Munch India: Revolutionizing Indian Food in California and Beyond

Whenever I think of Indian food, I think chicken tikka masala, naan, basmati rice, and mango lassi. I was never well versed in Indian cuisine, but after moving up to Berkeley for college, my eyes were opened to many different ethnic cuisines–I’ve tried Salvadoran, Brazilian, and Nepalese food! In addition, I tried a momo for the first time at SF Street Food Fest! I never knew that South Asian cuisine also had dumplings–I had only ever had gyoza and xiao long baos! It is amazing how a dumpling can have a different profile depending on which cuisine it represents!

Indian food is known for its sauces and aromatic spices, yet there are many different regions of the Indian subcontinent that offer unique dishes, distinguishing one region’s food from another. Here is where Munch India steps in as they revolutionize the concept and break the stereotype of Americans’ definition of Indian food.

Chefs Diana Afroza and Nick Ahmed prepare dishes from regions throughout the subcontinent: Punjab, Delhi, Rampur, Bengal, Lucknow. You will find dishes like lababdar palak chole (slow-cooked sweet and sour chickpeas with crispy spinach wafers) from Punjab and murgh kumbh aur saag (seared airline cut chicken breast stuffed with mushroom and spinach mixture, topped with a tangy mushroom sauce) from Rampur. Anyone can dine here, as they offer both vegetarian and non-vegetarian options on the menu.

The chefs pay attention to quality of ingredients and source sustainable and local ingredients, as well as high-quality ingredients such as scallops from Japan! To bring you the most tasteful and flavorful experience, they make everything from scratch, including spices and sauces! With an emphasis on fresh ingredients, their menu will change every two weeks.

Location

Located on Shattuck, a little ways away from Downtown Berkeley, Munch India just has a simple sign on the door. You may easily walk past it, but if you open the door, you can see straight into the kitchen as you enter the homey space with a capacity of just twenty seats. The aromas from the spices and ingredients waft into your nose and you know what you are about to eat may be the very best Indian meal you have ever had! It sure was that for me!

The Food

Kachori Chaat (moong dal stuffed crispy puffed bread, topped with tomato kachumber and savory yogurt)

For appetizers, we started with the kachori chaat. They also serve momos, but, unfortunately, they were out. The bread had the perfect texture and chew to it and was fried just right–I especially loved that there was a filling inside. It added more depth of flavor to the dish!

Lababdar Palak Chole (slow-cooked sweet and sour chickpeas, topped with crispy spinach wafers)

Our dining hall at school attempts to make a saucy chickpea dish, and to be honest, it is one of the vegetarian items they offer, but after having lababdar palak chole at Munch India, I never want to eat those dining hall chickpeas again! This was my favorite dish of the night! The sauce for the chickpeas was the perfect balance of sweet and spicy (I have a low spice tolerance, but this was just right for me)! Atop the chickpeas laid a bed of crispy spinach–this was sort of like Japanese tempura, but breaded much lighter. It definitely had a nice crunch to it. I did not even know it was possible to bread spinach, but somehow they make it work! The best way to eat this dish is to put the chickpeas atop basmati rice so that it absorbs all the sauce and you have different textures in your mouth!

Murgh Kumbh Aur Saag (seared airline cut chicken breast filled with a mushroom and spinach mixture , served with a tangy mushroom sauce)

This chicken was so pretty–the color just reflected how perfectly cooked and tender it was! I highly recommend drizzling the chicken with the tamarind chutney for a slightly sweet, tart flavor! I couldn’t get enough of this sauce; it was delicious, and I had never tried tamarind before!

Basmati Vegetable Pulao

The waitress recommended ordering a side of basmati rice to share, and that was one of the best decisions we made. It was perfectly buttery and moist, and the vegetables were oh-so-soft! The rice goes well with any main entree dish!

Phulka (Indian Flatbread)

This flatbread is fairly thin which is good because you don’t fill up on bread before your main meal! I recommend dipping it in the cucumber raita!

Mango Lassi

Finish off your meal with a mango lassi, or drink it with your meal! Either works! The mango lassi has the perfect consistency, not too thick or thin, and perfect amount of sweetness. This mango yogurt drink is sure to satisfy your sweet tooth! It comes served in a glass with a metal straw–thank you for being conscious of our environment!

This, indeed, was the best Indian food I have ever had! The sauces and spices brought so much unique flavor to each dish, and I will most definitely come dine here again. Halfway through the meal, my friend and I had already decided we needed to come back–we were clean-platers! I highly recommend Munch India! Come here to learn about and expand your palate for Indian food! You will have no regrets!

Reserve Now!

Starting May 22, Munch India will be serving a prix fixe menu. You can make reservations on https://www.exploretock.com/. For now, they only provide dinner service, as they run a food truck during the days for lunchtime!

3015 Shattuck Ave, Berkeley, CA 94705