Top 6 Indian Dishes in Restaurants Abroad

Indian cuisine is eaten and loved tremendously all over the world. Indian cuisine has grown steadily in popularity in Australia since the 1960s, which is around when Australians started travelling to and from India. There are over 500,000 Indians in the Australian mainland, which makes them the fourth-largest immigrant population there. This is yet another reason for the increased availability and popularity of Indian food.

Colourful, passionate and intense, Indian food epitomizes the things every Aussie loves. Recent surveys have shown that Aussies are aware of and appreciate food from several areas in India, be it the fiery north-Indian cuisine or the spicy, rich south-Indian foods. Aussie favourites include tandoori chicken, chicken vindaloo, kebabs, potato curries, eggplant preparations, dosas, strong Indian ginger-cardamom chai and Mango lassi too! Some of these classical Indian dishes with great twists are available in any reputed dining Indian restaurant Point Cook.

Biryani

A subset of Mughlai cuisine, this is a fragrant, seasoned rice preparation, best served with meat, eggs, fish or vegetables. There isn’t just one type- every Indian area offers a new type of delicious biryani. Unfortunately, it isn’t quite easy to find authentic Indian biryani abroad. Most restaurants prepare rice separately and serve with mutton gravy, passing it off as biryani in sealed pots called handis.

Chicken Tikka and Tandoori Chicken

These two dishes are different manifestations of the same idea- marinated, spicy chicken, slow-cooked in a tandoor oven. It is delicious, spicy and juicy, and has become a quintessential exotic Indian food, loved by locals and foreigners alike. However, the dish never quite made it off Indian shores until the late 1960s, due to the lack of availability of tandoors, special cylindrical clay ovens, even within India itself. Since then, however, the dishes have come a long way and are enjoyed by all.

Naan Bread

The tandoor is a wondrous contraption- and the Indians used it to make breads at home too. A naan is leavened, teardrop-shaped thick bread. They can be made at home, using dough of refined flour and eggs. They are airy and tasty, and best enjoyed hot, dunked into assorted gravies.

Chicken Tikka Masala and Butter Chicken

These are two very different dishes; both springing from chicken tikka. Chicken Tikka Masala is a quick-fix recipe, which requires less skill and time to cook, but is absolutely delicious. Bangladeshi chefs in the UK pioneered the idea, and it’s been a roaring success ever since. Butter chicken, on the other hand, requires careful execution and a certain degree of skill and discretion in choosing flavours and cooking time. This dish was mastered and popularized by chefs and restaurateurs in Delhi in the mid 1950s.

Black Dal

A favourite among North Indians, this creamy, tasty dal has become tremendously popular among Australians too. It uses pulses with tomato puree, cream and a generous dollop or two of butter. The dish was conceptualized in the 1950s so that vegetarians didn’t miss out on the wonders of butter chicken.

Gajar Ka Halwa

Gajar or Carrot Halwa is a Punjabi sweet-dish. A cake-like dish, it consists of grated carrots, nuts, sugar and condensed milk. Besides looking vibrant and beautiful, it tastes like a slice of heaven and is one of the most famous and popular Indian desserts around.