Brown Butter Congee with hirekai, roasted tomatoes, ghost pepper tamarind masala, poached egg
We are absolutely thrilled to have our friend Kusuma "Kumi" Rao of Ruchikala back in the Tournant kitchen as guest chef for our May Oyster Social.
Our love for this woman knows no bounds. She is blessed with so much heart and so many talents, it's ridiculous. Kumi bakes phenomenal sourdough loaves, teaches cooking and yoga classes, and creates highly personal, mind-bendingly delicious spice-driven fare, drawing inspiration from her Indian heritage and Sonoran flavors from her upbringing in Arizona.
This is a super special opportunity to taste Kumi's food, as she divides her time between Tuscon and Portland and only rarely does public pop-ups. You really do have to taste it to believe it, as her aggressive yet deft use of spices will light up parts of your palate you didn't even know were there.
Along with some signature dishes from Kumi (SEE HER OUTRAGEOUS MENU BELOW), we'll be popping fresh NW oysters and Andy Boy will be raising the bar.
No reservations necessary, just drop by 5-9pm for a la carte ordering and restaurant-style seating. Hope to see you at the table, friends!
RUCHIKALA OYSTER SOCIAL MENU
Bread Service
Choice of 1/4 habanero cheddar bread or 1/4 polenta mustard thadka sourdough with fermented lemon pickle grassfed butter
Chaat Tostadas
Fried corn tortilla, yellow peas curry, tamarind date chutney, mint/pepita chutney, sweet and savory yoghurt chutney, spicy chickpea vermicelli
Dosa+ Beet Chutney
Farina buttermilk dosa, ginger, green chiles, spicy beet coconut chutney
Fresh Saag
Lacinato kale, shaved fennel, lemon pickle vinaigrette with mustard seeds, toasted cashews, fried curry leaves, kashmiri chili yoghurt dressing
Tandoori Masala Mac and Cheese
Habenero oil, fenugreek, mustard seed/curry leaf thadka
Saruu Kanji
Brown butter whipped congee, tamarind tomato fenugreek stew, pastured yolk
Lamb Rogan Josh
Lamb, caramelized onion curry, lemony coconut polenta, diaspora turmeric, habanero, mustard seeds