Malabari Kitchen, Minneapolis

Seafood and red meat define the core of Malabari food. The cuisine melds multiple culinary traditions represented by the colonial nations that visited the Malabar region in southwest India, but rice dishes and specialty curries local to the region stand out. Each made-to-order dish at Malabari Kitchen celebrates that history, like textbooks you get to eat. Take the njandu curry: its softshell crabs are marinated and cooked with dry-roasted and ground coconut-coriander paste. Creamy rice pudding with cashews and pistachios—a dessert called kheer—might finish off meals. Mambazha lassi, a mango puree blended with milky yogurt, also complements dining experiences at Malabari Kitchen.