annapurna restaurant

(Gerry Furth-Sides) Abhiruchi is already arguably part the best family of Indian restaurants in Los Angeles.  It is the same team behind Annapurna (vegetarian) down the street on Venice Boulevard and in Pasadena are behind it.

The name “Abhiruchi” translated into “delicious.”  It reminds us of the award-winning Lum-Ka-Naad in the valley, a once puzzling name that is now known to all foodies.

It is also extra special for LA because it focuses on an authentic, regional cuisine. Our favorite is the lacey paratha, which is prepared with thin strips of dough rolled into a spiral and fried on top of the stove with ghee or butter.  You can just about taste the bubbly pastry-like dough  — through the paratha is actually a form of flatbread.

Paratha originated in the Indian subcontinent because of the availability of wheat.  It is still eaten through India (Kerala, Tamil Nadu in the south particularly) and neighboring Pakistan, of course, once one country, Sri Lanka.  The name translates into “layers (part) of cooked dough (parat).”  It is pan fried in ghee or cooking oil.

Although I imagine I could finish a stack of flakey paratha, during Ramadan, Muslims from the Indian subcontinent (India, Pakistan, Bangladesh)  actually do!  The breakfast on paratha to pack in calories for the day fast ahead.

My pastry comparison is proven out in Myanmar (Burma), where a version called ‘palata’  is also eaten as a dessert with white sugar.  In fact, it reminds me of another puff pastry, the Palmier.

Paratha breakfasts are made even more filling stuffed with paneer (Indian cheese), vegetables, usually boiled potatoes, radish or cauliflower.  Pickles and yoghurt usually are on the plate, too. The delicious drink to go with paratha is lassi.

Parathas can also be rolled into a cylinder and dipped into tea in the afternoon.  They are popular as an evening street food snack in northern India.

A stack of moist, flakey Paratha

Gobi Manchuria, a Chinese-inspired dish

Biryani at Abhiruchi Grill is served with raita and a salad.  Below is Boneless Chicken Biryani ($12.95), with boiled egg and basmati rice cooked with basmati rice in a blend of Indian spices. (for details on this dish, please see  //localfoodeater.com/seven-top-dishes-biryani-bowl-fremont-biryani)

Abhiruchi Grill Specials include Paratha with Chicken Curry ($11.95), Goat Curry ($12.95), Egg Masala ($10.95) or Vegetable Kurma ($9.95).  There is also Vegetable Dum Biryani ($9.95), Chicken with the bone ($11.95), and  Goat Dum Biryani ($12.95)

Whimsical, textured Chicken Lollypops ($10.95), is billed as “Fried Chicken.”  This version of drumsticks coated in spices and deep-fried started as a “special” and is now on the daily menu.

The silver wrappers on the little legs can be seen in the shot below.  The dish is decorated with pretty greens and parsley.

Entire categories of the menu include Vegetarian and non-vegetarian curries and Tandoori dishes.  Chicken Tikka Masala ($11.95) features roasted chunks of chicken tikka cooked in a creamy, spiced sauce.

Other chicken curries in the same price range include Butter Chicken, Chicken Chettinadu, Andhra Chicken Curry; Chicken Kadai, Chicken Palak and Kodi Vepudu. The famous Chicken65 features boneless chicken cubes marinated in house spices and deep fried.

The famous Chicken65

Indian filter coffee is a coffee drink made by mixing frothed and boiled milk with the decoction obtained by brewing finely ground coffee powder in a traditional Indian filter.

The tasty, full-bodied and yet still light coffee is a special “drip-brewed” Madras Coffee.  Known as Kaapi (the South Indian phonetic way of saying “coffee”, it is delicious and tastes like a cappuccino!

The drink also is known as “Madras filter coffee, is prepared by combining frothed and boiled milk with a  “decoction” to filter out and dissolve the acidic chemicals.  One lidded cylinder metal cup of this two cup “filter system” has holes in the bottom fits into the other.

Coffee has been grown in Southern India since the 17th Century so there was time to develop this delicious drink.