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.

Adopting healthy cooking habits for Indian fare

Between doing laundry and mopping floors, what runs through our minds are the details of countless recipes, which are fondly associated with memories. Most homemakers and anyone who fancy cooking traditional Indian fare would know the feeling. The flaky crusts of a perfectly done cookie, the rich creamy consistency of a sauce or the thickness of the curry deserve all the contemplation and meditation and I give them that in between my daily chores. Ingredient by ingredient, every step of the recipe needs reflection and innovation. And the end result can always use up an extra pinch of sugar or a second dollop of ghee to add to the delight. 

However, the health conscious would definitely frown at my food filled with love, and fat! Well as I struggled to appease our family doctor and dietician with what was served on the table every day, I struggled with the taste—something I have never had a problem with. Even a bad food day in my kitchen could match up to the best north Indian restaurants in Gurgaon but adopting healthy cooking habits was detrimental for my kitchen, until I came across a friend, a food blogger, who passed on these tips. 

When you take out the clarified butter and heavy spices from the food, the focus is suddenly shifted to the underlying rich and subtler flavours that are available in abundance to play around with. Indian fare is a medley of veggies, dairy products, legumes and other grains and each lend a distinct flavour to the food, beside the onion garlic paste and spices. So the tip number one would be to start focusing on the taste of each and every ingredient individually, says a chef at a home delivery restaurants in Saket. 

Moreover, she is also a big advocator of a full course meal everyday rather than just the main course. It gives me space to sneak in a few nutritious bites in the face of homemade soups, baked veggies, sprout salads and grilled kebabs. It is also very satiating so the main meal that is laden with carbs only constitutes of a very little portion.

Round off your meal with Mukhwaas!

The North Indian cuisine is known for its elaborate multi course meals. The fare, fit for the royalty, includes various shades of flavours and aromas that will have your senses enamoured. Before the common folk admired and adapted the royal salver into their humble daily lives, there were elaborate courses befitting, seasons, moods, main course’s preparation method, time of the meal and even the digestive system.

One such small ritual in this imperial meal was Mukwaas-- a spoonful of sweet and aromatic flavours which disentangle your senses from the rich and spice laden flavours, refreshes the mouth and sets the digestive juices roiling. This unique course in the meal is now usually limited to just fennel seeds, but did you know there were over 100 recipes for that, says a chef at a popular restaurant in Saket. Here are a few samples.

All-in-one

Take 1 portion of roughly shredded betel nut leaves to this add ¼ portion of dhana dal, roasted fennel seeds, sugar coated fennel seed, dry dates finely chopped, sweet supari and rose sherbet each. Now take 1 portion of fresh shredded coconut half of which can be coloured with permitted food colours and add it to the mixture. Finally, put in around 2 teaspoons of ground cardamom. Mix all this together and store in an airtight container. North Indian restaurants saket say that it has a shelf life as long as one year if handled properly.

All purpose Mukhwaas

 Betel nut and supari aren’t everyone’s favourite. Besides, children should avoid such ingredients. So this recipe uses healthy ayirvedic medicines which are good for digestion, cures seasonal coughs and tatse good. take 1 portion of fennel seeds, carom seeds, mulethi powder and dried mint leaves. To this add sea salt according to your taste and 1 tsp of cloves. Now take the whole mixture and coarse grind it in a mixer.