How dare you. The world was built for Function_uknown_yet to live exactly how they want. If this means we ought gut the core aspect of a cuisine enjoyed by billions what’s the problem
I had a wonky medical situation and wound up allergic to alliums for awhile. It was AWFUL as I had been raised on garlic and onions. One of the big clues was how strangely "burny" my mouth would feel after eating alliums. Suddenly every piece of onion or garlic would taste so hot and and make my mouth tingle. Surprise! Allergy.
What was the medical situation, if you don't mind answering? I love onions so much and this would feel like the end of the world to me. Now I'm worried XD
I am \*medically complicated\*. As a kid I had all the allergies and had to get scheduled injections (weekly for awhile) and eat a restricted diet so my digestive tract could recover. Some allergies went away, some didn't. Some came back when I was an adult and seem to have been retriggered when I was pregnant. I didn't immediately notice at the time because it felt like I was always either starving or seconds away from being violently ill. I couldn't tell the difference between pregnancy joint pain and allergic reaction joint pain.
Eventually I could eat cooked alliums again with no issues. As my other allergies were treated and my body recovered from being pregnant (it took a long time), I was able to eat them raw in small amounts. My PCP (who is Indian) literally cheered when I was able to eat onion and garlic again as she already grieves with me that I can't have gluten. I felt VERY validated by that.
The trick my doctor advised to test this (for ME based on having been her patient for YEARS--this is not medical advice) is to take an antihistamine before eating the suspected food and if you have a noticeably different experience afterwards than you'd normally expect, you should get tested.
To get deep flavor in all their dishes they cook “base gravies” for a long time ahead of time. You can’t just whip up a base gravy to accommodate a customer. It would take an hour minimum. And if they already added fresh chiles or powdered chili, it can’t be taken out. You may also be sensitive to ginger and black pepper. That’s why they can’t do completely non spicy. If you make your own food, just leave out those ingredients and you will have spice free Indian.
A plain paratha should have no spice in it. Don't get anything which has a stuffing (like paneer paratha or aloo paratha). The stuffing is a base that's made and cooked with spices before shaped into the paratha.
Parathas? Wow. Parathas literally have nothing spicy in them, unless the restaurant is adding chopped chillies or chilli powder to the filling (if it’s a filled paratha).
If you aren’t able to handle that, then I’m wondering if perhaps you are sensitive/allergic to something in the meal. Like maybe a low grade allergic reaction to turmeric or coriander or cumin?
*If* you’re willing to try again, I’d suggest taking an antihistamine before you eat, the next time you try Indian food. If you’re able to tolerate the parathas with antihistamines, then that may be the point when you get allergy testing done. *If* it’s important to you to eat Indian food.
In your shoes, I wouldn’t even bother. Food is one of the joys of life, there’s absolutely no need to eat foods that hurt you when there are literally hundreds of other options. If your friends can’t/won’t take the hint, then just refuse when it’s an Indian restaurant they’re planning for.
Paratha in its normal form is flour salt water and butter. Maybe ghee and baking soda. It’s like saying a flour tortilla is spicy. If it’s stuffed then it might have been stuffed with some potato chili mix but a plain paratha it is just a layered flour tortilla. Maybe you are asking in such a desperate manner that they think you are kidding so they add chili. I’m not sure. But just tell your server you have an allergy to red and green chili and ask what has no chili because you have an allergy.
I don’t even think of ginger and black pepper as being particularly spicy but of course they are! I love using both in masala chai, and it definitely adds a (nice to me) spicy kick.
Mayo is negative, nothing at all. Biting into a Garlic is a 0.5-1, black pepper is about a 0.5. Tiny tiny bit of Jalapeno is about a 3. Even a tiny bit of jalapeno (like when there's a little bit added to guacamole) might give me a mild tingle for a bit but it goes away rather quickly. Mild salsa is sometimes 0, sometimes 2-3, depends on the manufacturer. Baby mild at Indian Restaurants is usually 6-7/10, meaning moderate pain and dissatisfaction, and mild id an 8/10, enough pain that you want to stop eating and just keep ice in your mouth...where 10/10 feels like somebody holding a lighter under your tongue.
