# Do You Enjoy Indian Cuisine?



## ArtMusic (Jan 5, 2013)

Indian cuisine to me is an acquired taste. I now enjoy the rich curries but I didn't used to. It tastes best with some breads and or rice and or potatoes. Maybe we are eating it "wrong" using chips and rice to go with it but I now can say I enjoy Indian cuisine more than I used to. It is a fascinating cuisine and it is good fun exploring Indian dishes.

If you are Indian yourself then it would be most inviting to learn more about your cuisine. Or if you cook this/enjoy it, then I would also like to read your thoughts.

I like this:


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## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

I do like Indian cuisine despite the fact that most outlets in the UK are not actually 'Indian' at all any longer, but Pakistani or Bangladeshi. How authentic some of these dishes are is also open to question as many have evolved to suit British tastes, i.e. pandering to the macho habit of eating unfeasibly hot dishes like vindaloo/tindaloo/phall after a skinful of beer. In a way it's the same with the so-called 'Chinese' cuisine here - what you often get instead is MSG-loaded Hong Kong fast food in which many dishes are variations on the same theme.


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## Jacck (Dec 24, 2017)

close to my work is an Indian cuisine outlet, so I sometimes go there to have a lunch. They have the usual stuff like chicken/lamb vindaloo, chicken/lamb masala etc, they serve it either with rice or with nan (the Indian bread), and you can choose how spicy you want to have it. I quite like it, but I also doubt how much authentic it is. I think this is westernized Indian cuisine. When I tasted Indian cuisine in other countries (such as Nepal, which borders India), it was more variable and tasted a little different. I generally like to taste foreign cuisines and eating is just another pleasure of traveling. I tasted the fried spiders in Cambodia (Skuon) and I tasted fried snakes in Indonesia etc. The worst cuisine was in Tibet. I hated the yak butter and butter tea. I think the richness of a cuisine depends on environment. Nations from subtropical weathers with access to sea have historically the best cuisine, because of the environmental abundance, access to fresh vegetables all year round etc. Center European nations where winters can be harsh had to rely on conservation of vegetables, hence stuff like sauerkraut. And Tibet has one of the harshest environments and poorest in resources in the world, hence everything is made from yaks.


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## ArtMusic (Jan 5, 2013)

Jacck said:


> close to my work is an Indian cuisine outlet, so I sometimes go there to have a lunch. They have the usual stuff like chicken/lamb vindaloo, chicken/lamb masala etc, they serve it either with rice or with nan (the Indian bread), and you can choose how spicy you want to have it. I quite like it, but I also doubt how much authentic it is. I think this is westernized Indian cuisine. When I tasted Indian cuisine in other countries (such as Nepal, which borders India), it was more variable and tasted a little different. I generally like to taste foreign cuisines and eating is just another pleasure of traveling. I tasted the fried spiders in Cambodia (Skuon) and I tasted fried snakes in Indonesia etc. The worst cuisine was in Tibet. I hated the yak butter and butter tea. I think the richness of a cuisine depends on environment. Nations from subtropical weathers with access to sea have historically the best cuisine, because of the environmental abundance, access to fresh vegetables all year round etc. Center European nations where winters can be harsh had to rely on conservation of vegetables, hence stuff like sauerkraut. And Tibet has one of the harshest environments and poorest in resources in the world, hence everything is made from yaks.


I enjoyed reading your post. It made me think about the vast richness of Indian cuisine given the huge landmass and rich history India enjoys, so it is nearly impossible to say I have tasted "authentic" Indian cuisine in a local western country where restaurants are there making foods to adapt to local taste buds. But still better to have such restaurants available than none at all. One day I must visit places like India and Tibet but not anytime soon thanks to the Covid disaster there.


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## Chilham (Jun 18, 2020)

I prefer Thai. ...........


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## Jacck (Dec 24, 2017)

ArtMusic said:


> I enjoyed reading your post. It made me think about the vast richness of Indian cuisine given the huge landmass and rich history India enjoys, so it is nearly impossible to say I have tasted "authentic" Indian cuisine in a local western country where restaurants are there making foods to adapt to local taste buds. But still better to have such restaurants available than none at all. One day I must visit places like India and Tibet but not anytime soon thanks to the Covid disaster there.


