# Indian Food **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 14, 2012, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/indian-food/631486 "2012-08-14T17:20:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Battle\_Pope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@Battle\_Pope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Battle_Pope)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2012, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/indian-food/631486/61 "2012-08-16T01:43:53Z")
A new Indian place opened a few suburbs over from us recently, as its payday today we may just have to try them out tonight. I’ll have to go out & buy some [Kingfisher](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingfisher_(beer)) beer as well. Just for the full experience 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2012, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/indian-food/631486/62 "2012-08-16T01:48:36Z")
We’re doing pre-planning at work tomorrow and we’re going to go out for lunch. I’m going to lobby hard for the Indian buffet at the local excellent Indian restaurant, but I know that I’m going to get shot down by the unadventurous middle-aged ladies who are afraid of pretty much any and all ethnic food that you can’t get from a drive-through. ---
**Author:** ![Jaledin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Jaledin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jaledin)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2012, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/indian-food/631486/63 "2012-08-16T01:48:46Z")
I wonder about rinsing the rice. Does that accomplish the same or similar thing to my standby method of frying the rice in oil, à la pilaf? I never rinse, but my rice is perfect every time despite opening the lid and fiddling with adding things after it’s almost cooked. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Woo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7c8e57/32.png) [@Dr.Woo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Woo)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2012, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/indian-food/631486/64 "2012-08-16T01:54:34Z")
Oh man I love Indian food! I remember vividly the first time I had it nearly 30 years ago, and my immediate thought was “Where the ever loving bleep has this food been all my life?!!” I’m so lucky too - nearly all my co-workers are Indian, and when I walk through the building at lunchtime the smells are amazing. It’s _expected_ that one eats curry, so no concern with gassing the whole department with my lunch. Heaven. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2012, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/indian-food/631486/65 "2012-08-16T02:07:49Z")
> [@tomcar](#): > > Actually, the only thing better than Indian food is Indochin, Indian Chinese fusion. I saw that an Indo-Chinese restaurant popped up in one of the western Chicago suburbs maybe 15-20 minutes from where I live. It’s basically next door to an awesome Indian/Pakistani restaurant and in the same strip mall as a great hole-in-the-wall giant burrito restaurant (no rice in them, FWIW). God, I would just explode from indecision if I went back there… ---
**Author:** ![tomcar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@tomcar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomcar)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2012, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/indian-food/631486/66 "2012-08-16T02:40:05Z")
> [@Ferret\_Herder](#): > > I saw that an Indo-Chinese restaurant popped up in one of the western Chicago suburbs maybe 15-20 minutes from where I live. It’s basically next door to an awesome Indian/Pakistani restaurant and in the same strip mall as a great hole-in-the-wall giant burrito restaurant (no rice in them, FWIW). God, I would just explode from indecision if I went back there… Yeah, Once you put rice in a burrito, it goes from authentic, central American aboriginal-sustenance to all-american white trash junk food originating in Flint Michigan 😉 Man, go check out that Indochin place and get the Manchurian Paneer if they have it. It sounds like I’d love that little strip mall. ---
**Author:** ![bldysabba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecccb3/32.png) [@bldysabba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bldysabba)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2012, 12:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/indian-food/631486/67 "2012-08-16T12:04:31Z")
> [@Sicks\_Ate](#): > > Oh boy…lemme try to find the menu… > > - chicken samosas > - paneer pakora > - allu tiki > - chicken pakora > - coconut soup (who knew there was such a thing? how magical) > - chicken tika masala > - naan, tasted like onion and/or garlic > - lamb curry > - saag (yumyumyumyum, and a nice way to cool down the ol palate) > - galun jamun (very nice) > - some kind of chopped meat molded around a stick and cooked…goat? > - an un-breaded shrimp with bright red sauce or paste on it > > I think I identified most of what I had…yeah, I ate a lot. > [@Meatros](#): > > You hit some good ones. I like butter paneer (or really anytype of paneer) and my favorite dessert is is [Ras Malai](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ras_malai). > > Good stuff. > > Galun jamun, when it’s warmed up, is absolutely awesome. Minor nitpick, I think what you folk are referring to are [Gulab Jamuns](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gulab_jamun). > [@FoieGrasIsEvil](#): > > OK, I’m no slouch with a skillet, a grill, a pot…how hard is some of this stuff to make? I’ve tried Indian food several times and always liked it. > > Also, give me a rundown on essential herbs/spices in Indian foods that are available at normal grocery stores so I can stock up. Is there a way to emulate tandoor without the tandoori oven (is that the correct term?)? A spice(?) that nobody seems to have mentioned is Turmeric. I’m not sure what it does, but a lot of it gets used in Indian food. Also, the word Tandoor is the noun form that means clay oven, and Tandoori is the adjective. So tandoori oven may not be correct. Correct usage is probably to ask if there is a way to emulate the Tandoor. > [@Battle\_Pope](#): > > A new Indian place opened a few suburbs over from us recently, as its payday today we may just have to try them out tonight. I’ll have to go out & buy some [Kingfisher](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingfisher_(beer)) beer as well. Just for the full experience 🙂 Heh. Good luck to you. Growing up on Kingfisher means most Indians like it, but I haven’t met too many people from outside India who think it’s a good beer. ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2012, 12:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/indian-food/631486/68 "2012-08-16T12:24:51Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > Most rice takes 20-25 minutes to cook (unless you like your rice crunchy style). You shouldn’t have to drain any water out of the rice; after 20 minutes or so, simply remove the pot from the heat source and allow it to stand uncovered. This will let any excess water evaporate as the rice cools down. Once the rice is cool enough that water is not evaporating, it can be covered until it’s ready to be used (eaten or combined with the rest of the food). Hmm, I wonder if the kind of rice you use alters this - if I boiled rice for this long it would disintegrate to mush. After centuries (felt like it) of trying to find the perfect way to cook rice, I have finally hit on a foolproof method: 1. Always use Basmati rice 2. Rince with cold water 3. Boil in large-ish pan in salted, pre-boiled water for 11-12 minutes until just done (water:rice quantities matter not, as long as the rice is well covered) 4. Drain and leave in sieve, poking a few holes in the rice to help it steam evenly, cover with a teatowel and leave for at least 15 mins. 5. Done. Perfect rice every time. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2012, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/indian-food/631486/69 "2012-08-16T12:47:14Z")
Ah, yes. Covering it at the end with a tea towel helps it fluff up nicely. I very rarely cook regular rice this way (unless I’m making it in large quantities in a stockpot for which I don’t have a lid), but the method is especially awesome for brown rice. Sometimes brown rice works out fine for me using my regular method, but I’ve had a few so-so-experiences here and there. Boiling it makes perfect, fluffy brown rice every single time. (ETA: Of course, cook time is significantly longer with brown rice. Something like 20-25 minutes.) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/indian-food/631486.md?page=3)