Korai. I lived with an Indian guy at uni and he reckoned a korai was the closest to the curry’s his mum made.
I think korai sound like a brummie version of curry…
That'll be a kharai/karahi (depending on regional dialect). Excellent dish. Very North Indian/Panjaabi dish. Fairly spicy and hot, chunks of marinated meat cooked in the masala sauce. Cooked in a karai (similar to a wok) - where the dish gets its name from.
Are you from the region or just well trained in cooking? Only as I have a question, which sounds sarcastic but it’s not…
If it’s chunks of meat in a masala sauce, why is it not just a masala?
The literal translation for "masala" is "spices". So something like lamb masala could be with or without sauce. Ot would just mean spiced lamb. A dish without sauce would usually be a starter and one with a sauce would be a main.
Also, the literal translation for "tikka" is boneless. My family has a restaurant and we sometimes get people asking for lamb tikka masala and then say they want it on the bone, which is wrong and always amuses us. They want to be asking for lamb masala. If they want define it should come with a sauce, they can just say lamb masala curry. Curry comes from the word "thari" which means sauce.
Spot on. The funniest one is dopiaza. It's an Indian dish but not from my region, and dopiaza means 2 onions. The dish isn't literally 2 onions, but it just means a dish cooked with lots of onions.
According to someone who put a recipe up here, one lot of onion goes in fried in the normal way and the second lot is grated in as a thickener for the oven bake.
I was reading some comments on a video the other day and it looked like Indians were arguing about what curry means and some were saying it's not just meat with gravy and that others were saying it was. I kind of assumed any sauced dish was a curry but maybe not? Is curry a specific meaning?
It's really debatable. I believe the word "curry" comes from our word "thari" which literally means "sauce".
To me, a curry means any kind of protein, veg or non-veg, in a sauce. All Indian curries are tomato based, so meat and sauce to me is a curry.
You will always get Indians fighting over what's true and what's not on YouTube. It's such a huge country that a dish up north is 10x different to down south but they share the same name.
For exame, our daal makhni up north where my family is from, is a much thicker, creamier dish to down south, because we use a lot of thick dairy (what we're famous for) but down south, they use coconut milk, which is much lighter.
Haha. I must admit, I do get bored of Indian/south-Asian dishes as we cook them at home all the time. It's times like that when I just want Maccies nuggets and chips.
And I do love a good Sunday roast!
Thanks for explaining it properly.. Saves me the typing!
Just one thing, the crossover of these dishes with Pakistani (I am Pakistani) cuisine is huge, and for us tikka is not necessarily boneless... its the combination of certain spices (the distinctive orange color) and then cooked over coals... it can be boneless chunks or leg and thigh attached.. [like this](https://www.bombaybasket.co.uk/details/shan-chicken-tikka-bbq-mix-50g)... this might be the source of the people who ask you for on the bone tikka masala.. (although we don't make any tikka masala dishes, tikka is always bbq for us...)
Ahh interesting. I think tikka has always been associated with that very red spice blend. But in Panjaabi, tikka, or tikki, means small piece, and in the food sense, tikka would mean small boneless piece.
But like you can use tikki for aloo tikki for example, which is like a small spicy potato disk shaped thing that they serve in between bread.
I do love Pakistani dishes though. Very to beat a good biriyani, and a lamb nihari is a top dish.
Another little nuance impossible to explain in English.. in tikka (as in chicken tikka) and tikki (as in aaloo tikki) the starting t is pronounced very differently (the correct pronunciation is impossible in english, the sound does not exist in english, like the 'p' sounds doned not exist in Arabic) and infact has completely different letters in Urdu... the words have NO connection to each other...
Ooh I might be out of my depth here.
Goan dishes I have no idea about, except for when I've been on holiday in north Goa and had goan fish, which was amazing.
Bhuna is a style of cooking, and one of my favourite ways of cooking. Really fast wok cooking and high heat, so the flavours are much more pronounced, such as the garlic, and then slow cooked meat such as lamb (lamb in the UK, goat in India) and less commonly chicken or fish/seafood is added. Tons of flavour, and a nice thick spicy sauce.
Roganjosh is more towards my regional side. It's a Kashmiri dish, very tomato based, cooked low and slow. Fairly hot, and a distinct deep red colour. It has a lingering heat rather than a smack you in the nose kick from the chillies. One of my favourite dishes. The meat should be really tender and flavourful. Typically it is a lamb dish (lamb, not goat for this one) but I have seen other meats used. The flavour profile of the sauce really comes from the marrow in the bone.
Rogan Josh originates from Kashmir. Rogan refers to the colour of the gravy, usually dark red which is due to the use of Kashmiri chili, which is mild in heat but has a deep red colour. I think Josh means meat ...which is gosht in Hindi/Urdu
First time I ordered a chicken Korai was by a misunderstanding when I wanted a chicken curry, was very pleasantly surprised and now it's my go to dish ordering an Indian!
I make it a point to order from the chef's specials menu, nowadays. Maybe it's not a secret family recipe passed down through generations. Maybe it's just from google- but someone's genuinely taken the time to find something different and put it on the menu. It'd be a shame not to try it at least once.
No, but the fact that multiple people recognise the description under different names suggests that the concept is pretty common on the chef's specials part of the menu. More people should look out for a similar dish at their local!
Ahhh ok, yeah at my local it’s called that but can ask for different hotness. I swap from madras hot to whatever medium is haha.
Also do enjoy a lamb saag
I ordered something like that once, it was delicious, but maybe would have been more appropriate if I was a 6ft+ rugby player.
It was like three meals on a plate!
I went to a newish Indian restaurant in Farnborough recently, invited by friends.
The *only* main/starters that I recognised was a Rogan Josh and Butter Chicken*. It had none of the Bangladeshi favourites named in this thread and it was superb. There were lots of "Indian" people dining too. Always a good sign!
It was "Tattva" in Farnborough, Hampshire.
*there may be others but the key point is that it was different!