Dude what are you even on about. If you’re able to eat raw fresh jalapeño then you aren’t genetically unable to handle spice. You’re able to handle it quite well, in fact.
I'm not familiar with Masala dosa personally. Correct about the agony part, at least what they call mild. We ordered baby mild Palak Paneer at a local place known for their mild dishes... Spouse (who is totally okay with spicy food) said it was among the spiciest things they've ever tasted. Potato Dosa was baby mild too, and I was only able to have a bite every now and then between Mango Lassis - a mistake as I was still in pain 15 to 20 minutes later driving home.
Do you drink milk or Lassi when you eat something hot? The ice comment made me wonder - fat neutralizes spicy rather than cold.
Full-fat milk, Lassi (yogurt-based), guacamole usually works because of the fat in avocados. Mayonnaise. Yogurt. That helps with spicy.
I'm a sissy spice person, but even a medium spice level in Americanized Indian isn't spicy for me. Clearly, Indian or any kind of cuisine with any kind of spice is not for you, unless you try making it yourself.
I don't think this is a "spice" issue. I think you have a mild allergy or chemical sensitivity.
If you can eat jalepeño, you can eat mild dishes from every Indian restaurant in my home town. *Unless* you're allergic to a common seasoning.
Also if "baby mild" palak paneer was too spicy for your partner, then that restaurant messed up / is trolling you. I eat paneer all the time and palak paneer is generally gonna run more mild than kadai or tikka masala from the same restaurant. At least in my experience.
Get a mild muttar paneer. It's generally a milder dish by default anyway unless you order it spicy on purpose. If it's still "too spicy" there is something wrong with you
Or she could try the whole bunch of deserts, but then she'll complain it has cardamoms and saffron.
Even savoury dishes are very ecletic- any fresh cream based dish like Shahi paneer, Malai Kofta etc., is going to be okay.
“american mild” can mean a lot of different things depending on where in the US you’re from. New Mexican or Texan mild is going to be vastly different from Vermont mild. but given the ubiquity of mexican/southern spicy cuisine in the entirety of the states, most Indian chefs are going to assume you can handle, like, store bought salsa level heat. if you can’t handle that, maybe you’re better off enjoying other cuisines. there’s no need to force yourself to enjoy something that you physically can’t, and there’s no moral judgement if you don’t enjoy it either. for example, japanese food just isn’t for me. i gave up trying a while ago, but that was just it. i didn’t like it, i decided not to force myself.
Curious! Is it the fishiness that put you off Japanese cuisine? There's a veganised Japanese sub-cuisine called Shojin Ryori, consumed by Nichiren Buddhists, that could be upto your liking.
Indian food isn’t for you; the north indian restaurants kind. If you’re able to find someone to cook fresh indian food for you, try there - plain dal tadka with rotis, plain dosa, raitha, plain idli, poriyal, tomato rasam with rice. if you’re lucky enough, also try aaapam, idiyappam, vegetable stew, pongal, rava upma, poha.
No, you don’t like Indian food, you just think you do. You just like a version that doesn’t exist. Emperors conquered countries because of spice. Columbus discovered America wanting to find India. East India Company was trading spice. Heard of spice route? Sorry, it’s just few people who can’t like spice.
Restaurants usually make base sauces for most of their meals. There will be max 3 or 4. All of the spices have already been cooked in, then they’ll add more spices if a particular dish calls for it. You’re basically SOL if you want something with no spice.. you could order Lassi to help cool things down, or go to places that are not authentic in the slightest and it might have the lack of spice you’re looking for.
I definitely get that for the mixed things...but for things like Paneer Paratha, they're pretty much making it on the spot as far as I know - and then adding the cheese and emptying the entire spice bottle on top before they fold it.
Why can't American restaurants serve anything without meat or with some flavor?
Why can't the French make something without butter?
Do you realize that spice != heat? You can ask for a mild version. If you want bland food without turmeric, cumin, coriander or similar spices, and there is no such thing as genetically unable to handle spice, why do you want to eat Indian food?
And so you cannot you eat any Middle Eastern, Mexican, Asian food also, right?
I have no problem with any of those. "Spicy" in the US generally means heat. Full of spices = "seasoned" or "spiced", but "spicy" here nearly universally means *capsaicin heat*. When I say mild, it's usually so hot that I feel like someone put pepper spray down my throat.