India and China are both huge countries, so you have a great local variation in food. The food in Kerala is very different from the food in Himachal Pradesh or Rajasthan. Likewise in China, food in Yunnan is very different from food in Beijing. But in the west, certain stereotypical foods have coalesced into what is know as Indian or Chinese cuisine. For example a local outlet for Chinese food is selling food that is a mixture of Chinese/Thai/Vietnamese. Or the Turkish kebabs. They sell the Döner kebabs everywhere in Europe, but when I traveled in Turkey, I saw almost no Döner kebabs, much more the shish kebabs. And then when you research it, you find out that Döner kebab was invented by a Turkish imigrant to Europe and so is not really an authentic Turkish meal
https://www.foxcrawl.com/2013/10/27/doner-kebab-father-dead-kadir-nurman-died-80-in-berlin/
so these foreign cuisine restaurants and foods in the west and not always the most authentic.


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## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

Chilham said:


> I prefer Thai. ...........


I was impressed when I first ate Thai food in France but that was a long time ago and I really still know very little about it. I keep forgetting we now have a Thai restaurant in town - I must visit one night (assuming the next phase of emerging from lockdown goes according to plan later this month).


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## Ingélou (Feb 10, 2013)

Yes, I love Indian Cuisine, though I can't eat extremely hot curries. At one point we lived in Slough, a town in the UK which has a sizeable population of Indian origin, and we were able to get the most delicious sweetmeats and some extra hot Bombay Mix. We thought it was the ordinary strength and told my visiting mother to try it as it was very nice. 

She bit straight into a chilli. Oh dear, we couldn't stop laughing at the faces she made. But poor Mum!


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## Ariasexta (Jul 3, 2010)

I only use a few black/white pepper and anise for some aromas in cooking vegetables, eggs or meat. I do not eat any sorts of curry at all and the like dishes which are laced with a large mixture of various spices.


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## Chilham (Jun 18, 2020)

elgars ghost said:


> I was impressed when I first ate Thai food in France but that was a long time ago and I really still know very little about it. I keep forgetting we now have a Thai restaurant in town - I must visit one night (assuming the next phase of emerging from lockdown goes according to plan later this month).


A quick guide, just add your preferred meat:

Green Curry
Apart from being the hottest of all curries, the sweet green curry is delicious as it uses copious amounts of coconut milk and lime juice. Usually, it may consist of green chilis and eggplant in a green curry sauce. The sauce is made from Thai basil, green chilis, lime leaves, blue ginger, kra chai, shallots, garlic, and turmeric.

Red Curry
The red curry is also referred to as the "spicy curry." The fiery dish originates from central Thailand. It draws its color from the excessive amounts of red chilis used, which are crushed with shallots, garlic, blue ginger, and lemongrass. The red curry paste is then mixed with coconut milk to produce a curry sauce.

Yellow Curry
Yellow curry comes in different varieties in Thailand, with the most common form being very rich because it contains coconut cream. Other yellow-colored varieties include the orange curry, gold curry, and the elephant curry. The gold curry is a spicier version of the yellow curry. The elephant curry is very spicy but made without coconut milk, while the orange curry is very sour and made without coconut milk. Importantly, all three varieties of yellow curries are made with a lot of turmeric. They can also include yellow mustard seeds, cumin, and ****** lime leaves.

Massaman Curry
The Massaman curry is extracted from Indian curry and is a favorite in central and southern Thailand. Massaman curry paste is made using red chilis, garlic, lemongrass, blue ginger, shallots, cardamom, nutmeg, cloves, coriander, cumin, and cinnamon. ****** lime leaves and coconut milk are then added to create the sauce, topped off with potatoes and peanuts.

Panang Curry
Panang curry traces its roots to Laos and is a favorite in central Thailand. It is more subtly flavored and milder than other Thai curries. It is made from dried chilis, coconut milk, lemongrass, ****** lime leaves, garlic, blue ginger, shallots, cilantro, cumin, and some paste. Occasionally, it can contain peanuts.

