# I need help eating Indian food



## GB (Mar 28, 2008)

I love Indian food. A new restaurant opened near my office and they have some of the best Indian food I have ever tasted. I go for their buffet at least once a week. My problem is that I am not sure the proper way to eat everything.

Here is what I mean. There are always at least three chutneys to choose from. Today they had a tomato chutney, mint chutney, and coconut chutney. I love the tomato and always get some, but I am not sure what I am supposed to do with it. What I have been doing is ripping off a piece of naan and dipping it in. I also dip my dosa in the chutney sometimes. Is this the right thing to do or an I making a mistake?

My other question has to do with all the dishes that are in a sauce with a very thin constancy. Often times there will be 5 or 6 things on the buffet like this. There may be Lamb Rogan Josh, Chicken Tika Masala, some sort of Dal dish that is very thin and maybe a few others. Are these all supposed to go over rice? That is what I have been doing, but that seems like so much rice.

Educate me please!


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## GotGarlic (Mar 28, 2008)

Hi, GB. I do pretty much as you do, although I also put some chutney on my plate and mix it with the main dish as I cut it up (I usually get chicken). You could also put some of the thinner sauces on the plate and top it with the main dish; then they would sort of mix together as you eat.

Here are a couple of pages that describe how to eat Indian food:


Do You Think Indian Food Is All About Curry? Think Again! (this describes different foods with comments on how to eat them)
How To Eat Indian Food Traditionally With Hands | eHow.com
btw, I'm taking an Indian cooking class at a local Indian restaurant Sunday afternoon  I'll let you know if I find out anything more.

HTH.


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## GB (Mar 28, 2008)

Thanks GG. That does help somewhat. I hope you enjoy the cooking class. I can't wait to hear all about it.


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## miniman (Mar 28, 2008)

I usually make a mound of rice in the middle of the plate and then surrund it with portions of the different curries. Some naan bread to mop up as well. I also use the chutnies as a topping with the curries. The chutnies also go well on a poppadom or two!


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## auntdot (Mar 28, 2008)

We love Indian food, unfortunately at the moment we live about 40 miles from the nearest place so almost never go.  Except on vacation when we hit every Indian place we can find.

Have been to some very tony Indian places and some that were just regular joints.

And actually prefer the regular restaurants.

But why should someone tell you how to eat food?  

Put mango pickle on a pappadom or piece of bread.  Love the raita on a pappadoam.

The rice is there to be have food placed on it.

And if you want chutney with something else, add it.  Food is supposed to make you happy.

No one is going to care.  The restaurant folks are serving the indigenous population, and they are there to make money.  If folks suddenly decided they wanted saag and queso blanco with cinnamon and raisins with a topping of kimchee wrapped in a nan, I bet they would start selliing it.

Went to one of the recommended web sites and saw that recommendation about only using the right hand to eat.  Gimme a break.  Today we have modern plumbing and cleanliness, and that is no longer a factor, particularly in first world countries.

Went to eat with someone, an American, at a Middle Eastern restaurant once, and he mentioned to everyone not to eat with their left hands. Looked around and everyone else seemed to be ambidextrous diners, and the waiters were not laying into them with scimitars.

Was going to tell him to put it where the sun don't shine, but realized he would have said precisely the reason he mentioned it. So I shut up and ate.

LOL.


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## GB (Mar 28, 2008)

auntdot said:


> But why should someone tell you how to eat food?


Because I asked politely and would like to know how the food was intended to be eaten lol.

I appreciate your comments auntdot, but the reason I am asking is because while food does not to have rules some things are just meant to go together. If you had never had oregano sprinkled on your pizza and went to a pizza joint and saw the shaker on the table and no one taught you what to do then you might sprinkle a pile in your plate and eat it on its own instead of putting it on the pizza and having the flavors combine as they were intended. That does not mean that what you are doing is wrong (although a mouthful of oregano does not sound appetizing to me), but you would be missing out on a food combination that has been proven to be a great one. 

