Top Dishes to Try If You Are New to Indian Food
Indian cuisine mirrors the tapestry of flavours, aromas, and textures that give one unique culinary experiences, leaving one in delight. If you are new to the Indian food scene, then choosing where to start would pretty be overwhelming. However, we’re here to help you out!
Whether you stumbled upon an Indian Restaurant on your family escapade or just wanted to try something new, there’s an Indian dish to suit your tastes. So, without further ado, here are 9 of the top Indian dishes in Canada any person trying out the rich world of Indian gastronomy needs to try:
Best Indian Dishes to Try
1. Butter Chicken
Butter Chicken is one of the most popular Indian foods globally. The creamy, mildly spiced curry consists of marinated chicken mixed with spices and yogurt, then roasted in a tandoor, which is an ancient clay oven, before simmering it in a tomato-based sauce enriched with quite a generous amount of butter and cream. Hence, this should be good for a first try at Indian food for beginners, since it's mild in flavour and rich, smooth by texture.
2. Samosas
Samosas are one of the Indian snacks—loved by one and all worldwide. In simple terms, samosas are deep-fried pastries filled with spiced potato and peas stuffing. It has a crunch on the outside and gives way to savoury aromas upon biting inside, just the right appetizer or street food. This is served with mint chutney or tamarind sauce for an added tang with the savoury filling.
3. Palak Paneer
This is essentially a delight of soft, white paneer cheese swimming in creamy spinach sauce. It's not just flavorful but also nutrient-dense. Very mildly spiced but flavorful, this dish tends to give most people confidence to jump right into the spicier side of Indian cuisine. Have it with naan or rice for a full meal.
4. Biryani
Basically, biryani is a fragrant rice dish that is cooked with aromatic spices, saffron, and meat in the form of chicken, mutton, or fish, or vegetables. Variations of this dish, which differ across regions in India, have one common factor: the layers of rice and meat or vegetables that are cooked right. The result is a dish that is at once filling and flavorful, hence a must-try for anyone new to Indian food.
5. Chicken Tandoori
Tandoori chicken, which is marinated in yogurt with spices and broiled over very high heat in a tandoor oven, is exceptionally well-equipped in the overall gamut of Indian cuisine and just right for people new to Indian cuisine. This gives it the characteristic smoked flavour and red colour. The result is tender and juicy chicken that brims with flavours. It gets served with accompaniments such as naan bread, fresh salad, or mint chutney.
6. Chana Masala
Essentially, this is a thick and full-bodied chickpea curry that happens to be one of the staples of North Indian cuisine. The chickpeas cook are cooked in a rich tomato-based sauce with several spices for a dish that oozes with warmth and comfort. Chana Masala is served steaming hot with deep-fried bread, namely bhature, or naan or rice. Done right, this vegetarian meal will be filling but full of protein; hence it will be very nutritious.
7. Rogan Josh
Exceedingly legendary curry, Rogan Josh, belongs to the land of Kashmir and is usually cooked with lamb. This stew requires a decent quantity of meat and marinating it slowly in curd-based sauce with spices such as cardamom cinnamon, cloves, and fennel. Slow cooking does the tantamount of tendering the meat and infusing the spicy aroma in it. This curry is slightly spicy, and would complement equally well with naan or basmati rice.
8. Paneer Tikka
Paneer Tikka is one of the most sought-after veggie starters in Indian restaurants of Whitby. In simple terms, it is an Indian-styled cottage cheese: cubes marinated in yogurt and mixed with spices—grilled or baked to slight char. The ultimate result will be smoky, spicy, and tangy—the essence of a first-rate appetizing dish presented with mint chutney.
9. Gulab Jamun
No Indian meal ends without dessert, and Gulab Jamun makes for a perfect closure to your gastronomic journey. Deep-fried milk-solid dough balls, soaked in a sweet and fragrant syrup flavoured with cardamom and rose water, melt into softness in the mouth. The nice contrasting food counterbalances the spicy and savoury profile of Indian foods.
Conclusion
From mild and creamy to bold and spicy, there is a definite variety of dishes within Indian cuisine to satisfy the taste buds of all Canadians. The dishes mentioned above are those which would suit a good start to the people un-introduced to Indian food.
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