Sanskruti: Finest & Most Authentic Vegan Indian
With locations in both Liverpool and Manchester, Sanskruti offers the most authentic Indian vegetarian and vegan cuisine. “Sanskruti”, which is derived from the word ‘Sanskrit’, means ‘tradition’ or ‘culture’ in what is believed to be the world’s oldest language. Sanskruti believes nothing represents India more than its classical cuisine and vibrant culture. They have proudly been nominated for various international awards including being nominated as one of the top 50 vegan restaurants in the world and awarded the “UK’s Vegetarian Restaurant of the Year” by Nation’s Curry Awards 2024. The two restaurants have also been mentioned in the Guardian’s top ten vegan restaurants in Manchester and are in Sunday Times’ 25 Best Vegetarian and Vegan restaurants in the UK.
I will admit right off the bat, this was our third time eating at a Sanskruti restaurant and every time I have been way too hungry to take photos. However this time I told myself I would make a blog post about Sanskruti because honestly, the food just is amazing. This may be the best Indian restaurant I have ever been to. As soon as you try even a single dish you realise why they have won so many awards. To start we got the Tandoori Soy Tikka. Succulent pieces of soy are prepared to give a meaty texture using all-natural ingredients and a wooden lollypop stick is placed in the centre to simulate a ‘bone’. The beautiful and colourful presentation of this dish almost made me not want to touch it. All of the flavours worked so well together, the freshness of the salad and the meaty tikka just complimented each other perfectly. To go with our mains we also ordered a delicious garlic naan bread. Sanskruti does offer huge family-sized naans, hanging from hooks on the table but sometimes even I know when my eyes are bigger than my bell.
To accompany the naan and soy tikka we ordered a masala dosa. A thin rice & lentil Indian crepe filled with potatoes and onion masala. Masala is loosely translated to “spice” and although there are many varieties masala is typically made up of 5 spices. Onion masala typically comprises onion, tomato, ginger, garlic, and spices such as coriander, paprika, cumin, turmeric and cayenne. This dosa was light and fluffy and the filling was the perfect spice level. Whenever I go for an Indian meal I almost always make sure one of the dishes ordered is a masala dosa as it always goes down a treat. We also ordered the tofu Makhanwala, succulent soy bean curd simmered in a creamy tomato and onion sauce with a blend of cardamom and dried fenugreek leaves. I was so happy when I saw that there was a tofu alternative to paneer when I first visited Sanskruti. I always wanted to try Paneer but never got the chance once I turned vegan. However, this tofu alternative more than makes up for it. Especially when we paired it with the mushroom rice adding even more texture to the dish. Every component of this meal worked perfectly in sync with each other from the soy tikka to the tofu panner and the masala dosa. If you ever find yourself in Liverpool or Manchester, check out Sanskruti and I promise you every component of your meal will impress you.
