When you travel, it feels as if there are two worlds: your home and the rest of the world. When you step into a restaurant, this feeling is echoed, and it changes based on which restaurant you are in. Right around the corner from home, a restaurant may feel like you are in Thailand eating pad Thai, in America enjoying a cheese burger or in France eating snails. In other cases, you may be half way around the globe in a spot full of Aussies that makes you feel like you are back home. Hi, my name is Betina, and I love eating out and travelling. This blog looks at everything related to those concepts. It talks about the sense of home and away in restaurants. Whether you are a diner or a restaurateur, I hope you enjoy the diverse posts I include in this blog.
Indian cuisine has much more to offer than the chicken tikka masala that's so popular in Western Indian restaurants. Indian food is rich in flavour and utilises a wide array of fresh herbs and spices, with dishes varying from region to region. If you enjoy authentic culinary experiences, look out for one of these traditional dishes the next time you visit an Indian restaurant:
Aab Gosht
This popular Kashmiri dish consists of mutton cooked in a creamy coconut milk sauce that's flavoured with chillies, ginger, garlic, cumin, and coriander. Mutton has a rich, almost gamey flavour, but it's not generally a tough meat. It's far superior to lamb, which can be a little dull on its own. This is a hearty and satisfying dish that you won't soon forget.
Zeera Murg
This chicken dish from the Punjab region is coated in creamy yogurt and flavoured with fragrant, slightly smoky cumin. Ginger and garlic are used extensively in Punjabi dishes, and this dish is no different. It has just a hint of heat, but none of the flavours are overpowering. Enjoy this dish with tandoori roti or rice.
Gajar Ki Sabji
Rajasthani food is predominantly vegetarian, and this dry curry dish is made with potatoes, carrots and peas. It's often cooked with fenugreek leaves, which add a nutty flavour, and the vegetables are fried in ghee or butter. Rajasthani food tends to be on the spicy side, and this dish uses both red and green chillies. It's delicious with pickles, chutney and rice.
Jhinga Malai Curry
This Mughlai dish consists of prawns cooked in a creamy sauce with curry leaves, cinnamon, tomatoes, ginger, and a little turmeric. Mughlai food is popular throughout Northern India and many of the dishes have a creamy sauce as their base. Jhinga Malai Curry is a real treat not to be missed.
Dal Vada
These lentil fritters from Kerala are spicy and crunchy. They are ideal as a starter and are typically served with tomato or coconut chutney. The lentils are seasoned with dried red chillies, shallots, ginger, and curry leaves before being formed into small patties that are fried until golden brown.
These five dishes are worth keeping in mind when browsing the menu at your local Indian restaurant. However, there are so many more traditional dishes that often get overlooked for the trusty favourites, so just ask your server for their recommendation.
For more advice, contact a local restaurant such as Magic Curries Indian Restaurant.
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