Why is Indian food so tasty?

It is said that Indian food is renowned across the world for the flavours with which it is cooked. There had been several researches which prove that the combination of the spices that are there in the Indian curries makes it stand apart from the rest of the world. The other day, I visited one of the popular North Indian restaurants in Gurgaon and I was bowled over by the taste of the foods they served it made me realize that no matter what, i would always consider Indian food as my first love!

Indian cuisine holds a special position in the hearts of all Indians. No matter how much we all swear by Continental or Tex-Mex cuisine, we all return to our home made Rajma chawal at the end of the day. After doing a bit of research, I found out that Indian food is so delectable due to lesser amount overlapping flavours in it, unlike western cuisines wherein the ingredients used are similar in flavour.
Indian food stands apart in this sector as it has at least 7 types of flavours in an average simple preparation. The cooking procedure too has a lot to do with the taste which is generally an extensive process including several steps. The spices contribute in its own way to the final taste pf the meal.

My friend, who happens to be a chef in one of the renowned restaurants in Saket Dhaba by Claridges, said that Indian have a distinct way of pairing up staples with main course which adds to the quantity and the taste of the meal. The way some dishes are best paired up with roti, paratha and rice is something which Indian have been adept at since time immemorial. In fact, the breads that Indians have their individual taste like, Missi roti, tandoori naan etc. So I believe Indian food can be the best culinary experience for us Indians, and for people outside India.

History of Butter Chicken

No matter how many times you have butter chicken, you’re always going to lick your fingers after feasting on it. Chicken’s lavishness in a creamy curry along with butter naan will give you a calorie shock but your taste buds will go into frenzy. Although it is usually a Punjabi dish, butter chicken has gotten palettes of a large global audience addicted. Such is its craze that the Canadian PM Stephen Harper especially took out the time to enjoy butter chicken at a North Indian restaurant on his visit to India.

There’s no doubt that butter chicken is a top, north Indian cuisine in Delhi. The reason behind that is butter chicken’s roots can be traced to city. A certain Kundan Lal Gujral invented this recipe at his small hotel called Moti Mahal in Peshawar, Pakistan, before partition. After Punjab was split in two, Gujral moved to New Delhi, India and re-opened his Moti Mahal restaurant. It was here that butter chicken became a super-hit, especially among the Sikh community, who took it across the globe with their diaspora.

Dhaba by Claridges has continued the tradition of cooking delicious and tongue rollicking butter chicken. It is prepared by marinating chicken for some hours in a yogurt and spice mixture. The spices vary across different preparations and can be garam masala, ginger, garlic, pepper, coriander, chilli, turmeric etc. Chicken pieces are cooked in tandoor, grilled, roasted or pan fried. A curry is prepared which is a bit on the sweet side and includes a lot of butter. There are any variations on the spices used for the sauce. Spices for the sauce can be cloves, cumin, cinnamon, coriander, pepper and fenugreek. Garnishing the butter chicken with more butter, cream and coriander prepares a lavish, mouth-watering dish. 

Why Mughlai food is the most royal amongst delicacies

Mughlai cuisines have thrilled palettes all over the world. Although, there have been amazing empires all over the world, Mughals always stood out because of their love for art, architecture and food. And just like their lavish lifestyle, their meals were sumptuous, to say the least. The royal looking Mughlai dishes taste much like what an emperor would have on his table. Masalas, oils and colour add to the dishes’ grandeur. There won’t be a single foodie in the world who has eaten biryani, murgh musallam, kebab, rogan josht etc and not got hooked to them.

The display of the royalty in the food has toned down a bit. In the peak of the Mughal era, cuisines were made to look lavish, colourful and fragrant and it was eaten with proper respect and table manners. Decorating the food was also seen as a nutritional benefit on the advice of the royal physician. For example, the royal biryani had each of its grain of rice coated with silver oil, because silver aids digestion along with acting as an aphrodisiac. Even the best restaurants in Delhi now are unable to match that level of grandeur.

