Soup Friday: Nalan Indian Cuisine - Tomato Rasam
After spending my Black Soup Friday spending a lot of money on Amazon on Christmas gifts for my family, I felt the need to support a local business and my local stomach. With a recent hankering for Indian food and a heightened interest to try more international soups, it took all of a few seconds to determine where I would order my soup from this evening. Over the past couple of years, I’ve enjoyed going with friends to one of my favorite local Indian restaurants, Nalan Indian Cuisine. I scouted Nalan’s online menu to see what soup options were available to me. To their credit, Nalan is not like other restaurants that may just have a soup of the day and one other regular option. No, Nalan goes above and beyond with its soup menu that offers you six different soups to choose from. In an effort to challenge myself and get out of my comfort zone, I decided to try a soup without chicken or a cream base. In case you missed the title of this blog, I selected tomato rasam and added it as the lone item to my cart.
Ladies and Gentlemen, the State Street Plaza!
Ten minutes later, I drove to the State Street Plaza in Lemoyne where Nalan is housed. Seated directly on State Street and neighboring the West Shore Farmers Market, the State Street Plaza may have the most eclectic collection of stores and restaurants I have ever seen. A tobacco and cigar store welcomes you on the left. You’re next greeted by Susquehanna Smoke, your one-stop shop for vapes and vape accessories. Susquehanna Smoke directly borders an impeccably-named yarn shop: String Theory. A few doors down, the United Cerebral Palsy of Central Pennsylvania location sits next to a sports marketing and memorabilia store that recently replaced the empty suite of what once was the team store for the Harrisburg Stampede. The Stampede were a former professional indoor football team that sadly folded at the end of 2024. Across the parking lot on the other side of the plaza, Dong Yang Mart is saddled between two international eateries: Korealicious and Nagoya Japanese Restaurant. At the far end, a staffing company is located next to New QQ Spa, a business that offers massage and other services. The interior view of the massage parlor is obstructed by a blacked-out door, heavy drapes running from the ceiling to the floor, and posters featuring stock images of people getting massages. It’s open until 9:30 PM each night, but beware, according to a Google review by Jeff Cox, “They do not speak English or accept Facebook coupons.” After taking a minute to appreciate State Street Plaza’s heterogeneous tenants, I walked into Nalan to get my soup.
Taking and fulfilling orders, the Nalan staff glided fervently around the narrow interior of the crowded restaurant. Bewildered by my small order of just soup, the employee serving takeout customers asked me to verify that all I wanted was some soup. This question has actually become a fairly regular segment on Soup Fridays for me and I’m certain it won’t be the last time I answer it this month. I confirmed that was correct. A minute later, I received a brown paper bag and headed home.
Based on this picture, I’m not sure how I missed the liquid on the side of the plate that ultiamtely caused a stain.
I opened the bowl’s lid and what smells like an Indian take on buffalo sauce is emitted. When picking the spice level, I opted for the mild version. Typically, I would have selected a level slightly higher than that, but I have a Pilates class in the morning and I don’t want to have to blame it on the mat. The soup tasted as bold as its aroma. At first, my tastebuds failed to translate the atypical broth’s tangy language. Not long after, we lost the first casualty of this Soup Friday season. After looking at my phone for a brief moment, I noticed a giant yellow stain being formed on my tablecloth by a liquid stream coming from the edge of my plate. I did all I could and even attempted an emergency spray and wash treatment, but my efforts were futile. After making peace with the situation, the tomato rasam eventually grew on me and I even appreciated the balance generated by the bitter leaves within it. Still, it felt like another element could have been added to enhance the product overall. I was later told that tomato rasam is typically served with rice on the side, so that might be the exact solution to this issue.
If you’re interested in their food but not located in the Lemoyne, PA area, there are also Nalan locations randomly in Downingtown, PA and Charlotte, NC. However, heed my Indian friends’ advice, “Go to Nalan for the appetizers and entrees, not the soup.”