I am simply trying to learn what was intended in the cuisine. That does not mean I will not still do what I enjoy, but I would like to be educated and not ignorant. 

I will give another example. Before I know much about sushi I was taught to mix some wasabi into the soy sauce, put a piece of pickled ginger on the sushi and then dunk the whole thing into the soy sauce. I later learned that the intended way to eat sushi was to use the ginger in between different pieces of sushi to cleanse the palate. You then put the piece of sushi in the sauce (without mixing in wasabi) with just the fish touching the sauce. Once I started doing it that way I was able to appreciate the flavor of the fish seasoned with the soy and not have the whole thing fall apart on me because it was saturated with soy and have the delicate flavor of the fish hidden by the ginger and sauce. My mom (and many others) still dunk the rice right into the soy because they like it that way. Neither of us are wrong. We do what we enjoy. I am glad that I was educated to the way it was intended though because for me I found a higher level of enjoyment once I started eating it the way it was designed to be eaten.


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## SHAMALICIOUS (Mar 28, 2008)

There are always at least three chutneys to choose from. Today they had a tomato chutney, mint chutney, and coconut chutney. I love the tomato and always get some, but I am not sure what I am supposed to do with it. What I have been doing is ripping off a piece of naan and dipping it in. I also dip my dosa in the chutney sometimes. Is this the right thing to do or an I making a mistake?

Youre not making any mistake,if thats the way you  like it its right . The chutneys are sometimes not even needed with some meals, for example, if having a curry with a naan, then the chutney really isnt needed, its just there as an extra. I am of pakistani origin and all my family mainly have chutneys with finger food/starter food -samosas, pakoras, kebabs, small things which could do with a extra element of flavour. Things for main meals like curries, i think have enough oomph in themselves to do without the chutneys. But again, personal taste, if you like chutney with your naan, its fine. Anything can be dipped in it. At home i like to dip my chips in mint chutney, a nice refeshing taste. I also sometimes have potato crisps with it. 


My other question has to do with all the dishes that are in a sauce with a very thin constancy. Often times there will be 5 or 6 things on the buffet like this. There may be Lamb Rogan Josh, Chicken Tika Masala, some sort of Dal dish that is very thin and maybe a few others. Are these all supposed to go over rice? That is what I have been doing, but that seems like so much rice.


These dishes do not have to go over rice. Sometimes the rice tastes better when it soaks in all the thin sauce. It can be ate with naan or roti instead, and the extra sauce can be scooped up using the naan/roti. Delicioussss.


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## GB (Mar 28, 2008)

Thanks shamalicious. That is helpful.


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## SHAMALICIOUS (Mar 28, 2008)

Youre welcome


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## Bilby (Mar 29, 2008)

Also consider GB that some sides are there to take away heat from a dish, while others are there to provide the heat. As Shamalicious said, a curry doesn't usually require the extra heat, but may need the cooling ones, depending on your palate.

Another thing to try, is to actually order a dish, rather than buffet, and see how the restaurant serves it to you.

This is a good thread. Thanks for starting it!


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## Andy M. (Mar 29, 2008)

Our Indian next door neighbors invite us to their son's birthday parties.  Big events, offsite and catered with Indian food.  It's a great opportunity to sample different foods.  I asked him once which dish the chutneys go on top of.  His response was that they don't go on a dish, you eat them alone.


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## GB (Mar 29, 2008)

Bilby said:


> Also consider GB that some sides are there to take away heat from a dish, while others are there to provide the heat. As Shamalicious said, a curry doesn't usually require the extra heat, but may need the cooling ones, depending on your palate.


But this is exactly what I am asking. If it is there to provide or take away heat, how to do eat them? Do you mix them into what you are eating? Do you eat the hot curry and then follow it up with a spoonful of chutney? Do you do something completely different?


Bilby said:


> Another thing to try, is to actually order a dish, rather than buffet, and see how the restaurant serves it to you.


