ABC of Indian food

Indian food, what to order, sample of restaurant menu, basic information about Indian cuisine

From our blog https://www.paylesstoursindiablog.com/2020/04/blog-post_24.html

What should you order in the Indian restaurant?

Indian cuisine due to the fact that the majority of the population (around 70 percent) do not eat meat is famous for  tasty, aromatic vegetarian and vegan dishes. However, there are also a lot of Muslims who have lived in India for centuries and they eat dishes made from lamb and chicken. Many restaurants in India are pure veg restaurants, which means that we will not be able to buy meat, fish or eggs in such places.

Vegetarianism in India consists in not eating meat, fish and eggs. Hindus, on the other hand, consume milk and dairy products. We must bear in mind the fact that cuisine in India differ in every region, for example in the north more masala (sort of aromatic and spicy stew) and meat is eaten, and in the south more rice, lentils with coconut milk, fish is consumed. In the north meals are served on large metal plates, and in the south very often on the banana leaves. What is common for all the Indian cuisine is the way they use variety of spices and preparation of meals according to Ayurveda. The most common spices used in India are: turmeric powder, chili, cumin, nutmeg, ginger, fenugreek, coriander, cardamon, cloves. All the spices are supposed to prevent from diseases and have antibacterial and antiseptic properties.

What to order for the first time in India

I suggested for the first time trying lentil dishes, i.e. on the menu (dal tadka, dal makhani) or chickpeas (chana masala) along with basmati rice with Indian bread Nan (nan with garlic - garlic nan, plain nan or cheese nan with cheese) or a cheaper version of Nan - Chapatti or Roti bread. You can also go for biryani which is basmati rice with vegetables or chicken, various vegetables, herbs and spices. This dish is very popular in the northern India.

Dishes with paneer 

It's definitely worth trying dishes with Indian paneer cheese, e.g. panner tikka menu, palak paneer (aromatic spinach stew with paneer), matar paneer (aromatic stew with peas and paneer) or oven-baked paneer tikka. 

What is masala

Most Indian dishes will be called masala, for example veg masala or chicken masala, which are vegetables or meat in a thick, aromatic spicy sauce.These types of dishes should be eaten with chapatti, nan and rice.

Meat dishes 
Meat dishes found in India are primarily chicken and mutton. You can also  fish and seafood dishes, however mostly in the south (Goa, Kerala). From the meat dishes with chicken, most people really like Chicken tandoori, butter chicken, chicken biryani (rice with pieces of chicken with spices), kofta (balles of minced meat) or chili chicken.

Potato dishes 
If anyone wants to try a potato dish I would recommend Jeera Aloo (potatoes with cumin) or aloo palak (spinach and potatoes).

What to drink in India

In addition, be sure to try Indian tea with milk called chai - made with spices and milk and fruit lassi like mango lassi drink or banana lassi.

As for alcohol, the best choice would be beer (Kingfisher) or whisky (Royal Stag, Bagpiper), or maybe rum (Old Monk, Bacardi). 

Wine isn't so popular and is the most expensive. 

Indian breakfast

For a typical Indian breakfast, it's worth ordering a pancake called  aloo paratha with vegetables like cauliflower (gobi paratha), potatoes (aloo paratha) eaten with sort of curd (raita) and sour and spicy pickles (mango pickle).

In the south there is very popular to eat dosa or idli for breakfast. Idlis are small dumplings made from steaming a batter consisting of fermented black lentils and rice. The dish is served with spicy and aromatic sambar souce made from tamaentil-based vegetable stew cooked with dal and tamarind broth. Dosa is a thin pancakes with various vegetables served with some selection of chutney.

Chinese Indian dishes 

If you want to avoid masala spicy dishes in thick gravy sauce you can order dishes from the tandoori oven, i.e. nan or chicken tandoori bread, paneer tikka.

It's also worth trying the Indian version of Chinese dishes, i.e. veg noodles, chicken noodles are delicious and not too spicy pasta dishes, or manchurian - dry meatballs (dry manchurian) or gravy (gravy manchurian). 

Don't forget about THALI

Being in India, be sure to try the ready-made set of small THALI Indian dishes in the veg or non veg version. Thali consist of rice, Indian bread, various masala, curd, pickles and sometimes something sweet.

Soups in India 
They are not very common, but you can try spicy man chow soup, less spicy tomato soup or corn soup.

1. Manchow Soup, Chinese Veg Manchow Soup.
2. Mixed Vegetable Clear Soup.
3. Cream Of Tomato Soup, Indian Style.
4. Makai Shorba, Thick Corn Soup.
5. Bottle Gourd and Onion Soup.
6. Lemon and Coriander Soup

Indian street food in this link 

https://www.paylesstoursindiablog.com/2020/05/tasting-indian-street-food-in-this-part.html

Alcohol in India

In general, the situation is different from the Western countries. Alcohol can be purchased in special "beer and wine" stores open until 9 pm. and closed during holidays or during major events such as the presidential election. In some towns, especially places of pilgrimages or villages there is a big problem with buying something stronger. In some restaurants they don't sell beer at all, in some you can get it under the counter, and in some you pay almost the same as for a full meal in the restaurant (150 RSP, 200 RSP, sometimes even 300 RSP for 0, 3 l beer). In liquor stores near the centers commercial eg in Delhi you can get alcohol imported from all over the world. In Goa you can buy alcohol at very low prices and this is probably the only state in India with wide access to alcohol. Liquor stores and bars are visible almost everywhere.

Spices in India

Indian dishes are fairly well seasoned. They are especially flavored with cardamom, spiced with turmeric and of course green chillies. Research by American scientists has confirmed the strong anti-cancer effect of turmeric, which is part of most curry blends and added to almost every dish. It is probably thanks to her that the Indians hardly suffer from cancer, even though they smoke a lot of cigarettes. Other spices, such as coriander, cumin, cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, fennel and asafoetida, have a beneficial effect on the stomach, help with gastric ailments and regulate metabolism. Cinnamon and ginger also have strong antiseptic, bactericidal and anti-inflammatory properties. When it comes to chili, it's well known that it's a great anti-depressant. The chemical substance it contains - capsaicin - stimulates the secretion of endorphins, hormones responsible for good mood. Endorphins act as a natural anesthetic and cause a feeling of bliss, which is why some treat chili as a natural psychoactive substance and warn against addiction. When using all aromatic spices, it is better to keep moderation, but it is certainly worth diversifying the daily menu with them. In the shops you can buy spices for given Indian dish e.g. spice for Dal Masala, Alu Masala, Paneer Masala, Garam masla.