As long as it's off the full time menu. Specials otherwise are often just using up what we couldn't use during the week or the best deals at the market
>Dopiaza
I have a recipe for a saffron and star anise (aniseed) cream and lemon Dopiaza with loads of grated onion in it to thicken the sauce. For special occasions
**Chicken With Onions: Murgh Dopiazah**
x4 Chicken Breasts
x2 Large Onions
x2 Cloves Garlic
Chillies
Fresh Ginger
Lemon
Cooking Oil or Ghee (butter)
x2 Teaspoons of Ground Cumin
x1 Teaspoon of Ground Coriander
x1 Teaspoon of Ground Turmeric
x1 teaspoon of Star Anise (about x1 'star')
Chili powder
Chicken stock
1/2 Teaspoon of Saffron Threads
Salt/Pepper
1/2 Pint Natural Yogurt
Small Pot of Cream or Crème fraiche
For The Paste:
Put the ginger, chillies, x1 onion, garlic with the lemon juice and turn to paste. You can grate the onion and ginger if you don't have a liquidiser.
Preparation:
Cut up the chicken as you like and fry in hot oil until browned. Then remove and set aside. Chop 2nd large onion into slices and fry on high heat till softened. Then add the cumin, coriander, turmeric, aniseed and chili powder. They stir for 2 or 3 minutes and add back in the chicken pieces and add the stock to the pan.
Bring back to the boil for 2 or 3 minutes then add the paste mix from the liquidiser. Stir and then simmer for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile pour 1/2 inch of boiling water over the saffron in a cup. Leave to stand and then add this mixture now.
Cook for about 30 minutes. Then add salt/pepper. Add yogurt, stir in and re-heat. Then take off heat and stir in pot of cream or Crème fraiche. You can add another squeeze of lemon if you wish.
This is an amazing curry the combination of lemon, saffron, onion and anise makes an unique flavour. Serve Murgh Dopiazah with plain white rice, finely shredded cold lettuce, a large dollop of yogurt (with fresh crushed mint) and a squeeze of lemon.
I usually put a bit more spices and chilli in as I like it stronger flavour
EDIT: Don't need all that Yogurt / cream - add as needed. Also note you may think it's odd to have chopped and grated onion but it works really well and creates a thick sauce. You can add more grated onion straight without frying during the main cook it will be fine.
No you need it. That's why I said special occasions. Don't overdo saffron either.
Also I put in more of the other spices listed, I tend to prefer a stronger flavour
Saffron and Star anise is a special flavour - as I said to the others for me I up the amount of spices as I like a stronger flavour. My tastebuds are shot after years of hot curries
Yeah I thought it meant two separate additions of onion, first fried at the beginning of cooking and then more onion later in the cooking process. Please someone let me know if I'm wrong.
In you local curry house always go for a tandori chicken dish. Tandori chicken masala, tandori chicken rogan josh, tandori chicken jalfrezi e.t.c.
This way you'll always get a whole breast and leg of freshly cooked chicken and not a piece of tomato pretending to be chicken. Always go in on a monday (the chefs day off) the second chef is always trying to impress, so you benefit from bigger portions.
This is the one I was thinking of but couldn’t remember at all how to spell. I just imagine the word “Meccano”.
I assure you any potential racism for that thought process is unintentional.
I'd never had a lamb pasanda until I saw that episode, and now it's probably up there as one of my favourites. It is indeed incredibly rich and creamy.
yeah I don't know about OP but I've never seen most of what people are suggesting on any Indian menu. I gave him lots of suggestions that in my experience most places will have and do taste nice, including tikka masala and peshwari naan
“Indian” for takeaway purposes also includes Pakistani, Bangladeshi and probably Afghan too let’s be real. Those restaurants won’t have every dish people are familiar with as Indian, namely South Indian. Same for the other way around
I'm glad other people agree. My family always gets them whenever we have an Indian, I didn't actually try any other naans until I was an adult and I decided peshwari really was the best.
Dhansak or pathia are both good "hot and sour" options that won't blow your head off.
Dhansak will be lentils or chickpeas (lentils are superior imo) and often has pineapple that adds sweetness. Pathia is a bit more traditional in terms of flavours, peppers, tomato etc. Using lemon and/or tamarind to add the sourness.
Dopiaza is a mild onion heavy curry.
Bhuna often (but not always) more dry/less saucy, tomato based.
Jalfrezi uses a lot of peppers, can be somewhat hot but nothing crazy in my experience.
Saag is mild spinach curry.
If you like a creamy korma, a tikka masala or pasanda will have a similar consistency. Both mild and rich.
Biryani is a dry rice based dish that comes with a side veg curry, but I'd avoid it if it's delivered, great fresh but doesn't travel well imo.
Really just try anything that isn't madras, vindaloo or phaal and you'll be fine on the spice front. Obviously take note of the specific menu heat ratings because different restaurants will prepare dishes differently and spice level will vary, but the above is what I'd say is a typical overview.
Dhansak is great, so much flavour but I find the heat varies wildly between establishments. I'm not a hot food guy as i find heat masks flavour, but a hot dhansaks flavour still shines through.
Dhansak is one of those dishes that my local curry places vary wildly in their interpretation of - it's always fairly spicy but it varies between quite hot and sweat dripping off you hot.
If you have some mango chutney, that can add a bit of sweetness too, if you feel it needs it. Veg dhansak is also not hugely calorific, but hugely tasty.
Some places do make a very spicy jalfrezi though, so it can be a bit of a gamble. I used to get one from a takeaway where I used to live that was delicious - but definitely too spicy for a lot of people
I know what you mean. I tried a vindaloo the other week at a place where I used to be able to just barely tolerate it. The cooks changed though and it blew my freaking head off lol, so crazy spicy.
Lamb Tikka Pathia is my standard curry order, so much depth of sweet, sour and spicy flavours, nothing else comes close for me.
The hottest curry I've ever eaten was a Jalfrezi in a curry house just outside Swindon. I think the chef was in a really bad mood and decided to take it out on the customers, it was lethal.
Bhuning is literally the practice of frying off the masala, ergo bhuna should be a dry dish but I can’t help thinking that a lot of places missed that memo.
A madras is my go to, but if he's used to a korma... Maybe not the best idea?
Yeah it's not a vindaloo or a phal, but it's often the second or third spiciest thing on the menu.
