# Recommend some Indian food please **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 13, 2006, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-indian-food-please/360589 "2006-06-13T17:26:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Phantom\_Dennis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/51bf81/32.png) [@Phantom\_Dennis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phantom_Dennis)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2006, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-indian-food-please/360589/21 "2006-06-13T21:56:26Z")
I love, love, love Chicken Tikka Masala. It’s definitely in the states – every Indian restaurant I’ve been to has it. It can be spicey, but you can tell them to take it down a notch. No matter what you order, be sure to get a side on Naan. It’s a pita-like bread that’s extremely delicious (and fattening) and can be dipped in many different sauces or used as a wrapper for other dishes. Enjoy! ---
**Author:** ![Szlater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/90ced4/32.png) [@Szlater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Szlater)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2006, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-indian-food-please/360589/22 "2006-06-13T22:01:37Z")
Bah, ignore the naan fans, and go for puris, parathas or chapatis… All three breads, especially parathas, beat naans hands down. ---
**Author:** ![NailBunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecae2f/32.png) [@NailBunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NailBunny)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2006, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-indian-food-please/360589/23 "2006-06-13T22:10:16Z")
[QUOTE=Lama Pacos] Prompted by the previous post, if it turns out that you like Indian food a lot, I highly recommend going to a restaurant’s luncheon buffet. I love Indian food, but I find most places are just so expensive for dinner. Whereas ten bucks at dinner can buy you maybe a little dish with a few chunks of your desired substance floating around, the same ten dollars can often, at lunch, buy you all you want of numerous main dishes, appetizers/sides (samosas, pakoras, etc.), bread, soup, salad, and dessert. It may be a little less made-to-order but I find it thoroughly worth it-- it’s not the gross leftovers that you may be familiar with from buffet-only restaurants, it’s usually an impressive array of the restaurant’s more popular dishes. [/QUOTE] This sounds so odd to me. Our favourite Indian restaurant here in Reno is absolutely divine, and **CHEAP**. Mr. Bunny and I usually get one main dish for each of us, a side of naan, a side of pappadam, a side of either samosas or pakoras, and some extra chutney or spicy pickles or something, and we usually spend about $35.00. Mmm. It might be time for some Indian food this evening… ---
**Author:** ![Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hey_It_s_That_Guy)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2006, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-indian-food-please/360589/24 "2006-06-13T22:15:55Z")
If it helps, here is a much older Cafe Society thread about Indian food, with very useful explanations and descriptions. I bookmarked it a few years back for such an occasion! [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=196811&highlight=indian+AND+food](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=196811&highlight=indian+AND+food) ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2006, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-indian-food-please/360589/25 "2006-06-13T22:22:54Z")
[QUOTE=Phantom Dennis] I love, love, love Chicken Tikka Masala. It’s definitely in the states – every Indian restaurant I’ve been to has it. [/QUOTE] It sometimes appears with the name “Butter Chicken,” which is a translation of one of its original Indian names, Chicken Makhanwalla (apparently the dish goes by several different labels). I make my own, based on the recipe in [this book](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0778800881/104-9177835-5099953?v=glance&n=283155) (which mentions the original name); that allows me to dial up the spiciness. Mmmmm. ---
**Author:** ![Lama\_Pacos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Lama\_Pacos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lama_Pacos)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2006, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-indian-food-please/360589/26 "2006-06-13T22:48:59Z")
> [@](#): > > This sounds so odd to me. Our favourite Indian restaurant here in Reno is absolutely divine, and CHEAP. Mr. Bunny and I usually get one main dish for each of us, a side of naan, a side of pappadam, a side of either samosas or pakoras, and some extra chutney or spicy pickles or something, and we usually spend about $35.00. Maybe it’s just because I’ve got a student perspective here, but I consider that on the expensive side for two people. I’m willing to pay well for good food, and that’s not astronomically out of my league or outrageous or anything, but definitely more than I’d typically be willing to spend. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2006, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-indian-food-please/360589/27 "2006-06-13T22:56:54Z")
[QUOTE=Szlater] they spread from Goa to India. [/QUOTE] I think you missed out “the rest of”: Goa is a state in India. ---
**Author:** ![Szlater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/90ced4/32.png) [@Szlater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Szlater)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2006, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-indian-food-please/360589/28 "2006-06-13T23:07:34Z")
[QUOTE=jjimm] I think you missed out “the rest of”: Goa is a state in India. [/QUOTE] Goa was a Portuguese colony until 1968. Currently Goa is an occupied territory. When the Portuguese pulled out the UN stated that it should be an independant country, the Indians invaded promising free elections but never left and the elections never materialised. Goa and Goans have a distinct language, religion and culture, seperate from that of the Indians. Ask a Goan (or Anglo-Goan, like me) whether they’re Indian and they’ll (we’ll) set you straight. ---
**Author:** ![Szlater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/90ced4/32.png) [@Szlater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Szlater)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2006, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-indian-food-please/360589/29 "2006-06-13T23:20:20Z")
Sorry, 1961. ---
