"Men can't be sexist!!" + Indian Food Cuisine

[Azrael]

My father's from Trinidad so I definitely got a fair share of Indian food, but nothing like the stuff mentioned so far.  In fact it's only really recently I had any "authentic"(as far as I knew) Indian food.  And as was mentioned earlier, their vegetarian dishes are AMAZING.  I don't know any names but I had this incredible cauliflower stir-fry in this sweet chili sauce, and a spinach dish with some kind of cheese and cream.  Amazing.  When it comes to breads though, Dhalpuri has a special place for me, but I don't think they make that in India (it's a type of roti.)

[Dincrest]

Thoren- that dessert is gulab jamun. 

Az- did that cauliflower dish have potatoes in it too?  If so, that's aloo gobi (aloo- potato, gobi- cauliflower).  Aloo gobi is a classic Indian comfort food.  Palak paneer is the spinach and cheese dish.  Spinach and cheese is a beautiful combo.  My favorite Greek food is easily spanakopita.

[Redeemed]

Wouldn't the spinach and cheese be Saag Paneer? What's the difference between the two?

[Dincrest]

Far as I know, the two are pretty much interchangeable.  If there was any difference, it's probably that palak paneer can be made with mustard leaves too and is more soupy in consistency.  Of course, in many Indian restaurants palak paneer has that same creamed spinach consistency as saag paneer.  But for all intents and purpose, same thing. 

[MeshGearFox]

gulab jamun is pretty awesome though I think just one has like 9000% your daily RDA of sugar.

[CastNuri]

I was a kid when I first discovered gulab jamun. SUGAR RUSH. It's so delicious.

I prefer jelibi and ladu though, as far as Indian sweets go. There's this vegetarian Indian restaurant in Marylebone that serves a mind-blowing Ras Malai too.

[Perley]

My father's from Trinidad so I definitely got a fair share of Indian food...

Isn't Trinidad in the Caribbean?

[Dincrest]

Yes, but there's a huge Indian population in the Caribbean.  You find a lot of Indian influence in the cuisine.  This one dude from Trinidad I used to hang with in college had an Indian grandfather. 

[Dice]

Yes, but there's a huge Indian population in the Caribbean.  You find a lot of Indian influence in the cuisine.  This one dude from Trinidad I used to hang with in college had an Indian grandfather. 

There's a huge indian population everywhere.  There's a billion in their own country alone.
Love their food.  Had the privledge of growing up next to an indian house - smelling their food every time come dinner has been nice. x)

[Azrael]

There might be a lot of Indians worldwide, but like Dincrest said there are a LOT of Indians in the Caribbean and so Indian culture is fully integrated into quite a few of the islands, Trinidad and Guyana probably being the two BIG Indian countries.  The two majority groups in Trinidad are Blacks and Indians (which are somewhere around 46% of the country each) so you can't escape the Indian influence across the island--espcially in the food.  Most food that is considered authentically Trini is largely Indian influenced and whenever I go there most of the food I eat is based on Indian food even though my family isn't Indian.

Anyway, that cauliflower dish did have potatoes in it, and comfort food is a perfect way to describe it.  After eating that I just feel like crawling into bed and sleeping for a few hours.  I don't think anyone has mentioned curry in this thread, I'm curious what everyone's take on it is?  Especially considering the vast differences across the different cultures.  I love me some Indian Lamb or Goat Curry, but I guess my palate is just so used to the curry of the West Indies that I much prefer Jamaican and Trini curries--they are less stew-like, not too heavy on the sauce and more about the meat and potatoes.  Never really got into the curry from places like Cambodia or Thailand.  Too creamy for me I think.

[Sagacious-T]

I've tried a few Curries but I prefer Indian curry over all. Nothing like some good gosht curry.

[MeshGearFox]

I had japanese curry once. It was prepackaged and not like home made or anything, but I thought it was pretty flavorless and flavorless.

[Prime Mover]

Paneer is INSANELY easy and cool to make, btw. Just get a half-gallon of whole milk, bring it to boil, and add about 2-3 tablespoons of cider vinegar (there's probably something more authentic, but cider vinegar works great), in about a minute, the milk instantly curtles and you just have to strain it, pack it down, and cut it like you would cut tofu. It's like a science experiment that tastes great. I love it in a creamy Saag.

BTW: "Saag" just means "Spinach". Just like there are dozens of varieties of tamato-based sauces (marinara, salsa, katsoup (which is actually an Indian chutny)), there are many varieties of saag, of which Palak is one. But most commonly, when it is called "Saag", it is served in a cream base to distinguish it from Palak which is not. However, I just had a saag last night that wasn't creamy, but had more of the consistancy of salsa.

[Sagacious-T]

Those Thai motherfuckers have some amazing sweet curry I have to admit.

[CastNuri]

Don't get me started on Thai food! It's probably my favourite cuisine, after Malaysian.

Some parts of Thailand use a lot of coconut milk in their recipes, which I don't mind, but I prefer clearer dishes. A really spicy and flavourful seafood Tom Yam would really hit the spot right now.