I’ve been tagged by June, over at her blog She Talks Like June. I now have the task of compiling a list of Indian foods that I love, and hate. So, here goes….let’s get the pleasantries out of the way first.
Indian Foods I Love
I love most Indian foods, especially curries. However, I’ve listed the simple foods that I could happily eat all day, every day!
- Aloo ka bhaji — Aloo (potato) is my favourite food. Therefore, you can imagine my delight when I discovered aloo ka bhaji. After learning how to make it from my mother-in-law, I ate it non-stop for days. It’s still the main Indian dish that I cook when I want to eat something quick and tasty. Sometimes I add gobi (cauliflower) and bandh gobi (cabbage) to it as well.
www.flickr.com user Charles Haynes
- Paratha — There’s nothing better than a piping hot fresh, flaky paratha. Enough said!
www.flickr.com user Charles Haynes
- South Indian Style Vegetable Biryani — I love the way they serve biriyani in Kerala. Instead of all the ingredients being combined together, the rice is on the outside and juicy vegetables are on the inside.
Mmmm...so many gulab jamins!
- Gulab Jamin — This has to be my favourite Indian desert.
Vada pav at Aksa Beach, Mumbai.
- Vada Pav — Known as the Indian burger, the vada pav is a classic Bombay snack. It’s made out of spicy deep friend potatoes, so no wonder I love it!
Aloo ka bhaji.
Indian Foods I Really Don’t Like
I’m not going to post pictures of these foods, because I don’t want to add to my feelings of distaste for them!
- Idlis and Sambar — funnily enough, the food that I wrote about in the post that was responsible for me getting tagged, I don’t even like! Idlis and sambar, what can I say? A favourite breakfast food in south India, but how can anyone seriously enjoy it for breakfast? I find idlis to be tasteless and somewhat soggy. Sambar is like a watery, spicy soup. After eating it for breakfast, I have a burning sensation in my stomach for hours.
- Indian Breakfasts — Idlis and sambar aside, I have to admit I’m not keen on Indian breakfasts in general. Chappatis, curry, chutney, pickles — it’s like eating dinner all over again! I have adapted somewhat, and have even been known to cook palak parathas (spinach parathas) on occasion. I’ve also made chappatis and aloo ka bhaji for breakfast, but I’d prefer an omelet, porridge, or peanut butter on toast any day!
- Animal Body Parts — I don’t mind eating meat, but I draw the line at body parts. Sucking the marrow out of a bone, chomping on a fish head, chewing on a cow udder. Yuk! I find it even more troubling that I’m usually offered these delicacies as a treat. Fortunately, my sister-in-law has come to know how I feel and she happily grabs lamb kidneys and liver off my plate, before I even get a chance to poke at it in disgust.
- Dahi (Curd) — I’m not much of a fan of milk products, especially ones that are fermented. The smell of curd makes me want to vomit. I’m quite repulsed by the way Indians love gulping it down after a spicy meal. I’ll use curd sometimes in Indian cooking, but the rest of the time — please keep it away from me!
- Pan — Why would you want to eat something that makes you want to spit? Disgusting. There are two different types of pan in India, and I don’t find either of them very appealing. There’s masala pan, which comes dried in a packet, and is the culprit for the red spit stains all over streets and buildings in India. There’s also fresh pan — with betel nut, lime, and various other ingredients — wrapped up in a betel nut leaf. It’s somewhat better, but not something I’m keen to eat again!
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{ 44 comments… read them below or add one }
You hate idli and sambar
. May be you should try it in original MTR in B’lore it will change your opinion.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mavalli_Tiffin_Room
“Gulab Jamin” has to be “Gulab Jamun”
. Good post. May be i’ll make some next week 
mouth watering pics
Yum!
Have you tried poha for breakfast? It’s beaten rice flakes with onions, spices, peanuts, cilantro, etc. I can give you a recipe. It’s pretty breakfast-y to this American! In India I like yogurt, fruit, and cereal for breakfast–that is what my in-laws typically eat. I just don’t get it when my husband puts hot milk on his cereal, because then it gets so soggy!
I love fresh paan! I miss it.
