What Makes for Good Indian Food!?
April 04, 2015
Indian food can be seen as exotic and mysterious, leading many people to be overwhelmed by it's complexity, so much so that they never even try it. Worse yet, many try it once from only one place and figure 'oh well I've had butter chicken here, I've had them all'. Those poor souls! We're creating this blog post today to give you a very quick tutorial to what makes for great Indian food, and how best to approach each meal.
First and foremost, the smell. It needs to smell fresh. No, not spicy. No, not so strong that you need to open windows just to breath again. We mean when you close your eyes and take it all in, you should picture a garden in India with the freshest ingredients, made under the sun in it's purest way. The spices, when mixed together appropriate, will give you that feeling of something truly organic. So breath it in! Be excited by it!
Second, that first bite. Now, to some, Indian food needs to be spicy, otherwise it simply isn't Indian food. Well friends, we're here to say it's not. While spice does play a big role in India, it doesn't mean that every meal there is spicy. A good amount of spice should be one that never overpowers the taste, but enhanced the flavor. the first bite should be full of texture, a complex flavor you can't simply identify to one or two ingredients but to the meal as a whole. If you're taking a bite of butter chicken and all you taste is sweetness with some red chili powder, that isn't the dish you wanted. What you wanted was something that has you wondering what's going on but in a subtle way. Each bite helping you learn more and more about how the dish was made, each bite complimenting the last and each bite teaching you how to expand and grow you pallet.
Lastly, and maybe the most important, Indian food needs to taste like a journey. This is a mixture that has been honed for hundreds, even thousands of years. This is a blend that has been enjoyed around the world, from the little villages that to this day don't have electricity to the court of the ancient kings. When you chose to make Indian food, you've chosen a path well tread, and that should be evident to you.
We hope you've enjoyed reading this! It's important to always try new things, but sometimes a little guidance never hurts. Next time you have Indian food, ask yourself if the smell captured you? Did the first bite have that perfect blend you've been dying for? Did you feel like you've taken a journey? Cooking and eating should be viewed as ways to learn more about the world and yourself... we're just trying to help.
If you have any feedback or questions, feel free to contact us!
Happy eating!
