On the Menu: Ajanta Indian offers generous portions of classic dishes

AJANTA INDIAN RESTAURANT

3063 Woodman Drive, Kettering

(937) 296-9200

Hours:

Many in the city of Dayton gripe over the lack of quality Indian food within the municipal limits. If only we could just pick Ajanta Restaurant up out of Kettering, and plop it down on the other side of the border.

When you park in the strip mall lot outside of Ajanta, 3063 Woodman Drive, it’s easy to scoff and dismiss the ordinary (and somewhat unwelcoming) exterior. But once you walk inside, it’s a whole different beast, with a large dining room with high ceilings and ample seating space. Whether you come by yourself with a book to keep you company or bring a whole party, the staff is able and capable to help you have a great and scrumptious time.

If you’re interested in trying out a ton of different plates, try either the daily lunch buffet or the Monday-Tuesday dinner buffet from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Either will run you less than $20 for two people.

On this particular Tuesday night, we were going for the main menu.

The mixed platter appetizer ($4.99) has a couple of samples of several apps, including Chicken Pakora, or marinated and deep-fried chicken, vegetable samosas, and Papardamm, a spicy and crispy lentil wafer. Paired with three varieties of chutney — a spicy condiment made of fruits of vegetables with vinegar, like the Indian version of salsa — all of the appetizers on this dish present a great introduction to Indian cuisine.

I’m a big fan of “Saag” dishes — where the meat or cheese is covered in a heavenly coating of creamed spinach, green chilli peppers, onions, and of course, a rich combo of spices including cumin, turmeric, garlic and ginger.

Ajanta’s Chicken Tikka Saag ($9.99; lunch order $6.59) was delicious, especially with that marinated chicken, rather than just lightly fried in the regular dish. Though the plate is never really much to look at (creamed spinach never really is), the spices all meld together perfectly with the spinach, and mixing all that green goodness around with basmati rice is always the best idea. I ordered the plate to a piping hot 5 out of 6 on Ajanta’s spice scale, which ended up being just a tad too intense for me. Guess I should dial it back from 11 next time. But that’s not Ajanta’s fault; just mine for thinking I’m more hardcore than I really am.

Makhani is a great dish for someone wanting to branch out from Tikka Masala or Vindaloo. All that butter and cream mixed with marinated meat (we got lamb — so tasty!) and tomatoes makes for a decadently rich plate that fills you up even faster than Indian typically does. That dish also was dialed up to a 5 on the spice scale, but seemed to handle it better. Paired with some Paneer (cheese-stuffed) naan ($2.25), this was a dinner of champions.

Of course, a great part about eating Indian food is that nine times out of 10, you’re going to come home with tons of leftovers. These two plates plus the appetizer plate were more than enough food for us to handle.

Of course, these are only two of Ajanta’s many great dishes, and we highly encourage returning often to try out every one that you can.