Raita is a yogurt-based condiment eaten with spicier meals to cool everything down. Rahman recommends mixing these savory and sweet flavors and using them as a dip for bread. Many restaurants will put green cilantro and brown tamarind chutneys on each table. Mango and mint chutneys, a type of condiment, are the most popular at Indian restaurants. Bread is another staple of Indian meals, so Vinod recommends starting with garlic naan (a flavorful flatbread), saying 'you can't go wrong' with this classic choice. Rice, for example, is served with many Indian dishes, and should be eaten with your entrée. Vinod says Indian food tastes best with several accompaniments.

If this looks like too much work, order a thali, a bento box-style offering that comes with a variety of foods and will allow you to 'taste the rainbow,' according to Vinod. Vinod recommends trying at least one type of this ubiquitous Indian dish at your first Indian meal.Ī side of saag (spinach) served at Rasa. Beans thoran (a coconut-based vegetable curry made with green beans), baingan bharta (mashed roasted eggplant) and saag paneer (Indian cheese in a spinach curry) are all good places to start.ĭahl: Each region of India has its own type of lentils, called dahl. Vegetable: Indian food has a much larger variety of vegetarian and vegan options than most other cuisines. Almost anything can be cooked in a curry, so simply chose what you like the most for a base - whether it's fish, chicken, lamb or vegetables - along with a curry flavor that sounds appealing. 'It has layers-upon-layers of flavor and is absolutely delicious,' Vinod says.Ĭurry: Curry is a staple of Indian cooking. It's made with aromatic rice and a protein or vegetable. Paneer (Indian cheese) or chicken tikka (proteins marinated in yogurt and Indian spices) cooked in a tandoor are popular choices.īiryani: Biryani is a rice dish Vinod describes as a type of Indian paella. Food cooked in a tandoori oven has a unique smoky flavor. Tandoor: Many Indian restaurants have a clay oven called a tandoor. There are many different types of chatt, from pakora (ingredients like veggies or Indian cheese battered and fried) to panipuri (fried hollow flatbread filled with vegetables, chickpeas or potatoes). To get a real taste of everything, Vinod suggests ordering one item from each category and sharing.Ĭhatt: This category of appetizer is made up of Indian-style street snacks that are salty, sweet and crunchy. If you go out to eat with family or friends, it's possible to try several different types of Indian food at the same meal. 'Indian food is best enjoyed family-style,' he says. Once you've narrowed things down, Vinod says to look at six different categories of food. Going through that process will pinpoint what you love about Indian food and put you in a good position to branch out on your next visit. Rahman recommends asking more questions when the food comes out: If you like a particular flavor but aren't sure what it is, ask your server for help. On top of that, nearly all Indian restaurants were full-service, meaning visiting one was time-consuming and could be expensive. Each replicated a traditional Indian atmosphere and had overwhelmingly large menus. Growing up, they say most Indian restaurants were owned by immigrants and were located in out-of-the-way locations. 'They said, 'Oh my god I had no idea Indian food was like this,'' Vinod tells Yahoo Life.īorn and raised in the U.S., Vinod and Rahman say they're now able to understand why Indian food seems inaccessible for many. When Vinod and Rahman were able to get friends to their fathers' restaurants - sometimes by putting them in the car and driving them there themselves - their friends almost universally loved what they ate. In fact, Indian food offers a wide variety of flavors, some of it mild and sweet. While curry powder lives in most spice racks, at Indian restaurants, curry simply means sauce. 'We were confused by this because that was not our experience with Indian food,' says Vinod. Their non-Indian friends thought Indian food involved heavy curry flavors or would be too spicy. Rahul Vinod and Sahil Rahman grew up helping their fathers run Indian restaurants, yet when they invited friends to eat Indian food, they were often immediately rejected. Curious what to order at an Indian restaurant? A chef and restaurant owner explains the menu.

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