Mughlai food turned out so well because it infused the best of many cultures including Iranian, Persian, Afghani, Kashmiri and Punjabi. The cuisines are not only non-vegetarian though as some emperors even liked vegetarian food. For example Akbar ate vegetarian three days in a week and Aurangzeb was an out and out vegetarian though he did fancy his occasional mega-biryani, as it is referred to by the historians. Being the national capital, Delhi’s food was influenced by a lot of cultures. Although, North Indian cuisine in Delhi remains the favourite of every one mainly because of its Mughal background. So hurry up and order, it’s time to feast like a king. 

The North-South combo!

I am a ‘mixed breed’ as my friends call me. That’s because I have a Punjabi mom and a Malayali dad. I am the by-product of cultural diversity in India and I have experienced a lot of such ‘diverse’ things right form my childhood. I have been brought up in Delhi, so I must say that I have its influence slightly more than the southern corner of our country. But apart from that I have always encountered the best of both!

For instance, language has been one of significant things of my life. I know Punjabi from my mom’s family and Delhi has always been my teacher when it came to the accent of authentic Punjabi language. Also, I acquired the knowledge of Malayalam from my grandparents who lived with us and dad who wanted me to be fluent in his mother tongue as well!

So I used to be a wonder kid back in school who knew Hindi, Punjabi, Malayalam and English! Even I never realized how I picked up so many dialects, accents and dictions!

The next inevitable point that I must mention is food. Breakfasts were never boring as I would either get aloo paratha or dosa and the likes. Although I have been exposed to North Indian food in Delhi more, I am equally attached to South Indian cuisine.

We have explored the best restaurants in Delhi serving both North and South Indian cuisine! I am at times surprised at my undivided love for both idli and chole kulche at the same time!

Festivals were the best part of my upbringing into a culturally ‘mismatched’ family like this. Pongal used to be so much fun! And Diwali was just as grand!

The best thing is I never realized while I was growing up that I was imbibing two different cultures together which otherwise the society considers ‘impossible’. Everyone creates ‘norms’ but few realize that there is an inexplicable peace (and joy) beyond that.

How to Make an Evening In Enjoyable

After a long and hectic week filled with work, meeting, waking up early and long hours, all one wants to do is sleep the weekend away. And even if they feel like spending some down time with their friends, then even the thought of dressing up and going out, just leaves one tired. So, that is why, many times people just invite friends over to one’s house and have a nice relaxed time, talking, playing games, watching TV or movies.

When a group of people gets together the first the thought is what to eat, luckily, these days there are numerous delivery restaurants in Saket, Malviya Nagar, GK, Hauz Khas and most of the Delhi area. Even some of the high end restaurants offer home delivery services, so one can order from there too. And these delivery services have gotten fast too, most don’t take more than 30-40 minutes to deliver scrumptious food that one can enjoy in their comfortable clothes.

One of the most favourite cuisines to order is north Indian cuisine in Delhi. Not just for the cuisine itself, but also, that it’s so filling, pocket friendly and can easily feed a large group of people in just 2-3 dishes and a lot of bread rotis. Unlike other cuisines one doesn’t have to order separate dishes for every person.

Also, one can take a trip down memory lane and play old board games, or create new games of your own. One can also go to the local market if they want, to just take a walk and get some fresh air, have lively debates, finally binge watch a show or have a movie marathon of some of the classic films.
There is nothing better than being able to lie in your house, in for pajamas, with good company and good food, to make an evening in sound wonderful.

My favourite North Indian restaurant

Being a food aficionado, I am always open to trying out different cuisines and restaurants. There is nothing that makes me happier than starting and ending my day with good food. Food does not merely give me energy to live; it makes my life worth living. But just like all other human beings, I too have small flaws. I happily visit the known, the unknown, the new, and the old restaurants for all cuisines but North Indian. There is only one restaurant that satisfies my taste buds when it comes to North Indian food and it is none other than Dhaba by Claridges in Saket.

And it is not just the amazing food that attracts me to that place. The typical dhaba-like ambiance, quick service, full-of-life staff who would surely raise the spirits of every person with their dance on a Bollywood number etc. are things that I simply can’t find anywhere else. Though I have tried some pretty great North Indian restaurants in Gurgaon and Delhi, I keep going back to my favourite restaurant in Saket. But when it comes to other cuisines, I am always up for a new adventure.

