Indian Food 101: Your Complete Guide to Indian Menus 2

In the second part of our Indian food guide, we will talk about Indian famous meals and drinks.

INDIAN MEALS

Tikka Masala:

Tikka is the Hindi term for “small chunks,” and masala means a spice blend. So when small chunks of anything, like chicken, are cooked in a sauce with a particular spice blend, it is called Chicken Tikka Masala. The same way when paneer comes to the play, it is called Paneer Tikka Masala. The world-famous sauce used in tikka masala is mainly tomato-based, with some richness added by cream or thick yogurt.

Chana (Chole) Masala:

Chana or Chole is the Hindi name for chickpeas. Chana masala is simply chickpeas cooked in an onion, ginger, and garlic-based sauce with garam masala added to it. This is a popular North Indian curry; it’s spicy and packs a punch. It’s typically served with soft and flaky bread called Bhature, or with a baked, pillowy bread called Kulcha.

Saag Paneer:

Saag is simply the Hindi name for leafy green vegetables. But this particular dish refers to a delicious curry where spinach is cooked with spices and then paneer is added to the dish. At some Indian restaurants, you can also find this dish under the name of Palak Paneer, where palak is a Hindi name for spinach.

Korma:

Korma is a preparation where protein is cooked with a yogurt-based sauce flavoured with ginger and garlic. Fried onion is added to thicken the sauce and that is what also gives it a hint of sweetness. • Navratan Korma (made with an array of vegetables and paneer) • Chicken Korma • Vegetable Korma (vegetarian)

Rogan josh:

This dish hails from the beautiful northern state of India, Kashmir. With its roots in Persian cuisine, this dish is traditionally cooked with lamb or goat. Rogan josh consists of pieces of lamb or mutton braised with a gravy flavoured with garlic, ginger and aromatic spices (cloves, bay leaves, cardamom, and cinnamon), and some versions incorporate onions or yogurt. • Chicken Roganjosh • Mutton Roganjosh or Goat Roganjosh

Vindaloo:

When the Portuguese came to India and established their colony in Goa, they also brought with them their cuisine. And when that Portuguese food married with Indian flavours, several good things happened. Vindaloo is one of the products of that. Fiery and flavorful, Vindaloo is traditionally made with pork, marinated in wine vinegar and garlic. • Pork Vindaloo • Chicken Vindaloo • Lamb Vindaloo

Dal:

Dal is the Hindi name for lentils, and it broadly refers to all lentil soups in Indian cuisine. Typically, the lentils are mixed with water, turmeric, and salt, then cooked to perfection. • Dal Makhni: 2-3 varieties of lentils/beans cooked with spices and cream or butter added for richness. Makhni refers to the use of Makhan, or cream. • Tadka: Dal with a mild tempering of whole spices like cumin seeds, mustard seeds etc. • Chana Dal: Split Bengal lentil soup • Dhaba Style Dal: Dhaba are roadside food joints by the freeways in India. The food served there is pretty popular and the dal served in those dhabas somehow made their way into the Indian restaurants.

Biryani:

A very popular Indian rice dish with its roots in the Mughal empire in India, Biryani is a rice dish prepared by several layers of rice, some kind of spiced meat or protein and some added richness added by ghee or yogurt and then slow-cooked to perfection. This is one of the dishes: • Chicken Biryani • Hyderabadi Dum Biryani (this tends to be one of the spicy varieties and usually uses chicken) • Goat Biryani • Biryani

INDIAN DRINKS

Chai/Tea:

The Indian name for tea is Chai. You make chai by cooking a certain ration of water to milk, then add sugar as a sweetener and black tea together. And yes, when your order a “Chai Tea Latte” at Starbucks you’re ordering a “Tea Tea Latte.”

Masala Chai:

This is when you add some kind of spice (masala) to the concoction above, and that makes it Masala Chai. Typical masala chai has a blend of cardamom, cinnamon, pepper and ginger cooked in chai.

Lassi:

A sweet yogurt drink traditionally made by thinning out yogurt with milk or water and then sweetening it for more flavour. The cream is added to the drink too to make it richer. Lassi can be made into different flavours simply by adding various fruits, additional flavourings, etc. For example, mango lassi is made by mixing mango and yogurt, whereas strawberry lassi contains fresh strawberries, etc.

Chas:

A savoury buttermilk drink that has just a kick to it (because most Indian dishes have a kick to it!). This drink is usually enjoyed after a meal, as the use of cumin, mint and rock salt aids for good digestion.
Yarra Indian Kitchen– an authentic Indian restaurant in South Yarra – serves one of the best rogan josh dishes and is definitely worth a visit. If you are craving authentic Indian food in South Yarra after reading this article, call us now!

source: losaltosonline