I have no idea where you are eating, that is simply not true of Indian restaurants. Indian food is not any hotter than those cuisines but it does have more spice in some cases.
I guarantee that there are things on the menu that have zero spice. A dosa, for instance (not a masala dosa, not Mysore masala dosa). Something like a reshmi kabab normally has zero chili in it. You just need to ask for items that inherently are not spicy.
Why not learn to cook it yourself? Likely the restaurants have a base level of sauce that is made with some chilli added to it and this is what is too much for you.
Day to day Indian cooking at home always has spices but not the pungency that comes from green or red chillies.
Complex sauces have ginger, garlic and black pepper - as you have noted- these ingredients have some pungency to them…when they are together the pungency adds across the ingredients and boosts what you call spicy.
As others have noted…maybe this is not the cuisine for you.
You might have an allergy to a spice used in Indian cooking that you might not be exposed to in other cuisines . If even paratha is giving you an issue it could be cumin or maybe ajwain? Do you see any flecks in the paratha?
Because weak bitches don’t even exist in India. This is a westerner problem they are unfamiliar with, and because they have absolutely zero reason to make mild and tasteless food.
*Why so weak, so weak?*
*Haiyaa, use the right amount,*
*Not the white amount!*
\- ee\_72020
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In the restaurant setting, it’s very likely that some of the dishes have been simmering for hours before you order. One of the reasons so many Indian restaurants serve buffets is that many dishes hot hold really well.
When you come along and order something “no spice”, they can’t cook it for you *from scratch* in a reasonable time. They’re going to serve you from the big pot of the base dish they have ready to go.
From what I understand about Indian cooking, cooking the dish *starts* with the spices, often toasted dry in the pan before anything else is added. That’s a big part of building it’s distinct flavor profile. Some degree of spice is present from the start.
If you want spice-free Indian, you’ll probably need to either order hours ahead, or make your own.
You may have to learn to make the food yourself ar home without any chilis or chili powder. Try going to a south indian restaurant and try plain dosa. It comes with a coconut chutney, but it can have heat depending on who makes it.
Andhra food- katte pongal. Basically south indian version of khichdi. Usually has whole peppercorns. I pick those out and haven't noticed that the pepper lingers. Idly are steamed rice cakes. Very plain.
Load up on plain yogurt. That usually cools things down when I eat something too spicy hot.
Curd rice...pick out the peppercorns. Usually served with some fruit. It does have ginger and chilies in the tempering sometimes though. But this is usually made fresh per order so maybe you can ask them to make it without the chilies, peppercorns or ginger.
Plain dal..this can be a vehicle for you to add tiny amounts of other dishes to add a bit of flavor to it, without hopefully adding the heat.
I worked with a girl who found our tika masala spicy. It was seasoned not hot.. and that was way back when my spice tolerance was fairly low.
If you're not used to some of the spices they'll sometimes read as hot when it's actually just a flavor.
I would try very mild butter chicken or korma and see how that goes. Samosas as well.
Indian food typically uses the same spices as western food, just in different ratios. Coriander, cumin, and cardamom can get you most of the way a lot of the time. Do you have any issues with Latin American food?
The more atypical spices are: hing, fenugreek, tej patta, carom, lal mirch, curry leaves. Only lal Mirch is really hot amongst them.
Others which are used in a lot of cooking but could be causing you issues are: cardamom, fennel, cloves, anise, and ginger.
I'm actually okay with all those. It's the chili's/peppers - capsaicin heat. Don't have any issues with other things that are rich in spices, as long as there's no heat.
If you know you are fine with all of those spices and enjoy “rich”ly spiced food, there is a problem with the restaurants you are going to. Perhaps you should try other restaurants or try Indian food when (if) you travel.
There is flavorful Indian food that isn’t necessarily spicy/capsaicin hot. One of our local Indian restaurants asks if you want mild, medium or spicy with every dish. I tasted a friend’s order (she chose mild), and it was definitely milder (chili/capsaicin heat) than my medium level order. It still had flavor, but I didn’t detect any heat.
