Jannat-E-Punjab Bar & Grill Indian restaurant in Guelph is best for students and serves delicious authentic North Indian food.

Jannat-E-Punjab is run by the University of Guelph alumni Ramandeep Kaur and her husband Jatinderpal Singh Khaira.

I am heading to see my daughter and I want to take her to an authentic Indian restaurant in Guelph.

We head to Jannat-E-Punjab Bar & Grill Indian restaurant in the plaza at 206 Speedvale Ave. W., at the intersection with Dawson Road.

We are visiting during the Diwali weekend and the restaurant is busy with takeouts and pick-ups of  Indian sweets.

I really like the authentic decor inside and the menu offers both vegetarian and non-vegetarian options.

Jannat-E-Punjab offers a lunch buffet and thali during the week.

We are visiting on a Saturday so decide to order from the menu. We ordered the Jannat Special Goat Curry and the Indian Butter Chicken along with Butter Naan.

The Indian Butter Chicken is simply the best I have eaten in all my life.  It is velvety, tangy, sweet, and buttery. I ask Chef Jatinder as to what does he do differently. He told me that he adds sauteed ginger later during the process and it infuses the special flavor.

The meat in the Goat Curry is soft and melts in your mouth and the curry is hearty and delicious. I love that they put sesame seed on the naan and it does take the flavor to another level.

I also asked Ramandeep about all the desserts and she gave me a breakdown of the various assortments.  The duo of Ramandeep and Chef Jatinder have hospitality in their blood and it shows in the food.

I love the food so much that I ordered a Ragan Gosh and Chicken Tikka Lababdar along with naan for takeout. The dishes were delicious.

If you want authentic North Indian food in Guelph, if you are a student at the University of Guelph and craving Indian food, then Jannat-E-Punjab is the restaurant to visit.

The post Indian Restaurant In Guelph for Students appeared first on Four Columns of a Balanced Life.

Masala Grill is located at 794 Concession Street, Hamilton, and has a dine-in and takeaway option. Masala Grill has the best takeout Indian food in Hamilton

Masala Grill is a South Asian bistro offering classical dishes from North India, Pakistan, and tandoori delicacies. The menu is avant-garde with lots of fusion starters that are delicious. Praj Kandhari and his team are connoisseurs of Indian food and it shows in every dish that comes out of the kitchen. Masala Grill has proper hygienic food preparation and serving methodologies.

Masala Grill is my favorite restaurant for Indian takeout in Hamilton. I have done takeout about 5 different times and have catered to two parties so I am aware of all their offerings. Masala Grills also has halal, vegan, and gluten-free options.

Over the last couple of months, I have tried the following from the tandoori delights: chicken tikka, murgh malai boti, goat seekh kebab, beef seekh kebab, and fish tikka.

From the non-vegetarian curries, I have ordered butter chicken, chicken tikka masala, Dhaba chicken curry, shrimp Madras, and goat curry.

From the rice selection, I have tasted vegetable biryani, chicken biryani, shrimp, and beef biryani.

My favorite of the tandoori delights is the murgh malai boti. Boneless chicken thigh marinated with cream cheese, cashew paste, and ground spices are slowly cooked in a clay oven. The chicken literally melts in your mouth. Splash with lemon and a piece of onion and heaven is guaranteed.

The second favorite from the tandoori section is the beef seekh kebab. Beef ground beef marinated with spices and slowly cooked in a clay oven on skewers. The meat is soft and delicious and with a dash of lemon takes it to another level.

From the non-vegetable curries, my favorite is Dhaba chicken curry and shrimp Madras.

Indians are fascinated with Dhaba food. These roadside canteens have mastered the art of cooking, with fresh spices, authenticity, and appetizing food. The food is cooked in open earthen ovens and is cooked slowly so that it can be stored for a long time. The Dhaba chicken curry is cooked Dhaba style in onion and tomato curry.

The shrimp Madras consists of shrimp cooked with coconut cream and onion gravy.

Both are delicious. The choices of curries are vindaloo, korma, spinach, Madras, and karahi.

Biryani is a layered dish consisting of basmati long-grained rice cooked with various spices and saffron and then layered with lamb, chicken, shrimp, fish, or vegetables and a thick gravy.  Masala Grill has perfected this technique of cooking over a low flame and the chicken biryani is a knockout. It is served with a nice salad and a coriander chutney.

Finally the naan. In my personal opinion the best naan I have eaten anywhere. It is delicious, crispy, and just oozing with flavor.

Masala Grill has all the ingredients of a great restaurant. Amazing delicious food, great service, outstanding take-out menu, catering and they even offer tiffin service. Go ahead call them and enjoy Indian food the way it is supposed to be cooked and enjoyed.

The post Masala Grill appeared first on Four Columns of a Balanced Life.

I have traveled to more than 30 countries. Indian food in England is the Balti dishes from Bangladesh. In Lisbon, it is Goan food. In Paris, it is food from South India and mainly from Pondicherry. I live in Toronto, and Indian restaurants are mostly buffet style from Punjab. As a result, I want to talk to Divyanshi to get a better understanding of Indian food.

Divyanshi is a Delhi-based food blogger who has an amazing Instagram profile. She believes that good food brings people together at My Delicious Plate.  She loves exploring homemade food and different food recipes from all parts of India rather than Indian restaurants. Her mantra is ‘Eat, Drink and Live Free because you get this life once and there is no telling what might happen tomorrow’.

