In 2020, I began teaching an Indian food, blogging and photography class at Willliams College, Massachusetts. At each session, students prepared a protein, lentil, vegetable, and bread or rice dish. We concluded the class by sitting around a table, talking and eating all the delicious food prepared.

The class included a Jackson Heights restaurant tour and we observed two chef’s – from Drunken Munkey and Rahi – demonstrate their cooking skills. Below are some of my student’s blog posts. 

A quiet street in the Upper East Side of New York City is home to The Drunken Munkey, an Indian restaurant which, in appearance, resembles a hybrid between a French bistro and a Prohibition-era speakeasy. From monkeys in suits to retro bicycles, sultry red lamps, and a television playing Bollywood films, the eclectic décor gives the space a charmingly confused and playful atmosphere. Originally designed as a craft cocktail bar, the venue boasts an impressive selection of London-inspired mixed drinks in addition to its full dining menu.

While many come to The Drunken Munkey for the drinks and the popular menu items such as the naan-covered biryani and chicken tikka masala, I found that where the food really sang was at the beginning of the meal. The puffed rice street food, bhel puri, is an addictive snack bursting with the flavors of tamarind, citrus, coriander, and spice. Crunchy and delectable, this simple dish was surely one of the unexpected highlights of the evening.

We had the pleasure of watching as the chef expertly packed a seasoned lamb mixture onto a metal skewer and placed it in the tandoor oven. Tandoor ovens are used throughout India and Pakistan for dishes that require high temperatures. The cylindrical clay oven insulates the heat from the coals, producing a convection-like effect and an even cook. After just 5 or 6 minutes in the tandoor, the meat on the metal rods was cooked through and ready to be plated. Served with a tamarind and a mint chutney, with a squeeze of lime on the side, the lamb sausage was rich and flavorful, yet not greasy or heavy in the way chucks of meat often can be.

The surprising star of the meal was a dish so simple a child could make it. Its name is a dead give-away for the ingredient list: chili cheese toast. When I heard we would be having the chili cheese toast, I found it odd that the dish would even be included on the menu. And when I heard the description of the dish, an open-faced sandwich topped with melted cheese and chili pepper, I was even more perplexed. I was completely underwhelmed as I watched the chef butter a piece of plain white bread, pile it high with a mix of shredded Vermont cheddar, diced green chili, and onion, and pop it in the broiler. Even once the toast was served to us, sliced into triangles and garnished with chopped coriander, I struggled to understand what made this melted cheese on bread so special…

And then I tasted it.

The green chili and sharp cheddar flavors exploded on my tongue in an epic battle, fighting for my attention with equal force. The coriander was a subtle, yet necessary, mediator in this contest, searching for a middle ground. At last, the pullman bread, that was simultaneously soft and crunchy, put my tastebuds at rest. But I had to go back for more.

This mind-bogglingly delicious childhood food is a staple across the different regions of India, and now I can see why. Professor Reddy fondly associates chili cheese toast with long train rides through the country; it is the quintessential travel snack. Despite The Drunken Munkey’s strange décor and questionable relationship to colonialism, the chili cheese toast alone makes the trip to the Upper East Side completely worth it. I never would have guessed that, out of all the complex and wonderful dishes Indian cuisine has to offer, I would fall in love with a mere piece of toast.

Madison Miura is a senior at Williams College where she is double majoring in biology and sociology. She has been dancing (ballet, jazz, and hip-hop) since she was four years old and is now the President of her student-led hip-hop group. When she is not studying or dancing, Madison enjoys experimenting in the kitchen and crisis counseling via SMS text for Crisis Text Line.