Menus - Indian Food

Indian Food was first introduced to Britain in 1911 and it’s popularity has been growing ever since. With a total of 9000 restaurants nationwide, there are few towns in Britain that do not benefit from the presence of an Indian restaurant and in London things have gone distinctly upmarket, with Indian restaurants and chefs like Vineet Bajia taking the fine dining world by storm.

In Britain, Indian cuisine has developed in line with the growth of numerous Indian and Bangladeshi communities. It takes a variety of forms and the first wave of Tandoori restaurants (using clay lined ‘Tandoori’ ovens) that opened in the seventies are perhaps the oldest and most common. More recently, Baltis (using an open pan), inspired by Indian cuisine but invented in Birmingham became hugely popular. Now, many Indian restaurateurs are avoiding dishes developed in line with British tastes in favour of dishes inspired by regional Indian cuisine.

The most famous Indian dish is certainly Curry and if asked to mention the most distinctive element of Indian food, most people would mention ‘hot spices’. However, Curries are just one dish amongst many on offer and traditional cooking focuses instead on the aromatic and subtle flavours that spices impart. Chillies are used sparingly.

If you are not familiar with Indian cuisine or have always stuck to one or two favourites then our advice is to be as open minded as possible and to experiment every time you visit Dil Se!