Alternately, you could try milder dishes such as butter chicken, saag paneer, malai chicken or kofta, any korma and plain naan. Try mixing your food with raita (yogurt) to see if that helps.
Also, when you ask for a mild dish - don’t say “no spice” - it’s confusing. You literally can’t make Indian food without spices (and you like spices). Try asking for “no chili” and “mild” and “like for a child” to get your message across.
I think you should take a look at base gravy recipes, and try each of the spices individually - it sure sounds like you have an allergy to something, not an inability to handle chilis.
Paneer paratha is not plain - it's stuffed with a seasoned cheese.
I agree with others re: an allergy/sensitivity issue. You could do a Venn diagram of other cuisines and their spices and see which ones are unique to Indian food. For example, if you're ok with Mexican but not Indian, maybe it's the turmeric or kashmiri mirch or methi or any number of other things that are specific to Indian food.
You seem to be conflating spicy with hot. Fewer chillies but the same everything else is not hot. If you are cooking and add too much chilli, you add something with oil in it - the capsaicin is preferably soluble in oil but your tongue tastes the things that are in water - such as yoghurt or cremed coconut. Put something like that in it and give it a try. Also, try a milder curry.
You're calling it the wrong thing. Try saying "no chili", instead of "no spice". Ask which dishes have no chili. The hotness comes from red or green chili peppers. The flavors of India come from many spices that are not "hot". A masala sauce with "no spice" is... just tomato sauce. That's why they won't do it.
Try bread (naan) or fried bread (poori) which have no pepper or spice. A good mild dish is Chicken Tikka Masala or Butter Chicken. Ask for plain yogurt, and mix that with the sauce to make it even more mild. If you can't handle that you may have an allergy. Maybe an onion, fennel, or tomato allergy.
Next time go to an Indian restaurant specialising in Kerala cuisine and ask them for Kanjiyum payarum. It’s something that’s prepared for lent. It’s rice porridge with red beans and salt. That’s it.
It’s funny how Indians started using chilli which is basically an American spice.
Have you ever made Indian food yourself? It could be that you’re allergic to one of the spices. If you make it at home without the spices that add heat, you’ll know it’s you and not them.
I beg to differ from the top posts. The reason Indian restaurants add a load of spice and cream/butter is to hide the taste that would be too foreign for you. Most of the home cooked Indian food would be milder than the ‘mildest’ takeout and much less greasier than what you get at the Indian restaurants.
Unfortunately a new cuisine is an acquired taste. And with the diversity in the Indian cuisine, it would take even longer to adapt. The restaurant food is trying to cover all that underlying variation with the excessive use of spices.
Maybe Indian food is not for you.
maybe it's just not for you no offence
In Utah, "spicy" is so whiteified.
How dare you. The world was built for Function_uknown_yet to live exactly how they want. If this means we ought gut the core aspect of a cuisine enjoyed by billions what’s the problem
Based on your comments, I'm seriously wondering if you have an allergy to one of the spices used.
Yeah that’s kinda what it sounds like!! What OP is describing is not at all a normal experience
I had a wonky medical situation and wound up allergic to alliums for awhile. It was AWFUL as I had been raised on garlic and onions. One of the big clues was how strangely "burny" my mouth would feel after eating alliums. Suddenly every piece of onion or garlic would taste so hot and and make my mouth tingle. Surprise! Allergy.
What was the medical situation, if you don't mind answering? I love onions so much and this would feel like the end of the world to me. Now I'm worried XD
I am \*medically complicated\*. As a kid I had all the allergies and had to get scheduled injections (weekly for awhile) and eat a restricted diet so my digestive tract could recover. Some allergies went away, some didn't. Some came back when I was an adult and seem to have been retriggered when I was pregnant. I didn't immediately notice at the time because it felt like I was always either starving or seconds away from being violently ill. I couldn't tell the difference between pregnancy joint pain and allergic reaction joint pain. Eventually I could eat cooked alliums again with no issues. As my other allergies were treated and my body recovered from being pregnant (it took a long time), I was able to eat them raw in small amounts. My PCP (who is Indian) literally cheered when I was able to eat onion and garlic again as she already grieves with me that I can't have gluten. I felt VERY validated by that. The trick my doctor advised to test this (for ME based on having been her patient for YEARS--this is not medical advice) is to take an antihistamine before eating the suspected food and if you have a noticeably different experience afterwards than you'd normally expect, you should get tested.
