by Beverley Lyons

A Glasgow restaurateur claims Indian street food will take over traditional Scottish Indian dishes in 2018 due to it being healthier, faster and lighter to eat.

Owner Navdeep Basi, from Merchant City’s The Dhabba restaurant, says his customers are demanding even more authentic dishes like puris instead of heavy curries.

His predictions are right on track, according to this month’s trend report by Waitrose, which claims Indian street food will join Japanese ‘dude’ food and plant-based protein as big sellers next year.

Navdeep said: “It’s all down to the taste and Indian street food has got its own unique flavours in the same way that people go to Mexico and want tacos.

“A lot of the street food in India is vegetarian and that is reflected in our North Indian menu.

“It’s faster and healthier and a lot is yoghurt-based using fresh vegetables and ingredients. It’s sour, sweet, tangy, crunchy and spicy and can be enjoyed as a main or an hors d’oeuvre. “

The Dhabba’s chef JD Tewari has cooked for Indian ministerial banquets so it is ironic that he is now cooking street food enjoyed by locals.

Navdeep, who celebrates The Dhabba’s 15th birthday next month, added: “I think more people are being educated through the internet and TV shows which show chefs going round the world and they want to break away from the real British curry.

“We recently changed up our menu to accommodate that but we still use proper plates and cutlery for our street food to provide a good level of comfort and quality.”