Restaurants vary so this is just a guide. For example, I've had Panang curry in Amsterdam that nearly took the roof my mouth off. Starters are often quite similar to Chinese with Dim Sum, Spring Rolls and Satay Chicken. Some UK Thai restaurants also have Nems, Vietnamese pork rolls which are excellent. My favourite main course is Gaeng Phed Ped Yang, a Thai red curry with duck, with plain rice. Be aware that Thai food often mixes meat with fruit, so you're liable to find a lychee in your curry. My wife prefers Phad Thai, a rice noodle dish with chicken and prawn.


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## HenryPenfold (Apr 29, 2018)

Yes, I enjoy Indian cuisine. 

It's not in the same class as Italian or Turkish cuisine, but enjoyable none the less ......


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## Amadea (Apr 15, 2021)

I absolutely love it. Loved it from the first time. The spices, the curry, the yogurt, everything. I do sometimes cook chicken with curry and rice, even if it is not as good as the food in restaurant. I would eat it every single day, even if I am italian so I am lucky with the food we have here. I love their bread (the naan) in particular. Another thing I'd eat everyday is african/arab cous cous.


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## Eclectic Al (Apr 23, 2020)

Love it. Plenty of variety too.


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## Chilham (Jun 18, 2020)

Amadea said:


> ... I would eat it every single day .....


Much as I love curry, I ate Indian cuisine every day for breakfast, lunch and dinner, for 13 days when travelling in India. It was good curry too, but never has a pizza been so welcome!


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## mikeh375 (Sep 7, 2017)

Amadea said:


> I do sometimes *coke chicken* with curry and rice......


I've not seen that on a menu inside a restaurant, maybe outside on the high street though....
I love Indian food, me and the Mrs even cook our own.


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## Chilham (Jun 18, 2020)

HenryPenfold said:


> Yes, I enjoy Indian cuisine.
> 
> It's not in the same class as Italian or Turkish cuisine, but enjoyable none the less ......


One of the most enjoyable meals I ever had came after a long, very hot motorcycle ride through Turkey. I think it was called Sac Kavurma, a simple dish of beef, peppers and onions with a lots of garlic. It absolutely, "Hit the spot".


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## Red Terror (Dec 10, 2018)

Depends on the restaurant. I much prefer Japanese, Thai, Turkish, and Middle Eastern cuisines.


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## Red Terror (Dec 10, 2018)

Chilham said:


> One of the most enjoyable meals I ever had came after a long, very hot motorcycle ride through Turkey. I think it was called Sac Kavurma, a simple dish of beef, peppers and onions with a lots of garlic. It absolutely, "Hit the spot".


I had forgotten about Turkish cuisine until I saw your post. I've had a similar experience with it-delicious!


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## Pat Fairlea (Dec 9, 2015)

I love 'Indian' cuisine, both cooking and eating it. But especially the latter!


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## progmatist (Apr 3, 2021)

I love spicy food in general, the hotter the better. In addition to Indian, I like Mexican, Thai, Cajun, et cetera, et cetera.


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## Joe B (Aug 10, 2017)

We have an Indian Restaurant an hour away from us in Rhode Island. This is my favorite dish:









D- TAWA VEGETABLES
Gluten Friendly
Paneer, Tofu, Peppers, Cauliflower, Eggplant, Chili Sauce, Zucchini
$16.00
CHOICE OF SIDE *

WHITE RICE

BROWN RICE

SALAD ($2.00)

MASALA POTATO

Being a vegetarian for the last 42 years and eating gluten free for the last 16 years, I find I get the best selections at ethnic restaurants. Indian and Thai food are at the top of my list.


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## Bwv 1080 (Dec 31, 2018)

Probably my favorite food at the moment, been dabbling making curries from scratch, really makes a difference vs. powders or pastes. Have a curry tree growing at the moment that will be ready to use in a few weeks.

My favorites are Chettinadu, Fish Molee and Soaji.


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## Merl (Jul 28, 2016)

My favourite type of cuisine. I adore hot, spicy food and Indian food is at the top for me. Curries are my 'heaven' meal.


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## Ingélou (Feb 10, 2013)

Merl said:


> My favourite type of cuisine. I adore hot, spicy food and Indian food is at the top for me. Curries are my 'heaven' meal.


