Across the street from the Wildwood B&B Theater is a unique fine dining restaurant serving a pan-Indian culinary experience. Chulah Indian Hearth & Bar opened its doors at at 16721 Main St. in Wildwood to the public in September. The restaurant is owned by three partners: Chandra Mohan, Naga Indukuri and Dinesh Batula.
The name “Chulah” represents the hearth of traditional Indian kitchens, symbolizing authenticity, heritage and the warmth of home cooking. And that’s what Mohan wants Chulah to be: a representation of all the flavors reminiscent of home.
“We just wanted to take the authenticity from our villages and get the actual flavors right, without any additional ingredients or any additives in it,” Mohan said.
Behind the kitchen door is where the magic happens. In the backrooms of the kitchen, a spice rack seven feet high is lined with seasonings imported from India: a box full of dried red chiles, coriander seeds, mustard seeds, turmeric, and chile powder, among others. Nearby sits a huge sauce pot, filled with the freshly made tikka sauce. These herbs are used to craft a variety of dishes, from kebabs, chicken wings, flatbreads, curries, rice dishes, noodles, pizzas and pastas.
“I want people to try out everything when they come to Chulah… it’s like celebrating and sharing culture,” Indukuri said.
At Chulah, it’s all about experimentation. That sense of innovation is found in Indukuri’s blue-and-green striped recipe book, where he fine-tunes those classic, homestyle Indian recipes. Pages upon pages are filled with recipes recorded in English and Telugu, some of which are written by Indukuri’s own mother.
It’s the texture of the curry that makes all the difference, Indukuri explains. The secret lies in the incorporation of a paste made from cashews. This gives the curries a rich texture that pairs beautifully with any of the rice dishes, which include a layered rice dish called biriyani, a one-pot rice dish called pulav, or fried rice.
Chulah also boasts that their samosas are made from scratch and use a fresh onion filling rather than the more common potato filling. The crispy, flaky crust, paired with the aromatic onion filling, transports one to the cinemas of South India, where samosas are served as a movie snack. Or try the veggie cutlets, a nostalgic Indian canapé typically served on trains. It took multiple rounds of experimentation to get them just right, Indukuri explains.
“I won’t give [them] to an adult [for feedback]. I know people have different taste buds. What I do [instead] is I give it to a kid first, because kids will be honest. If it’s spicy or something, they [will be honest],” Indukuri said.
Chulah Indian Hearth and Bar is housed in a 4,500-square-foot space that was formerly an Italian restaurant called Benedetto’s On Main. When Indukuri and his team took over the space, they were left with pizza ovens, which gave Indukuri the idea to craft Indian-style pizzas. After spending a couple of days learning the art of pizza making with the culinary team at Dogwood Social House, Indukuri was ready to put it on the menu. The pizzas are completely customizable and come with a choice of three toppings. The pizzas are brushed with Chulah’s signature tikka masala marinara sauce, which adds a nice little kick to each bite.
Chulah further keeps the Italian spirit alive with dishes like the spaghetti tikka masala, or the penne arrabbiata, which combines Indian style ground lamb with a smoky charred tomato sauce and Italian mozzarella.
If you’re craving something more Indian, don’t miss out on the naan flatbreads, which are cooked in a traditional tandoori oven, and then brushed with ghee and topped with finely chopped cilantro. It arrives at your table fresh out of the oven, the steam still rising. The specialty cheese naan has a soft chewiness that creates the perfect vessel for any of Chulah’s curries, like the paneer shahi korma: cubes of paneer (Indian cheese) that are slow-cooked in a rich cashew sauce with saffron and other spices. Indukuri’s favorite is the saag curries, a savory spinach curry with a selection of lamb, chicken or paneer.
The decor of Chulah evokes a sense of comfort, reminiscent of traditional Indian homes, with wood finishes and brightly colored walls. “Back then, our house used to be made with wood, so as soon as we saw the place, [we saw that] a lot of wood was used inside [for decor], and we got the wood stained. So that’s how we wanted to keep it, like an old-style country home, like the traditional Chettinadu homes [in South India],” Indukuri said.
Chulah’s capacious interior provides a space for everyone; in addition to regular indoor tables, there is a private dining area for parties, bar seating and an outdoor patio – and more to come, according to Indukuri. In the coming months, the outdoor patio seating area will be outfitted with a grill to whip up fresh lentil crepes, known as dosas. If you’re looking for a healthy grab-and-go meal, Chulah’s protein and vegetable-loaded bowls and wraps don’t skimp out on flavor.
Follow Chulah Indian Hearth and Bar on Instagram, or visit their website for more updates.
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Dining and Cooking