There is another annoying habit of mine because of which my friends have often had to suffer. There are so many reliable food websites nowadays which help people decide upon restaurants. I unfortunately do not like to form an opinion about a place without visiting it myself as I wish to give every restaurant a fair chance. While some restaurants turn out to be great, we have also had instances wherein we ran to save our lives. Just kidding! But yes, when my friends are not impressed with the food, they do make it a point to torture me later on. While you think about my weird nature, I need to get going as we have a dinner reservation at a renowned Italian joint. Arrivederci! 

The secrets of a good food delivery mechanism

Food service industry has become quite competitive. Multiple food outlets are opening up every day and two of the many things that you should make sure to match the fast pace of the food service industry are: an online order platform and a delivery service!

We have several South Indian as well as North Indian restaurant in Delhi which are popular, obviously for their food, but especially for their excellent delivery service. Here's a list of some of the important things to remember,  which are elements of a good delivery mechanism.

•Timely: The first and the most important thing a  customer expects out of a food delivery is its speed. Nothing impresses us like a fast delivery. In those waiting hours, when we are done ordering the food online or over the phone, every second passing by feels like an hour. So, when you're establishing a delivery network, make sure you have enough people to assist it. Some of the delivery restaurants in saket  even come up with slogans like "20 minutes delivery" and I believe it is an excellent way to make your customers fall for you!

•Appearance: The sight of the food on the door should be pleasing to the eyes. That would raise the excitement levels of the customer who's ordered it. Make sure your delivery boy has a special sealed storage system in his bike so that even heavy rainfall or excessive heat won't spoil the taste as well as the look of the entire package!

•POS: Some customers choose cash on delivery mode, but realize that they're short of cash only after the delivery is made. It's wise to make your delivery boys carry POS systems with them for it might solve the problems of the customers. They'd be happy and relieved to see that the delivery carries a back-up plan.

And that's quite enough to bring smiles on the faces of your customers! They're not too demanding!

The perfect re-union!

I was born in Canada and was there for a considerable period of my life. My family moved back to India when I was 18 years old. Needless to say, my heart sank when I had to bid farewell to my best friend, Clara. It seemed like forever after moving to India that I did not meet her. Skype calls and e-mails were frequent but nothing beats a face to face chat. Years rolled by and we both made other friends, but it never happened that Clara and I were not in touch. She kept telling me that she would visit India, but I never thought that she really would, one day!

It was on my engagement day she surprised me with her sudden appearance. I was probably happier seeing her than my engagement ring! She had it all coordinated with my parents and kept her visiting plans under wraps. A few days later, I showed her around Delhi, all that she heard of, she saw it herself. It was an unreal feeling for both of us! I thought of giving her everything she wanted! She wanted something very simple though, authentic North Indian food! I took her to Dhaba By Claridges in Saket which is close to my house, and man she liked it! Although she didn’t quite get the concept of a Dhaba, she loved the food, the quirky décor and the drinks so much so that she wanted another round of North Indian food.

My fiancé and I took her to one of the best North Indian restaurants in Gurgaon the very next day and she savored every bit of it! She struggled a bit with the spices, but it was commendable the way she managed to eat it. She said never in her life did she think spicy food could be so tasty! Another thing she asked from me was a simple promise; that I would visit her, when she got engaged. I couldn’t say no and promised right away. My heart sank again while saying the final goodbye, but I hoped she got engaged soon, so that I could see her again!

My best friend’s farewell food!

The fact that my best friend- that one person I can share anything and everything with- would soon move to Mumbai to pursue her higher studies was already too hard to sink in; but planning her surprise farewell party where everybody would shower her with good wishes for a brighter future was even harder. I was happy for her of course, but not happy enough to let her go pursue her passion in a different city.

But I did what was needed to be done. I wanted to throw her the most memorable farewell party, and I did. While she was at work, we decorated her room with her favourite flowers, ordered the most magnificent cake we knew she would devour in just an hour, but most importantly we arranged for a lot of North Indian food (her favourite cuisine) from one of the famous home delivery restaurants in Saket. I still remember the surprised look on her face when she entered her room. She loved the party and we all just ate, sang, and danced the entire evening. This might sound clichéd, but in the end, we all hugged and cried together. We all have been friends since childhood and the fact that one of us would be moving away just made us emotional. And then when everyone went back home, I stayed over and while munching on the leftovers, we just talked and talked.

