Indian Curries Don't Taste Hot Anymore

[rixalex]

Last week i went to an Indian restaurant in Bangkok and ordered a Lamb Vindaloo and asked for it to be served very, very hot - something i never would have dared do in the UK. Even just ordering a standard Vindaloo in the UK took some courage!

It didn't taste hot though - rather mild actually.

Since coming to Thailand i don't eat anything like as much Indian food as i did in the UK, but everytime i do, i find myself feeling a bit let down that there's no kick to it.

Is it to do with Indian food in Thailand being less spicy than Indian food in the UK? Or is it that my taste buds have adapted to spicy Thai food. I do love Thai food and through the years have progressively been asking for it spicier and spicier, so that could be it i guess.

What are your experiences?

[trogers]

The spicy hot Thai dishes has raised your tolerance level of chilli.

I trained myself over 30 years ago to take spicy hot food - chewed chilli padi and sipped hot tea.

Hot water helps dissolve the layer of sticky chemical coating your tongue, and the hotness will gradually washes away. Cold water. on the other hand, maintains this sticky layer.

[rixalex]

The spicy hot Thai dishes has raised your tolerance level of chilli.

I trained myself over 30 years ago to take spicy hot food - chewed chilli padi and sipped hot tea.

Hot water helps dissolve the layer of sticky chemical coating your tongue, and the hotness will gradually washes away. Cold water. on the other hand, maintains this sticky layer.

Interesting.

May i ask, what is chilli padi?

[mauGR1]

The same happened to me at a Indian Restaurant in BKK.After they had seen me coming a few times they asked me if i wanted more spicy(i don't mind if it's mild,but if i eat late in the evening,i find a little more chillie helps my digestion)Actually it didn't taste hot at all.I think they try to meet the western taste,i seldom see any Thais enjoy the Indian cuisine.When i was travelling in India many years ago,it was so spicy that i used to buy a bowl of curd to eat with the curry,it worked great!

[rixalex]

When i was travelling in India many years ago,it was so spicy that i used to buy a bowl of curd to eat with the curry,it worked great!

I visited India just cos i loved their food so much - well there might have been a few other reasons too - but i have to say i was pretty disappointed. Neither spicy nor tasty - perhaps i was just unlucky though.

[473geo]

I am sure your tolerance increases with eating just regular Thai food.....in soups I have added dried chilli and sugar from the condiments for years now.....I think prior to that I never really ate them.

Did get caught out with a harmless looking apple and mint sauce in an indian one time

They had included crushed green chillies....... ...now that was hot!!

[MarkBKK]

The spicy hot Thai dishes has raised your tolerance level of chilli.

I trained myself over 30 years ago to take spicy hot food - chewed chilli padi and sipped hot tea.

Hot water helps dissolve the layer of sticky chemical coating your tongue, and the hotness will gradually washes away. Cold water. on the other hand, maintains this sticky layer.

Dunno about any ''sticky chemical coating'', but capsaicin (the stuff that makes chillies hot) won't dissolve in water but it does dissolve in alcohol and vegetable oils -- hence the traditional accompaniments of beer (in the UK, at least, but not terribly effective) and (probably everywhere else in the world, and very effective) milk or yoghurt.

[mauGR1]

When i was travelling in India many years ago,it was so spicy that i used to buy a bowl of curd to eat with the curry,it worked great!

I visited India just cos i loved their food so much - well there might have been a few other reasons too - but i have to say i was pretty disappointed. Neither spicy nor tasty - perhaps i was just unlucky though.

Well,i have to say that the really spicy food was in the North,when travelling to the South i was surprised,it was rather mild.I have my own Restaurant in LoS,but when i go to BKK i eat ONLY Indian food.I'm a long time vegetarian,and there are plenty of meat-free dishes in Indian cuisine..Even my Thai GF is getting used to curries and roties,and is a common prejudice among Thais that Indian food stinks.

