NEW YORK — Inday is an Indian-American, fast-casual dining spot with multiple venues throughout New York City, drawing inspiration from the cultural heritage of the family that operates it.
“We serve bright and beautiful food inspired by Indian flavors and built for modern New York,” said Basu Ratnam, Inday’s CEO and founder.
Ratnam grew up in an Indian-American household on Long Island, right outside the city. Part of the inspiration behind Inday came from his parents.
“So, my mom felt it was really important to hold on to the food and the culture that she grew up with,” Ratnam said.
According to Ratnam’s mother, restaurant cuisine in India bears a strong resemblance to what’s commonly found in America. The menu at Inday provides patrons with a glimpse into the dishes that were staples in the Ratnam household during their upbringing.
“My mom was an amazing cook, but in my youth, I hardly paid her any mind. It’s only through my attempts to recreate her dishes that I’ve reconnected with her and her culinary skills,” said Ratnam’s mother. “Her recipes, all in her own Bengali script, which is our native language, required me to translate them into English to truly understand them.”
Among the food options at Inday includes a dish called kitchari, which has quinoa and is moong dal and lentil-based. Inday also offers their take on chicken tikka masala, which is topped with hot honey, crispy onions and a bunch of fresh herbs.
Ratnam says their second most popular dish is the golden chicken curry. The coconut milk-based curry is made in-house with turmeric, black pepper and curry leaves.
“We have a bowl called the ‘karma bowl,’ which I joke is the Indian buffet bowl because the three most popular things that you’d see at an Indian buffet are saag paneer, chickpea curry and yellow daal,” he said. “Good karma served daily for us means starting your day with an understanding that you are in control of how your day unfolds. That means kind of how we prep our ingredients, the love we put into our finished product.”
Ratnam’s mother adds that it’s all about the intent. She says it’s not just about the ingredients or just about the preparation, but rather the ambience and what they at Inday put into it.
Reflecting on his career thus far, Ratnam looks back at his mother’s cooking and influence as a contribution to his and Inday’s success.
“I now know that every elaborate meal that you made for me when I was a kid and I just wanted a bagel, was you saying that ‘I love you,’ and I love you too,” Ratnam said to his mother during their interview. “I just feel very lucky and blessed that I get to do this with my life.”
