And Back Again

The modern Indian cuisine had Middle Eastern roots as the Mughal Empire brought their spices and techniques to South Asia. The cuisine has changed a lot since then and some of the Indian dishes have migrated back to the Middle East. Almost every shawarma place offers samosas but whether it's the low margins of these take-outs or their unfamiliarity, their offerings look much greasier and more unappetizing than even a hole-in-the-wall Indian convenience store.

Since African Palace, though an Ethiopian restaurant, also offers credible Middle-Eastern dishes I tried their samosas. Their version is less puffy and more compact. The usual potato and peas stuffing is there, but the Indian spices have been dialed back. It's a lot less greasy than the typical samosas, almost as if it was baked instead of deep-fried. They were good, but I do miss the tamarind chutney.

The chicken shawarma had better cut of chicken but there should have been more of those pickled condiments found in most shawarma. They contribute a nice tangy kick.