Indian food help

[caito]

I am not very familiar with Indian food.  I've had it maybe once or twice a long time ago.  I feel like I a missing out.

What should I try?  I cannot handle spicy food or cream-based rich sauces.  I do like vegetarian food, I do like meat, I do like yogurt.

I trust you people.

[radial]

I am not very familiar with Indian food.  I've had it maybe once or twice a long time ago.  I feel like I a missing out.

What should I try?  I cannot handle spicy food or cream-based rich sauces.  I do like vegetarian food, I do like meat, I do like yogurt.

I trust you people.

Not helpful.  The bread is very tasty and not spicy at all. 

[Run Amok]

My recommendation is to ask around for some friends' favorite restaurants and then go at lunch, when they do a buffet- it's a great way to try a variety of dishes. Or, evenbetter, is try and find a place that does thali meals- where they bring out a variety of dishes on a round tray. Locally, it can be harder to find restaurants that will do thali service. I like to have a variety of dishes so I most often do it as lunch/brunch.

My daughter really enjoys the tandoori chicken.

[merigayle]

yes, go to a buffet to sample a wide range of dishes. I like saag paneer, it is generally not spicy, but there is cream in the sauce. I find in general, Indian food is not hot spicy, but flavorful spicy.

[radial]

My recommendation is to ask around for some friends' favorite restaurants and then go at lunch, when they do a buffet- it's a great way to try a variety of dishes.

That's good advice.  There's this awesome cheap dive of an Indian place in DC where the service at lunch time is buffet style.  It's a great way to figure out what's yum and what's yuck. 

[Run Amok]

The other reason I like doing the buffet is that you don't end up with leftovers. Although I adore indian food, the veg dishes are usually starchy, heavy, and feature a lot of ghee. It's not particularly a "light" meal. So, doing the buffet means I can take a small portion, and not have leftovers to take home. We usually go for a later brunch and I'll make it a single large meal for the day. I consider it an indulgence meal, but it's so delicious, it's totally worth it!

[merigayle]

The first couple of times I had indian food as a teenager i thought it was vile and could not understand why my friends were so obsessed with it. After many times just sitting there eating naan, i kept trying it and i really loved it after several tries. I think, for me, at the time, all i was used to was bland and basic American cooking, meat and potatoes, not flavoring beyond salt and butter. It was just too out there for my taste buds. Now I love Indian food and cannot get enough of it! We generally go to buffets because i like to pick and choose what i eat, instead of just getting one main entree (esp since there are endless vegetarian options) and they are more kid friendly for DD.

[Run Amok]

...and now I'm *dying* for some indian food. I have to pick dd up at school this afternoon and there is this fantastic veg place right on my way. Maybe I'll cut out a few minutes early and stuff my face.

[merigayle]

...and now I'm *dying* for some indian food. I have to pick dd up at school this afternoon and there is this fantastic veg place right on my way. Maybe I'll cut out a few minutes early and stuff my face.

yes!!!!! get some saag for me!!!!

[triciaflower]

If you can't handle spicy food AND dislike cream. I'd stay away from curries.

How about vegetables? This recipe is pretty darn tasty. It's not at all spicy. I actually added cayenne to mine because I like spicy.

http://vegandad.blogspot.com/2009/04/indian-style-potatoes-and-spinach.html

[nadra24]

yes, go to a buffet to sample a wide range of dishes. I like saag paneer, it is generally not spicy, but there is cream in the sauce. I find in general, Indian food is not hot spicy, but flavorful spicy.

Saag is one of the things that I generally can handle, most everything else is too spicy for me.  It isn't super creamy, I didn't even realize there's cream in the sauce (there isn't when my sister makes it, not that that's any indication of authenticity).  Trader Joe's makes something similar called Palak Paneer and it's decent, and no cream in it.  It's only 160 cals per serving, and it makes a pretty low-cal and filling lunch.

*So I just looked it up, and apparently palak means spinach and saag means greens.  So they're pretty similar, just that saag may have a variety of greens in addition to or instead of spinach.

[diablita]

and paneer is a type of Indian cheese, where as the aloo in aloo saag is a starchy potato so aloo saag is usually spinach/greens with potatoes and cream

I love masala.  I really like bhindi masala (okra pan sauteed/fried with herbs) but I'll eat chana masala (garbanzo beans) as well.

[pfunksbn]

Chicken Tikka.

Not to be confused with Chicken Tikka Masala, which is chicken tikka in a cream-based masala sauce.  Chicken Tikka is just chicken marinated with yogurt and spices and cooked (I think at a high heat?).  It's served with onions and peppers, but no sauce.

You could also try dosas, which are from the southern regions.  A dosa is kind of like a crepe, filled with whatever (like chicken, or they probably have vegetarian ones, etc.).

[diablita]

I love dosas. 

[MiniDriver]

Akbar India in Inman Square has very good food, and it's not all spicy.

I like the idea of sampling a buffet until you know what you like. 

Get mango lassi, it's a delicious yogurt drink.  Samosas are tasty little fried dumplings.   

[leggova]

I eat a lot of Indian food. My boyfriend is Indian. When he goes back to the UK he gets his grandmother to make his saag and he also brings back tubs of freshly made curry bases (ginger / onion / garlic / chilli) made by his sister. Frozen, wrapped up in his suitcase. Never been stopped by customs yet. We then go to a halal butcher and by mutton freshly slaughtered and cook it up. When we put it in the mix into the pan it smells amazing, fills up the flat with pungent aroma. He puts some more things in it like some more onion and sometimes makes chapati and then we stuff ourselves.

[Run Amok]

so, clearly the only thing for it is to fly to hk, and have legg's bf cook for you!

[pfunksbn]

so, clearly the only thing for it is to fly to hk, and have legg's bf cook for you!

ROAD TRIP!!!!!!   

[merigayle]

Y'all are making me hungry!!!!