It’s that time of year again. Yes folks, you got it right – the wedding season where all brides and grooms are in full bloom, family members are brimming with happiness. And these weddings are also great opportunities for socializing, dancing and having a fabulous friends and family time. Thats where we skip and many a times think what food options in an indian wedding could be healthy.
Indian weddings are all about grand feasts. In other words, weddings are fat affairs which they are getting grander day by day. Also, their buffet menu are even grander which literally has the variety a restaurant and cafes serves on a normal day. They exceed our imagination. We get tempted by the lip-smacking and mouth-watering dishes. And end up eating extreme amounts of extra calories which we don’t actually need.
In actuality, we consider weddings as our cheat days but with the wedding season coming, we are sure to attend more than one wedding a week. And, that so many cheat days? That’s not ideal and it tends to happen with the best of us.
Well, if you are at the wedding, you can still eat food that is not only containing less oil, less sugar but also nutritious for your body.
Also, weddings can get you pretty worked up in various ways and amid all the festivities, you can suffer from dehydration. So, follow our classic rule to drink plenty of water. Most important thing is to control the portion size of what you eat. This way, you can control the consumption of extra calories and you won’t have to feel guilty about it.
We have created a list of food options from various cuisines which you can eat in Indian wedding guilt-free. Let’s have a look!
Salads
1. Fruit salad:
Fruit salad should be your first go-to stall as you enter the food hall. These salads consists of various kinds fruits which are really refreshing. This gives you a good start in weddings and it also fills you stomach with its goodness and feel less hungry when you reach the other food counters.
Fruit salad
2. Pasta Salad
Pasta gives you a Italian gist, that enhances a good old salad into something pretty gourmet. Plus, it comes with some added vegetables and a lot and a lot of Parmesan cheese. It tantalizes your taste buds with its tangy taste. You can enjoy this keeping in mind its portion size.
Pasta salad
Starters/Snacks:
1. Paneer tikka:
Indian weddings are incomplete without paneer tikkas. They are famous Indian starter and also generally served in every Indian wedding. They are served with barbeque vegetables and green chutney. Also, they are really healthy and if you want to keep it healthier, ask the chef to not brush it with oil. Enjoy this starter with its mouth melting flavors. Most importantly, keep portion size in mind and do not consume more than 3 to 4 pieces of it.
Paneer tikka
2. Chicken tikka:
Chicken tikka is one of the most famous dish served at the weddings. The chicken is blended with spices before it is put on the barbeque stove. Enjoy this chicken tikka with plenty of barbaque vegetables and also green chutney.
Chicken tikka
3. Khaman Dhokla/khandvi:
Khaman dhokla and khandvi is indeed the most famous Gujarati snack. Everyone is aware of it and loves to eat it. Also, the visual appeal of these snacks is so strong that you just cannot pass the plate by without picking one.
Furthermore, you can enjoy them with lemon juice on the top and green chutney. Only 2-3 pieces are enough to tantalize your taste buds.
Khaman dhokla
4. Pav bhaji:
Pav Bhaji has become the staple food in weddings. Have you been to a wedding where Pav Bhaji was not available? Probably never. This recipe is a beautiful amalgamation of vegetables with a unique blend of spices and serve it with pav with raw onions on the top. So, enjoy its deliciousness keeping in mind the portion size. You can have bhaji with 2 pav and enjoy it without any guilt.
Pav bhaji
5. Paneer stuffed cheela/Moong dal cheela:
The cheela is an evergreen dish and it never disappoints you. Also, it makes a delicious appetizer for the parties. It fills you stomach with its goodness. These are serve with sweet red chutney and green chutney.
Moong dal cheela
6. Idli sambhar/Dosa sambhar:
South Indian food options in an Indian wedding are found easily, south Indian food is very popular everywhere because of its unique flavor and taste. You can never go wrong with idli or dosa. Also, you can enjoy them with rasam or hot sambhar at weddings with coconut chutney. You can enjoy this South Indian food and can eat to satisfy your hunger pangs!
