If you typically don't eat Indian food and want to try ordering some, the menus, dish names, etiquette, and ingredients may seem intimidating. That's all right; Indian food covers a huge geographical and historical region, and you shouldn't expect to learn everything about it in a few minutes of browsing a menu. But it's also one of the tastiest and nutritious cuisines available, and it's worth learning more about how and what to order. Here are some tips for you to keep in mind when looking at your local delivery menu.
It Doesn't Have to Be Spicy
Chances are a dish you're thinking of right now is curry, and the spice level might be of some concern to you if you don't like or can't eat spicy food. The good news is that not only are there non-spicy dishes, including curry, but you can make any dish non-spicy just by asking the restaurant to leave out chilies and other spicy ingredients. Don't ask them to leave out all spices as that will leave the food flavorless; be sure you specify spicy ingredients.
Order for a Crowd
Indian food is often served family-style, meaning you all share food from each dish. Think of Chinese food or even North American casseroles, where you cook up one large batch, and everyone at the table takes a serving from the main dish. When you order, keep those family-style sizes in mind. If the menu doesn't specify that the dish is for an individual serving or meant to be a to-go lunch special, for example (which are typically meant for one person), assume you're going to get a large quantity of food.
Aim for Balance
What you think of as Indian food is made up of several different regional cuisines, and all have dishes that concentrate on a specific type of flavor such as sweet or sour. Try to balance what you order -- get a sweet dish, a bitter dish, and so on. The meal will seem more balanced that way and will not leave you overwhelmed by one particular flavor.
Leftovers store well in the fridge; ask the restaurant how to reheat the food if you have any left over after eating. A good way to start is to find dishes that have simple lists of ingredients that are familiar to you, and then branch out from there. You can also order mostly dishes that are famliar to you plus one or two that aren't, so you can try new foods without making the entire meal into a big unknown.
Indian food has a lot of variation, so have fun trying more and more dishes. You'll soon find some favorites.For more information, talk to a company like Deccan Spice.
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