She left yesterday but not before lunching with me in one of her favourite North Indian restaurants in Gurgaon. She loves to eat and doing anything else before leaving for airport would have not been quite right. She, her parents, her twin sister, and I spent some happy moments together at that lovely restaurant. She would be back for Diwali holidays but being a big foodie, she can’t wait to have her favourite North Indian food from her favourite restaurant. Well, at least there is something that can lure her back to Delhi!

The Perfect Lazy Sunday Plan

There’s nothing better than spending an entire Sunday lazing in the comfort of your home. Though for many of us, weekends are a time of partying and socialising and what not, every now and then, we all love that one Sunday we have just to ourselves –to eat delicious food delivered right to our doorstep from the best of the best restaurants in saket, or to watch a movie cuddled up in bed, or just sit in the verandah and take in the sun and sip a warm mug of coffee and contemplate the philosophies of life! We all have our very own ideas regarding how to spend that perfect lazy
Sunday. Well, here’s mine!

• Somewhere around noon:

That lazy Sunday always begins with a good night’s sleep. Anywhere north of the regular 8 hours of sleep is the most essential ingredient to kick-start my lazy Sunday. In fact, there is no kick-starting at all, it’s all slow and steady!

• After an hour of attempts at waking up, when one finally succeeds:

Considering the fact that it’s well into the afternoon now, the hunger begins to grumble in my stomach a little too loud. And while I’d really like to go in for some delectable buttery, fatty meals from restaurants with food delivery in saket, what really gives a good fix is a large mug of coffee. Whether it’s in bed, out in the balcony or lazily sprawled out on the couch watching some mindless television, a mug of frothy coffee just does the trick for me.

• Time to freshen up…or not:

Okay, time for a little confession. I’m not the biggest fan of getting around to bathing. Though I absolutely love it once I’m in the shower all frothed up, getting around to it is a Herculean task for me. So more often than not, my Sunday morning (afternoon) routine just involves brushing my teeth and washing my face!

• Lunchtime, or shall I say breakfast:

Too lazy to cook myself anything, Sunday lunches almost always involve ordering in from the best restaurants in saket.

• Time to hit the internet:

And ladies and gentlemen, sorry to pop the bubble, but there’s nothing more to a lazy Sunday than being lazy! Hit the internet, stay in bed, and do whatever you want. Tada! 

MY LOVE FOR SAKET

Delhi is full of life. Although every corner of Delhi is full of liveliness and enthusiasm, Saket is my favorite when it comes to deciding upon a one stop shop for the day. And not just shopping, my love for Saket is based on the all the amazing things it offers- from awesome places to roam to some of the best places to eat. While planning a day out with my friends, my vote generally goes to this beautiful location of South Delhi which is a perfect mix of culture, tradition and modernity. Delhi has some of the Best restaurants in saket offering a number of Indian as well as international cuisine. 

I remember the time when we had gone for celebrating our friend’s birthday and this restaurant simply added to our excitement by arranging for balloons and the birthday song. In addition to it, they gave us special birthday meals for without any extra charge. Shopping malls of saket are another reason for why I end up walking down to Saket. To beat the summer heat, I go to these malls with my friends and always get amazed by their decoration. These malls house multiplexes which make them a suitable choice for a day of movie and hangout. Both Indian as well as international stores of garments, shoes, cosmetics and bags etc. are available in these shopping malls. And as you climb up to the top floors of these malls, you will be spoilt by choices they offer on food items.  These malls are paradise for food lovers. It has cafes, bistros, multi cuisine restaurants, bars and food joints. Pizzas, burgers and donuts- just name the variant and you can find it right there!

In short, you don’t need to go to the best north indian restaurants in Gurgaon or the exquisite bars of CP, because Saket has it all.

