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Abul and Ruby Kashim have been operating Indian Delight in Catonsville since 1992. Staff photo by Sherry DiBari

Catonsville Times

Indian Delight is hidden treasure in Catonsville

03/13/02
By Patrice Dirican

The Frederick Road facade is unassuming and the dining room modest at the Indian Delight Restaurant, where on a recent Saturday night at 7:30 only four tables happen to be filled.

But as the evening wears on, it soon becomes apparent that business is active with the steady flow of customers calling in orders and arriving for pick-ups.

"We are very busy tonight," observes co-owner Abul "Kash" Kashim, 52, who co-owns and runs the eatery with his wife, Ruby, 46. "Our carryout is almost 60%."

One of Catonsville's best-kept secrets, the Indian Delight has quietly built a loyal clientele over the years since the Kashims opened a decade ago.

"We have people coming from all over ... Harford County, Carroll County, Annapolis - you name it," says Kashim, who still finds a moment to chat with his regular sit-down diners as he makes his way from the phone to the kitchen and back. "Ours is mostly word of mouth."

The extensive menu of Indian and Pakistani cuisine starts with an array of appetizers including vegetable and meat samosas, pastries with a spiced and seasoned filling served with coriander chutney ($1.35), and masala dosa, spiced potatoes stuffed in a thin rice and lentil pancake ($5.95), along with three varieties of soup.

"The king of the soups is the Mulligatawny," says Kashim of the chicken- and lentil-based staple. "It is the best one, and the most popular one."

Nan, a light, flat bread made of white flour, and chapati, a whole wheat bread, are made to order fresh from the tandoor (clay oven) for $1.50.

A list of more than 50 entrees features a wide selection of chicken, beef, lamb, seafood and vegetarian dishes prepared with traditional spices and seasonings, among them curry, a pungent blend of finely ground spices that includes turmeric, coriander, cumin and pepper.

"The food is basically the same all over," explains Kashim. "But we have added varieties from the north and south - basics from all the regions."

Specialties include the Tikka Masala, boneless pieces of tandoori chicken in a creamy sauce ($10.95), Dhaniwal Korma, boneless pieces of chicken in a sauce of yogurt and coriander ($10.95), Rogan Josh, cubes of lamb cooked in a light sauce ($10.95), and Pasanda, cubes of lamb cooked in an aromatic, creamy sauce ($10.95).

Another highlight is the Fish Masala, salmon cooked in herbs, spices and fresh tomatoes ($9.95).

There's also an impressive choice of vegetarian meals, such as Chana Masala, curried chick peas and potatoes ($8.95); Malai Kofta, minced vegetable croquettes in a creamy, spiced sauce ($8.95); and Saag Paneer, cubes of homemade cheese cooked in spinach.

All meals come with a bottomless side of Basmati rice pilaf.

A lunch buffet, including 10 different dishes is served Monday through Saturday.

The Indian Delight does not have a liquor license, but patrons are welcome to bring their own beer and wine.

Kashim, a full-time claims specialist with the Social Security Administration in Woodlawn, bought out the former Taj Indian restaurant with his wife in 1992 after years of patronage at that establishment.

The Indian Delight is Abul Kashim's second foray into the food service industry - he was a partner in another Indian restaurant in the Murray Hill area of New York for several years after immigrating to the U.S. from Bangladesh in the early 1970s.

A Catonsville resident for more than 20 years before moving to Ellicott City in 1998, Kashim spends most of his time outside his day job at the restaurant, which he affectionately calls his "expensive hobby."

Kashim says his wife, Ruby, who supervises the business' three employees on a full-time basis, is "the brains" behind the operation.

Kashim admits the hours are long for the couple, whose two college-age daughters also lend a hand. Still, he says, it has been a wonderful way to meet and get to know people.

"The restaurant business is tough," says Kashim, "but that's something you can't buy with money."

The Indian Delight Restaurant, 622 Frederick Road, serves lunch Monday-Friday, from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., and Saturday, noon to 3 p.m.

Dinner is served Sunday-Thursday from 5 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.; and Friday and Saturday from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Catering is available. For more information, call 410-744-4422.

Baltimore City Paper

February 23 - February 29, 2000

Festooned with Indian print cloths and Taj Mahal photos to obscure its spartan strip-center surroundings, Indian Delite (622 Frederick Road, Catonsville, [410] 744-4422) is predictable in its selection but never disappointing in its flavors. The lunch buffet is a great way to explore: graze through rich, saucy vegetable preparations, sag paneer (spinach and cheese, healthy and addictive), and that strangely red-hued tandoori chicken cut in pieces that don't seem native to the bird but taste good just the same. Sip a cup of hot, spicy tea, redolent with cloves and cinnamon, and you might even forget you're in downtown Catonsville.

Owings Mills Times

DINING OUT: Exotic, yet nearby

Fragrant fare on Frederick Road

09/18/02
BY DONNA ELLIS

In many ways, Catonsville's venerable Indian Delight restaurant lives up to its name. There are delights _ culinarily speaking _ to be discovered in this Frederick Road storefront.

As soon as you step through the door, intriguing aromas waft temptingly up your nose.

