By Juliana Appenrodt
As promised, the India Jones Chow Truck provided my food truck fix for the week, this time acting as the centerpiece of the three mobile eateries—the others being Sushi Bomb and Lee’s Philly—parked bumper-to-bumper along Jefferson Blvd. A not-so-avid eater of Indian food, I wasn’t sure what to try until I saw the words “I love Frankie I love Curry” printed in large letters repeatedly across the top of the red, gold and black painted truck.
Of course, this meant I had to order the frankie and the curry, despite the fact that I wasn’t sure exactly what a frankie was. After further inspecting the menu, which contains multiple variations on the frankie, paratha and curry, along with samosa spring rolls and mango pork ribs/nan, I learned that a frankie is a roti roll-up with cilantro-tamarind chutney, chopped onions and egg—roti being an unleavened flatbread.
Under the suggestion of the truck’s owner, I went with the lamb frankie and the butter chicken curry, which was the chicken curry of the day. The frankie, although skinnier and greasier than I might’ve liked, had a unique, but very good flavor. The flavor of the butter chicken curry served over basmati rice, on the other hand, was masked by its overwhelming spiciness. While this might please the tastebuds of some, spicy foods and I don’t mix well, in which case I suppose it’s a good thing I didn’t order a paratha, described on the menu as a spicy stuffed roti served with raita, a sauce or dip with a yogurt base.
Also yogurt-based is the mango lassi—a traditional beverage of India—that accompanied my meal. Although it might have been better enjoyed post-frankie and curry, as I am not a fan of mixing sweet and savory, it was delicious nonetheless.
Along the same few feet of curb, my tastebuds have now been taken to both Turkey, by tastymeat!’s Turkish-style wraps, and to India by the Chow Truck. Where will the curbside food roll in from next?
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