Trying New Foods

We all say we are ready to try a new food until the dish is right in front of us. Then we’re not so sure. “Well, I mean, it’s still moving!” What are you scared of? It’s just a little shrimp crawling down your esophagus? It’s a delicacy in…

So, how do you go about trying new cuisines? How do you try other culture’s foods that include different spices and strange ingredients we’ve never heard of? For me, the answer is easy: friends, especially moms.

The easiest way for me to try any new food is to try it with folks who have grown up in that culture. My latest favorite is Indian food. I fell in love with Indian food the minute I heard you can eat with your hands. I love using nan (Indian bread) to grab portions of food to stuff into my mouth. I just love that! It’s so much fun!

I became very comfortable with Indian food because of some friends from Hyderabad, India. He and his wife, their kids and, luckily for a time, his folks lived just 10 minutes away. I say “luckily” because you know a mother who cooks always like new people to appreciate her cooking! And I must admit most mothers love me because I can eat. No, I mean, I can really eat, just ask my friend’s moms.

I easily finagled an invite for an authentic, home-cooked Indian meal at the Reddy’s. Like any loving mother, “mom” made classic dishes in a way she knew I would love them; in this case it was toning down the “hot” spice. She was right of course and it still had plenty of “hot”.

One of my favorite Indian dishes to date is still Mrs. Rekha Reddy’s Chicken Biriyani. Biriyani is a rice dish that you can add different meats, fishes or keep it vegetarian. Indians use Basmati rice in this recipe. (Thanks to the Reddys, I now keep Jasmine and Basmati rice in my cupboard.) Chicken Biriyani has saffron rice spiced with onions, garlic, ginger, cayenne and cumin. It can also be garnished with a host of other spices such as coriander, nutmeg, cinnamon or tumeric. Along with your chicken, you will find hard boiled egg slices, assorted vegetables, almonds and raisins. You can have a blast making this dish! Think of all the possibilities! It was served with a green onion and red bell pepper yogurt sauce; perfect to put out any smoldering mouth fires. Our bread that evening was “Dosas”, a thin gluten free batter you pour into a hot iron skillet. It makes a thin pancake you use to eat your meal, just like nan. Call me crazy, but that is just plain “good ‘ol fun” for me.

We learned so much from one home-cooked meal. Then, after my wife Lori and I ate Indian take-out a few times with the Reddys we became very familiar with a number of the classics like Tandoori, Tikka Masala and Balti. Indian food is similar to other Asian cuisines in that they substitute different meats and vegetables into any of their sauces.

These are all new flavors for me and that thrills me more than it should, I must admit. Indian food uses many spices we know of and have on our spice racks but we rarely use them like Corriander, Nutmeg and Cloves. All the meat is chunked and swimming in some divine sauce. The blends of spices and texture makes this gastronomic adventure a real treat.

Because of our friends, Lori and I are now regular Indian food eaters. I think it has been an even trade because they get tired of eating Indian all the time. That’s when they come to our place for homemade pizza and pasta. They love it!

We live in Roswell so the India Chef is a place we have been to a number of times. It is always good; the service is kind and helpful. For wine lovers, you may not get lots to choose, but the prices are very reasonable, almost a steal. Find them on the web at www.indiachefatlanta.com. The first time we went to India Chef we had just completed a small renovation project at the house and we were still in our work clothes, yes, I know, real class. We had no idea it was a white table cloth restaurant. Uncomfortable staying, we asked the waiter if we could get something to go. He asked did we want to stay. We said yes, but we didn’t have on the proper dress. He quickly retorted, “As long as you’re human, we will serve you”. That was a fun evening. How could it not be, we had $23 bottles of Beringer Cab.

“A-feeze” runs India Chef while his brother, “Mo-eeze” runs Himalayas on Peachtree Industrial just inside the perimeter. My office used to be in Chamblee so I of course had to check that out and it was terrific, too. I also enjoy going to Bombay Grill for lunch when I am close. They are off 285 and Chamblee-Dunwoody Road, stay straight off the exit. They serve a buffet for lunch which is a ton of fun because they have 6 – 8 hot dishes for you to sample plus salads, dipping sauces and dessert. Don’t forget to try at least one glass of the mango juice.

Honestly, a short time ago I knew nothing about Indian food. Straying into something new brought back an enjoyment I had not realized I lost. I dare you; pick a culture, find some friends from that culture, tell them you will make them a feast of your traditions if they will make you a feast from theirs. One hint, if you do a Thanksgiving feast for Indians, have plenty of red pepper flakes on hand.