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Diya Indian Kitchen Opens in the Culinary Enclave of Miami Beach’s Sunset Harbour
Diya Indian Kitchen, Bar & Lounge has softly opened its doors in Sunset Harbour. A family passion, the vegetarian Indian eatery is family-owned and operated by Diya, her children, Manni, Dharam and Vidya Maharaj along with Dharam’s wife Valerie Slone. Raised in a vegetarian household, The Maharaj family identified a dearth for Indian cuisine that embraced the vegetarian and vegan movement.
Occupying the former space that once housed Burger & Beer Joint, El Grito and Bitter Truth, Diya Indian Kitchen is a unique addition to the dining options in the trendy Sunset Harbour neighborhood of Miami Beach. The menu, inspired by Diya and crafted by her daughter, Executive Chef Vidya, features traditionally modern vegetarian Indian cuisine. Diya has always approached cooking for her family as a health-conscious and healing practice using immune-boosting ingredients and an assortment of nutrient-dense spices. These recipes have been handed down from generation to generation. Growing up in Miami Beach, the Maharaj home quickly became a neighborhood sanctuary for neighbors, friends and family seeking Diya’s tasteful cooking.
“We’ve been vegetarian our entire lives and have witnessed the evolution of vegetarian cuisine in Miami, as well as the limited selection of Indian cuisine,” said Dharam Maharaj, Co-Owner of Diya Indian Kitchen. “We wanted to introduce a concept that authentically represented our heritage and offered extensive options for vegetarians and our community – a source for healthy and flavor-forward food.”
Executive Chef Vidya Maharaj, who is also an epidemiologist, mastered her mother’s recipes, while her brother Manni took a deep dive into India’s culinary history seeking ancient and secret recipes that would serve as inspiration for the menu. He was particularly intrigued by the South Indian vegetarian cuisines using ingredients and spices that feature immune-boosting qualities, antioxidants, anti-inflammatory properties, prebiotics and many more health benefits. Many of these techniques are incorporated into Diya’s menu, a masterful combination of North, South and East Indian dishes.
The restaurant, named after Diya, also means a glowing lamp in Hindi. These glowing lamps are typically lit for special occasions, such as Deepavali (Divali) and represent remover of obstacles, enlightenment and wisdom. This inspired a mantra among the Diya team during these challenging times – “A Diya of Hope.”
Open for lunch and dinner, the menu is a colorful array of flavorful vegetarian Indian dishes carefully constructed to be traditionally authentic in a modern setting.
The dinner menu features appetizers such as Tandoori Paneer ($16), grilled Indian cottage cheese; Beet Samosas ($14) with a goat cheese cilantro chutney; and Gobi Manchurian ($14), fried cauliflower marinated in spices.
Entreés include Vegetable Biryani Rice ($18), curried paella rice; Malai Kofta ($22), fried potato, paneer and veggie balls in a curry cashew sauce; Mushroom Matar Masala ($16) sweet peas and mushroom in a curry sauce; Butter Paneer ($18), Indian cheese in a tomato cream sauce; Palak Paneer ($20), spinach and Indian cheese; and Chana Masala ($18) curried garbanzo beans.
Desserts include Ras Malai Tres Leches ($11), rice soaked in cardamom; Gulab Jamun ($11) Indian fried donut; Kashmiri Flan ($9) rosewater custard; and Kheer Ice Cream ($11) a saffron spiced homemade rice ice cream.
However, the most-coveted dish on the lunch menu is the Dosa, which takes 12 to 15 hours to prepare. The rice is soaked for six hours and fermented. The batter for the pancake-like dish has to be ground perfectly to achieve the most flavorful results. There are six different variations available on the menu such as Plain ($10); Pizza ($12), stuffed with red sauce, cheese and veggies, Masala ($12) stuffed with seasoned veggies; Tofu Scramble ($12) tofu “scrambled egg” with veggies and cheese; Cheese ($12) stuffed with a blend of four cheeses; and Palak Paneer ($14) stuffed with spinach and Indian cheese. Another signature dish is the Eggplant Nirvana Burger, which was featured in the 2020 South Beach Wine & Food Festival, and consists of fried eggplant, housemade cheese and BBQ sauce.
The menu also features East Indian Trinidadian dishes such as the Double Bara, curried chickpeas with flatbread ($10); Aloo Pocket, a fluffy pocket stuffed with potatoes ($12) and Trini hot sauces and chutneys made from scratch including Scorpion Hot Sauce, made from the world’s second hottest chilli pepper.
“Dining at Diya is a unique experience as our team takes the time to explain the cuisine and menu to every guest including the level of spice in dishes, flavor profiles and techniques,” said Manni Maharaj, Co-Owner of Diya Indian Kitchen.
The restaurant’s design functions as an extension of the owner’s home offering a warm and inviting atmosphere. With a white and blue color palette accentuated by copper accents, the space is airy and light.
Diya Indian Kitchen, will be participating in Miami Spice for the first time this year. The Menu highlights include Aloo Bravas; fried potato cubes in a smoked tomato aioli, Tandoori Paneer, grilled indian cottage cheese, served with vegetables; Curry Chana Quinoa Salad, a chickpea salad on a bed of greens; Soy Carne, a soy protein in curry sauce; Eggplant Barta, roasted and spiced mashed eggplant; Malai Kofta, fried potato, paneer, and veggie balls in a curry cashew sauce; Gulab Jamun, Indian fried donut with kheer ice cream and Ras Malai Tres Leches, cake soaked in cardamom cream and topped with ricotta cream.
Diya Indian Kitchen is located at 1766 Bay Road, Miami Beach, FL 33139. Current COVID-19 restaurant hours are Tuesday through Sunday, 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. For more information, visit www.diyaindiankitchen.com or follow @diyaindiankitchen on Instagram.