 I have done this too and what they do is serve the food and then a bunch of small bowls on the side with chutneys and pickles and other things. There has been no clue about what to do with anything. I know I should probably ask the waiter, but I have never had the opportunity because I am usually there for a quick lunch along with a million other people and no one has the time unfortunately.


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## GB (Mar 29, 2008)

Andy M. said:


> I asked him once which dish the chutneys go on top of.  His response was that they don't go on a dish, you eat them alone.


Alone as in just with a fork or spoon?


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## Bilby (Mar 29, 2008)

GB said:


> But this is exactly what I am asking. If it is there to provide or take away heat, how to do eat them? Do you mix them into what you are eating? Do you eat the hot curry and then follow it up with a spoonful of chutney? Do you do something completely different?
> 
> I have done this too and what they do is serve the food and then a bunch of small bowls on the side with chutneys and pickles and other things. There has been no clue about what to do with anything. I know I should probably ask the waiter, but I have never had the opportunity because I am usually there for a quick lunch along with a million other people and no one has the time unfortunately.


GB, I am more of a novice than you!!  My knowledge is very limited and comes from books and friends.  My Sikh friends provided most of the food that I tried, and I was encouraged to use naan (at least I think it was naan!), place some of the meat/veg dish in the naan and place one of the condiments on top and then take a bite of the lot. So no they weren't mixed in the dish, but they were in my mouth. I can't remember much more than that as i haven't seen her for about 20 years!  It really varies with the dish I believe.

Have you had a look at Radhuni's site? Don't know but it might give some more info.


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## GB (Mar 29, 2008)

That is exactly the type of info I was looking for. Thanks Bilby.


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## BBQ Mikey (Mar 29, 2008)

GB

I have a good buddy that works as a waiter and short order cook at an indian resteraunt.  He told me the chutney was to cool the palate after eating a spicy main course, and he said that they are meant to be eaten separately. Thats about all I know, when my mouth starts shooting flames, I go for some chutney and that soothes it.  The chutney in his resteraunt was coconut w/ veggies and fruit, pretty interesting flavor profile.


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## GB (Mar 29, 2008)

Thanks BBQ Mikey. So it sounds like you just eat the chutney with just a spoon or fork and nothing else. I am finding this thread very helpful. Thanks everyone!


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## Bilby (Mar 29, 2008)

Sounds a bit like the Indian equivalent of pickled ginger.


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## kitchenelf (Mar 29, 2008)

GB said:


> Alone as in just with a fork or spoon?



No, alone as in no one else can be in the room!


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## GB (Mar 29, 2008)

You are just jealous that you don't know what the inside of the woodshed looks like huh KE?


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## kadesma (Mar 29, 2008)

GB said:


> You are just jealous that you don't know what the inside of the woodshed looks like huh KE?


Okay you two, you sound like Olivia and Carson, mine, no mine, gimme, no, yes gimme, My ma no my ma..Like I tell them, hey ya wanna take a nap? So stop it already.

kades, switch in hand...


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## waaza (Mar 30, 2008)

GB said:


> I love Indian food. A new restaurant opened near my office and they have some of the best Indian food I have ever tasted. I go for their buffet at least once a week. My problem is that I am not sure the proper way to eat everything.
> 
> Here is what I mean. There are always at least three chutneys to choose from. Today they had a tomato chutney, mint chutney, and coconut chutney. I love the tomato and always get some, but I am not sure what I am supposed to do with it. What I have been doing is ripping off a piece of naan and dipping it in. I also dip my dosa in the chutney sometimes. Is this the right thing to do or an I making a mistake?
> 
> ...



