First Time Eating Thai or Indian Food?

I am frequently questioned about what to eat by people who have not had the occasion to try Indian or Thai food. My approach is to take the, "It tastes like chicken" approach of my mom by actually suggesting that they order chicken. It is my way of easing people into expanding their pallets.

For the not so experimental person, I take them to Surin for Thai as opposed to some of the other places in town. I recommend the BBQ chicken which includes fried rice. They may or may not try the coconut soup. If they make funny faces, I don't let them anywhere near my ginger soy scallops.

For Indian, I recommend Tandoori chicken which is available at most places I have been to. I also order bhindi masala which is sauteed okra with tomato, onion and spices. My southern friends are used to stewed okra which also includes tomatoes and onions. I actually brought bhinidi masala to a family dinner. Everyone loved it. I didn't mention it was Indian until dinner was over. They were pleasantly surprised.

All see, Soul Food in India, Japan...

How do you ease your friends into experimenting with different foods?

Tandoori Chicken and a Lassi at Kohinoor

I really enjoyed my dinner last night. Not a lot of people know about Kohinoor across from the Mellow Mushroom on 20th Street South. I love the food. I feel like I am cheating on Taj India since I spent most of my Indian food eating life at their buffet.

I started eating Indian food at Golden India when it was on West Valley Avenue. It relocated to Five Points South below Cosmos Pizza for awhile, but it went out of business. On my first visit, they had lady fingers or bendhi masala. Still unsure what I am talking about? Have you heard of okra? It is okra with stewed tomatoes, onions and wonderful spices. I once read that many Indian dishes have about 22 spices in them. I even slipped the dish into a family dinner with my relatives that don't eat Indian food. They recognized how flavorful it was, but I didn't tell them it was Indian food until well after the meal.

I am not sure when I started going to Taj. I think that Saffron was my second Indian restaurant in Birmingham. It was located near what used to be Ski Lodge I on West Valley. For a short time, I also used to go to a place that opened on 150. Can anyone remember the name of it?

If you aren't sure what to order, I always recommend starting with Tandoori chicken. I LOVE to get a mango lassi, which is a yogurt drink, to wash down the chicken. In most places in town, rice comes with the meal. If the restaurant has the option, order a basket of assorted naan.

Not sure where to go? Check out this listing of Indian restaurants http://www.yellowpages.com/Birmingham-AL/Indian-Restaurants.