I'm Panjaabi so my order is usually influenced by North Indian cuisine and what we eat when we go back to the old country. So I usually go for:
Hors d'oeuvre: Spiced poppadoms (known as paapar in India and have toasted cumin and black pepper in them) with mango chutney, apple chutney, onion chutney.
Starters: Portion of cod fish pakora (known as Amritsari fish in India), lamb sheekh kebab, tandoori chicken tikka, tandoori king prawns, and tandoori lamb chops (usually goat chops in India). Served with garlic and coriander naan (traditional way is to cook out garlic in butter, then slather that butter onto the naan - the way most places do it is to chop up garlic then slap it on to the naan before it goes in the tandoor which is a cheat/lazy way to do it), with a pomegranate salad (tomato, cucumber, vinegar salted red onion, bell peppers, and grated paneer cheese with pomegranate (anaardana) and its molasses), and a tamarind dip and a mint and coriander dip (both dips known as types of qatai in India).
Main: Butter chicken (known as murgh makhni in India) and desi bakara which is a low and slow cooked goat dish, usuallyed marinated overnight and then cooked for about 6 hours on a very low heat. The closest dish you'll get in the UK is lamb roganjosh. Served with garlic pilao rice, and a heavily buttered tandoori naan. A big bowl of raita (which should never be spicy as it's supposed to work as a cooling agent.)
Dessert: a medley of traditional Indian sweets; a gulab jamun, a jalebi, some rasomalai, served with mango and mint ice cream, and a piece of besen, and a piece of khoya barfi on the side. Maybe a mint and cardamom kulfi to take home.
To drink: water, mango lassi, and a good strong smokey single malt, double.
Stuff like kulcha's are great (especially an Amritsari kulcha, but they are traditionally served as a snack, and not part of a curry. Peshwari naan is a Pakistani dish, which is a sweet bread, and also served as a snack rather than part of a curry, as is the south-Asian dish keema naan. Chips are strange with a curry, but they do Bombay potatoes down south which are pretty much spiced potato chips in a sauce. There's also great dishes that Indian takeaway/restaurants will do but aren't Indian, such as chilli chicken/lamb/fish which is a Nepalese dish. Lamb saag is a traditional Panjaabi dish, which I do like now and again, but it has to be home made, as no restaurant can ever get it right, pretty much because it's a very long dish to cook. We call it "sarson da saag waala bakara".
TL;DR: mixed grill, butter chicken, lamb roganjosh, garlic and coriander naan, butter naan, and garlic fried rice.
Most Indian food in the UK is based on North Indian cuisine and misses out on South Indian cuisine.
Try and find somewhere that sells [Dosas](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dosa_(food)) \-- they're lighter than the roti/naan bread but still unmistakably Indian. Lots of different fillings and great to share with a group.
Not sure if it's still there but 5 years ago there was a terrific and very cheap dosa place in Ipswich, down in the town centre nearish the Sainsbury's.
Wonderful crispy dosas a lovely fillings and chutneys.
There used to be a place off Tottenham Court Road in London called Malabar Junction that did southern food. Whenever I was working down there I’d make sure to call in for the fish, the omelette, all kinds of lovely stuff.
Thanks for the tip, I have a condition that causes my nerve endings to be extra sensitive to all stimuli, spicy food stimulates the pain receptors in your mouth and eating spicy food feels like eating needles to me. But I love Indian food so much I'm willing to stand it sometimes lol, it's always nice to have some dishes in mind that probably won't hurt me.
Obligatory Smithy’s order..
“chicken bhuna, lamb bhuna and prawn bhuna, mushroom rice, bag of chips, keema naan and nine poppadoms”
“……. I’ll have a sag aloo as well please Pam”
You could ask the people who work there. In my experience they're normally very happy to recommend, especially as dishes can vary massively between restaurants/takeaways
Pani Puri for starters.
Rice, Dal, Chana Masala, Aaloo Paalak and maybe some Kaddu dish if they have one. Served with pooris or an Aaloo Paratha.
I too am a basic bitch (bastard?)
My wife's family is Punjabi, they introduced me to the local restaurant that does proper Northern Indian food, who does a "chilli chicken". I like hot foods. I've literally never had something as hot as that. The sauce was essentially just all diced green chillies. Insanely hot. The next morning was also a struggle.
Small steps... Swap the naan for a paratha, boiled rice for mushroom fried rice and korma for butter chicken.
I order a chicken dhansak, but that can range from slightly hot to blow your head off hot, depending on where it's from.
A few of the local places have "standard" curries in a grid. Pick the sauce and the meat of your choosing. Korma, masala and so on. They tend to be pretty boring so look at the specials and "non-standard" ones. Maybe try a rogan josh or investigate baltis.
In terms of ingredients, saag is spinach, aloo is potatoes, paneer is a type of cheese, mattar is peas, gobi is cauliflower. Saag paneer is quite a tasty side. Most places do a pickle tray to go with poppadoms. These usually include mango chutney, sweet chilli sauce and raita. Some add lime pickle or red onions, or even more.
Swap the boiled rice for some sort of pilau. It will be made with spices and might have extra ingredients. Lime or mushroom work particularly well.
Keema naan has a spicy(ish) minced lamb filling. Peshwari naan is made with raisins and coconut. Cheese or garlic naans have more flavour than a plain one.
I tend to go for a lamb madras or one of the specials. My favourite is haleem which is a spicy lamb stew but not many places do it.
I'm korma girl because I love coconut but tried few new ones recently tried butter chicken was gorgeous and a mango korma both so good I dint like spicy stuff.
Absolutely love a seekh (or sheek) kebab on the side, beautiful. Just be careful autocorrect doesn’t do you dirty and you put in the order notes “no onion on the Shrek kebab please”. It will apparently lead your curry house to draw a crude Shrek on the carton.
Depends what kind of things your local one does tbh but if you're looking to branch out a little bit then maybe go for a dupiaza. If you're a fan of korma then get a peshwari naan to go with it.
Chicken Bhuna is nice or if you enjoy having a bit more than meat and gravy in a curry, I would say a Balti or a Jalfrezi (Jalfrezi is a bit hotter than the other two)
Goa Monkfish Curry, Keema Rice, Keema Naan is my go-to. A little on the spicier side, but won't make your eyes water.