What seems strange to me is that though I often get indigestion, I rarely do when eating curries. One reason might be that they often contain ginger and that seems to help; also, they go with rice, which is kinder to me than potatoes.


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## EdwardBast (Nov 25, 2013)

It's my favorite cuisine. Getting hungry just thinking about it.


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## jkl (May 4, 2021)

Yes I enjoy Indian foods. I don't have it often. It is quite rich and we might have it during winter months or the colder months than during summer.


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## Bwv 1080 (Dec 31, 2018)

jkl said:


> Yes I enjoy Indian foods. I don't have it often. It is quite rich and we might have it during winter months or the colder months than during summer.


Indians believe that spicy food cools you down, not warms you up. Hot is good in summer


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## jkl (May 4, 2021)

Bwv 1080 said:


> Indians believe that spicy food cools you down, not warms you up. Hot is good in summer


I think the reason is hot foods make you sweat and then that cools you down. But I prefer eating the curries during colder months because it has the opposite effect on me


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## CnC Bartok (Jun 5, 2017)

Of course! We have three very good Indian restaurants within five miles of us, and we're officially living "in the country". Not bad, eh?!

I like my curries medium hot these days. Of course when I was younger, I'd go for the Vindaloo, or even the ludicrous Phaal on occasion, but that's because I was dead butch then.....:tiphat::tiphat:


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## Merl (Jul 28, 2016)

CnC Bartok said:


> Of course! We have three very good Indian restaurants within five miles of us, and we're officially living "in the country". Not bad, eh?!
> 
> I like my curries medium hot these days. Of course when I was younger, I'd go for the Vindaloo, or even the ludicrous Phaal on occasion, but that's because I was dead butch then.....:tiphat::tiphat:


I still love a restaurant-style 'vindaloo'. I know they bear little resemblance to true Indian curries but they taste so damn good. Its not just the heat (although I find eating hot curries quite addictive), I love the more vinegarry taste of a vindaloo. I'm less keen on phaals, which tend to have little taste apart from the heat but am partial to a decent jalfrezi or balti, but they need to have some heat. I was 17 before I had my first Indian food. I've been hooked since.


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## Merl (Jul 28, 2016)

The worst experience of eating food from other countries I ever had was with a parent of an Iranian nursery child I taught who made me a complete meal (starters / main / dessert). Everything was laced with cloves (which I'm not fond of). The dessert was like a strange bitter-tasting panacotta full of cinnamon. Utterly vile. Lol. The smell of cloves from the rice was strong enough to knock out a dinosaur and one of the starters was a slimy eggplant thing marinated in mint (which I dislike intensely), cloves and very powerful cardamom. He wanted me to eat some of it in front of him but luckily I was still full from lunch so told him I'd eat it the next day at lunchtime (I didn't). Much as I appreciated the wonderful sentiment it was definitely the worst food I had ever tasted in my life. He offered to make me another meal a few weeks later but I said that due to school policy I shouldn't accept food from parents (health and safety). Lol. My teaching assistant tried it and was almost physically sick. The best meal I ever had at someone's house was a traditional Indian meal with a teacher I used to work with. She made a 'railway curry' that was delicious and the best homemade chapatis I've ever tasted.


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## annaw (May 4, 2019)

Merl said:


> The worst experience of eating food from other countries I ever had was with a parent of an Iranian nursery child I taught who made me a complete meal (starters / main / dessert). Everything was laced with cloves (which I'm not fond of). The dessert was like a strange bitter-tasting panacotta full of cinnamon. Utterly vile. Lol. The smell of cloves from the rice was strong enough to knock out a dinosaur and one of the starters was a slimy eggplant thing marinated in mint (which I dislike intensely), cloves and very powerful cardamom. He wanted me to eat some of it in front of him but luckily I was still full from lunch so told him I'd eat it the next day at lunchtime (I didn't). Much as I appreciated the wonderful sentiment it was definitely the worst food I had ever tasted in my life. He offered to make me another meal a few weeks later but I said that due to school policy I shouldn't accept food from parents (health and safety). Lol. My teaching assistant tried it and was almost physically sick. The best meal I ever had at someone's house was a traditional Indian meal with a teacher I used to work with. She made a 'railway curry' that was delicious and the best homemade chapatis I've ever tasted.


