South Asia

Festival of Contemporary Films from India

Ingredient of the Week: Eggplant

pj_in_oz​What is it? Dubbed "aubergine" by the French, the eggplant is part of the nightshades family and is a fruit related to the tomato and bell pepper. Native to India, it has since spread to many other world cuisines, including Chinese, Mediterranean, African, Italian and French. Ther ... More >>

Five Famous Indian and Pakistani Houstonians

India and Pakistan are 64 years old this week.​Dust off your South Asian flags, because this week we celebrate India's (August 15) and Pakistan's (August 14) Independence Days. Sixty-four years ago, India freed itself from the Brits and split itself into two countries. Luckily many crossed the ... More >>

Chef Chat, Part 1: Kiran Verma of Kiran's

Photo by Matthew DresdenChef Kiran Verma in the kitchen.​Chef Kiran Verma, of the eponymous fine-dining Indian restaurant in River Oaks (okay, River Oaks adjacent), took a circuitous route to her profession. At age 18, she left her native Delhi and moved to Houston with her husband. After a s ... More >>

Charulata (The Lonely Wife)

Photo by Matthew DresdenChef Kiran Verma in the kitchen.​Chef Kiran Verma, of the eponymous fine-dining Indian restaurant in River Oaks (okay, River Oaks adjacent), took a circuitous route to her profession. At age 18, she left her native Delhi and moved to Houston with her husband. After a s ... More >>

Broken Promises

Readers recount problems with DFPS

Little India

Hillcroft and Raja Sweets have become the epicenter of Houston's vibrant Indian population.

Bombay Pizza Company: Perfect for an Oscar Party

The Slumdog.​With Academy Awards season upon us again, I have a recommendation for your Oscar party, sure to increase the number of folks in your social network, and that, my friends, is Bombay Pizza Company downtown. I've wanted to try the Indian-Italian fusion-y joint since its inception b ... More >>

Party of One

travis(ty)​In a few weeks, I'm going to Spain by my lonesome. I've traveled solo before in Northern Ireland and India, but it's been a few years since I've spent a substantial amount of time touring, reading, and eating alone. In light of my upcoming trip, I've started thinking about dining ... More >>

Shiftwork Bites: Paneer Makhani

​A few weeks ago over at Shiftwork Bites, I wrote about making molé for International Hot and Spicy Foods Day. I had asked various friends and acquaintances for piquant suggestions, and then promptly ignored all of them and made something else, instead. In a gesture of goodwill, and because t ... More >>

Lard Prik at Thai Village

​I am one of those annoying white people who order the triple-star hot dishes at restaurants and then request that the chef make them mild. When I lived in India, I developed a high tolerance for spice ("Look ma, no raita!"), but six years later I am a giant pussy when it comes to heat. And ... More >>

Cardamom, Cumin and Curries at India Grocers

​A personal chef friend of mine was in need of some specific Indian spices on Saturday morning, so we headed over to the Mahatma Gandhi district (I'm so excited that this area now has a name that I use it at every available opportunity) and into India Grocers. India Grocers (6606 Southwest Fr ... More >>

A Talk by Shubhra Ramineni, Author of Entice with Spice

​Shubhra Ramineni was born in India and moved here as a small child. In Houston, her mother made Indian food with local ingredients. Shubhra went on to college and graduate school and is now a busy young professional and new mom. But she still wanted to cook uncomplicated Indian food in her ho ... More >>

2nd Annual Indian Film Festival of Houston

Twenty-eight states, 23 dialects, endless choices

Learning Is Fun and Intoxicating: "Beer 101" at Anvil Bar & Refuge

The place settings were almost too pretty to disturb. ​Kevin Floyd is a huge beer nerd. In fact, you could say the co-owner of Anvil Bar & Refuge is the Lord of the Beer Nerds. Okay, that may be stretching it just a tad, but Floyd is the biggest beer nerd we've encountered, which made the "Bee ... More >>

Jeffrey Becom: "Mirage: Images from India"

Who's afraid of a little color?

