A tasty eggplant dish, traditional flatbreads and other tandoori delicacies are among the Northern Indian offerings at this restaurant in Bensalem, Pa.
By: Richard Burns
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Mauraya Indian Cuisine |
Restaurants specializing in Indian food seem to have become more common in the last decade. They range from somewhat upscale with moderate prices, to small, plain places with low prices that rely on take-out trade. Mauraya, located about a half mile west of I-95 on Street Road, fits in the middle.
The restaurant is fairly large in that it takes up two units in the Bensalem Plaza strip mall. It presents a clean, uncluttered appearance with white-tablecloth-covered tables and booths. The accent from the chairs, cushions and napkins is deep maroon. Mauraya is brightly lit with prints of Indian scenes and small bouquets of silk flowers on the walls. There is a large room in the back for parties and gatherings. The restaurant has been around for a while, but under new ownership for about a year.
The menu, while not nearly as extensive as some my wife and I have seen, offers ample choices. The food, as in most Indian restaurants, reflects the Northern Indian style, as opposed to the more vegetarian, less familiar cuisine of the South. In this case, however, the chef is from Madras, in the South. This comes through in some dishes, but dosa, the crisp-rice, lentil-flour crepe common in the South, is not offered, for example.
Upon seating, we were greeted by a generous basket of pappadam served with a choice of a mint-cilantro-chile sauce or a tamarind sauce. The pappadams were freshly cooked, crispy and delicious. The sauces, however, appeared to have been from a bottle.
About 10 different appetizers are available. Most are the familiar samosas and pakoras, ranging in price from $2.50 to $13.95 for the koliwara fish. The latter consists of filets seasoned with Indian spices and herbs, dipped in flour batter and deep fried. We decided to try one familiar dish and a second that we hadn’t yet sampled.
Samosas, often stuffed with deep-fried potatoes, peas or meat, are widely available. Mauraya’s vegetarian samosa ($2.50) consisted of two good-sized servings that came right out of the deep fryer with a sharp and spicy filling that was just right. The dough surrounding the filling, however, was somewhat tough and lacked a proper flakiness.
The other dish, chooza pakora, turned out to be an Indian version of chicken fingers. I couldn’t find it in any of my Indian cookbooks, and I suspect it was created for the American palate. Strips of boneless chicken breast had been coated with Indian spices, batter covered and deep fried. The flavoring was quite mild and not very interesting, and the covering had little to recommend.
I wanted to try one of the restaurant’s soup offerings and bypassed crab soup ($4.95) and coconut soup ($2.95) to sample mulligatawny soup ($2.95). Mauraya’s version, typically made with coconut milk, turmeric, ginger and stock, was excellent; the best dish we had in our meal. It came in a cup with a wedge of fresh lime with a bit of cilantro garnish. It was pleasant and smooth, and left a refreshing aftertaste.
The entrées offer a fairly typical range of Indian foods, with tandoori items ranging from a half-chicken at $10.95 to a tandoori fish tikka at $14.95. Chicken, lamb, seafood and vegetarian curries also are offered. The prices range from $10.95 for most of the chicken dishes such as the chicken vindaloo, to seafood dishes such as goan fish curry, a South Indian dish, at $14.95. Vegetarian dishes are in the $8.95 to $9.95 range. One dish I hadn’t seen on a menu before was the bhindee masala ($8.95), okra cooked in spices with tomato and onion. All entrées come with a generous serving of pilaf-style basmati rice.
We choose two familiar dishes and one that was new to us. The half tandoori chicken came to the table on a sizzling hot plate with grilled onions. The chicken was not as subtly flavored as most but was moist and tasty. The baingan bharta ($8.95), another popular Indian dish, was very good and presented the eggplant, onion, pea and spices in its best light.
Finally, we chose a new dish for us, lamb khusta ($12.95), which consisted of lamb cubes cooked with onions and spices, yielding tender meat in a subtle sauce. The dish was served on poori, the Indian puff bread, which provided an excellent complement to the lamb.
One of the joys of Indian cooking is the variety of quality breads to eat with the main dishes or as appetizers. We had to test their effectiveness in this area by ordering the basket of bread ($6.95) naan, the traditional tandoori flatbread; a poori; onion kulcha, a naan stuffed with onions and spices; and a methi paratha, layered bread with fenugreek leaves. Except for the poori, which was too greasy, the breads were among the best we have tasted.
Most entrées can be ordered as mild, medium or hot in terms of spiciness. We went for medium, which proved to be quite hot. Unless you really like food that burns your tongue, you are probably better off with mild. To cool our mouths, we ordered a serving of raita, the yogurt and cucumber blend designed to do just that.
From a small menu of Indian desserts, we sampled the kheer ($2.50), a delightful rice pudding flavored with cardamom.
The restaurant was not busy, so there were no service problems at all. Our waiter, friendly, prompt and attentive, was able to answer our questions clearly and effectively.
Mauraya offers a reasonable range of good Indian food in a pleasant setting at modest prices. For those inclined, the restaurant’s lunch buffet costs $6.95 per person, and there also is a full take-out menu.
If you’re in the area, Mauraya is worth a visit.
For directions to Mauraya Indian Cuisine, click here.