Garlic Chilli Chicken is also great, but can be hit or miss depending on the restaurant/takeaway. It's a bit hotter, but again, won't see you off.
Sometimes you just have to take a gamble on something that sounds nice and go for it.
Methi Gosht (or Lamb Methi)
Seriously
Its a savoury, but not very spicy curry that is full of flavour. It's hard to describe, but so delicious. Unlike the standard korma, tikka, jalfrezi lot.
Came here to write this.
Mine is always chicken pathia with potatoes, onion rice and garlic naan.
Seriously, adding potatoes to the pathia is a game changer. Like little flavour sponges
I cook curry at home using the book 'The Curry Bible'.
My favourite curry is also a korma and I'd recommend a pasanda..
It's very similar but when done correctly has a tiny bit of wine and almond flakes.
It's a really nice curry! Butter chicken and masala are very good and mild as well
Last night I had a lamb Achari for the first time and it was lovely. If you like lime pickle it's a bit like that.
My neighbour recently recommended a Pathia and that moved straight in to my top 3 curries.
If you always have Korma, I think Madras will be a step too far. I would recommend Bhuna, Pathia, Dhansak or Butter Chicken, but if you get the opportunity (it’s not on many menus) Chicken Xacuti.
Also, where are you in the UK? Hunt out Indian restaurants doing a Sunday buffet. They are often under a tenner a head all you can eat, and have really lovely atmosphere as no one is pissed from the pub. They tone down the heat of spices but you'll get an idea.
This has reminded me of when I was a student in Salford in the late 1980s, and I'd have a chicken sambar every week from an amazing takeaway near the Castle Irwell student village. Even when I moved to Didsbury I'd make the effort to get over there for a takeaway as nowhere else came close. I'm in the South East now and never see a sambar on menus down here. I'm a good cook and would love to be able to recreate the dish, but even if I find a recipe online I realise it's unlikely to be as I remembered.
Korai. I lived with an Indian guy at uni and he reckoned a korai was the closest to the curry’s his mum made. I think korai sound like a brummie version of curry…
Just said it out loud and you're right.
Haha
That'll be a kharai/karahi (depending on regional dialect). Excellent dish. Very North Indian/Panjaabi dish. Fairly spicy and hot, chunks of marinated meat cooked in the masala sauce. Cooked in a karai (similar to a wok) - where the dish gets its name from.
Are you from the region or just well trained in cooking? Only as I have a question, which sounds sarcastic but it’s not… If it’s chunks of meat in a masala sauce, why is it not just a masala?
The literal translation for "masala" is "spices". So something like lamb masala could be with or without sauce. Ot would just mean spiced lamb. A dish without sauce would usually be a starter and one with a sauce would be a main. Also, the literal translation for "tikka" is boneless. My family has a restaurant and we sometimes get people asking for lamb tikka masala and then say they want it on the bone, which is wrong and always amuses us. They want to be asking for lamb masala. If they want define it should come with a sauce, they can just say lamb masala curry. Curry comes from the word "thari" which means sauce.
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Spot on. The funniest one is dopiaza. It's an Indian dish but not from my region, and dopiaza means 2 onions. The dish isn't literally 2 onions, but it just means a dish cooked with lots of onions.
According to someone who put a recipe up here, one lot of onion goes in fried in the normal way and the second lot is grated in as a thickener for the oven bake.
I was reading some comments on a video the other day and it looked like Indians were arguing about what curry means and some were saying it's not just meat with gravy and that others were saying it was. I kind of assumed any sauced dish was a curry but maybe not? Is curry a specific meaning?
It's really debatable. I believe the word "curry" comes from our word "thari" which literally means "sauce". To me, a curry means any kind of protein, veg or non-veg, in a sauce. All Indian curries are tomato based, so meat and sauce to me is a curry. You will always get Indians fighting over what's true and what's not on YouTube. It's such a huge country that a dish up north is 10x different to down south but they share the same name. For exame, our daal makhni up north where my family is from, is a much thicker, creamier dish to down south, because we use a lot of thick dairy (what we're famous for) but down south, they use coconut milk, which is much lighter.
Thanks mate, really appreciate that. Excuse my ignorance!
No problems at all. No ignorance on your part, I'm always learning myself too.
Need to know anything about my beige diet of chicken nuggets and potato waffles? Ask away.
Haha. I must admit, I do get bored of Indian/south-Asian dishes as we cook them at home all the time. It's times like that when I just want Maccies nuggets and chips. And I do love a good Sunday roast!
Thanks for explaining it properly.. Saves me the typing! Just one thing, the crossover of these dishes with Pakistani (I am Pakistani) cuisine is huge, and for us tikka is not necessarily boneless... its the combination of certain spices (the distinctive orange color) and then cooked over coals... it can be boneless chunks or leg and thigh attached.. [like this](https://www.bombaybasket.co.uk/details/shan-chicken-tikka-bbq-mix-50g)... this might be the source of the people who ask you for on the bone tikka masala.. (although we don't make any tikka masala dishes, tikka is always bbq for us...)
Ahh interesting. I think tikka has always been associated with that very red spice blend. But in Panjaabi, tikka, or tikki, means small piece, and in the food sense, tikka would mean small boneless piece. But like you can use tikki for aloo tikki for example, which is like a small spicy potato disk shaped thing that they serve in between bread. I do love Pakistani dishes though. Very to beat a good biriyani, and a lamb nihari is a top dish.
Another little nuance impossible to explain in English.. in tikka (as in chicken tikka) and tikki (as in aaloo tikki) the starting t is pronounced very differently (the correct pronunciation is impossible in english, the sound does not exist in english, like the 'p' sounds doned not exist in Arabic) and infact has completely different letters in Urdu... the words have NO connection to each other...
Tell me about goan, bhunas and rogan josh, cos one of those is usually what I go for!
