Indian food restaurants – plenty of choices

Indian food is all about variety. India being a multi-cultural, multi-lingual and multi-religion nation,   each part of India has its own specialty cuisine. Indians are generally food enthusiasts and they love to create new and unique dishes using a combination of different ingredients. The food items in India are generally appetizing. Although there are plenty of specialty restaurants that serve food from a particular region, majority of the Indian food restaurants serve all kinds of Indian dishes.

Every region has its own delicacies that are hard to miss, especially if you are a non-Indian. From down south, the pancakes made of rice batter are extremely popular dish. The milky sweet items from west Bengal are a delight for all sweet lovers. The staple diet of Maharashtra made from rice flakes and oil fried Indian bread are a must try too. If you are a spicy food lover you would definitely love to indulge in eating the punjabi delicacies. The list of vegetarian traditional food is endless; the Indian food is generally categorized as the spiciest food to the sweetest food.

In India there are plenty of restaurants that serve top quality Indian cuisine. The specialty eating joints like the Pubjabi dhabas serve only Punjabi food. These eating places not only offer a great variety of Punjabi dishes but also have a unique aura that would make you feel like you are actually in the state of Punjab. Apart from the Dhabas, there are plenty of restaurants that serve authentic Rajasthani food. The traditional food from Rajasthan is usually served in a big plate that is known as thali and it is laden with a variety of dishes in a single plate.

Apart from the taste and diversity, Indian food is also popular around the world for its beautiful presentation. Usually, the platter consists of a range of mouth watering food from spicy curry to the lip smacking sweet dish. Every dish you find in the platter is freshly made using the finest ingredients. Just like anywhere else in the world, the Indian food restaurants prepare food as per the order of the customers. The restaurants usually give the customers the option to order customized food like some people love to eat extra spicy food, while other love to eat moderate or less spicy food. The special requirements are aptly considered while preparing the food.

The Indian chefs use a variety of components like vegetables and spices to add better flavor to the food. Usually, the chefs have a good knowledge of the cultural heritage of different regions of India and they use their creative skills to create a contemporary dish without compromising on the authenticity of the food item. Majority of the Indian food items are extremely appealing to the palate and even if the person is trying Indian food for the first time would find hard to have enough of the food. The chefs associated with the Indian food restaurants generally use simple and the traditional cooking techniques to create tasty dishes.

Popular food items at Indian restaurants

The age old traditional and cultural heritage plays a vital role in the diet of the Indians. Owing to their religious believes a large number of Indians follow a strictly vegetarian diet and the Indian cuisine include a wide variety of the vegetarian dishes. If you are a vegetarian, you would definitely love eating at the vegetarian restaurants as these eating joints offer an assortment of vegetarian dishes from different parts of India. If you are a tourist in India and wish to indulge in the Indian food, the following guideline will help you on what food to order:

Appetizers:

Most of the restaurants in India would have vegetable cutlets or vegetable patties in their menu. It is one of the most popular appetizers. The Indian cutlet dish is made of a stuffing that includes potatoes, peas and a range of spices rolled into dough and deep fried.  It is typically a north Indian food but it is loved by all. It is generally the most preferred evening snack dish for a large number of people across the country. The dish is usually served with a dollop of freshly made sweet, sour chutney. Some of the other popular appetizers served at Indian restaurants include potato cutlets and a crunchy snack dish made of puffed rice, onions, potatoes and tamarind sauce.

Dal:

This food item is a staple diet in different states across India. Dal is essentially lentils cooked with different spices and it is best enjoyed rice or flat breads. You would find different varieties of dal in all the restaurants in India that serve vegetarian food.

Vegetable curries:

Indian curries are popular all over the world. Since a large variety of vegetables are grown here, they are used in all kinds of curries. The Indian restaurants serve a wide assortment of vegetable dishes. Some of the popular vegetables used are tomatoes, potatoes, cauliflower, okra, egg plant and peas. The vegetables are cooked with lot of spices and masala to make curries and dry vegetable dishes. If you are intrigued about trying an Indian vegetable dish, you can order a dish made of a mix of cheese and vegetable balls that is served with spiced curry of cashew or almonds. If you are health conscious you can order vegetable dishes cooked in Indian clay oven.

Popular food items at Indian restaurants

Cottage cheese:

This is another popular Indian food item. The cottage cheese is used in a variety of dishes. Some of the most popular cottage cheese dishes you can try at vegetarian restaurants are Cottage cheese cooked with spinach or cottage cheese curry cooked with green peas.

Rice and Flat-breads:

Indian food would seem incomplete without flat breads and rice. Rice is a staple diet of India and it cooked a number of ways. Usually, rice is eaten with dal or curry but there are other rice dishes, which can be a can be a full meal itself. Rice dish cooked in a slew of aromatic herbs is typically a north Indian dish but it is popular all over the country. Indian breads are also of different types. The most popular type of bread is the one that is cooked in clay oven. Another popular bread type is the one that vegetable stuffing in it, it can also be plain and is eaten with curry. Thus, Indian restaurants serve a large variety of food items, once you taste it you definitely would ask for more. 

What to order at Indian food restaurants

Indian food is generally associated with being hot and spicy. Indian food includes a wide variety of cuisines, each state has its unique specialty food and traditions and customs associated with it. The overall food culture is influenced by various cultures. Typically, the food items in India are cooked using a variety of ingredients such as herbs, spices, fruits and vegetables. There are plenty of veg restaurants both in India and foreign countries that serve authentic Indian food.

If you do not have any prior experience tasting Indian cuisine, it important that you are careful about the kind of food you order. Some of the valuable tips you must consider while ordering Indian food:

Majority of the Indian food are made of a variety of spices and vegetables marinated in various aromatic herbs. The Indian food is largely influenced by the cultures of Persia, England, Portugal and China. If you are a vegetarian you would have plenty of choices.

Appetizers:

Majority of the Indian appetizers are deep fried in oil and served with delicious chutney that is sweet, sour and spicy. The soups too are a bit spicy and served with salads made of raw vegetables. The Indian food restaurants keep the age old tradition of Indian cuisine and serve the appetizers with accompaniments that aptly balance the spicy flavor. If you are not aware of what to order from the appetizers menu it is best advised to stick to the popular options such as Indian cutlets or patties that are made by stuffing a mixture of vegetables and spices inside dough and is then deep fried. Certain type patties on the other hand are deep fried as well but they don’t have stuffing inside it.

Beverages:

Indian beverages are usually sweet and they go well with the spicy food. Most veg restaurants would serve all the popular Indian beverages.  The drink made of yogurt and sugar is the staple beverage of the Punjabis. The drink is usually served in tall glasses.

Main course:

The options for main course dishes are aplenty. The popular choice of dishes for main course is Indian flat bread; the Indian breads are usually round and unleavened. This is followed by rice. Rice can be fried or steamed. Both rice and breads are served with spicy curries that are cooked with vegetables and a variety of spices and masala. Most Indian food restaurants serve curries that are of different spice levels. If you do not have any experience of eating spicy Indian food, it is best advised to order a simple or less spicy food. The spicy food can be really hot and you may not be able to handle it, it would only lead to wastage of food and money. You can order spicy food once you get used to eating the spicy stuff.

Deserts:

Just like main course and appetizers you would have plenty of desert options to choose from. Most Indian deserts are made of milk, ghee and sugar. After having the spicy food, the deserts would greatly calm your taste buds. One of the most popular deserts you can try at Indian food restaurants is pudding made of cardamom, milk, rice and raisins.