Goat Biryani
$15.99Bone-in goat layered with saffron basmati, caramelised onion and whole spice, then finished under a sealed lid. Served with achar set and raita.
Spicy
✦ Biryani · chaat · slow curry · Harrisburg, PA ✦
Indian foodin Harrisburg, PA.
Biryani in three proteins, cooked to order and served with achar and raita. Paneer makhani, samosa, samosa chaat and pani puri alongside. A short Indian menu, cooked properly, on the same fire as the Nepali one.
Start with the biryani
Biryani is the dish this half of the menu is built on. Long-grain basmati is layered with marinated meat, saffron, fried onion and whole spice, then finished under a sealed lid so the rice steams in the aromatics instead of boiling in them. Lift the lid early and you have lost it — which is why it is made to order and takes a few minutes longer than everything else.
Three proteins: goat, chicken or vegetable. Achar set and raita come with all of them — the raita is there to cool the plate down, so use it.
What we don't cook, and why
Plenty of Indian restaurants run a twelve-curry menu — korma, tikka masala, vindaloo, jalfrezi, a tandoor going all night. We deliberately don't. This is a Nepali kitchen first, and the owner would rather cook a short list properly than a long one adequately.
So: no naan, no tandoori, no butter chicken. What you get instead is biryani, paneer makhani, and the street-food end of the menu — samosa, samosa chaat, pani puri, pakoda — which is the part most people actually miss anyway. If a full North Indian menu is what you're after, we would rather tell you here than have you find out at the table.
The curries we do cook are Nepali-style: mustard oil, ginger, garlic and timur rather than cream and cashew. Sharper, lighter, and worth ordering even if you came in wanting the other thing.
Biryani, curry & chaat
A selection — the full menu has the rest, including the thali trays.
Chicken Biryani
$14.99Basmati slow-cooked with marinated chicken, saffron, fried onion and whole spices. Served with achar set and raita.
Spicy
Vegetable Biryani
$13.99Seasonal vegetables and paneer cooked with saffron basmati and whole spices. Served with achar set and raita.
Veg
Chicken Curry
$14.99Nepali-style home cooking — chicken simmered with onion, tomato, ginger, garlic and mountain spice. Served with rice, daal and achar set.
Spicy
Goat Curry
$16.99Khasi ko masu — bone-in goat cooked low and slow with mustard oil, timur and Himalayan spice rather than cream. Served with rice, daal and achar set.
Spicy
Pork Curry
$15.99Nepali-style pork, browned hard then simmered with onion, tomato, ginger, garlic and timur until it falls apart. Served with rice, daal and achar set.
Spicy
Shrimp Curry
$16.99Shrimp in a rich gravy of onion, tomato, ginger, garlic and house spice. Served with rice, daal and achar set.
Spicy
Fish Curry
$16.99Boneless salmon cooked in onion-tomato sauce with ginger, garlic and house spice. Served with rice, daal and achar set.
Spicy
Paneer Makhani
$13.99Paneer in a velvety tomato-butter-cream makhani sauce. Served with rice, daal and achar set.
Veg
Veg Samosa (2 pc)
$4.99Hand-folded pastry stuffed with spiced potato, pea and cumin, fried golden. Tamarind chutney on the side.
Veg
Samosa Chaat
$6.99Crushed samosa layered with chickpeas, yogurt, tamarind and mint — sweet, tangy and crunchy all at once.
Veg Spicy
Pani Puri
$6.99Hollow crisp puris filled with spiced tamarind water, mashed chickpea, potato and onion. Pop one whole — that is the rule.
Veg Spicy
Mitho Chatpate
$5.99Puffed rice tossed with sev, peanut, diced potato, cilantro, lemon and tamarind. Sweet, sour, crunchy, addictive.
Veg Spicy
Sel Roti (2 pc)
$4.99Traditional Nepali sweet rice rings, fried to order. Festival food, eaten all year.
Veg
Vegetarian and vegan
A large share of India eats no meat at all, and so does a large share of Nepal — daal is the centre of the plate, not a side. Vegetable biryani, paneer makhani, veg thali, veg samosa, pakoda, pani puri, chatpate and sel roti are all here, plus veg momo in three styles and veg thukpa on the Nepali side.
Several are vegan or can be made vegan by leaving out the cream or ghee. Ask when you order and we will tell you honestly which ones, rather than guessing on your behalf.
Where to eat Indian food in Harrisburg
6400 Derry St, Harrisburg, PA. Order on this site for pickup or delivery — you pay the restaurant directly, no third-party app in between — or call (717) 565-1414. Biryani travels well; give it the few extra minutes it needs.
The rest of the kitchen is Nepali and Newari, and that is the part worth the detour. Start with momos.