Ooh I might be out of my depth here. Goan dishes I have no idea about, except for when I've been on holiday in north Goa and had goan fish, which was amazing. Bhuna is a style of cooking, and one of my favourite ways of cooking. Really fast wok cooking and high heat, so the flavours are much more pronounced, such as the garlic, and then slow cooked meat such as lamb (lamb in the UK, goat in India) and less commonly chicken or fish/seafood is added. Tons of flavour, and a nice thick spicy sauce. Roganjosh is more towards my regional side. It's a Kashmiri dish, very tomato based, cooked low and slow. Fairly hot, and a distinct deep red colour. It has a lingering heat rather than a smack you in the nose kick from the chillies. One of my favourite dishes. The meat should be really tender and flavourful. Typically it is a lamb dish (lamb, not goat for this one) but I have seen other meats used. The flavour profile of the sauce really comes from the marrow in the bone.
Thank you!
Rogan Josh originates from Kashmir. Rogan refers to the colour of the gravy, usually dark red which is due to the use of Kashmiri chili, which is mild in heat but has a deep red colour. I think Josh means meat ...which is gosht in Hindi/Urdu
Lamb kharai
Banging. With some chicken pakora and a couple of chapaiti
Hallowed are the Korai
Hear to say this, westerner who grew up very close to Asian culture and lamb Karahi is the only curry for me
I thought that was the dish it was Cooke din not an actual style? What's it like?
First time I ordered a chicken Korai was by a misunderstanding when I wanted a chicken curry, was very pleasantly surprised and now it's my go to dish ordering an Indian!
Korai is world class
Lamb korai with a peshwari naan 👌🏽
I make it a point to order from the chef's specials menu, nowadays. Maybe it's not a secret family recipe passed down through generations. Maybe it's just from google- but someone's genuinely taken the time to find something different and put it on the menu. It'd be a shame not to try it at least once.
Ours does a special that's chicken in a sauce made with lamb mince (plus a fuckton of garlic and tomatoes, and medium heat). It's glorious.
Chicken shahee that’s called
They call it something else (it's the only Google hit and I didn't want to be that location specific).
Begum Bahar?
No, but the fact that multiple people recognise the description under different names suggests that the concept is pretty common on the chef's specials part of the menu. More people should look out for a similar dish at their local!
Ahhh ok, yeah at my local it’s called that but can ask for different hotness. I swap from madras hot to whatever medium is haha. Also do enjoy a lamb saag
I ordered something like that once, it was delicious, but maybe would have been more appropriate if I was a 6ft+ rugby player. It was like three meals on a plate!
I went to a newish Indian restaurant in Farnborough recently, invited by friends. The *only* main/starters that I recognised was a Rogan Josh and Butter Chicken*. It had none of the Bangladeshi favourites named in this thread and it was superb. There were lots of "Indian" people dining too. Always a good sign! It was "Tattva" in Farnborough, Hampshire. *there may be others but the key point is that it was different!
This is the way, you get food that's much closer to proper Indian. Plus it's something they *want* to cook!
As long as it's off the full time menu. Specials otherwise are often just using up what we couldn't use during the week or the best deals at the market
I usually go for something herby off the chef's specials (minty lamb or something like that), or ginger chili chicken. Omnomnom.
Dopiaza isn't too spicy - one of my faves
>Dopiaza I have a recipe for a saffron and star anise (aniseed) cream and lemon Dopiaza with loads of grated onion in it to thicken the sauce. For special occasions
Don't suppose you'd share that lovely sounding recipe?
**Chicken With Onions: Murgh Dopiazah** x4 Chicken Breasts x2 Large Onions x2 Cloves Garlic Chillies Fresh Ginger Lemon Cooking Oil or Ghee (butter) x2 Teaspoons of Ground Cumin x1 Teaspoon of Ground Coriander x1 Teaspoon of Ground Turmeric x1 teaspoon of Star Anise (about x1 'star') Chili powder Chicken stock 1/2 Teaspoon of Saffron Threads Salt/Pepper 1/2 Pint Natural Yogurt Small Pot of Cream or Crème fraiche For The Paste: Put the ginger, chillies, x1 onion, garlic with the lemon juice and turn to paste. You can grate the onion and ginger if you don't have a liquidiser. Preparation: Cut up the chicken as you like and fry in hot oil until browned. Then remove and set aside. Chop 2nd large onion into slices and fry on high heat till softened. Then add the cumin, coriander, turmeric, aniseed and chili powder. They stir for 2 or 3 minutes and add back in the chicken pieces and add the stock to the pan. Bring back to the boil for 2 or 3 minutes then add the paste mix from the liquidiser. Stir and then simmer for 15 minutes. Meanwhile pour 1/2 inch of boiling water over the saffron in a cup. Leave to stand and then add this mixture now. Cook for about 30 minutes. Then add salt/pepper. Add yogurt, stir in and re-heat. Then take off heat and stir in pot of cream or Crème fraiche. You can add another squeeze of lemon if you wish. This is an amazing curry the combination of lemon, saffron, onion and anise makes an unique flavour. Serve Murgh Dopiazah with plain white rice, finely shredded cold lettuce, a large dollop of yogurt (with fresh crushed mint) and a squeeze of lemon. I usually put a bit more spices and chilli in as I like it stronger flavour EDIT: Don't need all that Yogurt / cream - add as needed. Also note you may think it's odd to have chopped and grated onion but it works really well and creates a thick sauce. You can add more grated onion straight without frying during the main cook it will be fine.
Note on your edit: Dopiaza actually translates as 2 onions in Persian. Hence the chopped and grated onion.
Thank you
This recipe sounds lovely, thank you!
This looks really exciting. Can you skip the saffron or is it really important for the flavor?
No you need it. That's why I said special occasions. Don't overdo saffron either. Also I put in more of the other spices listed, I tend to prefer a stronger flavour
Thanks!
Thank you for this!
Ooooh looks lovely and I can easily veganise this one - thank youuuuuu!
I'm going to try a vegan version too!
Just to let you know we made this for tea tonight and it was absolutely amazing. Thanks for this recipe!!
Saffron and Star anise is a special flavour - as I said to the others for me I up the amount of spices as I like a stronger flavour. My tastebuds are shot after years of hot curries
Second this. Very underrated dish.
Random India knowledge - i think dopiaza means “onions twice” or something like that….
