Indian vegetarian on a budget at Kahaani

Fresh, bright, tasty and it's likely to fit almost anyone's budget

  • Name + address: Kahaani, 3059 Carling Ave.

  • Diet: Vegetarian

  • Prices: $5-$20

  • Wheelchair accessibility: One step up to the door.

  • Website:www.kahaaniottawa.ca

Kahaani is the second new vegetarian restaurant to open in recent months. Everything on the menu looked so colourful and appealing that it didn’t occur to me that there was no meat on the menu until it was mentioned to me.

In all of Indian cookery, I’ve had the least success with samosas. Don’t misunderstand me, I’ve had some very nice examples but the majority of the time it’s always felt as if the poor samosa is the vessel for the rage of disgruntled chefs.

Kahaani

Kahaani. Ralf Joneikies/Ottawa Lookout

Thick, stodgy dough triangles filled with re-purposed vegetables fried in oil that should have been thrown out weeks earlier has been the norm for me. 

Not so at Kahaani where you enjoy these appetizers cleanly made and filled with nicely seasoned fresh vegetables. 

Kahaani Dahi Puri

Kahaani Dahi Puri. Ralf Joneikies/Ottawa Lookout

My lunch companion and I also ordered Peri Peri corn and Dahi Puri. 

You have your choice of four versions of corn and ours came with finely diced red bell pepper, herbs and a moderately spiced seasoning. It wasn’t terribly hot but if it had been, the next dish would be the perfect foil.

Puri are little cups made by frying dough until it puffs. These are then cooled and filled with an assortment of things. The Dahi version came stuffed with chickpeas, yogurt and mint and tamarind chutneys all sprinkled with pomegranate seeds and chopped cilantro.

Each mouthful was a refreshing sweet and savoury palate cleanser and I’d like to test their effectiveness against more fiery foods the next time around.

Kahaani Hakka noodles

Kahaani Hakka noodles. Ralf Joneikies/Ottawa Lookout

Hakka noodles are an Indo-Chinese specialty that have found an increasing popularity around Ottawa and you can now enjoy them not just at Chinese or Indian restaurants but, understandably at Nepalese restaurants such as nearby Everest Cuisine on Carling.

It’s always a fairly simple dish with the noodles cooked al dente as they were at Kahaani. The seasoning was mild but pleasant and I was reminded of my experience at the vegetarian grocery store/restaurant Spice Divine. There the seasoning was also modest although comparatively more lively and the portion was twice as large for the same money.

While the set up is as a take-away, this is also a sit down restaurant so I’m a little surprised by their use of throw-away containers for those dining in. It’s at odds with the ethos of vegetarian cuisine having a smaller carbon footprint. 

For some restaurants, it may be that industrial dishwashers simply don’t fit the budget or available kitchen space, but there are surely alternatives to more and more garbage.

I hope Kahaani continues to enjoy success. The food is fresh, bright and tasty and will fit most budgets. Besides, I’m keen to try their Special Burger on my next visit.