food questions

kivrin

I am going with a Fulbright group, so I am not sure how much "freedom" I am going to have in where to eat. But .. I am wondering about a few things.

How common is saag (spinach)? I absolutely hate cooked spinach, actually makes me gag/vomit.

Are there things on "most" menus that are not so spicy? I do love curry, and actually adore Indian food, but I know that I can't handle spicy curry every meal every day.

Also, I hear these great things about all the Indian sweets. The issue with the spinach is the mushy texture, which is why I also can't handle "smooshy" food -- anything with the texture of moist/wet bread. The sweets I usually find at Indian restaurants here is either kheer or balls soaked in sugar syrup. I hear that kheer is more of a homemade thing (bummer!), but what else is there? What should I look for? avoid?

rajered

If you are ordering for spicy curry food you can tell them to make it less spicier. You could also ask the waiter which dishes would be spicy. Spinach (Paalak) dishes are common in India but there would at least 5 - 8 dishes in every restaurant. In sweets you can try Firni, Jalebi etc.,

ragz

the answer to your queries depends upon which part of india you are visiting, since each area has its own set of popular dishes and different recipes for making the same thing.
It would also depend upon where you would have your food, a students hostel, special catering, etc.

Spinach is called palak in india, a popular dish is palak paneer (cooked spinach paste with cubes of cottage cheese). Though its a popular dish, its not something that would be served everyday, typically once to twice a week.

kivrin

Interesting! Saag is the word the Indian restaurants use around here .. now I know to look for Palak!

I am visting Northern India: specifically Delhi, Agri, Rajasthan (area, not city) , Varansi, Armitrsar and a couple more I can't think of at the moment.

I don't really know how/where we are getting our food. Since I have no control over our itinerary, no ideas! But thank you for reassuring me that every meal won't be spicy or spinach!

ragz

food in north india would typically not be as spicy as it can get in south india. Curd (yogurt) should be available every meal, that can help you tone down the spices if it get unbearable.
You should get rice each meal and chapati.
the desert would often include some flavor of ice-cream.
These is a typical menu, rest will depend upon whether its private catering or some standard cafeteria menu. I am sure u can guess the difference

Haylo

The food in North India is far far less spicy than in the South; in all my trips up there I've only once or twice been served food that was too hot for me.

In fact, be aware that restaurants which cater primarily for tourists are very aware of many foreigners' distrust of spicy food. We made the mistake of stopping at such a place in Rajasthan asking for "not very spicy" food, and ended up with something so bland it was virtually inedible!

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namaste_cat

palerider

Aloo is potato, and Methi is Fenugreek leaves.
Very good for you. i grow and eat them a lot.

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kivrin

Usually its the heat. I cannot handle what locally we have as vindaloo curry, it just burns the mouth, tongue, lips, all the way down. I like spice, but not the extreme heat.

Aishah

It's mainly the red chilli powder that is burning, kivrin. I developed an allergy to it about two years back - now I ask for dishes without it. The small pieces of green chilli without the seeds don't seem to bring on that extreme burning sensation with me. You will be able to find plenty of things without red chilli powder, or red chilli pieces, if you ask.

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dexteronweb

you would find all indian food spicy as i being an indian found american food really bland. after 10 days or so, i felt like everything tastes the same!

but you can try lots of dishes which are not spicy like
sada dosa
idli
chapati / roti / plain rice

besides once you reach here, you can find out for yourself; your threshold of spice!

kivrin

funny video! Thank you for the link.

Spice is a funny thing. Living in Colorado, I eat a lot of Mexican food .. some of it can be quite spicy. But I agree with the allergen idea. It may very well be an allergen, since I adore Habanero jelly but have problems with certain curries.

Thank you for all your ideas and help! I don't feel completely lost thinking I'm going to be left with only hot hot stuff or plain old white rice.

wonderwomanusa

It's funny: I can eat hot Chinese food and Mexican dishes, but can't take really spicey Indian food.

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dexteronweb

i have had mexican food at my office canteen alot of times. i dont know if it was genuine mexican or not, but it was too bland for indian taste. so you can say indian food is more hot than mexican!