“Why would you want to eat something that makes you want to spit? Disgusting” Well said! I loved your list of yummy simplehome foods like aloo bhaja and paratha.
I love vada pav too, and I guess you wont be eating bheja fry at bade miyan anytime soon.
PGB – I’ll definitely go there if/when I visit Bangalore, let’s see if it can change my opinion! And can you please send some gulab jamun my way!!
D – I have tried poha actually, and it’s not bad at all! I could quite happily eat it. It would be good if you could send me a recipe. I’ll email you. Oh, you’ll laugh but I don’t put milk on cereal either. I always eat it plain!! I’m not into soggy food at all.
June – For sure, count me out on revolting bheja fry!!
Hey Sharell,
Since you like potatoes you might want to try Kashmiri Dam Aloo (The original dam aloo is different from what you get in the restaurants).. Very spicy and delicious… If you need the receipe I can email it to you.
Monika
Sharell, I thought of another really good Indian breakfast food–upma! We buy a mix that comes with the spices and everything already in it. Or you could make sooji, which is also a kind of cream of wheat, except sweet.
I wrote a post about the Indian foods I love/hate, and also put in a recipe for poha for you:
http://metrolandmiscellany.blogspot.com/2009/06/love-hate-and-poha.html
Kashmiri dum aloo sounds yum!
Thanks for the poha recipe D. I’ll definitely try it!
here is ur recepie….
http://cooks.ndtv.com/showonlyrecipe.asp?cond=category&category=Vegetarian
oops you need to click on the Dum Aloo link on the left hand side menu strip.
Thanks so much! It looks like I’ve got some cooking to do!
I agree with you that eating the same foods for breakfast that you had for dinner the night before is not my idea of breakfast either, but one of my favorite things is achar(pickle), chipatti, and yogurt(I guess that’s what you call “curd”)–such simple, tasty and humble food. And my half Indian, American raised daughters won’t eat Indian food without homemade yogurt!
Okay,
try these:
Kati Kabab
Kulcha bread
Seekh Kabab
Chicken Makhani /Chicken Tikka Masala
Chole (chickpeas)
For breakfast, Aloo Paratha or Gobi Paratha
For dessert:
Gajjar ka Halwa (served hot with almond slices and ONLY if you like carrots)
Kheer – Rice pudding
If you don’t like those you’re crazy!
Am happy to know I’m not crazy!! I love all of those things except the desserts. I’m just not a big fan of Indian desserts and sweets really. I’ll eat them, but not out of preference. Give me a piping hot chocolate pudding or brownie any day!!
I remember the first time I saw my husband (born in Mumbai, now living with me in the States) suck the marrow out of the bone when eating mutton! I asked him what he was doing and was completely disgusted when I found out….the thought of it made me gag. Other then that….I have not found many indian dishes that I don’t like!
I agree, it’s totally revolting. My husband’s family love it! I have to walk away when my husband starts picking up the bones!! It makes me want to gag too.
I’m surprised to hear Orissans eating meat like that. I thought they only ate fish. Were your husband’s family vegetarian or veggies + fish eaters back in their Oriya village and switched it up in Mumbai?
(accidently posted this somewhere else)
Apparently, they eat mostly fish in Orissa but other meat as well. His family have been in Mumbai for around 40 years, so that’s probably why they’re eating a lot more other types of meat now. But they do cook A LOT of fish, shrimp, crab. Chicken is eaten regularly. Mutton is for special occasions, and my mother in law makes a renowned mutton curry.
I doubt you would like idli even in MTR. It may be better than the idli and sambhar you ate somewhere but not that good because of the specific way they make idli in Bangalore and Chennai. Idli is good only south of Madurai in Tamil nadu where they make it firm and soft. North of Madurai in TN and in other states the idli is grainy and it really causes nausea. I never touch idli in any restaurant in Chennai except Murugan Idli Shop where they make idli in Madurai style.
So glad I am not the only one who doesn’t like idli and sambhar (by the end of my time in India I was eating 50% western breakfast food)…although I did have good idli in KL, oddly enough…just never liked it in India.
Hi Shaan, I think I agree with you!
