I think one of the main reasons why many are hesitant to travel in India is the food. The power of reading will really get to your nerves. I have read a couple of the negative reviews that often mentioned the famous Delhi Belly – in case you have not heard of this famous term, it literally means diarrhea that is contracted in India by tourists!
May it be the spices or the aromatics that may cause it, I know for a certain that those who are not a fan of spicy food may opt to not go to India any time soon.
To be honest, I was also a tad worried about trying out some of their dishes – I even bring my comfort food (noodles) as a backup.
As a travel enthusiast, I still found myself on a flight heading over to India! After all, I cannot let a simple review scare me from discovering the world! Most especially, India!
Of course, before starting this delicious gastronomy journey, it is important for me to mention how do you not get the Delhi Belly? Well, given that I am not an expert, here are some of the main tips that I learned throughout my journey as well as through the experiences of family and friends:
- Avoid eating street food – yes, street food is truly delicious but it is also the main source of bacteria.
- Do not consume anything with ice – certain stall owners use contaminated water that can easily give you all sorts of microbes that will require medical help or medications.
- Do not eat raw vegetables or products – If you do not want to get diarrhea, make sure to always do your best to intake thoroughly cooked food, because cooking removes all microbes.
Do not let the fear of Indian food stop you from discovering such a beautiful destination! If you do let fear get to you, you will be missing a lot of cultural and historical beauty!
During my stay, I was able to try out a couple of Indian dishes that may or may not be already famous. Given that I was worried before heading over to the country, I thought about giving my honest opinion about some of the dishes that I was able to try out!
1. Naan
My favorite of all the dishes that I have tasted would be the Naan, an Indian Bread found in every Indian cuisine.
It is a thin flat bread exploding with buttery flavor.
The best part? The garlic butter Naan! As I write this blog, I’m already craving for this!
This is definitely a must try!
2. Butter Chicken
The Butter Chicken – it left me wanting more. Simply from the title itself, who wouldn’t love butter? Along with chicken? That sounds flavourful!
As someone who tasted it first-handed in one of the cities of India, I can surely say that it was bursting with flavour to the point that you wouldn’t even realize that the Chef added some spices. As for the chicken, it was amazingly tender and soft that upon taking one bite of it – the chicken simply melted into my taste palette without having to exert a lot of effort to chew.
The Butter Chicken is best paired with Biryani Rice; a long grain rice with a side dish of a variety of vegetables!
I am still worried about trying out other Indian dishes made by the locals, but after having to try out the two dishes that I have mentioned above, it is without doubt that I will be returning to India after COVID-19 to try out their other recipes.