THE Palak Paneer stands out at Thaba Express, a northern Indian eatery in Jalan Pudu Lama, Kuala Lumpur.

It’s not your usual creamy spinach dish with cottage cheese in it, but one that retains some of the greens’ texture and flavour.

Two types of spinach – kai lan and choy sam – are boiled with green lentils, garlic and cili padi, and then ground by hand.

Fried ginger, garlic, onions and fenugreek seeds are added in before the mixture is refried with paneer (cheese). It’s finished off with pieces of fresh paneer.

This goes so well with flaky paratha and chappati.

The light and crispy Pakora, made of brown dhal and carrot, is simply moreish.

Dipped in a chickpea flour batter and deep-fried, these fritters are served with a sweet and sour spiced tamarind sauce. Highly addictive!

The Chicken Biryani, cooked with pieces of meat marinated in spices, yoghurt, ginger and garlic, is aromatic, fluffy and moist.

The Spicy Chicken, meanwhile, gets a nice tang from tomatoes and heat from chilli chutney.

Ground cinnamon and other spices, as well as ginger and garlic, are cooked with the meat. Perhaps surprisingly, curry powder isn’t used here.

Biryani rice and paratha go great with this preparation.

The Chappati Set comes with two pieces of chappati, dhal, mint chutney and onion rings. The dhal is thick, and the chilli, hot.

For those looking for a light yet satisfying meal, this is just the thing to order.

Thaba Express’ owners have a lot of experience with Mughal food, having run Thaba Village Restaurant in Ampang for the past 20 years.

The eateries take their name from “dhaba”, the 24-hour roadside restaurants in India and Pakistan that offer home-cooked food to truck drivers passing through.

Thaba Express makes the perfect Mango Lassi – fruity and fragrant with Indian mangoes, and lightly sweet. It’s also not too heavy on the yoghurt.

Usually, the traditional dessert Gulab Jamun has balls of milk solids soaked in syrup, which I find cloying.

However, Thaba Express’ version is made using semolina and filled with sticky goat’s milk cheese, and sits on whipped cream. The sweetness is just right, and I loved its texture.

Prices here are affordable. The Palak Paneer clocks in at RM15 with paratha, Pakora (RM6 for six pieces), Chicken Biryani (RM14), Spicy Chicken (RM14), Mango Lassi (RM9 for a tall glass), Gulab Jamun (RM4) and Chappati Set (RM5).

Also on the menu are Lamb Biryani with mint chutney at RM16, Fish Masala (RM16) and Mutton Masala (RM14).

Thaba Express is open from 11am to 11pm on weekdays, and from 6pm onwards on Saturdays. It’s closed on Sundays.

The restaurant is located at No. 34, Jalan Pudu Lama in Kuala Lumpur. It can be reached at 016-362-9193. – February 1, 2020.

* Eu Hooi-Khaw has been writing about food for the longest time, covering all aspects, from restaurant reviews to cooking and recipes, as well as the healthy side of it. She has written for major newspapers and magazines, published the cookbook Fresh Ingredients, and also writes for her website hooikhawandsu.com.

* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.