LET’S GO ON A TASTY TOUR

India is an epitome of diversity. Be it culture, tradition, clothing or food- versatility is what makes India a fascinating place to live in. India has a variety of food to offer and each food item assures you a distinguished experience. North Indian food, for example, is distinguished by the high proportionate use of milk and dairy products such as ghee, cheese and butter. Other specific feature of north Indian food is a use of lot of spices. We love spices and even if we would have our tongue burning out of spice, we would continue to lick our fingers dipped in delicious curry! The most common spices used in north indian food are black pepper, red chili, garlic, ginger and garam masala. (We cannot do without garam masala!) Some of the most common north indian food Delhi are mutter panner, tawa naan, chicken curry and chhole- chawal. The mere mention of these delicious dishes makes our mouths water. Imagine the pleasure of these dishes being physically present before you! Well if the mention of it gives a mouth-watering experience to you too and you suddenly find yourself craving for the deliciousness, then you must visit a north Indian restaurant that serves finger licking north Indian cuisine, vegetarian as well as non-vegetarian.

There are a number of north indian restaurants in saket, cannaught place, karolbagh and other famous hangout locations of Delhi. When it comes to serving north indian desserts, the menus of some restaurants for desserts are even longer than the main course! Gulab Jamun, Gaajar ka Halwa and Jalebi are hot favorites of the people of Delhi. Some of the other common sweet dishes that a number of north indian restaurants offer are kheer, ras malai and kulfi.

Ever Wondered About the History of the Naan? Find Out Now!

Whenever I go to any restaurant that serves up some of the best north indian cuisine in delhi, and a basket of naan is placed in front of me, I just cannot help but feel like a crazed salivating dog! Yes, there’s something just undeniably alluring about naan, our beloved bread of choice. I’m sure I could live a happy life eating naan with just about anything –as long as there’s naan, happiness is guaranteed!

Recently, I visited dhaba by claridges saket –only to be blown away yet again by the glory of the naan! But it left me wondering… Where did this glorious piece of bread originate? What is its story? Call me crazy, but sitting in that comfortable and colourful décor, with its funky yet authentic ‘Dhaba’ vibe going about –I decided to whip out my phone and dig a little deep to find out all about the history of the naan.

If you think about it, would north indian cuisine in delhi or anywhere across the globe survive without the existence of naan? I think not –it’s integral to a variety of cuisines, and my life, of course! So, let me fill you in on what I found out –naan is awesome and doesn’t need any researching into because it’s so great that one must only enjoy the taste and ask no questions. Okay, maybe that’s my salivary gland talking. Let’s get down to business.

The naan originated in former Persia –now Iran. The word itself comes from the Persian word ‘non’ meaning bread. While the word ‘non’ was used generically for any flatbread in Persia, the first recorded history of the naan as it is today was by Indo-Persian poet Amir Khusrow around 1300 AD. And thus began the glorious journey of the naan around the world –to become a widely beloved type of bread. From the plain old naan circulating around Persia back in the day, to the delectable varieties of naan served up at restaurants like dhaba by claridges saket, the naan is a favourite worldwide! 

A bad day that ended well

Have you ever experienced those days when nothing seems to go right? I am sure you have. I too was having a terrible day very recently. Each thing I attempted to do on that particular day fell apart one by one. It was a Saturday and yet I had woken up early in the morning to take care of a few tasks. By around 7 in the evening, I felt completely exhausted- mentally, physically, and emotionally. Having read a lot of inspirational books in my life, I decided to change my attitude towards the situation and deliberately made a dinner plan with my sister and her friend. We decided to visit one of the well-known North Indian restaurants in Gurgaon. 

I tried to cheer myself up by wearing nice clothes. The moment we sat in the car, my eyes started burning. I was really sleep deprived and hence we made a slight change to the plan. Instead of visiting the Gurgaon chain of Dhaba By Claridges, we landed at its Saket branch. We ordered the famous Balti Meat and Butter Chicken along with Butter Naan and Garlic Naan. The Balti meat was served in a cute, little bucket and the meat was extremely tender and tasty. The butter chicken dish too was very well prepared. Trust me, after a long and tiring day, the food really cheered me up. While we were eating, we suddenly heard loud cheers from the crowd downstairs. After performing in the lower region of the restaurant, the staff members came upstairs and danced together on a popular Bollywood song. Their smiles and their energy really set the mood of the place and managed to raise my spirits further. 

I came back home much happier. Even though my day had started on a bad note, it ended well!

