Food questions

[icepixie]

Apparently my local Kroger has turned into Import Central, particularly for European countries. This is AWESOME. McVitie's biscuits! Blackcurrant jam! Malteasers! About twenty different varieties of black and flavored black tea! Interesting herbal teas from Caribbean countries! German mustard and Swiss chocolate! Thai noodles! Indian curries!

This last one brings up a question. The only Indian food I've ever had that I can remember is korma--once at fair, and last week out of a jar.* I've liked what I've had so far, but don't really know where to go from there. Does anyone have any favorites to suggest? (I know making from scratch would probably make anything taste better, but let's be honest--I'm not even all that great with stuff where I know what the end product is supposed to taste like. I'm gonna go with the jars and cans at least until I figure out what I like.) There were lots of jars with interesting names full of interesting-looking sauces and chutneys, as well as things like naan bread mix and cannisters of poppadums (sp?). I like food with a lot of flavor--if it's bland, I will undoubtedly douse it with salt, pepper, garlic, and/or sugar. What should I try?

(I got a jar of tikka masala sauce today that I plan on trying later this month. The description sounded good, and I remember hearing the name when I was in the UK...)


* I know, I know--I lived in England for nine months and completely missed out on Indian food. I don't know how that happened. It wasn't intentional.

Comments

[alto2.livejournal.com]

Honestly? Go to a restaurant. You'll get a much better idea of what's what, how it should taste, etc. The jarred stuff isn't necessarily bad, but it's probably totally overloaded with socium, and may not really be authentic thanks as much to the process of, well, being processed as anything else. Going to a restaurant (a lot of Indian places have buffets where you can try lots of stuff) is a much better guide than either a jarred sauce or your friends who may not have the same taste as you do.

That said, my personal restaurant favorites are Malai Kofta, Palak Paneer, and Navratan Korma. The only one of those you can buy in a jar is korma, and you'd need to add your own veg/meat. You couldn't pay me to buy Palak Paneer in a heat-and-serve pouch, having had it once and found the texture of the "spinach" (it really bore no resemblance to spinace, aside from the color) utterly revolting, so as I say...tread lightly with the prepared grocery stuff.

[icepixie]

Honestly? Go to a restaurant. You'll get a much better idea of what's what, how it should taste, etc.

Hmmm. I think we have an Indian restaurant in town. Maybe. I'll have to check.

The jarred korma was pretty good; I'd get it again, anyway. But I have pretty low standards for authenticity.

[alto2.livejournal.com]

Seriously, visit the restaurant during a buffet. Do it a couple times. Take some friends. You'll get more out of that, and have more fun, too. (And better samosas. I have yet to find decent samosas outside an Indian restaurant...)

[icepixie]

Take some friends.

Well. That would require making some friends out here first, but advice noted! (Perhaps I'll go and bring a book.) Apparently we do have one Indian restaurant here, and it has a buffet.

[alto2.livejournal.com]

Books are good. Especially if it means that you get to the buffet. ;-)