First of all, you must realize that what you experience in the US (as we do in the UK) is not the same as an eating experience in India, where there are no courses as such, and food is most often eaten from a banana leaf or metal thali with the fingers of the right hand. No plate, no fork. (this has changed in restaurants who aspire to western habits). 
Rice (if served, mostly in Southern India and Kashmir) is served as a mound, sometimes with dal on it, sometimes ghee, sometimes yoghurt. All the different parts of the meal are served separately on the leaf/thali, and you enlighten your palate accordingly.
If you want to eat western style, with plates and cutlery, my suggestion is to put the rice in a mound, a gravy curry to one side, and then add pickles, chatnis, raitas and/or cachumbers (salad veg) also on the side, or better on a side plate. This way, you can have a bit of something, then a bit of something else, so that, if something is too hot/salty/sweet/sour, you can instantly balance it with something else. Note that chilli heat is best attenuated with sweet, rather than cold.
HTH
Waaza


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## kitchenelf (Mar 30, 2008)

kadesma said:


> Okay you two, you sound like Olivia and Carson, mine, no mine, gimme, no, yes gimme, My ma no my ma..Like I tell them, hey ya wanna take a nap? So stop it already.
> 
> kades, switch in hand...



CJ - except when you get to be OUR age (yea, I included you GB ) you WANT to take a nap!!!!!!!!!!!!!   Do I know what the inside of the woodshed looks like?  Not me, I'm an


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## quidscribis (Apr 4, 2008)

There are likely regional variations, too.  

In Sri Lanka, with rice, for example, the rice will be a sort of flattish mound on the plate.  Curries are dished on to the rice.  The person eating (right hand only is the custom) will take a bit of one curry and smush it into the rice, spreading the flavour around in the rice, then take some between the fingers and pop it into the mouth, using the thumb to push it in.  Then he'll take some more curry, smoosh it into the rice, and repeat.  Meat is torn from the bone with the right hand and not eaten like North Americans would at a barbecue with bone at the mouth itself.  

Some people mix their curries together in the rice, others don't so much.  Personal preference.  Curd sambols or raita can either be eaten separately, with rice, or mixed in with another curry as personal preference dictates.  

With naan or other flatbreads, rip a piece off with your fingers and use it to surround a bit of curry, then pop that in your mouth, rinse and repeat.  Use another piece to sop up gravy.  And so on. 

Honestly, even here, no one cares if you do it differently than they do.  

In restaurants, it's perfectly acceptable and pretty usual to eat with a spoon and fork.  When dining in a local's home, they may give you a spoon and fork, but they're generally impressed if you try to eat with your hands the same way they do, even if you make a mess of things.  They're happy at the attempts.


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## Yakuta (Apr 5, 2008)

Hi GB, the response from Waaza is a very good explanation of how authentic Indian food is eaten. 

- With your hands - right hand only and hand is washed before and after eating
- Thick curries like chicken tikka masala, dal makhani, palak paneer and dry curries like aloo gobi are normaly eaten with roti or naan.  At home no one makes naan because we normally eat whole wheat bread that is made just like a Mexican tortilla and no one has access to a tandoor at home
- Thin Dals (which are mostly tur - split yelow pea or moong) are normally poured over rice (flat or mound does not matter) along with some pure ghee and eaten at the end.  So in a typical Indian meal you may start with appetizers eat your roti and dry or thick curry and then put some rice with dal or kichdi (a risotto type rice preparation) along with kadhi (made with yogurt, chickpea flour and spices - it's yellow and like a soup) and finish up your meal
- Achaars (pungent oil based pickles) as well as papads are condiments and never served as you see in the west (both US and UK).  In India papads always come during the rice course.  You normally crush the papads into the dal and rice, add achaars and eat.  It's also common for people to dip their fingers in a little achaar in their plate as they are eating their rice into their mouth and enjoy that little spicy or sweet and spicy burst of flavor
- Chutneys are normally fine to dip in but in India papads are never dipped in chutneys we normally dip dosa, samosas, pakodas etc in chutney as a dunking sauce

Dosa is a snack similar to samosa and pakoda so it's O.K. to dip that in the chutney.


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## AMSeccia (Apr 5, 2008)

Intriguing ... I have not tried Indian food, and it sounds rather complicated.  I have a business acquaintance who had me convinced that it was mostly vegan!  Obviously, we are a bit behind the times here in WI!


