Indian food is one of the world’s most popular cuisines, it’s available everywhere from your local takeaway, supermarket, nearest and dearest curry house and most love to cook it. Like many great cuisines, there’s many styles and possibilities to satisfy that spice pang – at Mother India they do it Punjab style since 1996, and at the heart of it, is the extremely talented Glaswegian raised Chef Monir Mohammed. We came here after a tour of the Glengoyne distillery, craving something rich and soul nourishing to undo all the bad. We found it.
There are many reasons why you should order popadoms before your curry – in my case it screams ritual, the thing to do before the main plates arrive and these ones whet the appetite so well. There is a mixture of spiced onions, chunky mango chutney, not too sweet – just balanced, lime pickle and cooling riata. 
Chicken tikka pakoras £6.20 were crispy, piping hot mouth pleasures, balanced with warming spices and side of tangy chutney.
Ginger crab and prawn dosa £6.80 was less successful; the lentil rice pancake limped along and didn’t really stand a chance against the other starters. Sometimes you can’t win them all. 
Chana mushroom on a missi roti £6.20 were spiced chick peas stewed in a tamarind sauce, which was then folded into a wholemeal roti. 
Onto the mains, first up we came a huge skillet of chicken tikka madras £9.50. It looked and smelt great, so hot though that it roasted the back of all our throats. Tuned down, I can imagine it would be a belter and a lot more bearable. I flinched every time I looked at it. 
The one that stole the show was the lamb mussalam with lady’s fingers £13.50, cooked in roasted punjabi spices that had the right amount of mouth tingling heat. The okra was fresh and seemingly pan roasted lightly to keep its freshness. The real surprise was the beetroot that it came with – the earthy sweet notes balanced the whole dish out.
King prawn and monkfish cooked with ginger and dill £15.50 was totally worth endorsing. Fish is delicate and when it’s fresh it requires the right amount of cooking and seasonings to make it a delicious thing. They nailed it here. 
A side of vegetable karahi £4.75 was also delectable. 
Hot and fluffy rice, like how it should be.
The wholemeal roti £1.30 (some of the best I’ve had) were delicious and made for mopping things up. 
The naan £3.50, glistening with golden butter, hot and puffy from the oven was the perfect vehicle to transport curry into my fat mouth.
The verdict:
When did I go? Feb 2017
The damage: £30/£35 per head with a beer
The good: The venue is stretched across two floors, one being a more intimate affair (where we ate) and the upstairs, is a bit more raucous with an open kitchen and buzz (we were given a tour after). Mother India is a class act and a total must visit if you fancy something eating pleasure in Glasgow. To add to that, the late, great Anthony Bourdain ate here too, and if it’s good enough for him, then it’s good enough for you.
The bad: One starter that was meh was the prawn dosa, I’d skip that one.
Rating: 4.5/5
Would I go again? Yes
Address: 28 Westminster Terrace, Glasgow, United Kingdom, G3 7RU
Web: https://www.motherindia.co.uk
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