slowly cook in the steady heat,

becoming moist and tender.

The buffet also offers curry lamb and chicken in a yellow-gold sauce

that varies in spiciness from mild to tongue-scorching. The curry recipes

are a guarded secret of each cook.

A short, iced section of the L-shaped buffet has a bowl of salad

greens and one of riata, an excellent medium-thick yogurt dressing with

chopped cucumbers that rivals any made with mayonnaise.

This is also where you’ll find fresh fruits and desserts.

Kheer, a creamy rice and sweet-milk pudding, is said to have been

served to Muhammad as the “food of the angels.” It is simple but a cool

contrast to spicy sauces.

Or order kulfi, which is a homemade Indian ice cream that should be

tried. Each icy scoop is filled with tiny bits of almonds and pistachios,

and it has a texture that’s thicker and sweeter than American ice cream.

Chef Kuldip came from Nawanshahr in northern India nearly 20 years ago

and first worked at Kabab Curry, an award-winning Indian restaurant in

Torrance. Upon opening Punjab, he sent for brother Balwinder to assist at

the tandoor and brother Jesse to welcome diners.

All three have created a bit of India in a quiet, rosy-draped room

that is both a refuge and an adventure.

*

* MARY FURR is the Independent restaurant critic. If you have comments

or suggestions for her, call (562) 493-5062.

FYI

PUNJAB

18687 Brookhurst St., Fountain Valley

* HOURS: Lunch served from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily, and dinner

from 5:30 to 10 p.m. daily.

* CALL: (714) 963-6777

* FAX: (714) 963-7199

* MISC.: Lunch buffet is $5.95; dinner is a la carte; Sunday champagne

brunch is ($8.95). Credit cards are accepted.