Indian cuisine is unusual and delicious, but sometimes it can be repulsive with its exoticism, but if you delve into its essence, then strange dishes will turn out to be so tasty that you won’t want to leave. For most tourists, Indian cuisine is a real gastronomic shock. And surprises even the most sophisticated gourmets. If you want to try national dishes, then you should not do it in Russian restaurants. It is best to come to India and taste real Indian delicacies, as they say, on the spot.
Once in India, there will be two shocks. First, visual. When a huge mountain of dishes is brought in a restaurant, it becomes completely incomprehensible how one can eat so much fragrant food alone. I ordered quite a bit, but they brought a portion that several people could handle.
The second shock is taste. I doubt that any tourist has ever tasted such an abundance of spicy. Trying the next dish, one gets the feeling that at least a kilogram of pepper was added there. No wonder, because almost all items use coriander, curry, paprika, black and red pepper and many other aromatic herbs and seasonings.
Once in this amazing country, you need to immediately decide on the cuisine: either you get used to the national one, or you are content with European restaurants. If your trip is limited to visiting a few major attractions in big cities, then you should not switch to Indian cuisine.
You can try several dishes, but without fanaticism. And in such cities, for example, Varanasi, many restaurants of European cuisine are open for tourists, so no one will be left hungry. But, if the plans are for a long journey, which is completely different from the standard routes, then you will have to get used to Indian food. It is unlikely that European cuisine will be served in small villages or dense forests.
Decided to try? The next step is to choose the right place. There are many restaurants on every street, in every nook and cranny. If you want to try real national cuisine, then go further. We saw a creepy-looking eatery, feel free to go inside. In these establishments, except for the owner, no one ever works. Each employee is engaged in anything other than their direct duties. It is almost impossible to see tourists here, but only here you will be tasty and cheaply fed.
Arriving at the eatery in the morning, you will be offered samosa. This dish is very similar to samosa, but instead of meat, they put potatoes with cabbage and onions inside. Pour the dish with sweet and sour sauce, similar to plum, really. For baking, try pure. They are crispy dough balls that resemble donuts.
They are eaten with honey or sweet an char. Tourists are advised to choose honey, as an char is a kind of pineapple jam, sweet and salty at the same time and with the addition of hot spices. An interesting combination, but very unusual for the Russian body. You can also try pakora – this is the usual fried dough with eggs and onions. Even in the morning they can offer rice with pea sauce, which is very spicy.
If none of this appealed to you, then you can try the South Indian dish – dose. This is a fried lentil flatbread rolled up into an envelope. The filling is potatoes with onions and tomatoes. Dose is served with spicy coconut sauce. Portions of any of the dishes described above will cost from 3 to 5 rupees.
an comes lunch. This is an ideal time for vegetarians, because you can try the most important Indian dish – thali. Men use it to become stronger, and women – fat and very beautiful. No matter where you dine, you are unlikely to try similar variations of this dish in one restaurant or café. Everyone cooks according to their own special recipe.
And thither most important ingredients are rice, dal and ked, and then everything depends on the chef’s imagination. Tail is served on a special large tray. Depending on the region, it is placed in different proportions. In the south of India, the portions are huge, and the farther north, the smaller they become. Sabri is stewed vegetables with fruits and spices. Food combinations are sometimes shocking.
It is unlikely that you ate cucumbers stewed with bananas and peppers. Also, the local population loves the combination of cabbage with coconut, potatoes and papaya, stewed with beets. A strange combination, but if the culture and traditions of the country are interesting, then why not try it. It happens that Indian chefs prepare more familiar combinations, but this is rare.
Tail and Sabri are eaten in combination with boiled rice. First, you thoroughly mix all the ingredients, and then use the finished dish with your hands. Don’t worry, they’ll give you a spoon and a fork. Indians will not worry too much if you break traditions, they are generally very tolerant of tourists and their habits. But as practice has shown, eating this dish with your hands is much tastier. You can eat it with your fingers, as if scooping it up, or there is an option to take a piece of cake and eat it like a spoon.