Idli just doesn’t appeal to my taste buds at all. It’s just really flavourless. And I don’t feel like eating hot spicy sambar for breakfast with it! If I’m ever down south of Madurai I’ll give the idli there a try though — you never know, it could make me change my mind! 
Evil Cathy, don’t worry, I also know an Indian guy from Tamil Nadu who doesn’t like Idli either. That really surprised me!
I love all Indian food even the chillied ones as long as it dont mess my tummy up.
Would you even like this khiri??: http://www.whiteindianhousewife.com/2009/05/udderly-delicious-not/
If I had to eat that cow udder thing, I’d have to start eating insects as well cause they say it contains good protein for body building.
Cathy, you don’t like Idli? Why? I was about to make some for you! Just for you!
No more udder talk please! Yuccckkkk!
Sorry Ramit I wont talk about udder ever again. Now how about some spicy fried scorpions, steamed beetles or locust curry? I think we should give it a thought.
Ewwwwww! And I just had dinner!
Seriously, do people eat all that?
Sorry yaar, I apologize. Just like Shaunak says, I shall never repeat this again.
ROFL!
Ha!
Shaunak must be pretty mad at me for using his lines. So to be respectful to Shaunak, if you are reading this buddy. I realized that I made a mistake and now I feel sorry. I apologize to everybody here including Claudia.
Dude! You’re too much!
Funny though.
But let me tell you, he’s not apologising any more. He’s back to being vicious. Run for your lives!!! 
Sharell I cant believe you dont like idli and sambar!! ME TOO!! They make me feel soooooo bloated afterwards…uggh!
Yaay! Another idli hater!!
Hate is a horrendous word. Things that you may like may be horrible for anyone. I will say now, How can you eat tasteless food like boliled/grilled chicken with any marination on a bread bun whihc incidentally does not have any taste at all? how can you eat raw veggies? hwo can you eat that bloody stinking tuna?? it stinks horrendously? how can you eat steak? it is like eating the tire of a car after it was droven for 100 miles? becuase it is tasty to you and we donot eat that. We respect your food and we hope you respect others. Please. . .
Huh? You say that you respect our food but you just insulted it! Each to their own. No one says you have to like western food.
i have fallen deeply in love with the curries, paneer curries, chicken curries and ramoli rotis i cannot have enough!…..butter chicken is really my weakness along with rotis and a good chopped onion with lemons! uh uh oh my!
OMG you hate idli? Have you tried rava idli? they are made from rava (not sure of the hindi word, maybe it is still rava.. erm, I just know it as cream of wheat)… and then there is a bunch of cilantro cooked in, too. much more flavorful, not that sour taste some idli have.. and generally you just eat the rava idli with chutney and not sambhar.
what about dosa? since you like aloo, do you enjoy a lovely masala dosa? I would kill for one right now
other good breakfast options… hmmm… lemon rice (chitranna) or some nice upma (which I think someone else also suggested). I also love a nice ragi roti with chutney. Oh boy, I am a southie, hunh? Do people in other areas of india eat ragi?
ps, I guess since you don’t love curd, that curd rice is out of the question, eh?
good insight
vada pav (also called sada[waste] pav) can be harmful to your health if ate in excess
gulab jamuns are delicious especially that of my mother i say they are the best in the world , million times better than what you have ate (not boasting and no offence) , my mother makes the sweet syrup with utmost care and patience and dips the jamuns in it for atleast 45 minutes , the ones you eat are hardly dipped for 10 – 15 minutes and if they are not found to be sweet they are showered with sugar crystals (ewwwwwwwwww)
if u dont like idli then cut it and fry it in oil and u get idli fry , have it with sauce its quite good
and about pan and curd , i hate pan too but its good for digestion, yes thats true so is curd which i eat occasionally
sometimes even i cant digest indian food as it be horribly bitter and boring , many a times my mom tells me ‘ you should have been born in england or france’ which i find annoying lol
“…my mom tells me ‘ you should have been born in england or france’ which i find annoying…”
Then, you would have surely craved Indian food, “Tikka Masala” is one of the national food in U.K.