I have had to put a second hole in my belt since first coming to India and I am getting close to giving up on trying to eat Indian Food. It has been three months now and I am not a whole lot wiser for the experience. If you are the sort that likes to eat ridiculously hot spiced food, book your flight now. Just to be clear, when I describe Indian Food and I say 'Spicy' I mean Hot Spiced. For my part, I enjoy a little spice to flavour food. Flavour it, not cover up the taste of the food or replace the taste of the food with spice, just flavour it. For all intents and purposes, it doesn't matter what the base is, whether it is chicken or potato or rice or a pulse. It tastes the same because of the amount of spice placed on it. The types of spices used is going to vary. Masala is the term used to describe a melange of spices, not always the same mix but it corresponds to what we would call curry. The only problem for me is that the mixture is pulled exclusively from the hot end of the spectrum, capiscum (hot peppers), ginger, paprika, cayenne, onions and garlic.
I am very tired of the lack of choices that this creates for me. Pizza, McDonald's, Subway and a few dishes that the cook at the Pantry at my work takes pity on me and makes with as little spice as his training allows. If he is not working, I settle for a fruit plate, which (and don't laugh) I have to remind the guy to not sprinkle with cayenne powder. Whereas in NA, I probably would not eat the same dish once in a fortnight (two weeks to the non-anglophiles). I must sound like a wimp but this food is untenable. In Canada, I eat what I think are very spicy foods; Szechuan, Tex Mex, Mexican, Samosas, etc. but I mix hots with sweets; plum sauces, chutneys, barbeque sauce, cherry sauce, etc. Indians eat spicy food with even spicier toppings on the side. If you are coming to Indian and want to eat Indian, here is what you should do, before you come, coat your tongue with Wasabi, every day at each meal, even breakfast, then eat and then you may be prepared.
I had a Shrimp Alfredo, 330 rp (5.73Cdn), at a restaurant that although does not directly cater to Westerners (since there are not enough of us to be catered to) is Western Style with Western motif and Western dishes. Now, an Alfredo sauce is butter, flour, milk or cream, parmesan cheese, probably onion and garlic then maybe salt and pepper to taste. If this is what you are expecting in India, you will not be getting it. They WILL spice it up for you even if you ask them to not. I assume they believe they know better or they just can't help themselves or they must assume they heard wrong, "No spice, nah, he must have said mo' spice".
I have tried a few more things since I last reported but something confuses me. When someone gives me tastes of food from home or brings me food from their home kitchen, it is NOT spicy. More properly, it is spicy like a Tex-Mex dish is spicy maybe less. I have had home-made Moong Daal Khichdi which is basically dal and rice made together creating a very densely textured side dish and (although i do not normally recommend this) if you add a little ketchup to the top, because of the denseness, it has a flavour reminiscent of meatloaf (or else, I have simply forgot what meatloaf tastes like).
I have also had home-made dish that is called Brinjal but Brinjal actually just means eggplant so it is how you make the dish that is most important. I have seen it with cabbage, and/or carrots, and/or potatoes. I Liked it best with potatoes but i think the key is to sautee the eggplant with onions until brown which carmelizes it then don't overspice and it will have a slightly sweet taste. Although not one of the prettier dishes on the menu, I will suggest you try it as soon as possible, you will not be disappointed.
At a recent outing to one of my hosts home I was served a delicious chicken dish which I will definitely be making when I get home. This is not apparently a traditional Indian dish, more of a Western dish served with an Indian spin. There was no Indian name so they just called it Chicken Cutlets but basically it is equal parts Minced Chicken and Cooked Diced Potatoes, spiced with Cumin (i think you could use whatever kind of spice suits your palette), pressed into patties then sauteed (or barbequed? hmmm). By adding the potato, you are stretching the meat without seriously changing the flavour so it is great for families like mine who are trying to reduce the meat component of their diet. You could serve it with whatever side you might like (sweet and sour BBQ?) but they served it with a peppery Mayonnaise. (Oh no, I am getting hungry!)
So I can very much recommend these dishes but you will have to eat them at people's homes and not in restaurants, so make friends.
How much is that doggie in the window?
I am very tired of the lack of choices that this creates for me. Pizza, McDonald's, Subway and a few dishes that the cook at the Pantry at my work takes pity on me and makes with as little spice as his training allows. If he is not working, I settle for a fruit plate, which (and don't laugh) I have to remind the guy to not sprinkle with cayenne powder. Whereas in NA, I probably would not eat the same dish once in a fortnight (two weeks to the non-anglophiles). I must sound like a wimp but this food is untenable. In Canada, I eat what I think are very spicy foods; Szechuan, Tex Mex, Mexican, Samosas, etc. but I mix hots with sweets; plum sauces, chutneys, barbeque sauce, cherry sauce, etc. Indians eat spicy food with even spicier toppings on the side. If you are coming to Indian and want to eat Indian, here is what you should do, before you come, coat your tongue with Wasabi, every day at each meal, even breakfast, then eat and then you may be prepared.
I had a Shrimp Alfredo, 330 rp (5.73Cdn), at a restaurant that although does not directly cater to Westerners (since there are not enough of us to be catered to) is Western Style with Western motif and Western dishes. Now, an Alfredo sauce is butter, flour, milk or cream, parmesan cheese, probably onion and garlic then maybe salt and pepper to taste. If this is what you are expecting in India, you will not be getting it. They WILL spice it up for you even if you ask them to not. I assume they believe they know better or they just can't help themselves or they must assume they heard wrong, "No spice, nah, he must have said mo' spice".
I have tried a few more things since I last reported but something confuses me. When someone gives me tastes of food from home or brings me food from their home kitchen, it is NOT spicy. More properly, it is spicy like a Tex-Mex dish is spicy maybe less. I have had home-made Moong Daal Khichdi which is basically dal and rice made together creating a very densely textured side dish and (although i do not normally recommend this) if you add a little ketchup to the top, because of the denseness, it has a flavour reminiscent of meatloaf (or else, I have simply forgot what meatloaf tastes like).I have also had home-made dish that is called Brinjal but Brinjal actually just means eggplant so it is how you make the dish that is most important. I have seen it with cabbage, and/or carrots, and/or potatoes. I Liked it best with potatoes but i think the key is to sautee the eggplant with onions until brown which carmelizes it then don't overspice and it will have a slightly sweet taste. Although not one of the prettier dishes on the menu, I will suggest you try it as soon as possible, you will not be disappointed.At a recent outing to one of my hosts home I was served a delicious chicken dish which I will definitely be making when I get home. This is not apparently a traditional Indian dish, more of a Western dish served with an Indian spin. There was no Indian name so they just called it Chicken Cutlets but basically it is equal parts Minced Chicken and Cooked Diced Potatoes, spiced with Cumin (i think you could use whatever kind of spice suits your palette), pressed into patties then sauteed (or barbequed? hmmm). By adding the potato, you are stretching the meat without seriously changing the flavour so it is great for families like mine who are trying to reduce the meat component of their diet. You could serve it with whatever side you might like (sweet and sour BBQ?) but they served it with a peppery Mayonnaise. (Oh no, I am getting hungry!)
So I can very much recommend these dishes but you will have to eat them at people's homes and not in restaurants, so make friends.
How much is that doggie in the window?
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