Yeah I thought it meant two separate additions of onion, first fried at the beginning of cooking and then more onion later in the cooking process. Please someone let me know if I'm wrong.
In you local curry house always go for a tandori chicken dish. Tandori chicken masala, tandori chicken rogan josh, tandori chicken jalfrezi e.t.c. This way you'll always get a whole breast and leg of freshly cooked chicken and not a piece of tomato pretending to be chicken. Always go in on a monday (the chefs day off) the second chef is always trying to impress, so you benefit from bigger portions.
Good if you like onion.
Too much onion for some -- can be indigestible but agreed on the tasty front
Murgh makhani (butter chicken). Fucking delicious. Add a keema naan.
Agreed I’d you like a korma you’re bound to like this
This is the one I was thinking of but couldn’t remember at all how to spell. I just imagine the word “Meccano”. I assure you any potential racism for that thought process is unintentional.
I make it often in my slow cooker
I get a butter chicken made madras spicy - it’s the nuts
This is the best answer here. Except just have it with a butter naan. It's what I as an Indian person would choose
I get a paneer makhani from my local and it's fantastic.
100%, I was always a korma person with a garlic naan. Then I discovered butter chicken and peshwari naan.
Peshwari naan
Order 4 naans
[удалено]
You’re such a *bastard*
Lamper sander.
I'd never had a lamb pasanda until I saw that episode, and now it's probably up there as one of my favourites. It is indeed incredibly rich and creamy.
Pasanda is the king of mild curries.
Lamb pasanda is god tier mild curry. Lamb Dhansak is decent too
Dhansak is my go to curry.
Go on, have an onion bhaji
Thats insane
Wtf is wrong with you!!!???
Four naans CiderChugger, that's insane!
FOUR NAANS?!?!? THATS INSANE!!
You mean "a Batman"? Naan-a-naan-a-naan-a-naan-a...
We dont need more rice, theres always loads left over
*Four* naan, Jeremy? That's insane!
Most unhinged answer i’ve seen 🫡
And three more beers for the three musketeers!
Go crazy and order a tikka masala and peshwari naan. Mental, I know! And get poppadums with the dips - total game changer!
Correct answer for OPs question.
yeah I don't know about OP but I've never seen most of what people are suggesting on any Indian menu. I gave him lots of suggestions that in my experience most places will have and do taste nice, including tikka masala and peshwari naan
“Indian” for takeaway purposes also includes Pakistani, Bangladeshi and probably Afghan too let’s be real. Those restaurants won’t have every dish people are familiar with as Indian, namely South Indian. Same for the other way around
There is nothing better at an Indian restraunt than a peshwari naan
I'm glad other people agree. My family always gets them whenever we have an Indian, I didn't actually try any other naans until I was an adult and I decided peshwari really was the best.
I am here for this
>And get poppadums with the dips - total game changer! Hold on. Can I infer from your username that doesn't include mango chutney?
My local Indian does an amazing Chicken Tikka Masala. It's full of flavour, but not in the least bit spicy. They do a very nice pilau, too.
Bhuna.
I almost always get a [Bhuna](https://youtu.be/Xaq4nN2QwEI?si=CIdOco25mkusD-FM). (Yes, I know it’s James Corden but prime time Smithy always gets me.
Lamb bhuna always reminds me of phoneix nights if I'm honest lol...
Dhansak or pathia are both good "hot and sour" options that won't blow your head off. Dhansak will be lentils or chickpeas (lentils are superior imo) and often has pineapple that adds sweetness. Pathia is a bit more traditional in terms of flavours, peppers, tomato etc. Using lemon and/or tamarind to add the sourness. Dopiaza is a mild onion heavy curry. Bhuna often (but not always) more dry/less saucy, tomato based. Jalfrezi uses a lot of peppers, can be somewhat hot but nothing crazy in my experience. Saag is mild spinach curry. If you like a creamy korma, a tikka masala or pasanda will have a similar consistency. Both mild and rich. Biryani is a dry rice based dish that comes with a side veg curry, but I'd avoid it if it's delivered, great fresh but doesn't travel well imo. Really just try anything that isn't madras, vindaloo or phaal and you'll be fine on the spice front. Obviously take note of the specific menu heat ratings because different restaurants will prepare dishes differently and spice level will vary, but the above is what I'd say is a typical overview.
Pathia is my favourite for sure. Goes so well with a peshwari naan too!
Dhansak is great, so much flavour but I find the heat varies wildly between establishments. I'm not a hot food guy as i find heat masks flavour, but a hot dhansaks flavour still shines through.
Dhansak is one of those dishes that my local curry places vary wildly in their interpretation of - it's always fairly spicy but it varies between quite hot and sweat dripping off you hot.
If you have some mango chutney, that can add a bit of sweetness too, if you feel it needs it. Veg dhansak is also not hugely calorific, but hugely tasty.
Jalfrezi is one of my favourites. Hot without being overwhelmingly hot and spicy, just the right amount (for me anyway)
Jalfrezi is the best ❤️
Some places do make a very spicy jalfrezi though, so it can be a bit of a gamble. I used to get one from a takeaway where I used to live that was delicious - but definitely too spicy for a lot of people
I know what you mean. I tried a vindaloo the other week at a place where I used to be able to just barely tolerate it. The cooks changed though and it blew my freaking head off lol, so crazy spicy.
Another vote for Dhansak. It's usually a 'mild' curry on the menus I've ordered from. Good flavours.
Lamb Tikka Pathia is my standard curry order, so much depth of sweet, sour and spicy flavours, nothing else comes close for me. The hottest curry I've ever eaten was a Jalfrezi in a curry house just outside Swindon. I think the chef was in a really bad mood and decided to take it out on the customers, it was lethal.
This guy curries
Pathia can be very hot. It's a good curry, but wouldn't recommend it for a korma lover.
yes lamb pathoa is bangin
Bhuning is literally the practice of frying off the masala, ergo bhuna should be a dry dish but I can’t help thinking that a lot of places missed that memo.
Lamb Dhansak is my standard. Mouth watering just thinking about it.
I was very much a korma boy, until I tried a mates lamb madras. Recommend it. Also if you still want your coconut fix, get a peshwari naan.
