Emmy Award-winning actress Katherine Heigl has lived in Utah with her family for more than a decade, and has no plans to move anytime soon.
But despite being a seasoned resident, she gets one thing wrong. “I haven’t found great Indian food in Utah,” Heigl claimed in a recent Harper’s Her Bazaar YouTube video that has more than 657,000 views.
For context, she said that between her and her husband, she was in charge of dinner. Her favorite recipes are chili, spaghetti, her bolognese, and her mother’s meatloaf recipe. Heigl said she also loves making chicken tikka masala and butter chicken at home, rather than ordering from Utah’s dozens of great Indian restaurants. Indian cooking is difficult to master even for professionals. Mixing a long list of spices to create the ideal aromatic blend is no easy task. So kudos to Heigl for testing out the recipe at her home.
Having been born and raised in New Delhi, I’m no Beehive State expert, but I do have good judgment when it comes to finding mouth-watering, authentic butter chicken. And Utah has what it takes.
Not only is Utah an oasis for Indian food, but most of these spots are family-owned and have great ratings and reviews.
This is an incomplete oral history of Utah’s bona fide Indian food scene and my personal list of recommendations that are sure to change Heigl’s mind.
Mumbai House in Salt Lake City is a 30-year-old institution. Last year, the restaurant won the award for Best Indian Restaurant in Salt Lake City. Even Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes praised the accomplishment, and the letter is framed on the organizer’s desk. We received high praise for everything from service to satisfaction, and even won the Quality Business Award.
Before Mumbai House opened, there were only one or two Indian restaurants in Utah, recalls owner Harpal Thor Singh. And although times have changed, the owner of Mumbai House still believes that using only fresh ingredients, including spices, gives his restaurant an edge.
Tuesday, May 14, 2024 at Mumbai House in Salt Lake City.Megan Nielsen, Deseret News
“We feed our customers what we feed our families and children,” said Singh, who is originally from the Indian state of Punjab. “We don’t compromise on quality.” In addition to our creamy butter chicken, we are also famous for our coconut-based curry.
Mumbai House’s second store in Park City will be ready for business in the coming weeks, and the company plans to open a third store in Toore in August, he said.
His restaurant was part of three Bombay House restaurants in Utah. In October 2022, he and two other owners, Ajmer Singh and Daniel Shanthakumar, dissolved their partnership and the name of Singh’s restaurant, Bombay, became Mumbai without any formal announcement. changed.
Singh said he has always relied on the power of word of mouth to attract customers and believes this strategy is effective in getting Utahns familiar with new names. However, it is worth noting that some of the indoor signs still read ‘Bombay House’.
The first of three Bombay House restaurants was founded in 1993 in downtown Provo. Its success spurred expansion in Salt Lake City and West Jordan. After the partnership split, West’s Jordan restaurant tweaked its name and became Bombay Gardens, now owned by one of his major shareholders, Harjeet Singh. The Provo restaurant retained its original name.
“I believe we are the oldest and first Indian restaurant in Utah,” said AJ, Bombay House’s general manager. “Utah has been really good to us, and we will continue to serve and respond to the various communities in this state.”
According to him, the chicken tikka masala here has been his favorite at the restaurant for the past 30 years. It is also known for owner and chef Daniel Shanthakumar’s original dish, Bollywood Chicken, which is a blend of coconut milk, crispy potatoes, tender pineapple, and mushrooms, which are popular among vegans and vegetarians. Rajputana, AJ added. , a dish based on onions and tomatoes with plenty of ginger and garlic added.
Although the dilution of this partnership is recent, these three restaurants have influenced many others and paved the way for Utah’s exciting Indian food scene.
Chef Emmanuel Shanthakumar, brother of Provo Bombay House owner Daniel Shanthakumar, opened his own restaurant, Royal India, in Sandy in 1998. He said the restaurant is the first of its kind in the southern end of the Salt Lake Valley. About six years later, he opened another Royal His India in Bountiful. Shanthakumar said his regular customers have been coming since childhood and are now married with children.
Within a few years of starting his business, Mr. Shanthakumar met former Utah Governor Jon Huntsman Jr. Royal India provided the catering for the 2004 election night fundraising dinner and the eventual campaign party for Huntsman’s victory. Shanthakumar said Huntsman hopes to introduce Indian food to more Utahns.
