Vegan Mama Coast 2 Coast: Pooja Cuisine of India, Corona CA

Pure Vegetarian & Pure Vegan

Pooja Cuisine of India located off the 91 freeway is a haven for the conscious and spiritually minded folk who live inland. Boasting that their food is 100% vegetarian and vegan is a plus for vegan customers, since the area is known as cattle land. My Kingman and I were fortunate enough to stop by for dinner after a wondrous day at the Glen Ivy Spa not too far away.

One thing I loved about their menu is there are a variety of Indian dishes from various areas. It is easy for westerners, myself included, to believe we know Indian food when we have really only experienced one style and region. The simple, yet varied items included many dishes I had never heard of- the Kathiyawadi Thali came with Gujarati village style Bajri Rotio, khichdi, kadhi and more names I was not familiar with. The owner suggested I not order this item because it is village food and he did not think that I would like it, (I was somewhat offended by that), but also it cannot be made vegan. Ithiel and I settled for the Gujarati Thali which came as a full meal in a circular plate with 2 vegetable curries, rice, dal, roti bread, farsan which was pakora, dessert, salad, and pickle.

This was a great choice especially since it is all you can eat and only $9.99. The meal was western India style, which is the one we are most familiar with. Though the dish had familiar curries, potatoes and chickpeas, spinach, and yellow dahl, the spices tasted slightly different, which gave the entrees a sharp kick. Since the restaurant prepares cuisine from different regions, recognizable items such as tamarind were slightly different. Usually my tamarind is a deep maroon color and sweet. This tamarind was beige in color and hotter than most I have tasted. The green sauce was also lighter and a bit more spicier. We were delighted that the cook made a special vegan dessert for us with raisins and a type of sugar. Everything tasted delicious and unique.

In addition to our thali's we ordered Kachori, "green lentils balls stuffed in soft dough and deep fried til crunchy. The flavors inside were intensely aromatic and perfectly filling. I ate half of one and felt my stomach sing bliss. Ithiel agreed and was very happy with his visit.

All in all we definitely recommend a visit and we'll be coming back again. Jamari and Urijah did not accompany me on this trip, but they enjoyed the leftovers. The inside of Pooja is super chill, and very welcoming of families. I actually ran into a family I knew years ago in Berkeley, Ca.

I love that there is all this new stuff to try on the menu, though not all of it is vegan, but there are still many to choose from. If you go, let us know what you tried!