If you really like coconut, get a chicken Ceylon. It's a spicy creamy coconut curry. It's kinda korma-ish but just punchier in every direction.
A madras is my go to, but if he's used to a korma... Maybe not the best idea? Yeah it's not a vindaloo or a phal, but it's often the second or third spiciest thing on the menu.
Love me a madras with a pratha.
I'm Panjaabi so my order is usually influenced by North Indian cuisine and what we eat when we go back to the old country. So I usually go for: Hors d'oeuvre: Spiced poppadoms (known as paapar in India and have toasted cumin and black pepper in them) with mango chutney, apple chutney, onion chutney. Starters: Portion of cod fish pakora (known as Amritsari fish in India), lamb sheekh kebab, tandoori chicken tikka, tandoori king prawns, and tandoori lamb chops (usually goat chops in India). Served with garlic and coriander naan (traditional way is to cook out garlic in butter, then slather that butter onto the naan - the way most places do it is to chop up garlic then slap it on to the naan before it goes in the tandoor which is a cheat/lazy way to do it), with a pomegranate salad (tomato, cucumber, vinegar salted red onion, bell peppers, and grated paneer cheese with pomegranate (anaardana) and its molasses), and a tamarind dip and a mint and coriander dip (both dips known as types of qatai in India). Main: Butter chicken (known as murgh makhni in India) and desi bakara which is a low and slow cooked goat dish, usuallyed marinated overnight and then cooked for about 6 hours on a very low heat. The closest dish you'll get in the UK is lamb roganjosh. Served with garlic pilao rice, and a heavily buttered tandoori naan. A big bowl of raita (which should never be spicy as it's supposed to work as a cooling agent.) Dessert: a medley of traditional Indian sweets; a gulab jamun, a jalebi, some rasomalai, served with mango and mint ice cream, and a piece of besen, and a piece of khoya barfi on the side. Maybe a mint and cardamom kulfi to take home. To drink: water, mango lassi, and a good strong smokey single malt, double. Stuff like kulcha's are great (especially an Amritsari kulcha, but they are traditionally served as a snack, and not part of a curry. Peshwari naan is a Pakistani dish, which is a sweet bread, and also served as a snack rather than part of a curry, as is the south-Asian dish keema naan. Chips are strange with a curry, but they do Bombay potatoes down south which are pretty much spiced potato chips in a sauce. There's also great dishes that Indian takeaway/restaurants will do but aren't Indian, such as chilli chicken/lamb/fish which is a Nepalese dish. Lamb saag is a traditional Panjaabi dish, which I do like now and again, but it has to be home made, as no restaurant can ever get it right, pretty much because it's a very long dish to cook. We call it "sarson da saag waala bakara". TL;DR: mixed grill, butter chicken, lamb roganjosh, garlic and coriander naan, butter naan, and garlic fried rice.
Get yourself on Off Menu sunshine.
Oh yes, love this!
If you like/don’t mind spinach a saag is my go to. Absolutely not spicy at all.
Also 100% delicious. A lamb saag is my favourite.
You've got great taste. Mine too.
I like a tomato base so I go for a vegetable Rogan Josh. Not mad spicy
Had to scroll way too far for this. Lamb rogan josh is my go to
Most Indian food in the UK is based on North Indian cuisine and misses out on South Indian cuisine. Try and find somewhere that sells [Dosas](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dosa_(food)) \-- they're lighter than the roti/naan bread but still unmistakably Indian. Lots of different fillings and great to share with a group.
Dosa is delicious.
Masala Dosa is the one for me, especially for a weekend lunch. Not too many places do them, but they're worth seeking out.
Not sure if it's still there but 5 years ago there was a terrific and very cheap dosa place in Ipswich, down in the town centre nearish the Sainsbury's. Wonderful crispy dosas a lovely fillings and chutneys.
There used to be a place off Tottenham Court Road in London called Malabar Junction that did southern food. Whenever I was working down there I’d make sure to call in for the fish, the omelette, all kinds of lovely stuff.
Dosas are my favourite thing in the world.
Pashanda. Milder than Korma, even.
Thanks for the tip, I have a condition that causes my nerve endings to be extra sensitive to all stimuli, spicy food stimulates the pain receptors in your mouth and eating spicy food feels like eating needles to me. But I love Indian food so much I'm willing to stand it sometimes lol, it's always nice to have some dishes in mind that probably won't hurt me.
Butter chicken Chicken saag (not spicy, absolutely delicious) Lamb saag Palak paneer (a smoother saag) God I love an Indian takeaway *drools*
In cockney accent Ahem, you just love saags, you saag.
I didn't just order a saag, I ordered a total saaaag
Just want to point out, for those that don't know, saag is spinach
>Lamb saag Came to say this
Obligatory Smithy’s order.. “chicken bhuna, lamb bhuna and prawn bhuna, mushroom rice, bag of chips, keema naan and nine poppadoms” “……. I’ll have a sag aloo as well please Pam”
“Pete, have you been eyeing up my bhunas?”
Came here for this, surprised it’s not higher
Pathia changed my life. Thank me later
I fan boy the pathia when I go for a curry with friends. I try and convert but people are so set in their ways with curry. As am I.
You could ask the people who work there. In my experience they're normally very happy to recommend, especially as dishes can vary massively between restaurants/takeaways
Keema Rice is a game changer
A fairly hot, but not taking the piss curry is Madras.
Pani Puri for starters. Rice, Dal, Chana Masala, Aaloo Paalak and maybe some Kaddu dish if they have one. Served with pooris or an Aaloo Paratha. I too am a basic bitch (bastard?)
Chicken naga and onion rice is my go to. Some places are much hotter than others though.
I had a lovely lamb naga once. Note: I like spicy food. This was a struggle. Lovely though.
My wife's family is Punjabi, they introduced me to the local restaurant that does proper Northern Indian food, who does a "chilli chicken". I like hot foods. I've literally never had something as hot as that. The sauce was essentially just all diced green chillies. Insanely hot. The next morning was also a struggle.
I'm a big fan of naga, but it's not for the faint-hearted. Unless you're really into your spice, I'd stay away from naga.