Back To My Roots With North Indian Food

Today, amidst the Mexican spaghettis and the Italian pizzas, amidst the complicated sounding salads and equally disturbing looking dishes, we youngsters find our food paradise! While some swear by Sushi, others die for Lasagna! and me? I just crave Indian cuisine, especially north indian food. I know a lot are surprised with this statement of mine, because in a metropolitan where you have practically all the exquisite dishes of the world at your disposal, I still crave the traditional naan and butter chicken, like seriously?? You go OUT to eat north indian food in Delhi?That’s crazy my friends tell me! But, I couldn’t care less. For me, North Indian Cuisine is pure bliss. It’s a blessing; it’s Food porn for me.

The juicy chicken dipped in rich smooth gravy and the hot buttery naan, just makes my mouth water every time I even think of it! Friends ask me what’s new in it, it is the same old thing prepared at home during family parties, but I completely disagree, to anyone out there who feels it’s boring, you have probably never had a bite of the food offered at Dhaba by Claridges!

As the name suggest this food paradise actually envisions a ‘dhaba’ like rustic setting to make you feel connected to your rural background while you enjoy their sumptuous meals. The place boasts of vibrantly coloured walls and posters of trucks and lorries (as we would call them in the typical ‘desi’ style) giving it a more village theme. But do not be misguided about the quality of food served here. This is Claridges, so food has to be heavenly, and it surely is! It serves you pure traditional north Indian Food in a sophisticated way, yes, though they use traditional utensils for serving, standards and hygiene wise they make it top notch. They are one of the reasons I fell in love with north Indian Cuisine. You should definitely try some really soon. With them offering food delivery in Saket and other places in Delhi, it is the best opportunity to experience the magic of the best north indian food at home!

Dhaba by Claridges: The best restaurant in Delhi

“If you're a person who says yes most of the time, you'll find yourself in the hotel business and the restaurant business.”

Said Mr. Francis Ford Coppola, and Oh! How right was he!  At Dhaba by Claridges, the staff just never learnt to say no. Putting forward your request with a mesmerizing smile and infectious  enthusiasm, they make your meal, not just food but such a wonderful experience.

Serving exceptionally delicious dishes, it finds its place as the best restaurant in Delhi. The sumptuous Butter Chicken and Balti meat, presented in an even authentic look traditional dish, the small “kadai”are the place’s supreme specialty and never fails to tingle your taste buds every time you have a bite of it. This awesomely designed restaurant with a warm rural Dhaba like décor, is sure to WOW anyone who enters here. It’s got that “ desi” rustic appeal and solitude which is such a blessing in a busy cosmopolitan like ours.

Also, being one of the best north Indian Restaurants in Gurgaon, Dhaba by Claridges has found its place among the “must visit” restaurants for many top notch entrepreneurs and businessman, but it’s just not limited to a certain strata of society alone. This place serves something special for everyone, From customers choosing it as their first date venue, to couples celebrating their 50th marriage anniversary, Dhaba by Claridges, becomes a part of every customer’s special moments in life, to the extend that it is one of the reason behind those memorable moments.

If you thought food was nothing but  just an everyday routine, Visit Dhaba by Claridges and they will show you just how wrong you were! They emit this sheer happiness that serving their customers gives them, Hospitality here touches this new height, a height so unparalled by other eateries out there.

Truly, as one of the signboards at this Dhaba says: “HAMARE YAHAN KHAYEGA, DOBARA AAYEGA!” I  just couldn’t agree more, you should definitely visit this place. Come on, just put on that “bucket list” of yours, this is an experience you just can’t miss!

Perks of Being a Vegetarian

Going by the recent data collected, we can very well infer that the new trend says ‘Go Vegan’. While reasons may vary, but there is one universal voice that calls out to switch to the vegetarian lifestyle. Though the motives may vary, the perks stay the same, remarks the best restaurants in Delhi.

Having said that there is enough scientific evidence to prove that you can readily avail several health and environment-based benefits by going for a vegetarian diet! Since most of the illness, including the most fatal ones like cancers amongst others source from the diet plan. However a plan-based-diet then reduces the risk of various chronic diseases, leading you to a healthy lifestyle, observes an owner of a top restaurant in Saket.

