I've have Indian food maybe twice in my life; need help with these dishes?

I’m partial to Aloo Gobi Matar. It’s veggies (potatoes, cauliflower, onions) in a spicy gravy.

I like Chakkari (a crunchy snack), Papadum a sort of flat bread, and Dosa (a large thin crepe that you’re supposed to fill with veggies and hot spices, but I just put butter on).

I may have spelled them wrong.

The biggest variable in Indian food is price. Indian food can be very expensive or it can be reasonable from a hole in the wall. Look for the hole in the walls.

Aloo Matar Gobi is curried potatoes, peas and cauliflower. It will be spicy but not too spicy.
Moong Lentil Curry is (probably mung beans and lentils in a curry sauce. Again spicy but not stupidly so.
Chana Dhall is a chickpea based stew (I don’t know if that’s the proper term but that what it reminds me of).
I’d personally go with chana dal. (preferably with some lamb and chicken tikka on the side)

I usually like dishes that have aloo and dhall in the names!!!

I would go with the Aloo Matar Gobi as being the most interesting of the three for a main dish. The others are more complementary legumes – chickpeas or lentils.

Definitely Moong Lentil Curry. I’d go for Aloo Gobi, but I don’t like matar. I make and love all of these dishes, if you need any further help do tell!

I would between those three go with Aloo Matar Gobi. But I am not vegetarian so I usually go with Rogan Josh or Saag Josh (I love lamb).

I love vegetarian Indian by the way.

OMG! This is the question I’ve been waiting for! I love, love, love Indian food!

Aloo Gobi is my favorite. It’s main ingredients are cauliflower and potatoes in a mildly spicy sauce, usually with some roasted mustard seeds. You can see it Here

My second favorite it Palak Paneer, which is also very mild, and has the main ingredients of spinach (sort of like spinach souffle) with Paneer (Indian cheese) cubes. The Paneer is somewhat like fresh mozzarella, very mild in flavor. You can see it Here

My third favorite, which ranges from mild to quite spicy (if it’s too spicy for you, simply add some raita, which is the yogurt dip/sauce with cucumber and mint) is Channa Masala, which is a dish of chickpeas with a spicy tomato based sauce, with ginger and garlic and garam masala. You can see it Here

Moving down the tasty list, I like Korma which is almost like the Indian equivalent of a vegetable stew. This mildy spicy dish usually has carrots and peas and potatoes and red and green bell peppers in a creamy yogurt/tomato style sauce along with Indian spices and it usually has cashews as well. You can see it Here

And Malai Kofta which is kind of like vegetable balls or dumplings made with chickpea flour and vegetables in a spicy, creamy gravy made with tomatoes and cashews along with chilies and ginger and other Indian spices. You can see that Here

And don’t forget Bharta which is an eggplant curry, that has a wonderful sweet and sour flavor with chilies and tomatoes and garlic and ginger. You can see it Here

And of course, most Indian combinations come with Dal which is a mild, creamy lentil almost soup-like dish. See it Here

Make sure you order Garlic Naan which is a chewy type of flat bread (it also comes plain, but the garlic version is divine). See it Here

And also get another type of crispy super flat bread called Pappadum which has a nice peppery kick to it. See it Here

Of course, no Indian meal would be complete with out the appetizer called a Samosa which is kind of like a fried turnover or purse filled with potatoes and peas and carrots, or sometimes filled with lentils, that you dip into one of the many Chutneys (spicy Indian sauce condiments: mint, tamarind, coconut, coriander, tomato, onion etc.) See a samosa Here and a selection of chutneys Here

And to drink, a Mango Lassi which is yogurt, mango puree and a touch of rosewater. This drink is a perfect and refreshing complement to the spicy curries. See it Here

Although Indian food can be hot and spicy, it’s usually more of a flavor burst of spices rather than a burst of heat. If you’re sensitive to hot stuff, just use a lot of the raita and rice to tone it down a bit, and sip your mango lassi. I hope you come to love Indian food as much as I do. I refer to the Indian spices as happy spices because whatever is in them makes my brain release endorphins every time I eat Indian food. Bon Apetite!

I went for dinner for one. My bad, you’re able to pick two veg dishes. I went with the Aloo Gobi Matar and the Moong Lentil Curry.

To die for (/Linda Richman).

@Jude Your best bet is to go to a lunch time buffet. They’re ususally about $8 American, and you can taste a little bit of everything.

Chana Dhall is rather plain on it’s own, you’ll need a veggie or meat dish to go with it. I would pick that AND the Aloo Gobi Matar.

My favourite Indian dish is Saag Paneer: spinach and cheese, although paneer isn’t like western cheese at all.

@downtide – Actually, Indians seem to make a lot of stuff out of cheese. Many Indian “sweets” are some form of sweetened cheese…doesn’t really appeal to me as a sweet dessert.

Indian food is my very favorite cuisine. @Kardamom You can cook for me any time.

I just tried Indian food for the first time a little over a year ago. I LOVE it and this thread just made me crave everything!!! Papadum is one of my all time favorite things in the world – especially with a cilantro chutney. @Kardamom – you’re amazing! Thanks for all of that input, so informative!!!