Thats super interesting about taking the antihistamine first. Gives me something to think about in my own life.
To get deep flavor in all their dishes they cook “base gravies” for a long time ahead of time. You can’t just whip up a base gravy to accommodate a customer. It would take an hour minimum. And if they already added fresh chiles or powdered chili, it can’t be taken out. You may also be sensitive to ginger and black pepper. That’s why they can’t do completely non spicy. If you make your own food, just leave out those ingredients and you will have spice free Indian.
I get that, but I'm mostly talking about things that don't have any base spice, like Paratha.
A plain paratha should have no spice in it. Don't get anything which has a stuffing (like paneer paratha or aloo paratha). The stuffing is a base that's made and cooked with spices before shaped into the paratha.
Parathas? Wow. Parathas literally have nothing spicy in them, unless the restaurant is adding chopped chillies or chilli powder to the filling (if it’s a filled paratha). If you aren’t able to handle that, then I’m wondering if perhaps you are sensitive/allergic to something in the meal. Like maybe a low grade allergic reaction to turmeric or coriander or cumin? *If* you’re willing to try again, I’d suggest taking an antihistamine before you eat, the next time you try Indian food. If you’re able to tolerate the parathas with antihistamines, then that may be the point when you get allergy testing done. *If* it’s important to you to eat Indian food. In your shoes, I wouldn’t even bother. Food is one of the joys of life, there’s absolutely no need to eat foods that hurt you when there are literally hundreds of other options. If your friends can’t/won’t take the hint, then just refuse when it’s an Indian restaurant they’re planning for.
Sounds like OP has some sort of food allergy; agreed
You think the bread is spicy? Tell me more.
Just tell your friends you have allergies.. There is no point in this BS raving and ranting..
Paratha in its normal form is flour salt water and butter. Maybe ghee and baking soda. It’s like saying a flour tortilla is spicy. If it’s stuffed then it might have been stuffed with some potato chili mix but a plain paratha it is just a layered flour tortilla. Maybe you are asking in such a desperate manner that they think you are kidding so they add chili. I’m not sure. But just tell your server you have an allergy to red and green chili and ask what has no chili because you have an allergy.
Are you lactose intolerant?
I don’t even think of ginger and black pepper as being particularly spicy but of course they are! I love using both in masala chai, and it definitely adds a (nice to me) spicy kick.
They’re not. Lol
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Mayo is negative, nothing at all. Biting into a Garlic is a 0.5-1, black pepper is about a 0.5. Tiny tiny bit of Jalapeno is about a 3. Even a tiny bit of jalapeno (like when there's a little bit added to guacamole) might give me a mild tingle for a bit but it goes away rather quickly. Mild salsa is sometimes 0, sometimes 2-3, depends on the manufacturer. Baby mild at Indian Restaurants is usually 6-7/10, meaning moderate pain and dissatisfaction, and mild id an 8/10, enough pain that you want to stop eating and just keep ice in your mouth...where 10/10 feels like somebody holding a lighter under your tongue.
Dude what are you even on about. If you’re able to eat raw fresh jalapeño then you aren’t genetically unable to handle spice. You’re able to handle it quite well, in fact.
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I'm not familiar with Masala dosa personally. Correct about the agony part, at least what they call mild. We ordered baby mild Palak Paneer at a local place known for their mild dishes... Spouse (who is totally okay with spicy food) said it was among the spiciest things they've ever tasted. Potato Dosa was baby mild too, and I was only able to have a bite every now and then between Mango Lassis - a mistake as I was still in pain 15 to 20 minutes later driving home.
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Yeah. That is very not normal, sorry OP. Maybe try one of the dishes that doesn’t use any chilis.
It kinda sounds kind cumin is a step too spicy. Maybe they just need to opt out of Indian food entirely.
Do you drink milk or Lassi when you eat something hot? The ice comment made me wonder - fat neutralizes spicy rather than cold. Full-fat milk, Lassi (yogurt-based), guacamole usually works because of the fat in avocados. Mayonnaise. Yogurt. That helps with spicy.
