Herndon
Aangan
For: Indian
332 Elden St., Herndon
The room is long and dim with flatscreens turned to Indian music videos, the volume up. On a cold night this winter, the restaurant was mostly empty. Don’t take that as a sign.
Brought to the table first are papadum and spiced, pickled carrots, the latter a more unusual complimentary starter. The Amritsari fish is surrounded by chickpea flour batter flavored with cumin and hot chili powders, which lend a salty, crispy crunch to the tender fish.
A gorgeous burgundy-colored sauce coats chunks of baby goat. The bone-in meat sways between tender and chewy and is worth it for the deeply meaty gravy alone. Kofta—made with potato, carrot and cauliflower compressed into a ball and stuffed with spinach and paneer and then fried—is a bit tough, and tough to eat, but the cloak of creamy tomato sauce keeps the dish going. The standard dal makhani takes on an extraordinary smoky flavor making it one of my favorite versions of one of my favorite dishes.
(April 2015)
