Aarhus Universitet
Aarhus Universitet
03/22/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 03/22/2024 09:37
Desis in Denmark: How to find South Asian food in Aarhus
Desis in Denmark: How to find South Asian food in Aarhus
Indians are famously known to take their kitchen along when they move abroad, and we were no exception. However, the check-in baggage allowance only allowed us so much to bring when we moved to Aarhus from Bengaluru, India. How did we navigate life and cooking good Indian food for ourselves in a new country? Read on to know.
22 March 2024 by Anitha and Simran Ahuja
Home is where the heart is. Home is also where the fully-stocked spice rack is! If you've ever eaten Indian food, then you know how spices are the true heroes of any of our dishes. All it takes is a splash of cumin, tumeric, chilli, coriander and garam masala (a blend of ground spices) to turn a boring pot of lentils into a delicious daal.
Moving abroad is a great time to experiment, not just with global cuisines, but also your own cooking skills. It really is the best time for your inner MasterChef to shine. And there's nothing like managing studying, socialising and building a new life in a new country to get those creative juices flowing.
Think easy one pot dishes, fail safe recipes, hacks to save rice that is undercooked, overcooked, and what not!
But even in the midst of all the experimenting, we knew there was no way we could abstain from Indian food. The search for ingredients and dishes began soon enough - almost a week after we moved! And guess what? We can now safely say that Aarhus has almost everything you need for your homesick heart.
Indian restaurants in Aarhus
India is a huge country. And luckily, restaurants in Aarhus recognise this too. So it was great to see that the cuisine choice at these restaurants ranges from South Indian to Punjabi. You can also find biryani, chaats and samosa.
While Denmark's pastry game is truly sublime, there are times you just crave something familiar. And if you know the right places to hit, you could also find gulab jamoon, gajar halwa, and kheer in some of them.
So, here are some places to bookmark the next time you crave Indian food:
The Spice of India - Indisk Takeaway
Taste of Punjab
Royal Indian Aarhus
The South Indian
Indian Curry House
Pearl India
Masala - Indian Take Away and Restaurant
Indisk
Indisk - Aarhus Street Food
Cuisine - Aarhus Street Food
Ammis - butterchicken
Restaurant Zafran
Indian Mihra Punjabi
Everest Kitchen - Street Food
All of them are located in Aarhus C except for Indian Mihra Punjabi, which is located within Bazaar Vest in Aarhus V. They can all be easily found on Google Maps. Also good to know: These can be reached by public transport. This was great because from firsthand experience, it was difficult to cycle back after a scrumptious meal!
There are also times you want something easy on the wallet. For those times, check out Indian 'mealboks' or 'buffetboks' on TooGoodToGo - an app that restaurants can use to fight food waste by selling any unsold food at a cheaper price at the end of the day. You don't get to choose the dishes here but sometimes surprises are fun. Most only serve dinner and are open from around 17:00 until 21:00 or 22:00.
Restaurant Zafran and the places at Aarhus Street Food are also open for lunch from around 11:30. The outlets at Aarhus Street Food are usually more wallet-friendly. While weekdays are no issue, we would recommend reservations for weekend dining. Because it turns out, Indians are not the only fans of this food.
We were both pretty amazed to know how much Danes enjoy Indian food too. The World Kitchen, which takes place every Tuesday at Ungdomkulturhuset (UKH), hosts Indian dinner nights. There is no specific set date, but you can look it up on Facebook or Instagram. There usually is at least one Indian dinner night every semester, and it is a delight to be part of the event.
Cooking at home and finding Indian ingredients
The choice of Indian restaurants, as you can see, are plentiful in Aarhus, and the prices are competitive too. However, I do find them expensive if I would have to eat out every night. Occasional visits to the restaurants are enjoyable but otherwise, I always preferred to cook meals in a well-equipped shared kitchen in my dorm. It worked out a lot cheaper to cook by myself with all the ingredients. One would think sourcing ingredients could be a task. However, that has never been an issue. Østens Specialiteter near the train station, the Asian Food Store in Bazaar Vest and the vegetable market within Bazaar Vest offered almost every item I would need to cook my meals. From atta for chapathi to mango pickle, all varieties of dal and rice to asafoetida, the many different masala powders - these stores have it all. I could even find jackfruit, raw banana, okra (bhindi) and bittergourd at the vegetable market in Bazaar Vest! This is the place to get the flavorsome green chillies too. When you go shopping in these stores, make sure to carry an airtight container as they also offer fresh Jamoon, Jalebi, Rasgulla and Samosa.
One of the first things that amused me upon my arrival in my dorm was how much my Danish roommates used turmeric, coriander powder, cumin powder, cinnamon and 'curry powder.' Having explored all supermarkets in the past year, I found that Super Brugsen and Coop365 have more options when it comes to Indian ingredients. They store dal (masoor and toor), channa (chickpeas), rajma (red and black beans), rice (jasmine, basmati, parboiled), and almost all the spices. Sometimes you might even find ready-to-eat chicken curry and fish curry meal boxes. The tortilla wraps available across all supermarkets are a good replacement for chapathi or roti.
With a part-time job, working 10-12 hours a week, I have been able to cover all my food expenses, be it eating out or buying ingredients. The absence of home food has never once made me homesick, as I could make almost anything here. I only carried a pressure cooker when I flew to Aarhus and found everything else here.
Rest assured, Aarhus has generously satisfied my Indian palate.