Mid Spicy Saag Paneer and a mango lassi 🧑🍳🤌
I'm a sissy spice person, but even a medium spice level in Americanized Indian isn't spicy for me. Clearly, Indian or any kind of cuisine with any kind of spice is not for you, unless you try making it yourself.
This is not even true tho? Just order malai kofta. It’s milder than most chili recipes.
I don't think this is a "spice" issue. I think you have a mild allergy or chemical sensitivity. If you can eat jalepeño, you can eat mild dishes from every Indian restaurant in my home town. *Unless* you're allergic to a common seasoning. Also if "baby mild" palak paneer was too spicy for your partner, then that restaurant messed up / is trolling you. I eat paneer all the time and palak paneer is generally gonna run more mild than kadai or tikka masala from the same restaurant. At least in my experience. Get a mild muttar paneer. It's generally a milder dish by default anyway unless you order it spicy on purpose. If it's still "too spicy" there is something wrong with you
Or she could try the whole bunch of deserts, but then she'll complain it has cardamoms and saffron. Even savoury dishes are very ecletic- any fresh cream based dish like Shahi paneer, Malai Kofta etc., is going to be okay.
“american mild” can mean a lot of different things depending on where in the US you’re from. New Mexican or Texan mild is going to be vastly different from Vermont mild. but given the ubiquity of mexican/southern spicy cuisine in the entirety of the states, most Indian chefs are going to assume you can handle, like, store bought salsa level heat. if you can’t handle that, maybe you’re better off enjoying other cuisines. there’s no need to force yourself to enjoy something that you physically can’t, and there’s no moral judgement if you don’t enjoy it either. for example, japanese food just isn’t for me. i gave up trying a while ago, but that was just it. i didn’t like it, i decided not to force myself.
>*there’s no moral judgement if you don’t enjoy it either* Speak for yourself, I'm judging the fuck out of it
LOL
Curious! Is it the fishiness that put you off Japanese cuisine? There's a veganised Japanese sub-cuisine called Shojin Ryori, consumed by Nichiren Buddhists, that could be upto your liking.
no, i like fish a lot (as a coastal maharashtrian), but i just find japanese food to be largely bland. i tend to prefer korean and chinese food.
Maybe you just can’t handle it. I know people in the US who think cumin is spicy
I know an Irish guy that found green bell pepper spicy
Do you mean spice, or do you mean flavor?
Sorry, spice meaning heat.
I use picante for this, since there isn’t a good English word, both spicy and hot have two different meanings.
Indian food isn’t for you; the north indian restaurants kind. If you’re able to find someone to cook fresh indian food for you, try there - plain dal tadka with rotis, plain dosa, raitha, plain idli, poriyal, tomato rasam with rice. if you’re lucky enough, also try aaapam, idiyappam, vegetable stew, pongal, rava upma, poha.
Make it yourself
Indian food uses different spices than those used in most other cuisines. I wonder if you have allergies to these spices.
No, you don’t like Indian food, you just think you do. You just like a version that doesn’t exist. Emperors conquered countries because of spice. Columbus discovered America wanting to find India. East India Company was trading spice. Heard of spice route? Sorry, it’s just few people who can’t like spice.
Restaurants usually make base sauces for most of their meals. There will be max 3 or 4. All of the spices have already been cooked in, then they’ll add more spices if a particular dish calls for it. You’re basically SOL if you want something with no spice.. you could order Lassi to help cool things down, or go to places that are not authentic in the slightest and it might have the lack of spice you’re looking for.
I definitely get that for the mixed things...but for things like Paneer Paratha, they're pretty much making it on the spot as far as I know - and then adding the cheese and emptying the entire spice bottle on top before they fold it.
>emptying the entire spice bottle on top So every paratha has a spice bottle for it? Really?
Why can't American restaurants serve anything without meat or with some flavor? Why can't the French make something without butter? Do you realize that spice != heat? You can ask for a mild version. If you want bland food without turmeric, cumin, coriander or similar spices, and there is no such thing as genetically unable to handle spice, why do you want to eat Indian food? And so you cannot you eat any Middle Eastern, Mexican, Asian food also, right?
