The hen dum biryani is likely one of the many meals supplied at Midday Mirch.
Houston is filled with tradition, and we present this finest via our meals. That goes for the outskirts of city, too. For those who’re ever within the NASA space, you’ll nonetheless be capable to discover some nice eating places that supply a style of the town’s variety.
Midday Mirch in Webster is one in every of these gems. Opened in 1989, fueled by Monica Nanda’s ardour for meals and sharing her Indian tradition with these within the space, the family-owned restaurant has since change into a stronghold in the neighborhood for its tackle Indian meals and customer-first mindset. Now, after 35 years, the torch has been handed right down to her son, Navul Nanda, who is able to take the restaurant to the subsequent stage.
“We’ve added our personal contact to it, however to succeed, I believe you simply should be like the way in which my mother is—she’s actually robust,” Navul says. “She all the time tells me to by no means hand over.”
Monica struggled initially of her journey to Midday Mirch: She didn’t totally notice what she was entering into when she entered the male-dominated restaurant trade, and confronted hostility even from a few of her personal staff. Working within the kitchen, she would get burned by sizzling skewers individuals left on the counters and was ignored by cooks when asking for assist to be taught new issues.
In the future, the pinnacle chef and his nephew, who labored on the tandoor, didn’t present as much as work. The dishwasher stepped in—because it seems, he had been observing the cooks and writing the recipes down on napkins, memorizing what they had been doing. The dishwasher moved to the tandoor, and Monica took on making the curries. That was when she actually started to grasp the artwork of cooking her delicacies.
As Monica fine-tuned her expertise, different hardships out of her management affected the restaurant. When Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait in 1990 and President George H.W. Bush despatched troops to the Center East, there was a way of concern in America, Navul says. Nobody was spending cash. Because the Gulf Battle ramped up, gross sales at Midday Mirch plummeted. Her earnings for that total month had been round $500. She thought of simply shutting the restaurant down. “However one thing in her advised her, ‘no, I can do that,’” Navul says.
She saved pushing via, and Midday Mirch ultimately obtained again on its toes. Throughout occasions when there wasn’t a head chef or employees adjustments occurred within the kitchen, you may discover Monica again there, cooking herself, and coaching individuals alongside the way in which.
Midday Mirch was going sturdy till 2020. Amid the pandemic shutdowns and different points, Monica and her husband, Vijay, started to consider their subsequent steps. After shopping for the procuring middle Midday Mirch is in, they advised Navul they’d promote the restaurant to him if he wished it. Following a dialog along with his spouse, Annika, they determined to tackle the enterprise. He jokes they even obtained a household low cost.
Monica Nanda handed the enterprise right down to her son, Navul.
Navul has been virtually working within the household restaurant since he was 9 years outdated. As a younger boy, he remembers studying in regards to the significance of high-quality elements, meals security, and tips on how to prepare dinner gadgets from Midday Mirch’s menu. He additionally owns a Dairy Queen in Cypress and is acquainted with tips on how to run a enterprise.
Though the choice to go the restaurant right down to the couple occurred in 2020, they didn’t buy it till April of this 12 months. Annika, a biology main who’s labored in analysis labs, says that is primarily as a result of plenty of coaching needed to be finished.
“We first got here [to the restaurant] to assist Navul’s mother out, however then we realized that we loved it,” Annika says. “I used to be within the entrance interacting with prospects, and I noticed there was a lot nostalgia right here with the regulars.”
Whereas Annika was being taught the entrance, Navul was at the back of home gaining data of the totally different spices, recipes, and cooking methods used at Midday Mirch. Like his mother, Navul additionally confronted some challenges within the kitchen. He needed to earn the belief of the parents within the again and show to them that they’re all on the identical crew.
“The notion was ‘you’re simply the proprietor’s son, what have you learnt?’” Navul says. “However then they type of realized that I can do the job, too.”
An important factor the couple has realized is the distinction between consuming a dish and really tasting it to decipher its taste palate and the spices in it. Navul says his mother has a particular expertise that permits her to reverse-engineer any dish and switch it into one thing even higher, which is finally their objective.
Beneath the brand new possession of Annika and Navul, one of many largest adjustments regulars will see to Midday Mirch is a brand new beverage program. The Nandas are working to enchantment to youthful diners with cocktails, wines from family-owned vineyards, and craft beers from native breweries. Additionally they plan to make pairing suggestions for diners’ meals.
Being in a melting pot like Houston, Navul says he’s seeing extra fusion meals on menus round city. Midday Mirch might be including extra gadgets to maintain up with the occasions. They’ve already debuted an every part bagel naan filled with cream cheese and topped with smoked salmon, a play on the bagel sandwich utilizing naan bread seasoned with every part bagel. The Nandas have additionally launched a pumpkin-flavored curry to trip the pumpkin spice pattern that takes over the vacation season, in addition to lamb sliders, a play on the American miniburger with an Indian filling.
After all, conventional menu gadgets stay at Midday Mirch, just like the butter hen, tandoori hen, and hen dum biryani. Navul says their model of butter hen is totally different from another Indian eating places in its consideration to element with the spices used—18 to be actual—and the ratio of tomato sauce, cream, and butter. The sauce tastes wealthy and doesn’t really feel such as you’re consuming hen topped with spaghetti sauce like at another eating places, he says.
Extra adjustments are coming in 2025. The Nandas wish to add an Indian tackle tacos and a butter hen sushi roll, however nothing might be solidified till the recipes are at their finest. They’d wish to ultimately revamp the entire menu, including extra vegan and vegetarian choices. It’s a gradual course of—Annika acknowledges that generally when drastic adjustments are made, it may possibly deter regulars. With many concepts being developed and a shiny future forward, the objective for now’s to proceed to construct on the exhausting work of Navul’s mother.
“Now it’s as much as us,” Navul says. “Now we have large sneakers to fill.”
