Who doesn't like going on a long drive with good music? The whole experience is elevated even more if we get to eat good food in between. While travelling on highways, you might have seen a lot of Dhabas coming in between. We have very often stopped at these dhabas to eat food during our journeys. Dhabas serve the most delicious and authentic Desi-style food to everyone. If you are missing the experience of eating traditional Dhaba style food then here are the top 10 Dhaba style recipes that you can try making at home.
* Butter Chicken
To recreate this recipe at home, you will need to precisely follow the traditional Dhaba-style butter chicken recipe. You can start preparing for the dish overnight by marinating your chicken and some curd and spices. Then in the morning grill this chicken on Tandoor. The key to making the best gravy for butter. Chicken is to add a lot of cream, tomatoes and blended cashews. This indulgent dish is made by the amalgamation of different flavours of ingredients like fenugreek, butter, garam masala, and a lot of other ingredients. You can serve this hot with butter naan or Jeera rice.
Image Credits: Unsplash
* Paneer Tikka
Paneer tikka is another famous north Indian Dhaba-style recipe that is very popular among people who visit north Indian Dhabas. Like butter chicken, this is also prepared by marinating pieces of cottage cheese, overnight with yoghurt and some spices. Make sure that you add a lot of lemon juice to your marination for extra flavour. Now put these cottage cheese pieces on a Tandoor and cook them until they become brown from the outside. Now sprinkle some chaat masala and serve it with more grilled vegetables. Enjoy this with homemade mint and coriander Chutney.
Video Credits: YouTube
* Aloo Gobhi
Aloo Gobi is yet another very famous winter delicacy that you can try recreating at home. The Dhaba style Aloo Gobi is very different from the one that we make at home. It is made in Desi ghee which is why it has a very strong flavour of spices and is also more well cooked. You can use a lot of spices, onion, ginger, garlic paste, and fresh coriander leaves. This dish can be enjoyed with your Tandoori roti or even simple Chapati. It is a simple yet hearty dish that can be enjoyed at any time of the year.
* Dal Makhni
Dal Makhani is the Queen of Dals and is one of the few celebratory dal recipes that we have. It is a very creamy and thicn dal that is prepared with black urad dal, rajma, seeds, and lots of butter, cream, garlic, ginger and spices. A thick paste made out of tomatoes and onions is also used in the gravy. It is very creamy and flavoursome. This can be enjoyed with some fresh Jeera, rice, butter naan, and even Tandoori roti. You can eat this with some vinegar-infused spiced onions as they compliment the taste of the dal well.
Image Credits: Unsplash
* Aloo Paratha
Aloo Paratha is a fan favourite and it is utterly stupid to visit a north Indian Dhaba and not try Aloo Paratha. This is a classic Paratha recipe that is loved by people of all ages. This can be cooked in Tava as well as Tandoor. The Dhaba-style variety of Aloo Paratha is generally cooked in Tandoor, but it is equally good if you cook it on a Tawa. Cook this in a lot of butter or desi ghee to give its outer crust a crispy texture. Serve this with a pickle, curd and enjoy it with a hot cup of tea.
* Rajma Chawal
Our list is incomplete without the mention of one of the most favourite food combinations among north Indians which is rajma chawal. Rajma is prepared with a heavy tomato and onion gravy in north Indian dhabas. It is heavily spiced and served with fresh and hot Jeera rice. Some people also like to enjoy eating rajma with some garlic or butter naan. Eating rajma chawal with chopped onions and a hot cup of tea is the perfect meal that you can ask for. You can try making the Dhaba-style rajma at home by making sure that you put all the ingredients in the right quantity. It is not a very tough recipe and you will be able to crack it easily.
These are some delicious Dhaba-style recipes that you can try recreating at home. Always remember that dhaba recipes use generous quantities of ghee, butter, and Indian spices so make your food using all of these ingredients liberally.