Vegan News
Restaurant from India debuts in Texas with veggie buffet and luscious breads
A new Indian restaurant from one of India's most famous chefs has opened in Irving. Called Vishnuji Ki Rasoi, it's part of an international concept and is located in Irving, at 2427 W. Airport Fwy.
This location opened April and is the first in Texas.
Founded in India, Vishnuji specializes in simple, comforting vegetarian food, done in a home-style manner. Recipes and spices are created under the guidance of Vishnu Manohar, a celebrity chef in his own country where he makes frequent appearances on TV and in cooking competitions. He's been called "the most admired chef in Central India."
The menu focuses on the central region of India with a mix of north and south delicacies, particularly Maharashtrian cuisine, from the central-western state of Maharasha — primarily vegetarian and considered to be diverse as far as spices go since the state is so large.
Vegetables, lentils, and grains including wheat and rice play a big role, and if you like breads, you like Maharashtrian food because they have a whole collection of goodies such as vadas (like a doughnut), pavs (like a dinner roll), and polis (like a pancake).
Some of their popular dishes and street foods include:
- bhajjis (like fritters)
- missal (a spicy bean dish)
- ragda (a spicy pea stew)
- chole bhature (chickpea curry served with a fluffy bread)
- mutter paneer aka matar paneer (rich curry with peas and paneer cheese)
But the thing to get is one of their combo meals, where you get a variety of dishes in small quantities, served on a large round platter, with accompanying bread, similar to what is served at Saravana Bhavan, another international chain from India that has two locations in the DFW area, in Irving and Plano.
Vishnuji also does some fun starters such as cheese balls and masala fries, IE fries topped with Indian-style spices.
The menu has options for vegans and they'll accommodate dietary restrictions such as no onion and no garlic options available for Jain and Swaminarayan communities from India.
According to a manager, the Irving location opened just as COVID-19 landed, and has stepped up its catering business to fill in the breach. They usually do a buffet but it is currently suspended due to the virus.
There's one other Vishnuji Ki Rasoi ("rasoi" is "kitchen") in the U.S.: a location that opened in Sunnyvale, California in 2019.