Divyanshi welcome to my blog. Please tell me a little about you? What does your name mean?

Hello Jerry, first of all, I would like to thank you for giving me this opportunity. I have completed my graduation. I love to write. As a result, I decided to blog and have been doing it for a year.

My name ‘Divyanshi’ is made of two Hindi words. ‘Divy’ which means divine or spiritual and ‘Ansh’ means a part of. However, when combined, Divyanshi means ‘Part of a Divine thing’.

I love your IG profile. You showcase a variety of foods. Is it from all over India or only from the North?

Thank you! The variety of Indian food is a result of our diverse Indian culture. Because of this cultural mix, we have been lucky to enjoy the cuisines of the South in North India and vice versa. The food from all regions is popular all over India!  I have been eating many of this regional food since childhood and now I try to cook them too.

My IG profile displays food from all parts of India. It is easily available everywhere especially in New Delhi, which is the capital of India. New Delhi is a cultural mosaic of people from all over India who also bring their food with them.

Roti means bread. Please talk to me a little bit about the different kinds of Chapati, Poori, Naan, and Rumali roti?

In India, typically in northern parts, there are two segments of a meal. One curry and one bread and then accompaniments to this can be added. Roti, Poori, Naan, Fulka are all types of bread that we enjoy with a great variety of curries. They differ in their style of preparation and grain of which it is made.

For example, Roti is made by simply making a dough of wheat flour, flattening it, and baking it on a Tawa (a large flat pan). Poori on the other hand is a fried version of roti which is smaller in size. Naan is made from Maida (Refined flour) and is leavened with yeast. We also stuff roti and call it parantha. There is literally a huge variety of bread in India that one can enjoy and it all comes from our varied culture!

Talk to me about your favorite snacks?

I love having snacks. I think snacks are my favorite part of the day. Being an Indian foodie, I would say ‘Samosa’ which has become popular all around the globe now.  Initially, there was only potato stuffing in samosa but now we can get noodle samosa, cheese samosa, pasta samosa, and many more like these.

One more favorite snack of people living in Delhi is ‘Momos’. That is not Indian but we love it like it is ours. We make Indian versions of every snack around the world and that is something I love about India.

You have a decent following on IG. Does that put pressure on you?

No. I never felt the pressure. This is something I really enjoy doing. I feel grateful that people are liking my content on ‘My Delicious Plate’ and it motivates me to work harder. Also, I have my best friend, Vivek who helps me with the content and suggestions. I wish the number keeps growing so that I can share my love for food with more people.

What does women empowerment mean to you?

Women empowerment for me is about letting females choose what they want to do without any restriction. For years women around the world have been restricted to numerous things. Women have struggled and made their way to the top. However,  the situation has improved to only some extent, mostly in developed countries.

We need to create more opportunities for women and more space for them to choose their own path. Discrimination between genders should be eliminated and only we can do it by spreading awareness and telling women their worth and telling men to treat women equally.

I want to know your favorite dishes and why do you like them?

I have a long list of favorite dishes. I will choose three of my favorites. The first one is Rajma Chawal. Rajma is red kidney bean curry and chawal is rice. The kind of spices used in it makes it so tasty and special. Indian food is all about different spices and their style of blending.

Another dish is Paneer Butter Masala which is a cottage cheese served in a spicy gravy having lots of butter. The third one is Masala Dosa. I can really have it anytime with a good Sambar and Coconut Chutney. For a foodie like me, it was difficult choosing just three!

Is there a huge difference between vegan and vegetarian food in India? I mean if you cook with ghee it is vegetarian, if sunflower oil it becomes vegan?

The concept of veganism in India is not as popular as it is coming up in some parts of the world. There are very few people talking about it. The same reflects in our food habits. For example, cooking in ghee is still considered better and healthier than in oil. We have a huge population of vegetarians but being vegan is something we haven’t acknowledged yet.

What are your future goals? Where does Divyanshi want to be 5 years from now?

I started ‘My Delicious Plate’ as a page to show people my love for food, what I eat, and my kind of food. One thing I was sure of since the beginning, I didn’t want to restrict it to the Indian audience. I wanted to show people from all around the world the richness of food we enjoy in India, hence the English name.

I feel extremely happy when people from other continents message me saying they love Indian food and would like to try the recipes I share. In the future also I would be working on the same. Even in India, many people are unaware of foods from other regions, my intention is to take out food from all over India, especially the traditional food and display the diversity of Indian food and culture to the people of our country as well as globally.

You are chosen to represent Indian food on a trip to Mars and can take only 5 food items. What would they be?

If I have to represent India with five dishes then I will choose my favorites from all parts of the country. From the North, I will choose Paneer Tikka which is cheese marinated in lots of spices. Masala Dosa will be chosen from South India. From the west, I will take Dhokla which is a Gujrati Cuisine.

North-East India enjoys more Non-vegetarian cuisines which I don’t have but I will choose Fish curry of Bengal for those who eat fish. Fifth and the last one will be from Central India. and that is Khasta Kachori which is made with wheat dough stuffed with a spicy lentil mixture and then fried till it becomes crispy.

The post The Diversity of Indian Food appeared first on Four Columns of a Balanced Life.