Neehee’s: Vegetarian and Vegan Friendly Indian Food
I’ll be the first to admit that when I think of your standard “vegetarian” or “vegan” food, I instantly think of American eats. Don’t get me wrong, Columbus has a TON of amazing and locally owned spots for plant-based eats (see the post I wrote on those here!) but many of them don’t venture into other cuisines. I was so excited to find that the new(ish!) Neehee’s Vegetarian Indian Street Food on Sawmill has done exactly that, and brought a load of Indian dishes to the plant-based, vegetarian, and vegan market.
It’s not uncommon to associate Indian cuisine as “unhealthy” or “loaded with carbs and fats”, because just like any cuisines there are definitely dishes that hit those categories! But the Neehee’s concept was founded by two brothers who wanted to do the opposite – the restaurant named after their two daughters has a menu built for those who live a healthy lifestyle, and/or are looking for options to satisfy their vegetarian and vegan diets. And the bonus? These dishes were SO FREAKIN’ GOOD. Let’s talk about them!
Vegetarian Indian Cuisine: Let’s Talk about the Food
My absolute favorite dish that I tried at Neehee’s Indian Vegetarian Street Food was the Gobi Manchurian. I’m a sucker for fried cauliflower bites and the Indian flavors in this classic vegetarian dish had my mouth watering for more. This popular Neehee’s dish is: Crispy batter-fried cauliflower florets, sweet bell peppers, and onions tossed in Manchurian sauce garnished with green spring onions and cilantro. It is a mildly spicy yet robust flavor. Yum!
Let’s chat about the Chole Bhature….
While this dish may be a bit heavier than the others, I absolutely died and went to heaven when I sunk my teeth into the bhature. It was so LIGHT and BUTTERY! Bhature is fried puffed bread made of all purpose flour. I could eat it every day of the year. It’s meant to be served with boiled chickpeas cooked with onions, tomatoes, and spiced gravy, chopped raw onions, and a slice of lime on the side. It’s a staple for me now!
Okay how GORGEOUS was this next dish I tried? This is called the Raj Kachori and to me it was the gift that kept on giving. First of all, beautiful – we covered that. Second of all, I wasn’t expecting it to be served COLD but I kind of liked that it was cold, as it differentiated itself from the rest of the warm meals I was tasting. Lastly, there’s a surprise inside! The large kachori shell is filled with papdi (small, flat, crisp, deep-fried crackers), bhalla (black gram/black lentil croquette), potatoes, onion, beet, mint-cilantro chutney, sweet chutney, beaten yogurt, boondi (fried chickpea flour balls), chana dal, topped with sev. So basically … you’ve gotta try it yourself to even fathom the flavors bursting from this guy. But make sure you find a friend to share!
Lastly, I tried a classic Paneer Bhurji Dosa Wrap. I had the associates working at Neehee’s help me with picking a flavor because they have SO many to choose from. They mentioned that this was one of their most popular dishes, and now I know why. The Dosa wrap is stuffed with the perfect blend of scrambled and spiced cottage cheese mixed with various spices. The plain dosa wrap and spiced paneer is served with sambhar, coconut chutney and tomato-onion-peanut chutney. I loved dipping the wrap in the different flavors!
Whether you follow a vegetarian diet or you just love Indian food (or even if you’re neither and just trying to find something new and fun, like me!) I absolutely recommend checking out Neehee’s Indian Vegetarian Street Food on Sawmill in Dublin, Ohio. The authentic Indian street food, including vegan and gluten free offerings hosts a wide variety of menu items that serves all age groups. Thanks so much, Neehee’s for inviting me in to try your menu! See you again real soon 😉
