Indian Restaurants in Flint

For years the late, great, Panna lal Sharma kept mouths returning to Rumalees Fine Indian Cuisine, not only for the fruits of his tandoori oven, but also for his willingness to pass along his culinary knowledge. Though the man has passed on, his legacy continues—his protégé Chef Das gladly carries on his tradition of crafting fine food and sharing trade secrets with an accessible teaching-style. Students of her classes gain a greater understanding of the culinary traditions that infuse the Indian subcontinent, from making paneer masala with freshly-pressed cheeses to comprehending the difference between currying favor and favoring curry.

Named one of Detroit CityVoters’ top five finalists for Best Indian Restaurant in 2012, Priya Indian Cuisine serves a vast menu of dishes crafted from beloved recipes from across India. Skilled chefs prepare each signature regional dish according to centuries-long traditions, showcasing the smoky, tandoor-cooked meats and unleavened breads of Northern Indian tradition as well as Southern India’s distinctive blends of spices and flavorful sauces. The culinary crew can also be found fueling the kebab-filled clay tandoor oven with charcoal and wood or whipping up rice-based pulaos and biryanis native to the southern city of Hyderabad. To complement the meat-focused dishes, the chefs forge a variety of meatless dishes featuring fresh, housemade paneer to sate the appetites of vegetarians. Eaters can chow down amid the regal dining room’s rich-purple linens, palm trees, and Indian statues or break bread.

Lauded by Detroit News columnist Molly Abraham as an authentic Indian-cuisine outpost and a cozy, elegant spot to politely dismantle food with your mouth, Mazza Indian Cuisine offers diners dual menus of adventurously flavored fare. Inaugurate a yacht-sized feast with a shattered masala dosa, a south indian crepe crammed with savory potato curry ($7.95). Then tuck into an entrée like the tandoori mixed grill, packed with a menagerie of clay-oven offerings ($16.95), or the karai lamb, dressed in an edible tracksuit of tomatoes and onions ($13.95). Lunch fare includes the savory vegetarian baingan bartha, an oven-baked eggplant steeped in subtle spices ($5.95), and the shrimp bhuna, wallowing in a thick curry with green peppers and tomatoes ($9.95).

Though there are dozens of authentic Indian dishes on the menu at New Delhi Indian Cuisine, the most important food is arguably the naan. With this buttery bread, diners scoop up fiery lamb curries and mop up lingering drops of creamy fish korma sauce. As guests rip off strips of naan in the dining room, chefs whip up second batches in the kitchen, turning their attention to other dishes once breads are safely baking in the special oven. The team simmers seafood, chicken, and lamb in homemade sauces, flavorful herbs, and exotic spices such as saffron imported from the East or garlic harvested on the rings of Saturn. They also stir pots of bubbling biryani rice, and stuff samosas with spiced potatoes and green peas. Come lunchtime, the chefs build a sumptuous lunch buffet with an assortment of freshly made soups, breads, and entrees.

Thin slices of shawarma fall from the twirling rotisserie spit as the chef fills pita bread for one of Sizzling Kabobs' hearty sandwiches. Chicken shawarma is just one of the options on a menu filled with Indian and Middle Eastern cuisine. The kitchen team marinates chicken before grilling it in kebabs or baking it tandoori-style to a rose-pink. They also make hashwi by blending ground beef, rice, chicken, and almonds—a nutritious meal that makes it unnecessary to spike coffee with Flintstones vitamins.

Royal Bengal Indian Cuisine’s executive chef employs 20 years of culinary experience gleaned from years spent in Pakistan’s five-star Avari hotel to whip up piquant Indian dishes infused with American flair. Bengal's team of gastronomic wizards meticulously create each dish using Easy-Bake Oven assembly instructions and the finest of ingredients such as fresh okra, housemade cheese, and freshly ground spices. Amid the rich, red walls of a spacious dining room, friendly servers deftly deliver platefuls of lamb, chicken, and seafood, and herbivorous noshers and cannibalistic tomatoes alike can treat tummies to a host of vegetarian dishes.