Rani’s World Foods comes with a scent all its own, a flurry of curry and other spices. That’s not particularly surprising, considering Rani’s is an Indian grocery store, but the delectable home-cooked vegetarian favorites from Rani’s Kitchen are far less expected.

Rani is like your long-lost grandmother … if your grandmother was toiling in the back of an Indian grocery store. Just wander to the counter, order from the wonderfully doting woman and grab a seat near the refrigerators.

Probably the best start is a thali, or mixed plate. Rani’s thali ($6) includes two rotating vegetable selections, dal (lentils), roti (unleavened bread), basmati rice and pickles. Curry choices include palak (spinach) and paneer (cheese), and if you’re lucky, she’ll be serving kofta—vegetable dumplings in an addictive cashew sauce, for which you’ll want extra roti and rice to sop it all up. If all vegetarian dishes were this good, I’d never eat meat again.

Another interesting dish is the chole bature ($6), essentially a spicy chickpea curry (chole) served alongside two absurdly over-sized pieces of puffy bread (bature). This is some seriously funny-looking bread, but it’s the perfect utensil for scooping the chole. For more Indian street food, try the samosa chat ($4), a flavorful mixture of deconstructed samosas in a bowl with yogurt, chutneys and a mixture of Indian spices, including cumin and coriander.

Order a housemade mango lassi ($2.50) as a foil for the spicy curries, though the offerings are not overly hot. Mrs. Rani doesn’t want to scorch your palate while you enjoy her cooking. Grandma would be proud.

HOUSTON CHRONICLE (Click Here for a link to the original article)

Rani’s offers more than flavors of India

by | October 4, 2012 12:01 am

Cooks Ila and Rekha Mistry hold samosas, one of Rani’s World Foods specialties.

Running an upscale gourmet market for international foods is nothing new for Suneel and Anu Chander. Suneel’s family has been in the business for three decades, starting with owning the first Indian market in Los Angeles. The Chanders relocated to Houston seven years ago and opened an international food market in Spring. Today, Rani’s World Foods has an online presence and is one of the largest Indian markets in the city.

Details

ADDRESS: 12811 Duncan Road, Houston
PHONE: 281-440-8080
HOURS: 11 a.m.-9 p.m., Sunday-Thursday; 10 a.m.-10 p.m., Friday- Saturday
WEBSITE: www.ranisworldfoods.com

WHAT YOU’LL FIND: An entire aisle of the store is dedicated to spices and blends. They stock several dozen types of flour and almost as many types of grains. Rani’s is the place to go for any committed vegetarian and vegan. Also on site is a kitchen where customers can sample homemade samosas, mix chat, pani puri and more.

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING: “My father came to this country 30 years ago. He was a vegetarian. When he would go out, people would hand him lettuce. Today, being vegetarian is not frowned upon at all. There are so many more options for people who don’t eat meat.” — Anu Chander, co-owner