Idli sambhar with coconut chutney
Main course
Food options in an indian wedding – North Indian cuisine:
1. Matar paneer/Chicken curry with naan/tawa roti:
Paneer is a versatile ingredient which can be used in various kinds of dishes. Matar Paneer is one of them. It is a delicious recipe that is very famous in north India and is an all time favorite dish also. This dish, when served with any type of naan or tawa roti, tastes heavenly.
Furthermore, same goes for the chicken curry with naan/tawa roti. You should go for chicken curry instead of butter chicken. This may be the difficult choice to ditch butter chicken. However, there is a big difference in the amount of calories as the butter chicken may have thrice the calories than the healthier options.
Chicken curry
2. Bharwan baingan/capsicum/karela:
These stuffed vegetables are definitely Food options in an Indian wedding easily available on every wedding menu. It has a rich flavor of Indian spices and is usually loved by everyone.
Stuffed capsicum
3. Sarson ka saag with makki ki roti:
It is one of the most popular North Indian dishes. This dish is famous in almost every wedding during the winter season. Personally, sarson ka saag with makki ki roti have a special place in my heart. It is a dish that I crave all year and which makes me do cartwheels for the arrival of winter. I generally enjoy it with makki, but you can also enjoy it with missi roti or tawa roti.
4. Vegetable biryani/chicken biryani:
Biryani is very famous among the weddings and is incomplete without its deliciously good dish. You cannot pass the biryani food counter without having a taste of it. Whenever I am at any wedding I cannot resist it and I know you can’t either. You can enjoy this delicious dish with lots of salad and lemon juice sprinkled on top and also raita which will balance your complete meal.
Biryani
Food options in an indian wedding – Gujarati cuisine:
1. Gujarati Kadhi:
Gujarat’s most famous dish – The Gujarati Kadhi is not the typical kadhi we all make at our home. No, this version of kadhi is somewhat different. It is a traditional preparation of a wonderful sweet and spicy curd mixture thickened with besan (gram flour). This kadhi is a light dish on your stomach but it can be a bit heavy if you have too much of it. So, portion control is important even at weddings. You can serve it with one serving of steamed rice/vegetable pulao or tawa roti/naan which will tempt your taste buds.
Gujarati kadhi
2. Chana Batata:
Chana batata is a popular desi style dish made with chickpeas and potato. It kind of hangs in between being street-side-chatpata food to a proper side dish or a main course. Serve it on your plate and enjoy it with some side salads and also some lemon juice sprinkled on it.
Chana batata
3. Dal Dhokli:
Dal dhokli is also one of the Food options in an indian wedding. Want to have something delicious and nutritious at weddings? Well, dal dhokli is one of them which you can enjoy guilt-free. It is a most popular and favorite dish out of all the Gujarati cuisines. Serve this delicious dish with some steamed rice or tawa roti.
Food options in an indian wedding – South Indian cuisine:
1. Lemon Rice/Steamed rice:
Rice is a staple food in South India. It is impossible to imagine a South Indian wedding without rice. Varieties of rice are served at weddings, among which lemon rice and steamed rice is the most common.
The famous lemon rice will make you instantly drool over the taste and will tempt your taste buds. Also, for steamed rice, there are various kinds of dishes for you to enjoy with rice.
Lemon rice
2. Aviyal:
Aviyal is an authentic South Indian dish which is a spicy thick mixture of almost 13 vegetables. Rich in nutrients, it is one of the most popular dishes in the South Indian wedding menu. Furthermore, you can serve it with the rice served or as it is, depending on one’s preference and taste.
3. Kootu:
Kootu made using vegetables and dal is another dish which is often seen in South Indian wedding menus. It is famous for its hot and tangy taste. You can enjoy its hot and tangy taste with rice to enjoy the tempting flavors.
4. Rasam:
Rasam is a spicy, sweet’ n sour soup traditionally served at South Indian weddings. It is also the second main dish served after sambhar. It is usually eaten along with a vegetable side dish (poriyal). But you can also have it after having all your meals. It will aid in your digestion and helps relieve symptoms of common cold and stomach ailments.
5. Poriyal:
Poriyal is the ultimate vegetable side dish for any meal one can have in South Indian weddings. It is a dish consisting of fried or sauteed vegetables which are either diced or sliced up. You can enjoy it as a side dish along with rice mixed with sambhar and also rasam or yogurt (curd).
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