ILS-entree

The trend of Indian fusion cuisine may have gotten its start a continent away on the East Coast, but leave it to some talented California chefs to discover new directions.

In California, it's not all haute, either. Budget diners can find Pakistani-spiced burgers and pizza and even Punjabi burritos, while those ready for a more upscale dining experience can savor lobster and pea dosas or Muscovy duck breast with dal.

At Mirchi Café and Masala Pizza, a suburban eatery in Fremont, Calif., chef-owner Lisa Ahmad keeps her spicing bold for her largely South Asian clientele. All meat served at the restaurant is halal.

"Burgers are my top seller," she noted during a recent afternoon visit. It's for good reason, too - this affordable American staple is remade here as a Lahori burger (ground beef mixed with onions, chilies and Mirchi Masala), spicy Punjabi chicken burger or Shami Kabab burger, all served with French fries for $4.99.

Ahmad, who opened the restaurant in the fall of 2004 with her Pakistani husband, comes from an Italian family that's been in the restaurant business for decades, so when she takes on pizza, you know it's the real deal.

Mirchi's pizzas are building a growing fan base for their slow-rise, chewy crusts and beautifully balanced flavors such as chicken tikka, with spicy tender chicken, onions and bell peppers over a mellow and creamy masala sauce; and seekh kabob, with spicy meat over a flavorful tomato sauce.

Mirchi keeps a few straight-ahead Italian, desi and desi Chinese basics on the menu, too, such as chicken Shashlik in a sweet and sour sauce and chicken parmigiana; and branches out into Americana territory with a spice-rubbed Harris Ranch steak and Mirchi fried chicken with Indian spices, served with French fries dusted with parmesan and herbs.

A tangy, spicy mango shrimp dish, with Serrano and red chilies, is complemented by basmati rice and a red pepper chutney with garlic, mint and lime. Most dishes are under $10, with large specialty pizzas going for just $15.99.

Ahmad's desserts include a traditional, but generously sized, crème brulée and (alcohol-free) tiramisu, both big favorites.

Tabla's Floyd Cardoz of New York and the late Raji Jallepalli of Memphis, Tenn., are credited as two of fusion cuisine's pioneers. Cardoz's influences range from his native Goa to Italy, modern America and points beyond at Tabla, which opened in 1998 (dishes include basmati risotto; lamb "Naanini" sandwiches; and seared sea scallops with tandoori cauliflower and a lime-jaggery sauce); while Jallepalli, honored by the James Beard Foundation, opened her Restaurant Raji in 1989, wowing diners with French techniques applied to Indian ingredients - such as baby lamb racks with curry-leaf black pepper crust and curried blackberry sauce.

Since then, fusion Indian cooking has flourished in New York and in big cities across the country, including Chicago (stylish Monsoon and Vermilion, a Latin-Indian fusion eatery), Boston (Mantra) and Dallas (the Hot Breads chain uses French baking techniques and Indian fillings to create spicy, savory snacks).

BURRITOS, ENCHILADAS

But in California, flavors take on their own personality - such as in one affordable fusion eatery found on the north side of the Golden Gate Bridge, in the small, upscale town of Sausalito.

Here, Ashok Ubhi and his family run Avatar's, a cozy joint that draws customers from as far away as Sacramento and San Jose.

Named after Ashok's elder brother, Avatar Ubhi, who passed away in 1999, the restaurant embodies what they term a happy "ethnic confusion." A large photo of Avatar overlooks the dining room, while family members Ashok, Kala (Avatar's wife) and Saru (Ashok's wife) keep things running smoothly.

Punjabi enchiladas and tostadas dominate the menu here, while an offshoot restaurant in Mill Valley serves Punjabi burritos. Local non-Indians were quick converts to Avatar's unconventional recipes, but Indian Americans took a bit longer to warm up.

"In the first five or six years that we were serving the enchiladas, Indians would laugh when they saw them on the menu," said Ashok Ubhi. "Indians are very picky! But then they started trying them. Now, I get around 20 desi customers a week."

Some of Avatar's local fans include Dr. Dean Ornish; Indian industrialist Vijay Mallya; Apple CEO Steve Jobs and musician Bonnie Raitt.

Everything at Avatar's is under $15, and most dishes come with plenty of extras, like homemade fruit chutneys with peaches, pears and pineapples; fluffy basmati rice pulao with herbs; colorful grilled vegetables; and homemade paranthas and carrot pickle.

"We watched as customers would roll up their paranthas with chutney, and that's how we got the idea for the enchiladas," said Ubhi. Now, the enchiladas are made with corn tortillas and the paranthas are used for the burritos.

At first glance, the curried lamb enchilada ($9.95) looks somewhat like the familiar Mexican dish, but the palate is soon surprised by tastes of pumpkin in the filling and citrusy tamarind and yogurt as garnish.

Avatar's experiments with Caribbean tastes, too, in dishes like jerk chicken and romaine and chicken salad in Jamaican sauce; and you'll find surprises like fish & chips, a lamb burger, house-made pasta with curry sauces, and a memorable chicken breast with capers, artichoke hearts and Indian spices. Desserts include Avatar's Creation, a mix of condensed milk and almond gelato with pistachio and mango.

"It's not Mexican, it's not Jamaican or Indian - it's our special food," said Ubhi.