I _absolutely_ love Indian cuisine! I was in Iran a few years ago and have to say that Iranian cuisine was pretty unusual but it has many great dishes as well; took me some time to get used to, though. From my experience, it was nothing like Indian - differently from a lot of Indian cuisine which is vegetarian, Iranians seemed to really love meat, and a bit surprisingly the food wasn't really spicy at all. They really like to put saffron into everything, even ice cream. We spent about a week of our trip in Tehran and the hotel served almost exclusively jelly as a dessert (like a lot of different jellies lol) and they had a really weird stretchy ice cream that we tried later. It tasted a bit like meringue or egg whites with sugar. However, I think I've never eaten better kebab, saffron rice, or dates than in Iran; those were really amazing.

In general it was so crazy hot there that some days I had entirely lost my appetite by the lunchtime. I have absolutely no idea how Indians manage to eat spicy curry when it's really warm.


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## Red Terror (Dec 10, 2018)

Merl said:


> The worst experience of eating food from other countries I ever had was with a parent of an Iranian nursery child I taught who made me a complete meal (starters / main / dessert). Everything was laced with cloves (which I'm not fond of). The dessert was like a strange bitter-tasting panacotta full of cinnamon. Utterly vile. Lol. The smell of cloves from the rice was strong enough to knock out a dinosaur and one of the starters was a slimy eggplant thing marinated in mint (which I dislike intensely), cloves and very powerful cardamom. He wanted me to eat some of it in front of him but luckily I was still full from lunch so told him I'd eat it the next day at lunchtime (I didn't). Much as I appreciated the wonderful sentiment it was definitely the worst food I had ever tasted in my life. He offered to make me another meal a few weeks later but I said that due to school policy I shouldn't accept food from parents (health and safety). Lol. My teaching assistant tried it and was almost physically sick. The best meal I ever had at someone's house was a traditional Indian meal with a teacher I used to work with. She made a 'railway curry' that was delicious and the best homemade chapatis I've ever tasted.


Interesting experience!

Iranian/Persian cuisine is chiefly comprised of various kinds of rice, meat, vegetables, and nuts. Many dishes contain saffron, dried lime, cinnamon, turmeric, and parsley. Compared to Indian cuisine, I find the former to be rather conventional and more suited to my palate.

Merl, I think you simply found yourself a bad cook.


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## jkl (May 4, 2021)

The best Indian foods that I consistently have were always cooked by Indians or people with Indian heritage. Sorry I don't mean to be prejudicial. This has been my experience of this delicious cuisine so far. Its recipes are difficult to "get right".


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## GucciManeIsTheNewWebern (Jul 29, 2020)

annaw said:


> I _absolutely_ love Indian cuisine! I was in Iran a few years ago and have to say that Iranian cuisine was pretty unusual but it has many great dishes as well; took me some time to get used to, though. From my experience, it was nothing like Indian - differently from a lot of Indian cuisine which is vegetarian, Iranians seemed to really love meat, and a bit surprisingly the food wasn't really spicy at all. They really like to put saffron into everything, even ice cream. We spent about a week of our trip in Tehran and the hotel served almost exclusively jelly as a dessert (like a lot of different jellies lol) and they had a really weird stretchy ice cream that we tried later. It tasted a bit like meringue or egg whites with sugar. However, I think I've never eaten better kebab, saffron rice, or dates than in Iran; those were really amazing.
> 
> In general it was so crazy hot there that some days I had entirely lost my appetite by the lunchtime. I have absolutely no idea how Indians manage to eat spicy curry when it's really warm.


How did you get a visa to go to Iran in the first place? Business trip?


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## annaw (May 4, 2019)

GucciManeIsTheNewWebern said:


> How did you get a visa to go to Iran in the first place? Business trip?


I had one big international competition there. I went around the time when the conflict between the US and Iran had just started escalating - it was still safe for Europeans to go to at that time. It was a very fascinating trip and I'm very thankful I got the opportunity to go there.


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## ArtMusic (Jan 5, 2013)

Well, it seems there is an overwhelming appreciation of Indian cuisine here.


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