This is one of the most loved Indian restaurants in South Jersey.
OUR ANNUAL PRESENTATION of 30 Best Meals continues, with the focus turning to Asian cuisine.
The category of best Asian restaurants is exceptionally broad, but what particularly stands out at each restaurant chosen for this list is the quality of the ingredients (e.g., exceptionally fresh seafood) and the skill of the chef. And perhaps, most important, a fierce dedication to tradition.
In other words, these are not Americanized restaurants.
PLUS: More of 30 Best Meals in N.J. 2015
Many, too, are hidden gems, tucked into unassuming spaces along highways or in quiet suburban towns. You'll love in particular the coming story of Sagami in Collingswood, which opened, remarkably, way back in 1974.
On Day 11, we offer the first of our choices for best Asian restaurants in New Jersey.
CORIANDER
Let scientists at prestigious research institutions study the benefits of spices on health -- whether turmeric, for example, can help slow the onset of Alzheimer's disease or if it helps prevent digestive cancers.
Vipul Bhasin, chef/owner of Coriander in VoorheesAn Indian chef already knows. "Spices and herbs cure you from within."
Thus, the theme of Vipul Bhasin's cooking classes, held once a month at Coriander, one of the most loved Indian restaurants in South Jersey.
But Bhasin's classes are not just about health; he also teaches customers the secrets to dishes they've come to love.
The Coriander menu features popular favorites -- samosas, kebabs and tandoori chicken -- but also regional specialties, from northern and southern India.
A buffet of dishes at Coriander.Here, the cuisine is authentic. "Exactly how we cook in India. We don't Americanize the food."
New Jerseyans are more familiar with Indian cuisine now than when the Voorhees restaurant opened (it's in its 12th year), yet Bhasin often finds himself repeating some basic tenets. "The food is not hot, it's flavorful."
And fighting the most common misperception: that Indian food equals curry.
TUESDAY: IndeBlue in Collingswood
Curry, he says, is a British concoction. Indian food can't be categorized so efficiently into a one-word descriptive.
India is a complex nation, with nearly two dozen recognized languages, where the food and customs can change every 100 miles or so. "Whenever we use 'one size fits all' for anything," Bhasin says, "it's usually not a good idea."
• Coriander | 910 Haddonfield-Berlin Road, Voorhees | (856) 566-4546 | coriandernj.com
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