Emmanuel Shanthakumar, chef and owner of Royal India, shakes hands with former Utah Governor Jon Huntsman Jr. at the Artist Awards on September 19, 2007. Mr. Shanthakumar was awarded the Governor’s Medal. The photo is signed by Huntsman and former Utah First Lady Mary Kay Huntsman. | Provided by Emmanuel Shanthakumar
Shanthakumar sent the Deseret News a photo of the menu from an artist awards event he served at the governor’s mansion in 2007. The first course was a lentil-based soup with tomatoes, fennel and garlic. The second course included chicken tikka masala, palak paneer (spinach and cottage cheese), eggplant curry and stuffed fried okra, served with garlic he naan and whole wheat burrata. On the same night, Shanthakumar was honored as Culinary Artist of the Year and received the Governor’s Medal.
Huntsman, who has an adopted Indian daughter, once hosted a party at the governor’s mansion to celebrate Diwali, India’s festival of lights, during his tenure. “During my time abroad, I learned about Indian culture and cuisine,” Huntsman reportedly said at her first gala at her residence in 2005. She said, “One of my favorite dishes is Gulab Jamun, a syrupy dessert.
Shanthakumar, a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, said the governor may have developed his taste for the dish while serving as the U.S. ambassador to Singapore, which has a strong Indian influence. Huntsman also spent time in Taiwan as a missionary.
It was recalled that the former governor was fond of eating traditional items like lemon pickle and Shanthakumar’s fried okra recipe. “I cut the okra like French fries, sprinkle it with lentils and spices, and fry it,” he says, explaining his method to create a more “chip-like” texture as opposed to okra’s slimy texture. explained.
Shanthakumar said he thinks Utah has “pretty authentic Indian food,” and as South Asians continue to immigrate to the Beehive State, the taste of Indian food will become more Indian-like. He said it must be.
In Heigl’s defense, he said the food he serves at his restaurants needs to be less spicy for Utahns.
Bombay Garden owner Harjeet Singh teamed up with his brother Manjit Singh and cousin Minderpal Singh to open Little India. Manjit said that of his two locations, the one in American Fork ranks No. 19 on Yelp’s list of Top 100 Southwest Restaurants, which gives the restaurant more attention. It is said that it has increased further. According to Yelp, this “hidden gem”‘s top seller is its “amazing” butter chicken. Tandoori-baked naan, whether served plain or with garlic and onions, “may change your life,” says Yelper Michael M.
Customers eat at Mumbai House on Tuesday, May 14, 2024 in Salt Lake City.Megan Nielsen, Deseret News
Co-owner Manjit told the Deseret News they also have a coconut-based pineapple chicken curry. He said he believes there are “a select few restaurants in the Salt Lake Valley that are doing a really good job” in Utah, especially since preparing Indian food is not easy.
“The masala sauce alone takes four to five hours to prepare and the butter chicken sauce also takes three to four hours,” he added.
Little India is expanding into Park City and Highland. He remembers when Bombay House was in its infancy and the Indian culinary landscape was barren. “Literally going from Nefi to Logan, I would say there are about 65 to 70 Indian and Nepali restaurants,” Manjit said.
There are four outlets in the Red Fort, with five opening soon, and within five years they have opened one after another, making it one of the most popular restaurants in the state. They have won the title of best restaurant in southern Utah for five years in a row.
Today, the Red Forts in St. George, La Birkin, and Layton, Utah, and Meridian, Idaho, are owned by Shamsher Singh and Wahid Nouri, an Afghan refugee who worked as a cook at Mumbai House for 20 years. has been done. Their newest expansion is under construction in Ogden.
“That’s my family,” Mumbai House owner Harpal Singh said of his brother Shamsher. Many others learned from him and other well-run kitchens to perfect the cooking techniques of Indian cuisine.
The restaurants listed above are just a few of Utah’s options. Other acclaimed South Asian restaurants include Saffron Valley, which also offers cooking classes, The Kathmandu Grill, Bhutan House, and Curry Fried Chicken.
Heigl may have to travel from her home in Oakley, Summit Country, to sample the creamy, spicy curry.