Their cooking styles and recipes are divergent, but what Ubhi and Ahmad have in common is the belief that their novel food combinations make perfect sense to them, and so have a chance to resonate with the adventurous diner. Creating a trend or espousing a food philosophy is not foremost in their minds - creating good flavors is.

LUXE INGREDIENTS

Harveen Khera, owner and chef of Tallula, a popular genre-bending eatery in San Francisco's Castro district, says of her cooking, "I don't think it's fair to call it fusion."

Raised in Britain on fish & chips and curry, she says, Khera came to the United States as a teenager and opened Tallula a year and a half ago.

On a recent pre-dinner visit, she talked to a reporter while wrist-deep in masala paste for a buffalo meat vindaloo; other dishes on her ever-changing menu include braised venison shank with a spinach and cilantro gremolata ($18); spiced pommes frites with mango pickle aioli ($7); Talulla's salad of jicama, radishes, cucumber, kohlrabi and tamarind-ginger vinaigrette ($8); and what has become her signature dish, lobster and pea dosa with lemon beurre blanc and truffle oil ($16). The base of the dosa is toor dal, with fenugreek and rice flour, but it's not fried crispy - "It's delicate, like a French crepe," she explains.

A cheese course, tea tastings, and rich desserts like Jaffa cake (a flourless chocolate cake with crème Anglaise); kheer with blueberry reduction; and warm almond cake with vanilla bean kulfi and orange blossom consommé round out the menu.

Khera and her staff constructed the restaurant in a three-story Victorian building, painted its interiors in rich reds and saffron shades, and added texture with hanging burlap and silk saris. Every night

in the basement bar, she screens vintage Bollywood films on a projector to live piano accompaniment.

"This is clean food - not fashioned to be fashionable," she says. Running a restaurant is hard work, so "why would you want to be involved in this business if you only think it's a fad?" she says.

Tallula, which is named after the spirited Hollywood actress of the '30s, Tallulah Bankhead, is a perfect fit for San Francisco (Khera compares her neighborhood to London's SoHo), but has a global flair. "A lot of friends come here from Mumbai or Delhi and say this would be fantastic there," she says.

Crossing the Bar, another San Francisco destination, was founded by chef Bidasha Chowdhury. The business-district restaurant and lounge features French-inspired intriguing dishes like masala crab cakes with ginger, scallion, portabella mushrooms, coconut, mozzarella cheese and tomato tamarind chutney; pan seared muscovy duck breasts with Indian lentils; a dessert of Indian carrot crepes with pistachios; and a "Calcutta margarita" with Cazadores, Cointreau and lime juice.

If you live in the Silicon Valley, you don't even have to get out of your pajamas to taste one fusion chef's cooking - that's because Jyoti Jain, founder of Spice by the Bay, offers home delivery of her gourmet meals. Jain also teaches fusion cooking at places like Whole Foods Markets, where she recently taught a course on herbed goat cheese aloo tikki, Basmati risotto with wild mushrooms and pea shoots, and chocolate chai fondue.

"The Indian community, especially the younger generation, love our fusion dishes," said Jain.

Jain's catered dishes sound intriguing - baked brie topped with spiced walnuts, apple and mango jam served with sourdough croutons; Chinese potstickers with curried potato filling served with chili and rice vinegar sauce; potatoes and sev chaat made with garlic infused olive oil and balasamic vinaigrette; and even black bean and yams tikki with raspberry chipotle sauce.

"Ever since I can remember, I loved experimenting with different ingredients and spices to create new and different flavors," said the San Mateo-based chef. "My fusion dishes have evolved over the past 10 years of my stay in the Bay Area. I draw inspiration from my culinary roots in India and my love for Californian cuisine."

POINTS SOUTH

Southern California, too, has its share of inventive cooking.

Bombay Café in West Los Angeles has some novel items on its menu, such as eggplant deva (sautéed Japanese eggplant layered with fennel-laced tomato conserve and garlic-ginger infused yogurt); a California tandoori salad; a spongy badaam (almond) cake perfumed with citrus; and a ginger margarita.

Tantra, a fixture on the lounge scene in Silverlake, serves a tandoor-roasted kesari (saffron) monkfish with a tulsi-laced salad; catfish masala in coconut sauce; tofu and spinach samosas; and whimsical cocktails such as the Tantratini.

Nirvana in Beverly Hills offers wild boar with mango coulis and venison with cranberries and roasted halibut, among its fusion offerings; and Chakra Creative Indian Cuisine in Irvine serves "South and North Indian food with a modern twist," said a spokesperson.

The best fusion cooking is a marriage between unusual, new tastes and the comforting warmth of classic Indian tastes. Says Harveen Khera of Tallula, "There's a reason [Indians] like this food. Its lengthy preparation period adds to its appeal."

Jyoti Jain adds, "I think the Indians love the idea of tasting something that is 'different' yet 'familiar' enough to remind them of the traditional Indian food they are so fond of."

Lisa Ahmad, chef-owner of Mirchi Cafe and Masala Pizza in Fremont, California. Lisa comes from an Italian background and is married to a Pakistani - clearly the twain shall meet with good taste.

Chicken with capers at Avatar's, a fusion restaurant in Sausalito, California. Right, Harveen Khera, owner and chef of Tallula, a popular genre-bending eatery in San Francisco's Castro district.

Ashok Ubhi, the owner of Avatar's, catering to his clients. Some of Avatar's fans include Indian industrialist Vijay Mallya and Apple CEO Steve Jobs. Left, Avatar's Punjabi enchilada.