Aromatic Indulgence November 2006

by Jacqueline Irwin
Photos by R. Byrne

India 4 U has recently made a good thing better by remodeling and expanding. The restaurant’s décor is amazing and the dishes served are as delicious as ever. Try it once and you’re sure to be a regular customer.

Ranjit (Junior) & Varinder (Brenda) Dosanjh were born in the Northern region of India in the state of Punjab. When Junior was 10 he came to America to go to school in Yuba City. He attended San Jose State where he earned a degree in business.

Junior always had an intense interest in food and since his youth has enjoyed cooking. He ate out often in college, but was not impressed with traditional food that, to use his term, didn’t have “the swing.” He decided to make a career for himself in the restaurant business when he traveled to Bombay to attend his best friend’s wedding. The festivities included eating at authentic Indian restaurants and it was then that Junior said to himself, “Wow! This is food!’ The dishes were creamier and impeccably spiced.

The food served at India 4 U combines Thai, Indian, and French cuisine. For example, sweet basil used in some dishes creates a Thai flavor, the cream and wine in some dishes give them a French flare, and the spices from India create dishes that, once you’ve tried them, make others bland in comparison. In fact, in some dishes as many as 29 spices are perfectly blended for superb flavor. Dishes range from spicy to mild.

Technique plays a crucial role in the India 4 U food preparation and using the restaurant’s clay oven takes training. The tandoori chef, Ramparkash Gill, has 17 years of experience. The prep time for Indian food is incredible. For example, saag can require as many as six hours to make properly.

Junior had the privilege of learning proper cooking techniques of traditional Indian dishes from the head chef at the Hiatt in Deli. There he learned many of the recipes he has tweaked for the dishes served at India 4 U.

Junior says that his wife Brenda possessed a special touch in the kitchen even before she started cooking commercially. She spent three months in Edmonton, Canada under the guidance of the head chef at Khazana while preparing for the opening of India 4 U. Due to her natural talents and her training, Junior says that many of the dishes are better because of her.

When an adjacent business closed its doors the Dosanjhs jumped at the chance to expand their business by another 1,500 square feet, which afforded them the chance to increase seating, add a full bar, and to redecorate, thus creating a unique touch of India in Antioch.

Many people are afraid to try Indian food because they think it’s all spice and curry. Junior explains that the recipes of old did have strong smells. His modern recipes alter that aroma by taking out some spices and adding others to generate more mild blends. Even though all the spices are still there, the taste no longer has the intensity that often overwhelms western palates.

Curry is a spice that is most often built on a combination of onion and ginger but incorporates up to 29 additional spices. The curry sauce served at India 4 U is a harmony of spices with a hint of cream.

Any sauce that is made with a tomato base is no longer considered a curry. Butter chicken, for example, is so named because it’s as smooth and creamy as butter, yet butter is only a minor ingredient in the recipe.

Dinner at India 4 U should begin with starters, all of which are accompanied by the house-made chutneys, such as the combination plate consisting of Samosas, crisp pastry shells stuffed with spiced minced meat, or my family’s favorite, Bollywood Wings, a pile of spicy marinated wings tossed in a perfectly delicious sauce.

The menu offers a wide range of signature sauces. The Basil Cream is made with roasted garlic, tomatoes, and fresh basil then flamed with Marsala wine and reduced to a Taste of Paradise. The Saag is made with pureed spinach, spices, and cooked to create a creamy delight.

For the spice lover, Vindaloo is a fiery sauce made with cayenne and an aromatic blend of spices. Tikka Masala is cooked with a creamy tomato base mildly infused with whole spices, ginger, and garlic. Many other delicious sauces can be made mild, spicy, or hot spicy to order. Additionally, all sauces can be prepared vegetarian-style or with fish, prawns, chicken, beef, or lamb.

The restaurant is equipped with two large clay ovens for cooking a wide variety of meat dishes including lamb, beef, and chicken. When I conducted the interview I witnessed the preparation and cooking of the naan, which is handshaped and baked on the walls of the clay oven. Naan can be served traditional-style or with garlic, pesto, onion, aloo, cheese, or spinach just to name a few of the possible combinations.

Junior said that the most difficult part of starting the business has been getting people to try the food. My family was hesitant about trying Indian food for the first time. I suggested we try India 4 U. The squeals from the kids turned from dread to delight in a matter of moments once they tasted the delicious creations recommended by our waitress. Since then we have become regular customers and have tried nearly everything on the menu. I can tell you that their motto, “;Don’t worry, it’s not just curry,” is not only catchy, but it’s perfectly true. °