Being in college away from my mother’s home cooked Indian food always makes me crave some Indian spice and food! When the Muslim cultural organisation at school decided to go to a Pakistani/Indian restaurant, Zaiqa Kabob and Grill in Mechanicsburg, I jumped at the opportunity to get some perfect comfort food!

We started the meal with bhajiyas (known as bakoras in Pakistan), a fried onion and potato dish, and potato and pea samosas. After adding a little bit of mint yogurt and spicy chutney to the starters it makes all the difference!

For the main course we shared (such an Indian/Pakistani tradition to order a lot of dishes and share), chicken sheesh kabob (skewered chicken mince with spices), butter chicken curry, chicken biryani, goat curry, chicken tikka, chana masala (chickpea curry) and naan (type of bread). Obviously I ate every single dish, overate as per usual, and took leftovers home with me.

I enjoyed everything, however, having grown up with my mother’s amazing Indian food, I am extremely critical of the Indian food I eat. All the food was good, but not the best that I have had. I couldn’t expect too much from a Pakistani restaurant in central PA, but nevertheless I would go back there in a heartbeat, despite the incredibly unhealthy fried food and cream filled curries.