Tips for eating out at Indian food restaurants

If you have heard about all the fancy things about tasting Indian cuisine and are intrigued about trying the cuisine yourself you may find it difficult to decipher the names of the food item. While you are at Indian food restaurants you may not have the slightest of idea about what the dish is made of, whether the dish is too spicy for your palate or if it is a healthy food. The following tips will greatly help you understand what the names on the menu mean and how to order the right food

Rice is the main choice of Indian vegetarian food for main course:

Rice cooked in aromatic spices with vegetables:

This is one of the most popular Indian food item, it is an exotic rice dish cooked with a wide range of authentic Indian spices. This traditional food is essentially a north Indian dish and is served on all festive occasions. The dish aptly reflects the unique cooking techniques of India. Generally, both Indians as well as the non-Indians love this dish and there are plenty of restaurants that serve this food.

It would be no wrong to say that it is the king of all Indian rice dishes. Although the dish is spicy and contains succulent and perfectly cooked vegetable pieces it is not too hot and it would perfectly suit everybody’s palate.

Different aspects of Indian traditional food

Achaari:

This term is derived from the word ‘aachar’, which literally means pickle in India. If you notice any food item in the menu that contains the word aachari, you can be sure that the dish would be spicy. Usually, the achaari traditional food items are made with a medley of exotic spices including turmeric, chilly, mustard, fennel, coriander and cumin.

If you wish to try this food, it would be best advised that you order the dish along with a gravy dish like a salad or lentil soup so that you the spicy dish is balanced with the subtle flavors of the soup dish. There are plenty of achaari dishes cooked with various vegetables. You can have the dish as an accompaniment for flatbreads or steamed rice.

Masala:

While you are at Indian restaurant you would definitely come across the term ‘masala’ on the menu. The term masala, means spices. It is therefore natural that the dish that has the name masala would be spicy. Indian vegetarian food would be incomplete without masala. However, the kind of masala and the amount of masala being used greatly varies depending on the type of dish being cooked and the chef who is preparing the dish. If you are not used to eating spicy food, you can inform the waiting staff to serve a less spicy food. If you are ordering a masala dish, you can eat it with the rice so that it balances the flavors well.

If you come across the term on the menu, you can be sure that the dish would be rich in spices, clarified butter and cream and it would be quite heavy. Shahi is an age old term that was coined to denote the traditional food of the kings. If you are in a mood to indulge in exotic Indian dining experience, the shahi food items would leave your taste buds salivating.

ShahiThe term shahi means ‘Royal’.