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## kitchenelf (Apr 6, 2008)

AMSeccia said:


> Intriguing ... I have not tried Indian food, and it sounds rather complicated.  I have a business acquaintance who had me convinced that it was mostly vegan!  Obviously, we are a bit behind the times here in WI!



Indian food is heavenly - vegan or otherwise!    It's "heady" - you really want to concentrate, savour, and think about every bite


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## Gossie (Apr 6, 2008)

kitchenelf said:


> No, alone as in no one else can be in the room!



Punch her, GB, punch her      ROFLMAO!!!!      Good one KE!!!  hahahahahahahahaha


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## Gossie (Apr 6, 2008)

kitchenelf said:


> CJ - except when you get to be OUR age (yea, I included you GB ) you WANT to take a nap!!!!!!!!!!!!!   Do I know what the inside of the woodshed looks like?  Not me, I'm an




Who you trying to fool?   ROFL      I love this thread. hehe


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## GB (Apr 6, 2008)

Yakuta I was hoping you would jump into this thread. Thanks for your info. It has been very helpful!!! 

AMSeccia, do not let this thread scare you away from Indian food should you get the chance to try it. I am sure I am making it sound much more complicated than it really is. The food is some of the most delicious stuff you will ever take, although I do have to say that it took me many tries before I liked it. Once I did start to like it though, it quickly became a favorite of mine. Not all Indian food is vegan or vegetarian although a lot is vegetarian. Many Indian restaurants in the US have meat as well. Chicken, lamb, and even goat are common on the menu. 

Gossie, if I wanted to punch KE then I would have to get down on my knees. Shoot now I really am going to the woodshed


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## GotGarlic (Apr 6, 2008)

AMSeccia said:


> Intriguing ... I have not tried Indian food, and it sounds rather complicated.  I have a business acquaintance who had me convinced that it was mostly vegan!  Obviously, we are a bit behind the times here in WI!



It's not complicated - just different  To me, it's similar to eating Middle Eastern food, where you tear off a piece of pita bread and load it up with whatever is being served.

And some Indian food is vegetarian, but not vegan. Yogurt and yogurt-based sauces like raita are common.

This site has some good recipes, to give you an idea of what the food is like: Hooked: On Heat.


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## DrThunder88 (Apr 7, 2008)

Definitely try Indian food if you get a chance!  There was an Indian place near campus that offered half-price food after 11PM.  I'd never tried it before, but my roommate convinced me to go (partially because I was interested in trying it, but mostly because I'm cheap and stay up late!)  I believe his parents brought their family to the US just after he was born, and every so often they'd bring him some homemade food that he'd share!

My other roommate that year had family in the area that owned an Italian bakery.  They'd occasionally bring around some biscotti for him.  That was a good year!


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## AMSeccia (Apr 7, 2008)

I don't know where you went to school, but I'd say you struck GOLD.


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## radhuni (Apr 12, 2008)

> Here is what I mean. There are always at least three chutneys to choose from. Today they had a tomato chutney, mint chutney, and coconut chutney. I love the tomato and always get some, but I am not sure what I am supposed to do with it. What I have been doing is ripping off a piece of naan and dipping it in. I also dip my dosa in the chutney sometimes. Is this the right thing to do or an I making a mistake?





> My other question has to do with all the dishes that are in a sauce with a very thin constancy. Often times there will be 5 or 6 things on the buffet like this. There may be Lamb Rogan Josh, Chicken Tika Masala, some sort of Dal dish that is very thin and maybe a few others. Are these all supposed to go over rice? That is what I have been doing, but that seems like so much rice.



You should take only one spoonful rice with one item.

Actually there is no rule or table manners for Indian food. You can do whatever you feel like. The rules also vary from region to region in India.
There is a general rule how you can serially take those 





> dishes that are in a sauce with a very thin constancy.


 and that is as follows:
1.dal with vajy
2.sabji or torkari
3.fish in thick mustard sauce
4.fish with thin gravy
5.Prawn (if any)
6.chicken dish
7.mutton dish
8.chutney & papad
9.dahi
10.sweets
11.paan (beatle leaf with beatle nuts)


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