Ameet Malhotra says he has Metallica to thank for his crowd-favorite recipe, Tikka Masala Poutine. “I went to see them at Heavy Montreal in 2014 and had poutine for the first time. I had it every meal for four days!” He spent years tinkering with the recipe until the opportunity came for him to reveal it to the public. He first unveiled his version in 2021 while working with Anourom Thomson in Strang Hall’s Anousone, and it was an immediate hit. Last February, he brought his talents to the Iron District and recently opened another Elephant Wings location inside Parlor in the Crossroads.
Poutine, a dish that emerged from Quebec, is traditionally made with fries and cheese curds, then topped with a brown gravy. Malhotra brought his northern Indian flavors to the table, spicing up the dish with a tikka masala sauce, yogurt, scallions, jalapeño, curried paneer, and cilantro. The rest of the menu is delicious as well, with the return of the famous Bombay-Mi sandwich, the Unholy Cow, and the Paneer Riff, but it’s the poutine that really hits the spot during these record-breaking winter temperatures.