A Masterful Use of Spices and Flavors

I can count on one hand the vegetarian restaurants I know that I would plan a trip around—one of these, Am Spices of India, is in the city center of Albuquerque, New Mexico. I recently had the opportunity to visit this restaurant for the second, third and fourth times!

Sophie and I have gone to the Southwestern Popular Culture Association Conference held in Albuquerque in February for 2 years running. Last year, we discovered one of these favorite spots, Am Spices of India on our last night in town and were eager to get back.

Am Spices is a small colorful, friendly, but unassuming sort of place. The table tops sport bright flowery artsy images and a small buffet bar splits the seating area of the restaurant into 2 small rooms with about 3 tables each. The proprietor is very welcoming and was helpful in selecting the vegan items off the all vegetarian menu. Very few dishes contained dairy products—usually milk or yogurt, they use oil rather than ghee in the curries.  He seemed pleased that we returned daily for the three days we were in town.

Here’s why: the food was outstanding. The flavors of each dish and beverage were remarkable—well conceived and exceptionally well crafted. The food is fresh tasting, remarkably flavorful, attractive, and not overly oily. On the night we arrived in town, we started with a house made Masala iced tea served without milk. The flavor combination was unusual—ginger, cardamom, mint, lemon, and other spices—and memorable. Not too sweet, too spicy or too tangy.

Gobi Manchurian

We also shared a dish called, Gobi Manchurian, which is described on the menu as a “fusion cauliflower curry with Chinese influence cooked with a combination of vegetables and spicy sauces” served with white rice topped with fresh herbs. (see photo) Its rather intriguing but vague description belies its beautiful complexity.  Perfectly cooked chunks of breaded cauliflower were submerged in an undeciferable mix of spices and other flavors. At first taste, both of us stopped to carefully notice and savor it. We were not intentionally being mindful, but were pulled into a meditative food reverie by the delicious flavor and texture combination in our mouths.

Chaat Combo Platter

We also ordered the Chaat Combo which featured Idli Chaat, Samosa Chaat and Aloo Tikki Chaat. I had anticipated a plate with these different foods arranged on a platter with chutneys to dip into, instead it came served rather more like a filling appetizer salad with the Chaats cut into bite-sized pieces and topped with chickpea wafers and various vegetables and chutneys. (see photo) Each bite was a new flavor sensation. I could tell which were the samosa bites, but the other two were unfamiliar. It was a remarkable combination of flavors—sweet, fruity, spicy, green, allium, savory—and a delightful contrast of textures, warm creamy, cool crunchy, firm juicy, among others. 

Lunch buffet - with Dahl,
mixed vegetable curry,
pilau rice and an
eggplant and potato curry.

We returned the next day for lunch--we couldn’t wait to get back there--and tried the lunch buffet. We enjoyed dahl, mixed vegetable curry, another curry (ask Sophie), pilao rice, and fresh made Puri, a puffy bread to dip into the saucy curries.

On the 3^rd visit with returned to the Gobi Manchurian (just as amazing the second time around) and tried the Bombay Bhel, described as a “tasty mixture of puffed rice, crispy chickpea noodles, and wafers topped with diced vegetables and chutneys. And, tasty, it was. (see photo)

Bombay Bhel

All this to say, two things: one, sometimes one can find amazing and memorable food experiences in unlikely places and, two, I urge you to visit Am Spices of India (amspicesofindia.com) should you find ever find yourself in Albuquerque!

In case you are wondering, my other favorite restaurants (in my life so far) are the vegetarian oasis, Avocado in Athens, Greece, the startlingly beautiful Sublime in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and happily, the astonishingly creative Plant in Asheville, NC, which is my home town.