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Loving plate after plate of veggie-filled Indian food...in Spain.

Tuesday Jun 20, 2006.     By Misty Tosh

Food Feed

It's not until I'm knee-deep in a foreign country that I comprehend just how much I love Indian food. Every time I travel (especially to Europe), it seems that just around the time I finally grow weary of lemony tendrils of purple octopus, I start to daydream about pawing up heaping handfuls of fluffy rosewater-scented basmati rice; and just when I think I would pass out if I ate another tendril of slippery pasta, I catch a whiff of nutmeg and coriander kissed-chicken on the bone and feel like I could possibly eat again.

In fact, when I find a taste of Indian anywhere in the world, I get downright excited. And truth be told, the Indian food I've tasted has blown the socks off most Indian I've tried locally, even those fiery plates of goodness from the depths of Devon Avenue. Such is the case with one of my favorite discoveries in Barcelona. I happened to be exploring the twisty side streets of the El Raval neighborhood when I spilled out onto a wide plaza lined with Indian, Pakistani and Italian restaurants. The sign for Indian Restaurant El Raval (Rambla del Raval n 14) caught my eye, and suddenly I was happy as a goose. I'd been trying to scope out something different to eat all afternoon. After weeks of eating solely Spanish food, I was dying.

When I walked up to the front door, a smiling young man greeted me with a menu that was in Catalan and Spanish (typical all over Spain), with not a lick of English anywhere to be found. I sat in greedy silence, absorbing each and every color photo on the menu, delighted at the idea that some actual vegetables were going to be in my belly soon (the Spaniards are big meat eaters, so I got the short end of the stick many times).

I started with a pot of hot tea and a small bowl of olives then sat back and watched as my waiter trailed out plate after plate of some of the best Indian food I've ever had (well, it could have been the circumstances). Delicious vegetable samosas and lightly fried aloo tikki (potato patties) were served perfectly crisp and came out with tiny pots of sweet, sour and hot chutneys (I smothered everything in the super-sweet tamarind concoction).

A heaping platter of rainbow-colored rice popped out next and went perfectly with an alarmingly rich stew of green beans, peas, carrots, tomatoes and cauliflower. Every wonderful bite I took literally drowned out images of the olive oil-doused dishes I'd been keeping company with the previous month.

When my waiter circled back around I asked for flatbread with garlic. He briefly hesitated and nervously mentioned there'd be an extra charge of 75 cents for the bread. I just cackled and said, "Well, hell, in that case bring two!" When it comes to satisfying my cravings, I'm known to be a big spender, and when a couple of dried-leaf rolled cigarettes came out with the bill, it completed the perfect meal. Even though I'm no smoker, it's the thought that counts.

The Final Rave: Dessert was nothing more than a chilled bowl of rice pudding. It was intensely flavored and perfectly cooked and when coupled with a spot of tea, I was in Indian nirvana.

Keep It Going:

Read it: Mangoes and Curry Leaves
This hulking tome is the inspiration for many an Indian meal that I fantasize about cooking up this summer. Will I? Who knows, but I will definitely flip through the gorgeous recipes and plot and plan around them.

Eat it: Standard India
I love this buffet-style Indian restaurant, and even though I'm not big on meat, the Tandoori chicken that comes out sizzling and served to each table smells delicious.

Drink it: Frozen mango lassi
Take a cue from this cute blog and whip up this easy frozen summer treat. It's a spin on that other delicious all-year-round drink, the blended mango lassi. Throw in some vodka and you've got a winner!

Get crazy with it: Goa, India
One of my Spanish crew on this job raved and raved about this slice of paradise on the Arabian Sea. I just had a chance to look at pictures online and all I can say is, see ya there!

Fatcake Misty Tosh explores back-alley eateries, holes-in-the-wall and seedy ethnic joints as she treks the city in search of the next raving dish. Join her in the quest.