My Initiation into Indian Food

I never thought I'd say this but Indian food is good! Last night I had the chance to sample the offerings of Rasoi Indian Restaurant in our sister hotel, Coral Deira Dubai.

I've always had a narrow-minded notion that Indian food is nothing but spice and chilies and strong smells. After all, the only Indian food I'm exposed to is the funky, mysterious looking slop served in the cafeteria. In Rasoi, it was all pleasantly different.

I didn't bring my camera so I got these photos off the net.

First we were served baskets of poppadom to whet our appetite:

Munching on these were so addictive! I just couldn't stop - especially when you dip it in fragrant mint sauce. I also couldn't resist stuffing my face with baby pickled onions.

Then we proceeded to the starters. Since I am a vegetarian, I had to content myself with the cocktail vegetable samosas (below). The chicken and fish tikka looked really good that I had to consciously remind myself why I became a vegetarian in the first place.

By the time I finished my appetizers, my face and scalp felt hot and sweaty. It wasn't even that spicy. No worries - it was now time for a glass of lassi to cool our bodies down.

photo credit: www.myrecipe.com

Lassi is the Indian version of a sweet yogurt smoothie (although i was told that lassi can also be salty). It reminded me of thick Yakult. I love Yakult - ergo, I loved this lassi.

Ok! Now I was really full. But since fullness never stopped me from eating before, I looked forward to the main course: Biryani Rice, Dal Makhani and Palak Paneer with sides of Naan, Roti and Parata.

photo credit: www.angithi.com

I know the Palak Paneer looks like swamp sludge but it's actually a flavorful combination of spinach and cottage cheese. Best served with roti or parata.

Dal Makhani - I ate this with the biryani rice and I wiped the rest with warm roti.

photo credit: www.bombayclub.com

Indian breads:

photo credit: www.indovacations.com

The last touch in this fantastic meal is a serving of Ras Malai, an indian milk dumpling dessert with pistachios.

photo credit: www.indianfoodforever.com

Of course I had to have some green tea to settle my stomach. After all that, it was quite a chore to drag myself back home.

I look forward to my next Indian meal!