Dip In the Curry: Tips to Ordering Indian Food for Beginners
If your diet mainly consists of beans on toast and fish and chips, Indian food is your proverbial deep end. Indian cuisine is fragrant, flavourful, and packs a memorable punch—universes away from your baked beans.
Do you want to expand your gastronomic horizons and explore Indian cuisine for the first time? Don’t worry, because this guide is for you.
Here are some tips you can use to make Indian cuisine more approachable.
Make the Ingredients You Like as Your Starting Point
You may be unfamiliar with most of the herbs and spices in Indian dishes. But there are a lot of ingredients that you will recognise too.
Look for ingredients you typically like to make ordering food less daunting. If you prefer lamb dishes, pick something from the lamb section. If you want veggies, scan through the vegetable sections. Think of it as remixes of food you like.
If you’re a lamb-lover, try the Lamb Tikka Masala. Everyone knows about the Chicken Tikka Masala, but not many people talk about its lamb variation. You’re already trying something new; why not kick it up a notch further?
Be True to Yourself and Your Spice Tolerance
Indian food can be spicy, but not all Indian dishes are spicy. If you’re not fond of spicy things, pay close attention to the heat legends. Indian menus would usually put legends indicating the heat level of a dish to help you navigate away from your version of hellfire.
It’s also important to address that consuming incredibly spicy food doesn’t equate to your self-worth. Eating extremely spicy food is not a testament to how strong you are. If you love spice, go for it. But if you’re weak to spice, don’t hurt yourself to prove a useless point.
For people who like spicy food or not, try the Tandoori King Prawns. They have the perfect amount of spice to make your tastebuds happy. For spice fiends who like their food extra, extra hot, try the Naga Chicken and get the Mango Lassi on standby.
Share Your Food
Most restaurants serve one plate per person. That’s not the norm for Indian restaurants because Indian cuisine is best-eaten family-style.
In India, most families order many dishes for the table, and each person takes a little of each dish and puts it on their plate. Expect sharing-sized food portions when you order.
If you want to sample Indian cuisine, bring a few friends along with you. Eating with people is a fun way to enjoy a meal. But ordering Classic Thali as a takeaway and eating it for the next few days sounds good too.
No Pressure to Eat without Cutlery
Many Indians eat with their hands. They rip off a piece of bread and use it to scoop up some of the meal from the plate.
If you don’t like the thought of eating with your hands, don’t do it. You shouldn’t feel pressured to eat with your hands because you see everyone else doing it. Indian restaurants have cutleries. It’s perfectly fine to use your spoon to spread some sauce on the bread.
When you want to try using your hands to eat, rip your Naan bread in half and fish a bit of meat off your Kurma. You can also polish off a plate with a piece of Naan to get all the delicious sauces.
Conclusion
Indian food is joyful to eat. It helps people connect with others while opening a new world of flavour. Don’t be afraid to explore and share it. If you need a little help, you can always ask the restaurant staff. Ask them about the restaurant’s speciality and their recommendations, then start there.
If you’re craving delicious Indian dishes from one of the best Indian restaurants in London, Tower Tandoori is at your service. We serve carefully prepared authentic Indian dishes that you will love. Order online today!