[PhilHarries]

When i was travelling in India many years ago,it was so spicy that i used to buy a bowl of curd to eat with the curry,it worked great!

I visited India just cos i loved their food so much - well there might have been a few other reasons too - but i have to say i was pretty disappointed. Neither spicy nor tasty - perhaps i was just unlucky though.

A ways back in the '70's a bunch of my mates, also curry fiends, went on a month's tour of India and they too were disappointed.

Truth is the "Indian curry" we have become so enamoured with back in the UK has almost no connection with Indian food much like most of the pizza's and pasta's served in New York having no relation to Italian food, similarly the Chinese food. They are slanted towards the clientelle, distorted by years of cross cultural contamination.

I would guess that most Indian curries served in this part of the world are probably more like the original dishes although again, as they are inevitably served to westerners, toned down.

At a curry house here in HCMC I orderd a lamb vindaloo only to be asked "would you like that spicy sir?". The comment that a vindaloo is what it is went over the head of the waiter.

[rixalex]

Well,i have to say that the really spicy food was in the North,when travelling to the South i was surprised,it was rather mild.

That explains it then. Most of my time was spent in the south.

I have my own Restaurant in LoS,but when i go to BKK i eat ONLY Indian food.I'm a long time vegetarian,and there are plenty of meat-free dishes in Indian cuisine..

Any recommendations? The one that i ate at was at the end of Khao Sarn and i have to say, despite my disappointment in the lack of kick, the food was the best Indian i've had in Thailand.

a common prejudice among Thais that Indian food stinks.

Yeah i don't get that at all. Smells fantastic to my farang nose!

[trogers]

The spicy hot Thai dishes has raised your tolerance level of chilli.

I trained myself over 30 years ago to take spicy hot food - chewed chilli padi and sipped hot tea.

Hot water helps dissolve the layer of sticky chemical coating your tongue, and the hotness will gradually washes away. Cold water. on the other hand, maintains this sticky layer.

Interesting.

May i ask, what is chilli padi?

Thai calls it 'Prik ka nu', the short green chilli - about 1.5 to 2 cm long excluding the stem.

[trogers]

a common prejudice among Thais that Indian food stinks.

Yeah i don't get that at all. Smells fantastic to my farang nose!

There are some spices in Indian cuisine that the Thai are either unfamiliar with or do not like. An example is the curry leaf.

[mauGR1]

Well,i have to say that the really spicy food was in the North,when travelling to the South i was surprised,it was rather mild.

That explains it then. Most of my time was spent in the south.

I have my own Restaurant in LoS,but when i go to BKK i eat ONLY Indian food.I'm a long time vegetarian,and there are plenty of meat-free dishes in Indian cuisine..

Any recommendations? The one that i ate at was at the end of Khao Sarn and i have to say, despite my disappointment in the lack of kick, the food was the best Indian i've had in Thailand.

a common prejudice among Thais that Indian food stinks.

Yeah i don't get that at all. Smells fantastic to my farang nose!

Rix,i have a strong suspicion that we are going to the same Restaurant.At the end of KSRd,Temple side,on the main Rd there is a small Restaurant who serves Thai food as well.The owner is Indian,the staff is Burmese,kind and polite.They have a Guest House upstairs.Their food is not great,but reasonably good.Lately i stay in BKK 1 or 2 days maximum,so i don't go to far looking for food,but in the past i tried Indian food around Suk. Rd,and i was never disappointed.

[Benjie]

a common prejudice among Thais that Indian food stinks.

Yeah i don't get that at all. Smells fantastic to my farang nose!

There are some spices in Indian cuisine that the Thai are either unfamiliar with or do not like. An example is the curry leaf.

I doubt many Indian dishes contain 'curry leaf', the only trouble I have here when cooking Indian food is finding fenugreek, seeds or leaves.

Spicy Indian dishes in the UK (and I'm guessing elsewhere) actually use chilli powder for the heat as well as or instead of fresh chilli. It's a different kind of 'heat' and seems to combine with the sauce better, perhaps it is this the OP is missing.

