Naan Better I should’ve cooled it on the “extra spicy” demand, because by this point I’ve sucked down two glasses of water, and my eyes are profusely watering, making me look like I’m now not only eating alone, but crying alone. No worries. I bounce back by ordering a side of naan after Lucky comes to check on me. He looks concerned. When the naan comes, I realize it’s a fun word for the Indian version of a tortilla that promises to forever haunt me during any future low-carb diets. It is phenomenal. India has now beaten out the French and their baguettes. This melt-in-your-mouth, warm, triangular slice of heaven is covered in butter or garlic, your choice, and serves as an excellent sponge for the delicious sauces of your entrée. Lucky decides all my questions and compliments on Indian food are too much for a Sri Lankan, so he gets the chef, Srikanth Kanneganti, from South India, to step away from his art and come talk to me. “They are our own recipes, we make them. I like everything because they have the fresh taste. It’s a mix of flavors…mostly southern and northern,” Kanneganti says.
Kanneganti has been the chef at Maharaja for a year and came to Oxford to help his friend Ankisetty with his restaurant. Before Oxford, Kanneganti lived in Las Vegas getting his masters in cooking. “We do mild. Some people come in and say its too spicy, so we have mild, medium, and spicy,” Kanneganti says. After talking with Chef Kanneganti, I meet Abdullah Al-Siyini, an exchange student from Oman, a country in the Middle East that is used to the same flavors of India. He says he has been coming to Maharaja for three years to cure his craving for flavor. I enjoy the rest of my food, dreaming of India, when a man with a thick Mississippi accent runs in, grabs his to-go order with a big smile and exits. I learn Maharaja not only does takeout, but they also deliver. That’s great, but you’ll have to YouTube Bollywood’s top hits and Google about Asia in order to get the unusual, diverse experience at home that Maharaja has to offer. Sarah Douglass is a student in the Meek School of Journalism & New Media at Ole Miss.
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