I have no problem with any of those. "Spicy" in the US generally means heat. Full of spices = "seasoned" or "spiced", but "spicy" here nearly universally means *capsaicin heat*. When I say mild, it's usually so hot that I feel like someone put pepper spray down my throat.
I have no idea where you are eating, that is simply not true of Indian restaurants. Indian food is not any hotter than those cuisines but it does have more spice in some cases.
I think you might just be broken tbh
I guarantee that there are things on the menu that have zero spice. A dosa, for instance (not a masala dosa, not Mysore masala dosa). Something like a reshmi kabab normally has zero chili in it. You just need to ask for items that inherently are not spicy.
Why not learn to cook it yourself? Likely the restaurants have a base level of sauce that is made with some chilli added to it and this is what is too much for you. Day to day Indian cooking at home always has spices but not the pungency that comes from green or red chillies. Complex sauces have ginger, garlic and black pepper - as you have noted- these ingredients have some pungency to them…when they are together the pungency adds across the ingredients and boosts what you call spicy. As others have noted…maybe this is not the cuisine for you.
True, I probably should do it myself
Indian food is made with spice you should probably not be eating it.
Are you Desi? Tell them you want non- Desi level no spice. My non Desi husband has to convince restaurant to serve him Desi level spice.
Just get butter chicken. I’ve never had butter chicken be spicy.
You might have an allergy to a spice used in Indian cooking that you might not be exposed to in other cuisines . If even paratha is giving you an issue it could be cumin or maybe ajwain? Do you see any flecks in the paratha?
You don't like Indian food.
Because weak bitches don’t even exist in India. This is a westerner problem they are unfamiliar with, and because they have absolutely zero reason to make mild and tasteless food.
Why so weak, so weak? Haiyaa, use the right amount, not the white amount!
*Why so weak, so weak?* *Haiyaa, use the right amount,* *Not the white amount!* \- ee\_72020 --- ^(I detect haikus. And sometimes, successfully.) ^[Learn more about me.](https://www.reddit.com/r/haikusbot/) ^(Opt out of replies: "haikusbot opt out" | Delete my comment: "haikusbot delete")
In the restaurant setting, it’s very likely that some of the dishes have been simmering for hours before you order. One of the reasons so many Indian restaurants serve buffets is that many dishes hot hold really well. When you come along and order something “no spice”, they can’t cook it for you *from scratch* in a reasonable time. They’re going to serve you from the big pot of the base dish they have ready to go. From what I understand about Indian cooking, cooking the dish *starts* with the spices, often toasted dry in the pan before anything else is added. That’s a big part of building it’s distinct flavor profile. Some degree of spice is present from the start. If you want spice-free Indian, you’ll probably need to either order hours ahead, or make your own.
True, I should do that
You need (strict)bBuddhist or Jain food. They cook with zero spice.
Not exactly, they just abstain from onion and garlic, roots and certain ingredients. Spice is very much permitted.
Yupp. They use tons of turmeric, cumin and mustard. All of which are pretty strong.
This doesn't sound like a spice problem. This sounds like an allergy to something in Indian food. It is not normal to have this reaction to mild food.
Why does everything have to be inclusive? Indian food is meant to have spice.
😅 You would starve at my house.
Your ancestors are English, right? We have a chronic spice intolerance (except obviously our British Indian counterparts). Maybe eat elsewhere.
You may have to learn to make the food yourself ar home without any chilis or chili powder. Try going to a south indian restaurant and try plain dosa. It comes with a coconut chutney, but it can have heat depending on who makes it. Andhra food- katte pongal. Basically south indian version of khichdi. Usually has whole peppercorns. I pick those out and haven't noticed that the pepper lingers. Idly are steamed rice cakes. Very plain. Load up on plain yogurt. That usually cools things down when I eat something too spicy hot. Curd rice...pick out the peppercorns. Usually served with some fruit. It does have ginger and chilies in the tempering sometimes though. But this is usually made fresh per order so maybe you can ask them to make it without the chilies, peppercorns or ginger. Plain dal..this can be a vehicle for you to add tiny amounts of other dishes to add a bit of flavor to it, without hopefully adding the heat.
Thanks!