**Author:** ![Sierra\_Indigo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f0a364/32.png) [@Sierra\_Indigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sierra_Indigo)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2006, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-indian-food-please/360589/30 "2006-06-13T23:35:26Z")
[QUOTE=Cervaise] It sometimes appears with the name “Butter Chicken,” which is a translation of one of its original Indian names, Chicken Makhanwalla (apparently the dish goes by several different labels). I make my own, based on the recipe in [this book](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0778800881/104-9177835-5099953?v=glance&n=283155) (which mentions the original name); that allows me to dial up the spiciness. Mmmmm. [/QUOTE] Really? All of the Indian restaurants I’ve been to over here in Australia (usually run by Indians, no less) have had Chicken Tikka and Butter Chicken as two different things… ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2006, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-indian-food-please/360589/31 "2006-06-13T23:39:11Z")
For appetizers, I’m fond of the **samosa,** a kind of fritter made with potatoes and peas. Usually served with both tamarind sauce and a very hot mint sauce on the side (the sauces go well together, too, like duck sauce and hot mustard on an eggroll). ---
**Author:** ![Sierra\_Indigo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f0a364/32.png) [@Sierra\_Indigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sierra_Indigo)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2006, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-indian-food-please/360589/32 "2006-06-13T23:40:15Z")
Also, I forgot - I love me some garlic naans, any naans really. But my favouritist naans of all are from the Indian restaurant we go to every so often. Potato & cottage cheese stuffed naans. Mmmmm… ---
**Author:** ![Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e19adc/32.png) [@Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2006, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-indian-food-please/360589/33 "2006-06-14T00:36:24Z")
Just order everything, and whatever you don’t finish, bring home. That’s what I like to do. Naan is an essential – flat bread. Raita is yogurt with stuff in it (use it to kill the spice). Watch out for any green sauces, because that means it’s spicy. Anything red is probably safe. Kachoori is a good appetizer (chick peas and a host of other stuff mixed in). Malai Kofta is my wife’s staple (almond/chick pea or lentil balls in a tomato cream sauce). Vindaloo is incredibly spicy, and the only reason to drink lager. My baby girl loves pappadum, which is a spicy nacho chip. 😉 I think I’m going to eat Indian for lunch tomorrow. Mmmmm… Follow it up with a nice chai. Can you tell my next-door neighbours growing up were Indian? ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2006, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-indian-food-please/360589/34 "2006-06-14T02:21:18Z")
No one’s mentioned Seekh kababs, so I will. MMMMMMMMM…_Seekh kababs_…MMMMMMMMMM ---
**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:** [June 14, 2006, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-indian-food-please/360589/35 "2006-06-14T02:25:41Z")
[QUOTE=Sierra Indigo] Really? All of the Indian restaurants I’ve been to over here in Australia (usually run by Indians, no less) have had Chicken Tikka and Butter Chicken as two different things… [/QUOTE] Same here in America. I’ve been to Indian restaurants and have seen both Butter Chicken and Chicken Tikka Masala as two separate items. Butter Chicken _is_ murgh makhani. As far as I understand it, Butter Chicken is a native Indian dish that originated in Delhi. Chicken Tikka Masala, as many people are aware, is an English-Indian dish that was created in Britain by Indian immigrants. Or so that’s the story I’ve always heard. However, doing a little googling seems to indicate that these two dishes are related. Some cites claim they are the same dish. Others claim the tikka masala is similar, but not the same, rather an Anglo-Indian adaptation of the makhini. So who knows. I’ve had both in restaurants, and I really couldn’t tell you the difference. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2006, 7:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-indian-food-please/360589/36 "2006-06-14T07:48:44Z")
Sorry, **Szlater** , I was overlooking Goa’s prior status. Just as I’d have said “from Macau to China” etc. I stand corrected. ---
**Author:** ![Szlater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/90ced4/32.png) [@Szlater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Szlater)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2006, 10:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-indian-food-please/360589/37 "2006-06-14T10:00:33Z")
[QUOTE=jjimm] Sorry, **Szlater** , I was overlooking Goa’s prior status. Just as I’d have said “from Macau to China” etc. I stand corrected. [/QUOTE] It’s okay. Usually I get: “your family is from where?”. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![gouda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c77e96/32.png) [@gouda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gouda)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2006, 11:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-indian-food-please/360589/38 "2006-06-14T11:14:55Z")
Re: Chicken Tikka Masala and Butter Chicken. A chicken tikka is a golf-ball shaped and sized kabab, baked in the _tandoor_, or clay oven. The chicken tikka masala is this tikka in a tomato-based gravy. The Butter Chicken, or _murgh makhanwala/makhani_, is shredded chicken cooked in the same tomato-based gravy. The (small) difference in taste between the two comes from the taste of the tikka itself. Paneer is cottage cheese. I loves me paneer… The ‘Dum’ in dum aloo implies the method of cooking the dish - very slow, and the cooking vessel is sealed, so as not to allow any aromas to escape. It’s a part of Kashmiri cuisine, AFAIK. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2006, 11:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-indian-food-please/360589/39 "2006-06-14T11:20:41Z")
So, **Dung Beetle** , did you enjoy it? ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2006, 11:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-indian-food-please/360589/40 "2006-06-14T11:55:21Z")
Of course, thanks for asking! 🙂 I forgot I was going to go for the spinach, though. I ordered a vegetarian dish which turned out to be basically spicy rice and veggies. It wasn’t too hot for me to handle. The chicken tikki masala sounds like what my husband ordered and it was really good too. We also had spring rolls with tamarind sauce and naan and raita and some green chutney. I’m ready to go again anytime! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-indian-food-please/360589.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-indian-food-please/360589.md?page=3)