[babuhavas]

actualy it depends who is ordering it,if farang says spicy they make a note for medium version,if a indian or middle eastern orders it,its a diffrent dish,belive me

[Jingthing]

actualy it depends who is ordering it,if farang says spicy they make a note for medium version,if a indian or middle eastern orders it,its a diffrent dish,belive me

Yes that happens all the time. If the place is good, all you can do is ask them why they didn't make it spicy when you asked for it, and then sometimes you will get lucky and the NEXT TIME they might not make judgments about your palate based on your skin color. Yes, this is a pet peeve of mine.

[rixalex]

When i was travelling in India many years ago,it was so spicy that i used to buy a bowl of curd to eat with the curry,it worked great!

I visited India just cos i loved their food so much - well there might have been a few other reasons too - but i have to say i was pretty disappointed. Neither spicy nor tasty - perhaps i was just unlucky though.

A ways back in the '70's a bunch of my mates, also curry fiends, went on a month's tour of India and they too were disappointed.

Truth is the "Indian curry" we have become so enamoured with back in the UK has almost no connection with Indian food much like most of the pizza's and pasta's served in New York having no relation to Italian food, similarly the Chinese food. They are slanted towards the clientelle, distorted by years of cross cultural contamination.

I think you are absolutely right. And in my opinion, English Indian food is the best Indian food in the World, but there are probably a few million Indians who would disagree with that.

At a curry house here in HCMC I orderd a lamb vindaloo only to be asked "would you like that spicy sir?". The comment that a vindaloo is what it is went over the head of the waiter.

You think it went over his head. He probably understood exactly what you meant and once he was out the back, told the chef to do one of the "special" Vindaloos reserved for wise-arse customers.

Did it happen to have a hint of Weetabix to the aroma?

[rixalex]

Rix,i have a strong suspicion that we are going to the same Restaurant.At the end of KSRd,Temple side,on the main Rd there is a small Restaurant who serves Thai food as well.The owner is Indian,the staff is Burmese,kind and polite.They have a Guest House upstairs.Their food is not great,but reasonably good.Lately i stay in BKK 1 or 2 days maximum,so i don't go to far looking for food,but in the past i tried Indian food around Suk. Rd,and i was never disappointed.

Yes that is the place. I thought for the money it was pretty good. I don't think i've ever had Indian food that cheap in Thailand. My only gripe as i say was the lack of kick the food had - and also they had BBC World blasting out of the speakers, as is the custom i guess in that neck of town. For me an Indian meal isn't an Indian meal without the Indian music!

[mauGR1]

Rix,i have a strong suspicion that we are going to the same Restaurant.At the end of KSRd,Temple side,on the main Rd there is a small Restaurant who serves Thai food as well.The owner is Indian,the staff is Burmese,kind and polite.They have a Guest House upstairs.Their food is not great,but reasonably good.Lately i stay in BKK 1 or 2 days maximum,so i don't go to far looking for food,but in the past i tried Indian food around Suk. Rd,and i was never disappointed.

Yes that is the place. I thought for the money it was pretty good. I don't think i've ever had Indian food that cheap in Thailand. My only gripe as i say was the lack of kick the food had - and also they had BBC World blasting out of the speakers, as is the custom i guess in that neck of town. For me an Indian meal isn't an Indian meal without the Indian music!

I think they must have plenty of Indian DVDs too!I was there once and they were playing those funny romantic-dancing-music videos.I like the Indian pop too,specially the female singers,although it's always a little comical.Try a stroll in little India(Pahurad)close to Chinatown,plenty of shops,restaurants and corteous old Indian Sicks,my favourite stroll when i am in BKK.

[rixalex]

Spicy Indian dishes in the UK (and I'm guessing elsewhere) actually use chilli powder for the heat as well as or instead of fresh chilli. It's a different kind of 'heat' and seems to combine with the sauce better, perhaps it is this the OP is missing.

