Two Tasty Meals To Try At A Vegetarian Indian Buffet

Posted on: 5 July 2016

If you're heading out to an Indian restaurant that serves strictly vegetarian fare, then you are in for a treat. One of the great things about a buffet lunch served at an Indian restaurant is that you get to try a bunch of different entrees. Here are two really great Indian meals that you should try. 

Saag Paneer

This is a rich and creamy dish made with spinach and cheese. The spinach (saag) is cooked in a cream sauce that has a light floral spice mixture. The spinach is first sautéed with garlic, onion, cumin seeds, and ginger. Then fenugreek is added to the spinach. This is all cooked down until everything is tender. Finally, cream, cubes of cheese (paneer) and garam masala are added to the pan. Garam masala is a fragrant spice mixture made of a lot of different spices (cinnamon, clove, mace, nutmeg, and other spices.) Garam masala is not hot, but it does give the dish a lot of flavor and a wonderful aroma.

Saag Paneer is great served with rice. You might also want to choose the bread called Roti, which is what it is traditionally served with. This dish is very popular in Indian Restaurants that cater to northern Punjab or even Pakistani customers.

Chana Masala

This is the perfect dish for health conscious diners who also love hot and spicy foot. It is a chickpea dish that doesn't have the cream or cheese that you find in many Indian foods. This dish is a very popular street food in Indian where it is served with fried bread. When you go to a restaurant, the dish is not as dry as the street food version, but instead served with more sauce. So you might want to add basmati rice to your dish to go with a side order fried bread normally served with this dish. The fried bread is called puri. It is sometimes called  "puff" bread because when it is being baked, a pocket of air develops inside the dough and creates a big hollow center of air.

The chana masala is made by stewing tomatoes with onions, garlic, mango powder, dried pomegranate, and dried chili peppers. Once the mixture is reduced, chickpeas are added and cooked until they are tender and have absorbed much of the liquid in the dish.

Some restaurants serve it hotter than others, so you will have to taste it to find out just how hot the chana is. For more information on local food choices, contact a buffet restaurant like Crico's Pizza & Subs.

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