I'm new to Indian food, and I'm confused about how I should use all the different dishes in combination.

Question

My Fiance and I went to a wonderful little Indian place in the town where we live, and this was only the second or third time I've been to an Indian food place. I'm not entirely sure how to eat the food because there are so many different dishes! I don't want to muddle the flavor, or combine things that aren't meant to be combined. We got three dishes with different sauces, one was green and spicy (chutney?) one was red, and had onions I think, and the other was dark brown and vaguely sweet. Our main dishes were a red-skinned chicken, a curry chicken dish, and a dish that was similar to the chicken dish, except with Tofu. We also had a flat bread of some sort, and a sort of vegetable fritter (which came first as the appetizer), and of course we had a nice plate of communal rice. Can someone tell what the best way to eat this combination would have been? What should go with what, how should I eat it (place it on rice? Mix with other things?), and are there any customs I should follow?

Answer 1

No hard and fast rules. In fact each bite is supposed to be different, so make whatever combos you want while you eat. Indians believe in eating five flavours at each meal. (bitter, sweet, spicy, sour and citrus) so everything is served to gather in a big plate. You may eat one bite of flat bread with chicken followed by another with vegetables. You may eat fritters or sweets between the morsels and drink butter milk during the meal. Rice may be eaten in the begining as a starter with plain dal or between the meal as a main course with vegetables/non-veg curry or at the end to round off the meal with curd or buttermilk.

Answer 2

There are no main course in Asian cuisines Indian included. All/any food (meat/veg) should be eaten together with boiled white rice (never a side dish in Asia); or sometimes with flattened bread (nan).

While in Indian cuisine there is a dish called "briyani rice" (brasmati rice flavored with ghee and flavored with saffron) - this too is accompanied bby either a chicken, or lamb curry and side dishes.