Martin's Spices Things Up

Martin's Curry Rice in Morrisville offers an intriguing concept for customized Indian food: Choose your protein, vegetables and sauce, and then wait about five minutes for your meal to be cooked to order. What’s more, fresh local vegetables like bell peppers, squash, kale and other seasonal items are sourced from the Western Wake Farmers’ Market.

Chef/owner Martin Sreshta, a native of Bangalore, India, uses proteins like fish, chicken, tofu and eggs infused with sauces such as the mild curry “mellow yellow,” the medium-spiced black-pepper-and-cilantro “masala green” and the “spicy red,” the fieriest of the trio with Kashmiri red chili and tamarind tang.

Martin’s is committed to grinding spices and preparing sauces fresh each day. Not surprisingly, vegetarians and vegans find solace here. All the sauces and most dishes are gluten-free and have no MSG.

The build-your-own-bowl routine works nicely, but half a dozen quick combination meals also entice customers to consider choosing one of Martin’s fine-tuned concoctions. The spiciest of the combos is the Asian Persuasion, a dish containing fish or tofu with spicy red sauce, bamboo shoots and water chestnuts.

The counter-service eatery provides free Wi-Fi Internet access, thus encouraging patrons to linger. Local artwork hangs on the walls and is available for purchase. Open Monday through Saturday for lunch and dinner, Martin’s is closed on Sunday.

Photo courtesy of Jonathan Fredin/S&A Cherokee