'DHABA' : Road side restaurants in India
We have been traveling consistently over the past 20 years on motorcycle and sometimes by car. We both are passionate travelers and have traveled to most parts of India and explored the destinations in unique ways. We love to travel in India because there is simply nowhere like it. Every visit is different, every experience is unique, the people and the culture and the food of this great country India, makes it unique.
During our road journey we had an opportunity of dining the entire period at the Dhabas, the road side restaurants. Dhabas are situated on highways and on the outskirts of the cities, towns and villages.
They are most commonly found next to petrol stations and most of them are open 24 hours a day. The word Dhaba has come to represent that serves Punjabi food preferred by the highway travelers and the truck drives. Most Dhabas were characterized by mud structures and cots to sit and rest upon called "chaarpai". Dhabas are usually set under the open air, where anyone can relax on the chaarpai or khatia (type of typical Indian bed made out of a web ropes) even drink fresh water from the tube-well with big size steel glasses. Anyone familiar with highway traveling in India will never miss a stop by the road side Dhabas.
They have open kitchen so you can exactly see what is going on and how it is done. The food was just excellent, fresh and very well prepared, it takes only 15 minutes to get an order ready. Inexpensive and "homemade" style food is well appreciated by the highway riders.
The menu choice at Dhaba were very simple and the prices are not very expensive. Dal fry (pulses curry) and few Rotis make a passable meal with a reasonable price. A small plate of diced or pickled small onions with chutney (spicy dip) or achaar ( mango pickle) will come free on the side.
The basic menu always has Mix Dal. Dal is almost always there. There are many varieties of dal, pulses, like yellow arhar, masoor, malka, mung, rajma, bengal chana. Other staples on dhaba menu are matar paneer (peas in cottage cheese curry), saag (spinach curry), alu dum (small potato curry), choley (chickpea curry), baigan bharta (eggplant curry) and raita (diced cucumbers in yogurt).
After lunch and a few hours on ride on the highway you may stop by another dhaba for your tea and snack. One single glass of tea can significantly improve your mood. It gives an opportunity to refresh and rest in the shade and chat with the local people.
In south of India, you will find Meals or Thali on the menu. It consists of rice on a steel plate, yogurt, papad and variety of vegetable curries with pickle, all served in small bowls along the edge of the steel plate. It is a great pleasure to savor a thali in the dhabas of south of India. In the coastal states of India, Kerala and Goa have excellent seafood fish and prawn.
A dhaba will always greet you, provide you with the well needed rest and fuel you up. Traveling in India is incomplete without halting at a dhaba and experiencing.
There are few countries on earth with the enormous variety of food that India has to offer. We feel that more and more people should explore India, experience and enjoy riding on the highway and eating at the Dhabas.
During our road journey we had an opportunity of dining the entire period at the Dhabas, the road side restaurants. Dhabas are situated on highways and on the outskirts of the cities, towns and villages.
They are most commonly found next to petrol stations and most of them are open 24 hours a day. The word Dhaba has come to represent that serves Punjabi food preferred by the highway travelers and the truck drives. Most Dhabas were characterized by mud structures and cots to sit and rest upon called "chaarpai". Dhabas are usually set under the open air, where anyone can relax on the chaarpai or khatia (type of typical Indian bed made out of a web ropes) even drink fresh water from the tube-well with big size steel glasses. Anyone familiar with highway traveling in India will never miss a stop by the road side Dhabas.
They have open kitchen so you can exactly see what is going on and how it is done. The food was just excellent, fresh and very well prepared, it takes only 15 minutes to get an order ready. Inexpensive and "homemade" style food is well appreciated by the highway riders.
The menu choice at Dhaba were very simple and the prices are not very expensive. Dal fry (pulses curry) and few Rotis make a passable meal with a reasonable price. A small plate of diced or pickled small onions with chutney (spicy dip) or achaar ( mango pickle) will come free on the side.
The basic menu always has Mix Dal. Dal is almost always there. There are many varieties of dal, pulses, like yellow arhar, masoor, malka, mung, rajma, bengal chana. Other staples on dhaba menu are matar paneer (peas in cottage cheese curry), saag (spinach curry), alu dum (small potato curry), choley (chickpea curry), baigan bharta (eggplant curry) and raita (diced cucumbers in yogurt).
After lunch and a few hours on ride on the highway you may stop by another dhaba for your tea and snack. One single glass of tea can significantly improve your mood. It gives an opportunity to refresh and rest in the shade and chat with the local people.
In south of India, you will find Meals or Thali on the menu. It consists of rice on a steel plate, yogurt, papad and variety of vegetable curries with pickle, all served in small bowls along the edge of the steel plate. It is a great pleasure to savor a thali in the dhabas of south of India. In the coastal states of India, Kerala and Goa have excellent seafood fish and prawn.
A dhaba will always greet you, provide you with the well needed rest and fuel you up. Traveling in India is incomplete without halting at a dhaba and experiencing.
There are few countries on earth with the enormous variety of food that India has to offer. We feel that more and more people should explore India, experience and enjoy riding on the highway and eating at the Dhabas.
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