International restaurant menus can be intimidating. We get it. There are a lot of unfamiliar words, ingredients and there’s a lot of pressure to order something that you’ll actually eat. Here’s your guide to some great dishes at any Indian restaurant, even for the pickiest of eaters.
Samosas
Start with samosas. They are either fried or baked and look like little triangle dumplings. They’re commonly served as an appetizer. Samosas can have a variety of fillings some of the most common are spiced potatoes, onions, peas, lentils, minced meat (lamb, beef or chicken). The dipping sauces that accompany the dish on the side are usually a mint sauce or a chutney.
Chicken Tikka Masala
This dish is served with plenty of sauce (as many Indian dishes are). The orange sauce is a creamy tomato- and coriander-based recipe with roasted bite-sized pieces of chicken.
Naan
I don’t know anyone that doesn’t like naan. Delicious by itself and great to mop up the plentiful amounts of sauce that most Indian dishes include. Order garlic naan for an Indian version of garlic bread.
Butter chicken
Sometimes seen on menus as chicken makhani or murgh makhani, butter chicken is also a good alternative to chicken tikka masala. The dish is roasted chicken in a mildly spiced curry sauce.
Biryani
For a rice dish, order biryani. This is usually served as a vegetarian dish at Indian restaurants and is a combination of rice, spices and lentils.
Mango Lassi
When it comes to dessert, to be honest, most Indian desserts are pretty hit or miss and almost always overly sweet. My advice is that if you’ve been enjoying your little gastronomic adventure, ask your waiter for help with dessert or try lassi, a yogurt-based drink. My suggestion is mango lassi, which is made of yogurt, water and mango pulp and usually additional sugar.