Authentic Indian food – know it’s basics before ordering for it

In these days when chefs are experimenting with all foods from different regions, it is necessary to know if the cuisine you have ordered is genuine or it is a mix of different cosines. Because of different tastes, Indian food is being subjected to experiments in order to suit the taste buds of the local people. So, you should be aware of the basics of the cuisines before you place an order.

While you enter a restaurant in London for some Indian food, you would like to order for some genuine cuisines. So, you should be having at least a working knowledge of what you are ordering for so that you are sure of the taste and the originality of the cuisine.

If you are looking for authentic Indian food, then first know about the appetizers. Samosa, cutlets, pakora prepared from chickpea or rice flour as well as vegetables and Indian spices are some of the common appetizers. If you are a non-vegetarian, then go for chicken pakora that are deep fried so that they have a crispy taste. Papad and lentil chips too are popular as appetizers because of their different flavors.

Almost every Indian food is served with chutney that is made of herbs and spices. You can order for chutneys like onion, coconut, mint and peanuts. The chutney is usually served with dosas and idlys.

For side dishes, you can try vegetable puree that is also called as bharta and serves well for curries. Bharta is cooked with eggplant, ginger, tomato, garlic, sautéed onion and spices like coriander, chill powder and cumin and has a smoky flavor.

Another thing to note while ordering for authentic Indian food is that almost all the vegetable dishes are served with whole-wheat Indian bread. Even these breads are of different types. You can order for the breads like naan, phulka, paratha and roti. Indian breads are made on iron griddles known as tawa. You can also order for poori that is traditionally deep-fried in oil and served with chenna masala and chickpeas.

For main course, you can choose from varieties of vegetables that are cooked in many spices like cumin, coriander, pepper, turmeric and chili. These vegetable dishes go well with steamed rice and bread. If you are non-vegetarian, then you have the choice of ordering for buttered chicken and chicken tikka masala.

After you are finished with the main course, there are plenty of Indian deserts available to you while ordering for authentic Indian food. But most of them are made of butter, sugar and milk. You can order for these deserts such as gulab jamun or rassagolla that is made from sugar water and cottage cheese. Payasm is another desert from south India and is prepared from lentil or rice noodles. If you are not comfortable with very hot and spicy Indian cuisines like curry, then you can specially enquire for the dishes that are prepared with fewer spices. Find out some nice and Indian restaurants if you are not so sure of getting authentic cuisines from elsewhere. You can also take help of books to prepare these cuisines at home to have a taste of them.