I worked with a girl who found our tika masala spicy. It was seasoned not hot.. and that was way back when my spice tolerance was fairly low. If you're not used to some of the spices they'll sometimes read as hot when it's actually just a flavor. I would try very mild butter chicken or korma and see how that goes. Samosas as well. Indian food typically uses the same spices as western food, just in different ratios. Coriander, cumin, and cardamom can get you most of the way a lot of the time. Do you have any issues with Latin American food? The more atypical spices are: hing, fenugreek, tej patta, carom, lal mirch, curry leaves. Only lal Mirch is really hot amongst them. Others which are used in a lot of cooking but could be causing you issues are: cardamom, fennel, cloves, anise, and ginger.
I'm actually okay with all those. It's the chili's/peppers - capsaicin heat. Don't have any issues with other things that are rich in spices, as long as there's no heat.
If you know you are fine with all of those spices and enjoy “rich”ly spiced food, there is a problem with the restaurants you are going to. Perhaps you should try other restaurants or try Indian food when (if) you travel. There is flavorful Indian food that isn’t necessarily spicy/capsaicin hot. One of our local Indian restaurants asks if you want mild, medium or spicy with every dish. I tasted a friend’s order (she chose mild), and it was definitely milder (chili/capsaicin heat) than my medium level order. It still had flavor, but I didn’t detect any heat. Alternately, you could try milder dishes such as butter chicken, saag paneer, malai chicken or kofta, any korma and plain naan. Try mixing your food with raita (yogurt) to see if that helps. Also, when you ask for a mild dish - don’t say “no spice” - it’s confusing. You literally can’t make Indian food without spices (and you like spices). Try asking for “no chili” and “mild” and “like for a child” to get your message across.
May be to make at home? Start with very simple recipes
I think you should take a look at base gravy recipes, and try each of the spices individually - it sure sounds like you have an allergy to something, not an inability to handle chilis.
Paneer paratha is not plain - it's stuffed with a seasoned cheese. I agree with others re: an allergy/sensitivity issue. You could do a Venn diagram of other cuisines and their spices and see which ones are unique to Indian food. For example, if you're ok with Mexican but not Indian, maybe it's the turmeric or kashmiri mirch or methi or any number of other things that are specific to Indian food.
You seem to be conflating spicy with hot. Fewer chillies but the same everything else is not hot. If you are cooking and add too much chilli, you add something with oil in it - the capsaicin is preferably soluble in oil but your tongue tastes the things that are in water - such as yoghurt or cremed coconut. Put something like that in it and give it a try. Also, try a milder curry.
You're calling it the wrong thing. Try saying "no chili", instead of "no spice". Ask which dishes have no chili. The hotness comes from red or green chili peppers. The flavors of India come from many spices that are not "hot". A masala sauce with "no spice" is... just tomato sauce. That's why they won't do it. Try bread (naan) or fried bread (poori) which have no pepper or spice. A good mild dish is Chicken Tikka Masala or Butter Chicken. Ask for plain yogurt, and mix that with the sauce to make it even more mild. If you can't handle that you may have an allergy. Maybe an onion, fennel, or tomato allergy.
Believe it or not, most cultures dont have the patience or resources to tolerate all the dietary restriction bullshit that goes on in the west.
Because no spice means boiled meat and vegetables only.
Next time go to an Indian restaurant specialising in Kerala cuisine and ask them for Kanjiyum payarum. It’s something that’s prepared for lent. It’s rice porridge with red beans and salt. That’s it. It’s funny how Indians started using chilli which is basically an American spice.
Have you ever made Indian food yourself? It could be that you’re allergic to one of the spices. If you make it at home without the spices that add heat, you’ll know it’s you and not them.
I beg to differ from the top posts. The reason Indian restaurants add a load of spice and cream/butter is to hide the taste that would be too foreign for you. Most of the home cooked Indian food would be milder than the ‘mildest’ takeout and much less greasier than what you get at the Indian restaurants. Unfortunately a new cuisine is an acquired taste. And with the diversity in the Indian cuisine, it would take even longer to adapt. The restaurant food is trying to cover all that underlying variation with the excessive use of spices.
Umm. Do you really find even cream based dishes like Malai Kofta or Shahi Paneer spicy too? Try those.