Malai kofta is yummy and not hot at all. And be sure to try the samosa appetizer. The samosas will be probably served with both a thin brown tamarind sauce and a thicker green mint sauce. The green may be hot (it varies from place to place), but the brown is safe–very sweet and tart but not hot.
That’s what I was going to say. Korma usually is very mild and nutty (in my experience), but I’ve gotten some kormas with a kick, too. It’s best simply to ask the servers for recommendations–I’m sure they’re used to dealing with people who have no spice tolerance and can steer them to the dishes that particular establishment makes very mild.
I think you need to differentiate spicy from hot. When ordering Thai food, you really need to be congnizant of how spicy you ask them to make it because, boy howdy, they can put some unbelievably blazing things into their dishes.
But with Indian food, “spice” usually refers to just that. Spice. Not hot. You wouldn’t call salt or dill sauce spicy would you? So it’s going to be the rare Indian dish that makes your mouth burn.
All that said, dishes for beginners: butter chicken. Saag paneer (saag=spinach and paneer is a semi-hard cheese made from yogurt and whole milk. You’ll often see “saag” or “paneer” in other menu items so this will help in determining what’s in them). Naan (bread). Uttapaam (a spongy pancake that sometimes comes in small circles and sometimes comes as a huge dish covering pancake with a sauce in the middle).
Curries are great but I would stay away from goat unless you like bones still attached to your meat.
For dessert they’ll usually have one of three options, all of which are good:
- Rice pudding
- A sweetened carrot meal/puree
- Galub Jamum (fried dough balls drenched in rose water and honey)
A fourth option (which I’ve never seen at many restaurants but is excellent) is jalubbi which is like a funnel cake but drenched in honey and lemon juice.
Hope this helps!
This sounds icky, but it’s delicious.
I vote for the Chicken Makhani (Butter Chicken), too. It really isn’t spicy, and the cream sauce is just lovely. I have a lot of stomach problems, too, and I find that Indian food usually sits very well with me. And make sure you have naan bread - my favourite kind of bread in the world, bar none.
Are you certain you don’t have any food allergies? The above description sounds like allergic reactions to me. Sure you’re not allergic to tomatoes? Many people are more OK with fresh tomato, and have worse reactions the more cooked the tomato is, such as in ketchup or pizza sauce.
I wonder if you’re having allergy problems both with peppers (sweet or hot) and with tomatoes, they’re both in the same family of nightshade fruits and vegetables. I know people who are allergic to tomatoes and strawberries, for instance. Black pepper isn’t in the family, but almost all other peppers are.
i never understand why spicy equals “hot”. you can have lots of dill in something and it’s spicy. likewise lots of tarragon etc. spicy but not hot.
anyway, having gotten that off my chest, the recommendations here are all good.
Wouldn’t those two examples be “herby” though and not “spicy”? 
Lamb Korma.
I’m one of those people who because of medical conditions can no longer have anything spicy. Which in everyday English means hot.
And you are simply wrong about Indian food. Many dishes are inherently spicy. And many restaurants gear their spice levels toward more traditional audiences, so that dishes, even with “mild” levels of spice, are too hot to eat. You can’t trust buffets because some of the dishes are too spicy and there will be no warning. You can’t trust appetizers because some chefs make them spicier than other chefs.
What do you do? YOU TELL THE WAITER. Do not be shy. Make clear that you can’t have hot dishes. Ask for them to be made to the level you desire. They will do so. Although most of the dishes mentioned here will be on the mild side most of the time, that will not be true for every restaurant. Just say that you want them mild, or non-spiced, or whatever term you think is appropriate for you.
People who can eat spicy food have no idea what they’re talking about when it comes to mild food. I know this from long experience. They are two different worlds.
The restaurant in question’s website says “All foods are made to order, as mild or spicy as you request”. So it sounds like they are accommodating to people who don’t want their food to be spicy/hot.
Yeah, ZipperJJ, that sounds like food allergies to me. Little bro has similar reactions to specific green foods (brussell sprouts and green beans among them; I don’t recall the others).
Whatever you get - and here’s a half Indian checking in - ask for raita on the side. Pronounced Rye-tuh. Whatever you have it will be diluted with it; it’s a plain yogurt dish with julienned or diced cukes and carrots specifically to cool the mouth.
At any Indian restaurant I’ve been to, unless you are getting buffet, you can tell the waiter how spicy you want the food, and usually they ask you.
Thanks all for the recommendations. Going shortly to the restaurant. I had some pesto last night and that seemed to upset whatever is wrong with my tummy, so I guess I’m still sick.
Hoping to get chicken makhami or the lamb korma, with raita on the side, and plenty of naan.
As for the allergies it’s entirely possible that I have an allergy to some spices. However, I eat plenty of pizza and pasta with red sauce, and ketchup in moderation is fine so I don’t know. I am prone to rosy cheeks when eating enough tomato. But spices physically hurt my lips and mouth.
I will be sure to make it clear to the server that I am simply a big German wussgirl and please go easy on my dishes 
As usual, I’m too late to the party, but I wanted to add: mango lassi. It absolutely kills heat; it’s like a miracle drink. And in the event that you find everything on the menu too spicy, you can actually have a filling meal just of naan and lassi, seriously. I’ve done that before when we went to an Indian place that told me that everything on their menu had coriander/cilantro leaf in it and they couldn’t/wouldn’t do anything about it. And I can’t tolerate coriander leaf. So while everyone else had curry (I love curry! sob) I had lassi and garlic naan. But you can have plain naan if you don’t like garlic.
Just be sure to check what they’re selling as lassi.
It could be a thick mango-ey yoghurt drink (Yum!), or it could be an absolutely vile salted yoghurt thing. So be sure to specify ‘mango lassi’ so that you get the sweet drink.
I’ve tried strawberry lassi and was underwhelmed; it wasn’t bad, but it was nothing to write home about.
The horrible salty version, on the other hand? Well, if you’ve ever had any other kind of salty, thick milky stuff in your mouth, you’ll know *exactly *what it tastes like.:eek:
The salty version is not horrible at all (I prefer it to the fruity ones), but it can be a little bit of an acquired taste, I suppose. While it’s not quite the same as buttermilk, if you like buttermilk, you’ll probably enjoy the salted lassi. If you hate buttermilk, it might not be up your alley.
My friend ended up getting a sweet lassi, and it proved mighty handy for me. They got an appetizer plate and I tried the samosa and seesh kebab and it was too spicy. So she let me sip some lassi.
I got naan and chicken makhami with raita on the side, telling the waitress to “make it a 0 spice ok? I am a big wuss!” (she asked what we wanted spice wise, 1-5) and the makhami was still spicy for me. I chased every fork full with a spoon of raita. Of course, I am one of those people for whom cilantro tastes like soap so it tasted like yogurt soap.
All in all I don’t think Indian food is for me, but I am glad I tried it. Even beyond the heat, the flavorings don’t do anything for me.
Tagamet HB is a wonderful drug, tho! I popped one before I left and was able to enjoy my night without my insides coming out. hehehe
Thanks again, all, for your help. Truly some great advice here. Hopefully other people who have questions about Indian food will find this helpful and maybe take a stab at Indian food themselves!
Do you, by chance, have graphic tongue?
FYI, that is GEOgraphic tongue – not GRAPHIC tongue.
It works because its a yogurt drink, just as raita works because it a yogurt condiment. Milk helps counteract spiciness in your mouth.
It is not a miracle drink for those of us who can’t tolerate spiciness for other reasons. Milk may lessen the sensation in your mouth, but doesn’t matter to your intestines.