If, every time you are at an Indian restaurant, you find yourself ordering butter chicken and garlic naan, then this article is specifically dedicated to you. Yes, butter chicken and garlic naan are two of the most delicious Indian dishes on this planet, but if you are bored of ordering the same things over and over again, don’t despair. Indian cuisine has so much more to offer, and while of course, the diversity of homecooked Indian food is unparalleled, Indian restaurants in Hong Kong have been doing an increasingly commendable job of representing the immense plurality of Indian, or rather, South Asian, cuisine. So, we have brought you a guide to alternative Indian dishes to try that might be less popular but definitely not less delicious than their more famous counterparts.
Read more: How Black Sheep Restaurants brings a slice of royal India to Prince and the Peacock
Instead of crispy dosa, try uttapam
Among South Indian cuisine, uttapam is a must-try item (Photo: Getty Images)
Crispy, flaky dosa dipped in sambar, with some onion chutney for good measure…it’s hard to come by a person who doesn’t like this combination. But you can get a similar flavour profile from uttapam, which technically is a kind of dosa—being made with the same fermented rice batter (like dosa)—but instead of dosa’s crepe-like texture, it’s more like a pancake with fresh onion, tomato and coriander leaves, and with a generous sprinkling of gunpowder masala—the last ingredient is optional.
In Hong Kong, you can get your hands on delectable uttapam at Sangeetha Vegetarian Restaurant in TST, which also serves a tomato-only uttapam for vegetarians who don’t partake in onion or garlic.
Instead of biryani, try prawn thecha rice
Biryani might have originated in erstwhile Persia, but Indians have made it their own and how! Today, one can get biryani in all possible variants, with meat, without meat, spicy or non-spicy. But seafood lovers might instead like to try prawn thecha rice, a rice dish with prawns, garlic, green chilli, caramelised onions and spices. Thecha is a popular condiment found in the Indian state of Maharashtra, and it’s characterised by its spicy, garlicky flavours—which this particular dish promises to deliver fully.
In Hong Kong, chef Manav Tuli at Leela serves up a hearty plate of prawn thecha rice, which you must try the next time craving Indian food.
Instead of chicken sheek kebab, try chapli kebab
Indian food has countless hidden gems, and chapli kebab is one of them (Photo: Getty Images)
While chicken sheek kebab is fairly easily available in Hong Kong, chapli kebab is more difficult to get your hands on. Like the sheek, it’s a minced meat kebab too, but while the former looks like a cigar thanks to its cylindrical shape, chapli kebab is flatter, like a coin, but larger. Originating from Pakistan, it’s usually made with beef or lamb and mixed with spices such as cumin, coriander, chilli powder and more. Prince and the Peacock nails it with its twice cooked—griddled and fried—version.
Instead of samosa, try chicken roll
As far as Indian snacks go, samosa—savoury, meat-or-veggie-stuffed, fried dumplings—are hard to beat, but we’re not trying to beat it, we are advocating for a peaceful coexistence of samosa and chicken roll. In concept, it has points of similarity with the samosa, both have meat and veggie filling inside and are wrapped with bread made of flour on the outside, but while the samosa is deep fried, the chicken roll is more like a taco or burrito. Try the one at Bengal Brothers—we promise it’s going to be a full meal.
Instead of garlic naan, try laccha paratha
Laccha paratha with butter in pan—a delectable alternative to garlic naan (Photo: Getty Images)
Garlic naan is staple for many Hongkongers while having Indian food, but may we coax you to try laccha paratha once? Laccha paratha is a kind of flatbread similar to naan but it’s flakier than naan, offering a nice, mildly crispy texture. You can get this bread in lots of Indian restaurants in the city, but we especially like the jeera hari mirch laccha paratha—cumin and green chilli flatbread—at Kailash Parbat. Pair with a simple dal tadka (lentil soup with garlic) to let the paratha’s flavours shine.
Instead of mango lassi, try nimbu soda
Feeling heavy after having Indian food? Sip nimbu soda and enjoy a blast of freshness (Photo: Getty Images)
Mango lassi is the quintessential summer drink for many of us, but it is a rather heavy beverage. For something lighter, try nimbu soda, which means fresh lime soda. You can make this at home: buy soda and add some lime juice—and for that Indian pizzazz, a pinch of chaat masala. Or you could go up to the Peak and cool down with one of these fizzy bevvies at Rajasthan Rifles.
Instead of butter chicken, try lobster champagne curry
Okay, lobster champagne curry is not common among Indian food, but if you’re in the mood to combine fine dining with a hearty meal, head to Chaat for its lobster champagne curry, whose caramelised tomato sauce and Kashmiri chilli spice will offer a somewhat similar profile to butter chicken’s gravy, but the lobster and champagne add a sweet luxurious spin that is not usually associated with an everyday Indian meal.
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