Indian Restaurant: Typical Dishes

In recent years, exotic cuisines are all the rage. Partly out of curiosity, partly to try something different in company. Indian cuisine, in particular, is famous for the use of spices. If you have never been to an Indian restaurant, here you will have a small guide of dishes to try!

First, Indian cuisine is full of rice, spices, condiments.

The Starters

On the menu of an Indian restaurant you can find various appetizers.

• Le Aloo Bonda

They are prepared by deep-frying the potatoes after having floured them with chickpea flour.
There are sweet and savory variations. In the areas of Kerala the sweet version is in fact preferred. In the Indian state of Maharashtra, however, the bonda takes on a different flattened appearance, and is called Batata passate.

• We also find Paneer Pakora, which is a fried cheese cooked with a batter made with chickpea flour.

The “Pakora” are these fried foods with chickpea flour batter. Among the starters you can have onion pakora, aubergine pakora, potato pakora and much more.

• Let's not forget the famous and best known "Samosas"

Pasta parcels filled with vegetables and spices, or always spiced meat.

The samosa is a popular Indian appetizer and snack spread throughout central and southern Asia and from there it spread all around the Indian Ocean.

Vegetarian dishes

In a typical Indian restaurant you will find many vegetarian dishes. In fact, for religious reasons (Muslims do not eat pork, while Hindus and Buddhists abolish beef), a vegetarian diet is often chosen.

• Malai Kofta

A dish made with cheese and potato balls. Indian cuisine meatballs are made with chopped vegetables. There are also legumes cooked in spicy sauce such as Chana Masala. Finally we find Dal Makhani or Indian lentils and spiced red beans.

The bread at the Indian restaurant

There are really different variations and it resembles a Romagna piadina. It is used as a real dish, in the sense that the dish is served inside the bread itself.

The bread can be unleavened and fried, leavened and baked (cooked in the tandoor, a typical clay oven).

You can find:

• Roti: is prepared with wholemeal flour and water, is unleavened and baked.

• Chapati: An unleavened bread made with wheat flour and water. It looks puffy due to cooking.

• Puri: Fried bread in the form of discs of wholemeal flour cooked in boiling oil, swelling and becoming very crunchy.

Rice

Among the first courses, rice reigns supreme. The favorite varieties are Basmati rice and Pilaf rice. We find it cooked with spices or with meat and vegetables.

• Lemon rice

You will find it in any Indian restaurant. Maybe even try rice with yogurt.

• Mint rice

• Tamarind rice

The so-called "Indian date", is a white rice seasoned with chili peppers, ginger, tamarind pulp, turmeric, sesame seeds and spices.

• Jeera Rice

White rice seasoned with finely chopped onion, cumin seeds, cumin powder, ghee, salt and pepper.

Second courses at Indian restaurant

Chicken is one of the favorite dishes of this cuisine.

• The famous chicken curry.

The original dish includes pieces of chicken with curry, cumin, cardamom, chili powder and a little cream. Most meat dishes are cooked in spicy sauces or vegetable soups. Then drown in tasty sauces.

• The swordfish

One of the few fish dishes in Indian cuisine marinated or cooked directly with spices.

Desserts at Indian restaurant

One of the main ingredients is milk with which various desserts are prepared.

• Kheer

Dessert made with rice, milk and pistachio.

• Suji Halwa

A coconut-based dessert, made with semolina flour and coconut milk.

• Kulfi Track

A pistachio flavored ice cream. You may also find the mango variant: Mango Kulfi.

As with all oriental cuisines, it is good to know that you will hardly be able to taste real Indian cuisine. This is because certain spices are excluded from our market. Many restaurants therefore westernize the recipes.

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