Health Dept. Roundup

​There's something to be said for shooting straight. Label your restaurant with the name of a country, and it takes the guesswork out of things for twitchy white people unsure whether they're ready to gamble on fare that could range from South Asian to Middle Eastern to African. Of course, mee ... More >>

Rahul Mitra: "Dialogues from Disparate Worlds"

The Indian-born artist explores social and economic disparity in his homeland

Sufi Soul: The Mystic Music of Islam

William Dalrymple explores the music at the heart of Sufism

Target Free First Sunday: Arts of India: Stories and Symbols

Indian culture is the focus of today's family mini-festival

The Royal Treatment

These super-kind folks have been doing knockout Pakistani and Indian food for more than 16 years.

Random Ingredient: Garam Masala

​What is it? In Hindi, "garam" translates to "hot," and "masala" to "spice mixture" (according to Wikipedia and several other sites). With the powerful spices involved in any variety of garam masala, "hot" refers to the strength of the flavor rather than any tongue-burning capabilities. This v ... More >>

Brew Blog: Beer and Cashews

​We had some spare cashews in the pantry and, being the innovative people we are, figured we should try to pair them up with a beer suited to their unique flavor. Step aside, peanuts. It's cashew time. We stopped by the D & Q and found two bottles we thought might fit with our chosen nuts. F ... More >>

World's Hottest Weapon, or Delicious Spice?

​ On a recent trip to London, we stumbled upon naga jolokia powder at one of Borough Market's spice tents. We first talked about naga jolokia, or the ghost pepper, a few weeks ago when a story came out about the Indian military using it in a type of tear-gas hand grenade. Intrigued by someth ... More >>

February Artful Thursday: The Art of Indian Cuisine

The rainbow of spices used in this type of Asian cooking make it among the spiciest in the world

Lunch in Bombay?

​Not quite, but we made a trip to Bombay Pizza Co. (914 Main St.) the other day excited about trying Indian pizza. There was a bustling lunch crowd. But the pizza selection wasn't what we expected -- pepperoni, supreme and veggie, these pizzas by the slice seemed standard. We grabbed a menu a ... More >>

Alex Berenson: The Midnight House

Readers get another exciting thriller from the author of The Silent Man

"Blast India"

A quartet of artists give us the view from here, there and everywhere

The Crucifer of Blood

Play it cool at the ExxonMobil Summer Chills whodunit

Ali Sethi: The Wish Maker

The Pakistani author finds truth in fiction

Curry in a Hurry

Indian food on a pizza at ZPizza

Chaat House

Indian food on a pizza at ZPizza

Milana

She loves me, she loves me not gets the Bollywood treatment

Central Library Grand Reopening Celebration

You can’t tell a library by its cover — unless it’s a $17 million cover

The Cuisine of India

Get a taste of peace at this benefit for the Boniuk Center

The Cuisine of India

Get a taste of peace at this benefit for the Boniuk Center

Asian/Pacific American Heritage Festival

Sufi rocker Junoon brings his Santana-meets-Led Zeppelin sound to Miller Outdoor Theatre

Paneer and Pizza at Gourmet India and Kings Chicken

Sufi rocker Junoon brings his Santana-meets-Led Zeppelin sound to Miller Outdoor Theatre

Alma y Fuego (Soul and Fire)

Lucia y Valdemar Gitanerías Flamenco brings passion and expertise to the complicated Spanish music

Articulate of Bangalore, India: Panchavaktram

Blind dancers will help lead you into a holy trance

WHEN YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT TO ORDER

INDIA'S

Spiraling into Motion

INDIA'S

The Plane Truth

Houston minister Dr. K.A. Paul flies around the globe using Jesus to pull in worldwide donations -- unfortunately spending more money on jet fuel than orphans

Lagaan to This One

Houston minister Dr. K.A. Paul flies around the globe using Jesus to pull in worldwide donations -- unfortunately spending more money on jet fuel than orphans

Twister Mixer

Houston minister Dr. K.A. Paul flies around the globe using Jesus to pull in worldwide donations -- unfortunately spending more money on jet fuel than orphans

Fire-Breathing Burgers

Exotic meat dishes are tops at Himalaya

Goat Doughnuts Go Global

The Hot Breads franchise serves unique pastries to a worldwide audience

Everything's Kosher

Two new eateries lay down the Jewish dietary laws

A Dose of Dosai

At Madras Pavilion, a South Indian treat is given its due

Cult restaurateur

Mickey Kapoor brings "Nouvelle Indian" inside the Loop