DISH
Eats, Etc.
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amaste Cuisine of India and Nepal has become a fixture in Rio Rancho since its inception in 2008 because of the love the owners have for the food they prepare for their customers. “We serve what we eat,” says Sandhya Prasad Gurung, who owns the establishment along with her husband, Shree Prasad Gurung. “Even the buffet, we eat every day there. My dad is there every single day. He eats the same food that we serve to the customers.” That homelike theme is prevalent throughout the restaurant. “It’s a family-owned restaurant,” Gurung says. “My husband is there, but when my husband is not around, my brother cooks, my daughter cooks. It’s always home cooking.” The menu includes a wide variety of
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dishes from India and Nepal, such as Tandoori Chicken ($13.95), which is prepared in a tall cylindrical clay oven fired by charcoal at temperatures of 800 degrees, and Chicken Tikka Marsala ($13.95), which is also baked in the tandoor oven and cooked with creamy tomato sauce, herbs and spices. Another popular item are Momos, a Nepal based-dish which Gurung likens to a popsicle. Those come in vegetable ($10.95), chicken ($11.95) and lamb ($12.95) varieties. There’s also a daily lunch buffet that runs from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. that provides diners with a wide variety of Indian cuisine options. A sometimes overlooked item that Gurung would like to emphasize is the Baingan Bartha ($11.95), an eggplant dish sautéed with onions, green peas and spices.
“I know lots of vegan and vegetarian people try those things, but non-vegetarian people should go and try that also because that’s very delicious,” she says. Gurung is also proud of her family’s ability to provide some New Mexican flavor. “When we (started) the restaurant, we (wanted) to put some kind of green chile in our food. So we started doing the green chile chicken curry,” Gurung says. “That’s very popular now on my menu.” —TRISTEN CRITCHFIELD
NAMASTE CUISINE OF INDIA AND NEPAL 1580 Deborah Rd. SE, Rio Rancho (505) 896-3126, namastenm.net
WWW.ABQTHEMAG.COM | MARCH 2022
PHOTO BY DON JAMES/ATM
A quick glance at three local eateries that you may or may not already know about.
