A deep-fried patty, both crispy and tender, with maybe a soft hint of spice in the batter. Pools of creamy sauce, sweet and a little spicy, with pickled onion and fresh tomato. A bed of shredded Romaine below, and all of it stacked into a buttery potato bun.
If your mind pictured a chicken sandwich while reading that, your mind was correct. Sort of. It was actually an Impossible Chicken sandwich, which—ordered as it was from Hot Murga, an Indian-infused, Nashville-inspired spicy fried chicken spot where Howe meets Whalley—was slightly cheaper for me (a buck less than the regular version) and much less costly for the chicken. Its official menu name is the Impossible Murga Sandwich ($11), one of nine “Murga Favorites” ranging from a fried chicken mac ’n’ cheese dish topped with tikka masala sauce ($13) to a cardamom-infused maple syrup-drizzled twist on chicken and waffles ($12).
Ordered as a combo, which effectively got me a free drink, my sandwich came with a side of the skin-on Masala Fries ($4). Tossed in a well-balanced blend of spices, they were cut medium-thick and fried to an easy crisp that left the inner flesh fluffy. I also ordered some side sauces for dipping them (and maybe my sandwich) into: a “spiced ranch,” which was dairy-free; a forest-green mint chutney; and that cardamom-infused maple syrup ($0.50 each). The first was a sweet and herbaceous riff that reminded me more of ranch’s cousin, tartar sauce. The second was predictably yummy—Hot Murga shares ownership with House of Naan and Sitar, where the mint chutney has always stood out—but carried an unexpected kick. The biggest shock, though, was the cardamom maple syrup, so potent and delicious I could’ve happily sipped it straight, which I know because I eventually did.
I got a side of coleslaw ($3), too, which was light, crunchy, sweet, tangy and a little peppery—a cooling contrast to the fries and the sandwich, which I ordered at a mild heat level. (I’ve also tried the medium, which was too hot for me.) I should note that my Impossible Murga left me wanting in one respect: I wished there had been more of the sauce, which was so great in combination with the onions and tomato, and that it had been more thoroughly distributed across the patty.
It’s an easy fix, I think, and maybe even easier than I think, since Hot Murga’s online ordering offers the chance to log item-level requests. Next time, I’ll try a simple one, “extra sauce,” and eagerly taste what comes.
Written and photographed by Dan Mims.