The decor goes with the aromas. Fabric swags at ceiling level (albeit with a few cobwebs attached) soften what could be a Spartan space. A budget-minded attempt at providing room dividers-cum-booths manages to give a feeling of privacy to enjoy conversation with companions. A nod to this eatery's origins can also be seen in a few Indian prints on walls.

Noteworthy the evening we visited was attentive, efficient, youthful service. And if there were a few minor glitches due to language, it didn't spoil our good time.

Indeed, the only objection one of my guests had that Tuesday night is the fact that Indian Delight has no liquor license and he enjoys beer with this culinary style, whether it be an Indian import or something more domestic. He found a liquor store nearby, thus solving his quaffing requirements. The rest of us were quite content with Indian iced tea _ unsweetened, reminding you of Earl Grey, only softer, with fewer cloves and more cinnamon.

Nicely done

The "delight" that aptly applies to the name of this restaurant can be found in the food. As "authentic" as most Americans palates can tolerate, with a menu that includes ample vegetarian selections (16 of them), as well as a few items you don't always find in other Indian eateries. And, most important to us, a kitchen that knows how make judicious, creative, well-balanced use of all the wonderful spices for which this cuisine is justly famed.

Vegetable samosa ($1.35) and keema samosa ($1.35) were among our appetizer selections. Big dough pyramids these were _ one in each order _ crisp, deep, golden and non-oily outside, plump and flavorful inside. The vegetable version featured spicy potatoes and peas, the meat version (keema samosa) added ground beef, whose seasonings added just enough variety to the potatoes and peas to make it easy to distinguish from the vegetables-only pastry.

Vegetable pakora ($1.95) were India's answer to tempura. Unlike at some restaurants, where the vegetables are batter-fried individually, the Indian Delight version combined finely chopped spinach, potatoes and onions in each crisp-fried morsel.

The chicken pakora ($3.95) were done individually _ all tender, juicy white meat strips fried in a lightly crisped, orange-tinted batter.

An interesting creamy, cilantro-scented dipping sauce was the only accompaniment for these appetizers. We missed the tart-sweet tamarind sauce that is additionally provided at other Indian restaurants.

We had to try the breads. An order of nan ($1.50) comprised thin-yet-fluffy flat bread wedges baked in the tandoor oven. Chapata ($1.50), a whole wheat flat bread, was also done up in the tandoor, but with a more pronounced flavor and chewier texture than the nan. Keema paratha ($3.95) was a filled "flat" bread, featuring spiced ground beef inside. New to us, but worth going back for.

Tikka talk

Chicken (called tikka in India) figured in three of our four main course choices. Each tasted quite different from the other, pointing up the variety that's possible with a few spices and a creative hand behind them.

No matter what entree was chosen, each was quite generous, especially when combined with the family-style portions of fragrant basmati rice that accompanied. The problem was that our entrees were so well received that, generous though they were, only one of us managed the self-control to have some left over to take home.

Tikka jhalfrezi ($10.95) combined tender chicken chunks with tomatoes, onions, carrots, cauliflower, broccoli, green peppers and enough spices in its sauce to get a happy "zingy" descriptive from one guest.

Tikka masala ($10.95) boasted tandoori-roasted chicken chunks and a few vegetables in a creamy sauce that, while nicely spiced, was milder and tasted quite different from the jhalfrezi preparation.

Tandoori delight ($17.95) was the selection of our taster who likes everything served separately on the plate. Lamb cubes (kebab style), boneless chicken cubes and medium shrimp had been soaked in a spicy marinade, then cooked in the tandoor oven-grill. The lamb and chicken were moist and tender. The shrimp were dry and overcooked (as they often are in this preparation). All three protein sources, along with their crisp-cooked bell pepper and onion accompaniments, were quite the spiciest tandoori combo meats we've ever tried, which particularly pleased our spice-loving, beer-drinking guest.

We've often described biriyani as India's answer to paella, or, if you stretch a point, fried rice. This rice dish usually features meats, vegetables, seafood, etc., but not always in a multiple combination.

We don't recall ever having seen lamb biriyani ($11.95) as part of the usual line-up before, but, judging from Indian Delight's version, perhaps it should be. The lamb was fork tender, the rice lightly tinted with the yellow color and the mellow flavor of saffron. Spices were just right, with ample almond slivers and raisins to provide flavor and textural contrast. The best biriyani we've tried in many a long year, if not ever.

We can't resist trying some version of dal (lentils) whenever we dine at an Indian eatery. At this restaurant, dal saag ($8.95) can serve as a main course, especially when combined with one or more of the other vegetable combinations on offer.

In this version, spinach added color and interesting mouth feel to the soft, creamy lentils. A deceptively mild-looking "stew," the dal saag here has the power to titillate the taste buds, and cries out for warm, chewy nan to sop up every last bit of it.

[Indian Delight] (410-744-4422), 622 Frederick Road, Catonsville. A little treasure of an Indian restaurant tucked away in a storefront. While the decor seems a little tired, the kitchen has plenty of enthusiasm and energy. Meat eaters and vegetarians alike can enjoy an exotic dinner away from the every day. Or, try the lunch buffet. Reservations. BYOB L (Mon.-Sat.), D (7 days) $$ DE-PP.

622 Frederick Road | Catonsville, MD 21228 | (410)744-4422