If you want to try something different from your usual go-to restaurant, you can take a culinary journey to India, thanks to the fairly new Mauka Indian Cuisine in Eatontown.
The site was previously a Greek restaurant, but all that remains is the warm and comfortable setting. From the outfits on the servers to the large and varied assortment of dishes on the menu, this appears to be a very authentic presentation of all the classic dishes of India, made to order. The warm and friendly waitstaff is happy to explain each of the dishes and guide you through your selections.
We were drawn to a number of offerings from the Small Plates section of the extensive menu for our starters.
Palak Aam Patta Chat ($8), with crispy fresh spinach, mango, garbanzo beans, tangy tamarind chutney and a drizzle of yogurt, was light and flavorful and had a different taste in every bite – a must-try.
The name alone drew us to Cauliflower Bang Bang ($8); pieces of fresh cauliflower, lightly fried and tossed in a sweet chili aioli sauce. The amount of tasty sauce was just right – not too much, not too little – and made the dish very appealing.
Pani Poori ($8), was described as the “most favorite street food of India” and it was easy to see why! It arrived with individual small glasses of vegetable water which were topped with puffed poori – an airy, deep- fried dough –filled with a bit of seasoned potato. The pooris were elevated over the vegetable water to keep them crisp until they were dipped in it and eaten.
From the Vegetarian Entrée selections we chose Saag Panner ($19) to be shared as an appetizer. Cubes of Panner – a cheese made with buffalo or cow milk and, like cottage cheese, usually without rennet – floated in a puree of mildly spiced spinach and broccoli rabe. Very tasty and enjoyable.
For a middle course, we shared the Vegetable Biryani ($17), traditionally seasoned rice with fresh vegetables served in a naan-covered casserole. The naan – Indian flatbread – was crisp and held in the steaming rice. Another noteworthy dish!
Our server wrote our requests for various levels of spiciness for each dish, from mild to medium to hot, and listed them next to each item for the kitchen to follow.
It was time to choose entrées. One of my guests opted for Tandoori Lamb Chops ($30). Five good-sized New Zealand baby lamb chops, served with carrots, cauliflower, sliced red onion and fluffy rice on the side, were perfectly cooked and seasoned. A good dish to share.
There were eight different offerings of chicken on the menu and we chose Chicken Kolhapuri ($22) – pieces of chicken in a Maharashtrian-style tomato-based curry sauce. (Mumbai is the capital of Maharashtra.) The chicken was marinated in spices and coconut and served with rice. Traditionally very spicy, we requested and were served a mildly spicy version.
I wanted to try a seafood dish, so I chose Fish Moiley ($27), red snapper in a Malabar coconut and lemon gravy. The fish was very firm, perhaps cooked a few minutes too long, but the sauce was enjoyable over the rice.
We selected another one of the vegan entrées to share: Miloni Tarkari ($20) – also enjoyable as a side dish – is mixed fresh carrots, eggplant, okra, cauliflower and fresh tomatoes in a herby sauce with a touch of coconut milk.
Mauka is BYO and Indian food is a bit challenging for wine. Many people feel beer is a better choice for pairing, especially with the spicier dishes, but well-selected wines will also work nicely. I feel whites, such as Rieslings and demsec Vouvrays, with a touch of modest sweetness and crisp acidity, are good choices. Thus, our white that night was a 2019 German Riesling from Donnhoff. Indeed, with a mild sweetness and a touch of acid, it went well with all of the dishes, even the lamb chops. We did try two reds, a 2021 Tiberio Montepulciano d’Abruzzo from Italy and a 2018 Nittnaus Red Blend from Austria, but found that the spice levels in the food made both of them not very appealing.
It was time for Dessert and the Kulfi Medley ($20) sounded intriguing. Kulfi is a frozen dairy dessert from the Indian subcontinent. It is often described as “traditional Indian ice cream.” Kulfi stands out from its American counterpart because of its dense, creamy texture and delightful nutty flavors. The plate had an assortment of orange, pista (cardamom and pistachios), mango, Gulab Jamoon Kulfi (cardamom, spices and native flour), and Pan Kulfi (fennel, dates, rose petal preserve). This was a great finale to our dining adventure.
Our experience for this first visit led us to favor the variety and uniqueness of the small plates over the few entrée dishes we selected, but we only got to sample a small portion of the vast menu. There was an Indo-Chinese section, more than a dozen Tandoori offerings, Vegetarian Entrées, and many more lamb, goat, chicken and seafood offerings we did not get to try. Next time we will!
If you have much experience with authentic Indian dishes, you will feel right at home at Mauka Indian Cuisine. And if you are looking to broaden your culinary horizons and try some truly different, delicious food, you will be welcomed there for what is both a very enjoyable dining experience and an equally enjoyable education.
MAUKA INDIAN CUISINE 78 MAIN ST. EATONTOWN MAUKAINDIANCUISINE.COM
Bob Sacks, longtime food and wine buff, writes about food, wine and restaurants in this column. Follow him on Instagram @dinnerwithbob.
The article originally appeared in the December 21 – December 27, 2023 print edition of The Two River Times.
