As France slowly reduces restrictions on Covid-19 confinement, it’s good to see Parisian neighborhoods come back to life step by step. As is the case in other parts of the world, the transition will take time and hopefully not lead to a second phase of outbreaks.

The transition will probably create a new normal way of life for businesses and citizens alike. Many smaller restaurants in Paris were already under stress from the yellow vest and transport strikes last year. Now it looks like several will not survive the loss of revenues incurred during Covid lockdown. The good news is that a fresh crop of chefs and restaurateurs are hoping to launch eateries as we emerge from our collective Covid slumber.  Ministry of Spice is among the recent additions. It just opened up literally around the corner from our apartment and I immediately wanted to try out their concept of modern Indian fusion. 

We are so grateful to be able to walk around more freely and enjoy spring weather, albeit with the proper precautions including masks. I have to admit that even during full lock down we were pretty lucky to have access to basic groceries nearby and can’t complain about walks within our one kilometer radius — which includes the Champs de Mars and Invalides. 

Our only struggle was to find halal meat. It’s forced me to started exploring more fish and bean based recipes for Jalal to ensure he gets enough protein during Ramadan. Recently we discovered some frozen halal beef burgers at the local store, which can be tweaked for curries and taco fillings with some creativity. 

Although I jumped on the Covid cooking bandwagon early and spent most of the time testing out recipes when I was not working remotely – which I hope to post now that I have replaced my camera battery — I am glad that delivery and takeaway options are increasing. Thanks to contactless delivery service from Deliveroo and UberEats, we started an at home date night ritual on Saturdays starting with Homer Lobster. 

Apparently Sagittarians deal with stress by redecorating and I’m certainly guilt of that. During the first month of lockdown, I spent weekends redoing every room in the apartment. I think I finally have the perfect setup to start food vlogging. At the very least, the balcony garden is thriving compared to last year and we have the ideal spot for semi-alfresco dining.

My mom saw the social media posts about the Iftar we ordered from  Ramadan Box Paris at the beginning of Ramadan and wanted to send Jalal something similar. In Bangladeshi culture its a tradition for the bride’s side of the family to send a full spread for the Iftar meal at the end of day to break the fast. In many families, different members take turns doing this over the month and this tradition often continues for years after the wedding takes place. My mom wanted to do something special since we had to cancel our original spring wedding plans and as expats its unclear when we will get to see family in person again. Also most Bengalis express their love through feeding people! 

Technology has been amazing in keeping us connected though. My sister came up with the idea to place a Deliveroo order from the United States for delivery to our apartment. She looked into it and it would have worked out fine, but I thought Ministry of Spice would be perfect and its was too close to justify a delivery. Jalal’s tolerance of spicy food is increasing and we share a love of cheese naan. My theory is that despite his Moroccan heritage, his taste preferences and aversion to hot food are due to too much time in northern Italy. But we can both agree that the best thing to happen to Indian naan flatbread is French butter and cheese. 

Ministry of Spice

From prior experience, I know not to have high expectations of Indian food in continental Europe. Things are certainly improving, but the caliber and variety of Indian restaurants is just not the same as the UK — where chicken tikka masala is akin to a national dish — or the States. While we didn’t get the full experience of dining in the restaurant, I was pleasantly surprised by the food. 

My plating doesn’t do justice to the modern fusion concept Ministry of Spice is proposing. We are hoping to dine in person once that this allowed again to see how the restaurant pairs the dishes with sauces. 

I ordered a mix of appetizers and mains to introduce Jalal to some of my favorite Indian dishes and to try some of the fusion options on the menu. There was plenty for our dinner and his pre-dawn meal. The vegetarian starters included Hari Moti Tikki, a potato, pea, and corn fitter that satisfied my samosa cravings. The traditional cheese tikka are prepared with a gourmet truffle oil twist. Of course we ordered the cheese naan. I am not a fan of mushrooms, but Jalal was obsessed the mushroom and truffle naan. 

Although I typically tend to prefer appetizers over mains, I think my favorite dish from Ministry of Spice was the okra masala. Maybe it’s because okra is popular in traditional South Asian cooking, but rarely appears on restaurant menus. Especially in France. The preparation was perfectly crispy with just the right amount of spicy kick. 

We both enjoyed the tandoori gambas and the tandoori chicken tikka was much better than comparable Indian restaurants in Paris. I was so glad to see that it was naturally spiced and not doused in the artificial red food coloring that many restaurants rely on. 

I was glad to see the menu also includes a traditional Bengali fish preparation. Cod is growing on me as I learn to cook fish, and it was interesting to see it served Calcutta style with a mustard and coconut sauce. 

Honestly, I think Jalal was most excited by the fact that Ministry of Spice had both Mango lassi and strawberry milkshake to go. Based on our dining at home experience, I hope Ministry of Spice and other new ventures are able to survive this transition period. 

Details:

Ministry of Spice

Address: 22 Avenue Duquesne, 75007 Paris. Phone: 06 34 69 47 19

Closed on Sundays. Delivery is available on Deliveroo or you can call ahead or drop by for takeaway.