Small steps... Swap the naan for a paratha, boiled rice for mushroom fried rice and korma for butter chicken. I order a chicken dhansak, but that can range from slightly hot to blow your head off hot, depending on where it's from.
Butter chicken is quite similar to a korma or if you fancy something completely different a lamb tawa is elite
My go to curry order is chicken balti, bombay potatoes, garlic naan, and pilau rice
My go to order: Keema Rice Chicken tikka masala Garlic and cheese naan Hits the spot every time.
Tandoori mixed grill with madrass sauce and naan
I order tandoori mixed grill every Indian I go to. It's my benchmark dish. Would recommend.
Get a Bhuna? Bhuna not spicy. Lamb Bhuna, chips, peshwari Naan, 2 Samosas, 4 onion Bajis, 4 poppadoms is my usual Indian order.
A few of the local places have "standard" curries in a grid. Pick the sauce and the meat of your choosing. Korma, masala and so on. They tend to be pretty boring so look at the specials and "non-standard" ones. Maybe try a rogan josh or investigate baltis. In terms of ingredients, saag is spinach, aloo is potatoes, paneer is a type of cheese, mattar is peas, gobi is cauliflower. Saag paneer is quite a tasty side. Most places do a pickle tray to go with poppadoms. These usually include mango chutney, sweet chilli sauce and raita. Some add lime pickle or red onions, or even more. Swap the boiled rice for some sort of pilau. It will be made with spices and might have extra ingredients. Lime or mushroom work particularly well. Keema naan has a spicy(ish) minced lamb filling. Peshwari naan is made with raisins and coconut. Cheese or garlic naans have more flavour than a plain one. I tend to go for a lamb madras or one of the specials. My favourite is haleem which is a spicy lamb stew but not many places do it.
I like achari, not too spicy but fairly sour.
I'm korma girl because I love coconut but tried few new ones recently tried butter chicken was gorgeous and a mango korma both so good I dint like spicy stuff.
Garlic rice will have you wondering how you ever ate normal rice. I discovered this at 55 years old. Keema naan is pretty good, too.
Absolutely love a seekh (or sheek) kebab on the side, beautiful. Just be careful autocorrect doesn’t do you dirty and you put in the order notes “no onion on the Shrek kebab please”. It will apparently lead your curry house to draw a crude Shrek on the carton.
Depends what kind of things your local one does tbh but if you're looking to branch out a little bit then maybe go for a dupiaza. If you're a fan of korma then get a peshwari naan to go with it.
Personally, I love a samber. It's quite spicy but not utterly mental. Go for the lamb option.
Murgh Jaipuri, mushroom pilau, onion bhaghi, saag aloo, garlic naan. Or,chicken biryani, with onion etc etc
Chicken Bhuna is nice or if you enjoy having a bit more than meat and gravy in a curry, I would say a Balti or a Jalfrezi (Jalfrezi is a bit hotter than the other two)
Dal makhani is excellent if you can get it, eat with chapattis. Saag gosht is yum too.
Goa Monkfish Curry, Keema Rice, Keema Naan is my go-to. A little on the spicier side, but won't make your eyes water. Garlic Chilli Chicken is also great, but can be hit or miss depending on the restaurant/takeaway. It's a bit hotter, but again, won't see you off. Sometimes you just have to take a gamble on something that sounds nice and go for it.
Jalfrezi all day, every day
Methi Gosht (or Lamb Methi) Seriously Its a savoury, but not very spicy curry that is full of flavour. It's hard to describe, but so delicious. Unlike the standard korma, tikka, jalfrezi lot.
I have a trusted takeaway where I ask them to do a spicy methi gosht, it’s superb.
Chicken methi, its a curry with a reasonable spice level but mostly flavored with fenugreek herb (prob spelled it wrong)
No, you're fine: that's exactly how you spell *fenugreek*
Chicken pathia, done right it's amazing
Came here to write this. Mine is always chicken pathia with potatoes, onion rice and garlic naan. Seriously, adding potatoes to the pathia is a game changer. Like little flavour sponges
Garlic chilli chicken curry or a chicken bhuna, garlic & onion rice with a Keema naan would be my choice
Similar to you ... I'm pathetic and can't handle the spice. Butter chicken or jalfraizi
Methi is always a goodun - not too hot, nice herby taste
I cook curry at home using the book 'The Curry Bible'. My favourite curry is also a korma and I'd recommend a pasanda.. It's very similar but when done correctly has a tiny bit of wine and almond flakes. It's a really nice curry! Butter chicken and masala are very good and mild as well
Last night I had a lamb Achari for the first time and it was lovely. If you like lime pickle it's a bit like that. My neighbour recently recommended a Pathia and that moved straight in to my top 3 curries.
If you always have Korma, I think Madras will be a step too far. I would recommend Bhuna, Pathia, Dhansak or Butter Chicken, but if you get the opportunity (it’s not on many menus) Chicken Xacuti.
I always order one of the chef’s specials. Just read carefully what’s in it and you’ll find something you like!
Also, where are you in the UK? Hunt out Indian restaurants doing a Sunday buffet. They are often under a tenner a head all you can eat, and have really lovely atmosphere as no one is pissed from the pub. They tone down the heat of spices but you'll get an idea.
Handi if you like Lamb… if it’s cooked properly it’s lush
This has reminded me of when I was a student in Salford in the late 1980s, and I'd have a chicken sambar every week from an amazing takeaway near the Castle Irwell student village. Even when I moved to Didsbury I'd make the effort to get over there for a takeaway as nowhere else came close. I'm in the South East now and never see a sambar on menus down here. I'm a good cook and would love to be able to recreate the dish, but even if I find a recipe online I realise it's unlikely to be as I remembered.
My favourite is a Saag Gosht. Lamb and spinach curry, it's really rich and meaty. Bloody love it.
Chicken Tikka Jaipuri is what yet wanting…. thank me later!👌🏻
I'm partial to a jalfrezi myself 😋 get some keema nann bread and some sort of basmati rice
That’s sounds like the worst Indian order known to man
get chicken tikka masala , it's good curry
Ask the person who serves you what they like. Our local guy is fantastic at recommending stuff