Here are some more benefits of turning vegan:

-Longevity of life

Since the non-vegan eating habit results into a consumption of saturated and four legged fat, it must be noted that it reduces your average life span. Studies reveal that animal products block your arteries and slow down the immune system. But going for a vegetarian diet keeps you safe from these and prevents unnecessary loss of energies.

-Lower the risk of chronic diseases

A low on fat vegetarian diet is one way to keep the chronic and other fatal diseases at bay. Rich in fibre and antioxidants, they facilitate both a better digestive system and also wards off the free radicals, reports a dietician after a food review for the top restaurant in Saket.

-Keep a tab on your weight

Since a regular non-vegan diet has plenty of saturated fats and processed foods, they are known to be a major cause adding to obesity. However switching to a low-fat vegetarian diet not only regulates your weight but also checks your cholesterol levels.

Common Indian Cooking Styles

Welcome to the food paradise! India is a land of varied tastes and flavours with the flavours that vary with different cultures and regions. Many might not know this but the country has some 35% of the people that are strictly vegetarians and there are roughly 30% that are regular meat eaters, states the top North Indian restaurant in Delhi.

It might be interesting to note that the tastes and preferences vary highly with the changing geographies along with the climatic conditions. With such an immersive variety that the Indian food offers, it in fact is imperative to have a look at the common cooking styles that Indians have:

-Roasting Dry Spices

Spices such as garam masala, ground cumin, coriander seeds and other curry spices are roasted dry in a frying pan. This is one of the common practices when preparing north Indian cuisine in Delhi or any household. Once the frying pan or the iron girdle is preheated on a medium flame, the spices are added and are continuously stirred until the spices turn a few shades darker.

-Adding Seasoning to the Dals (cereals)

Commonly known as tarka, some oil (ghee) is added to a pan followed by masalas like mustard seeds, cumin, chopped onion and garlic, chillies and heeng (asafoetida). Then these are cooked and stirred for some one minute until the mustard seeds start popping.

-Grinding Masalas

It is one of the ways we store our spices. We use a coffee grinder or a specific spice grinder to powder spices like garam masala, turmeric and red chillies amongst others, explains a top North Indian restaurant Dhaba By Claridges. 

-Cooking in Tandoors

Exclusive and unique to Indian cooking is tandoori cooking style. Now that meat, seafood and chicken is cooked in Tandoors, tandoor cooking has become a significant style of cooking.

Instant and Healthy Lunch Ideas

Lunch, nutritionists say is a very essential part of your daily diet routine and keeps you energy-packed till dinner. Several reports point towards the fact that skipping lunch is especially a bad idea when you are trying too hard to ensure nutrition and right amount of calories in your diet.

Lunches are made to make your taste buds dance, remarks quirkily the best restaurants in Delhi for lunch. Many believe that you get to have delicacies only at the cost of unwanted calories. However that’s really not true!

Helping you with some of the finest and super-delicious lunches, here are some healthy lunch ideas:

Chicken Salad Pita
Imagine a wheat pita stuffed with chopped chicken breast, made more nutritious with grated apple and greek yoghurt. Coming with an exact calorie count of 344, the greek yoghurt makes the recipe both delicious and high in nutrition. Rich in Calcium and Vitamin, the recipe is surely is a must have on any given day, says the best restaurant for food delivery in Saket.

Green Club Sandwich
As green as the plate sounds, it has all the goodness of green vegetables. You can prepare it using rye toast or wholegrain. Abundant in fibre, the dish is a nice change from the usual vegetarian salad while restoring all the nutritional value. Avocado, rocket leaves, cherry tomatoes along with ready-made humus goes into preparing this quick and healthy recipe.

Red Lentil and Sweet Potato Pate
Comes with a calorie count of as low as 200, it is a splash of refreshment and energy in between the day, says a chef from the best restaurant in Delhi for lunch. Prepared with ingredients like smoked paprika, olive oil, diced sweet potatoes, sodium vegetable stock and red wine vinegar along with pita bread, it is a high in proteins and low in fat recipe. Fit to satisfy all time hunger pangs, it is also beneficial for treating diabetes and obesity.