You are dead right, it is a different type of "heat". I try explaining this difference in "heat" to Thai friends, and then when i take them along to an Indian restaurant so they can taste it themselves and understand what i'm going on about, the food always come out served really mild - much to my frustration! It got me wondering whether Indian food was actually ever that spicy in the first place!

[rixalex]

I like the Indian pop too,specially the female singers.

Agreed. Very sexy and alluring! All i have to see is a red dot and it sets me off!

[stub]

Last week i went to an Indian restaurant in Bangkok and ordered a Lamb Vindaloo and asked for it to be served very, very hot - something i never would have dared do in the UK. Even just ordering a standard Vindaloo in the UK took some courage!

It didn't taste hot though - rather mild actually.

Since coming to Thailand i don't eat anything like as much Indian food as i did in the UK, but everytime i do, i find myself feeling a bit let down that there's no kick to it.

Is it to do with Indian food in Thailand being less spicy than Indian food in the UK? Or is it that my taste buds have adapted to spicy Thai food. I do love Thai food and through the years have progressively been asking for it spicier and spicier, so that could be it i guess.

What are your experiences?

In most places I've been, Indian food is less spicy than the UK.

It could be worse - the least spicy vindaloo I've ever had was in Mauritius. Apparently the French tourists there don't appreciate spicy food. It tasted like someone held the chilli next to the pot for a few seconds and threw them out.

[trogers]

We have to differentiate between northern and southern Indian food.

Northern Indian food is mild in hotness.

[rixalex]

We have to differentiate between northern and southern Indian food.

Northern Indian food is mild in hotness.

Now i'm confused. mauGR1 says the opposite.

[trogers]

We have to differentiate between northern and southern Indian food.

Northern Indian food is mild in hotness.

Now i'm confused. mauGR1 says the opposite.

Southern Indian cuisine is rice based, their curries more watery and hotter.

See: http://www.indianfoodsco.com/Classes/SouthIndian.htm

Most Indian restaurants in BKK are serving northern Indian cuisine, thus the cause for thinking that's the only Indian food.

To tell the difference, try the large variety of Indian food available in Little India of Singapore.

Edited July 19, 2009 by trogers

[shriah]

South Indian dishes are as the poster above me noted based on rice and the curry is not always spicy even in India. It depends on where you are eating.I believe Some of you have never been to Hyderabad , Andra Pradesh in India, some of the dishes there will blow your mind. If you want spicy Indian food its the place to be and their Briyani is the best in India. When you eat in a restaurant in India the dishes will be mostly mild because not all Indian's like hot and spicy food so most restaurants serve their dishes mild. The other thing the way dishes are prepared differ from City to City in India, Sambar in Chennai will be hot and spicy but if you go to Bangalure (Banglore) it will be sweet and sour. Its almost the same with almost all dishes. So the spiciness of the food in India is a matter of where you are in India. In am from south of India but most Indian restaurant in Bangkok serve North Indian food and they are very very expensive so I have given up eating Indian food in Bangkok.

[rixalex]

In am from south of India but most Indian restaurant in Bangkok serve North Indian food and they are very very expensive so I have given up eating Indian food in Bangkok.

Shriah, have you tried the restaurant mentioned in this thread on Khao Sarn Road? It might not be completely to your taste but in my opinion, it's not at all bad and certainly you couldn't accuse it of being expensive. Give it a go, if you haven't already.

[ozzieovaseas]

I think what you maybe experiencing definately comes from getting used to the different way chilli is used in foods.

Thai seems to rely on a more raw use of chilli such as in somtam or if you are used to the dipping sauces with raw chilli...im sure your taste buds would become very hardy.

IMO The Indian use of chilli in curries comes from mixing it into the paste or adding in powdered form, but then more often slow cooked for longer periods, whereas Thai food is slapped up pretty quickly and you get a bigger bang from the rawer chillis.

The Indian reastaurants ive been to here seem more interested in turning over a buck rather than trying to get repeat business. The spices,ghee and other ingredients are more expensive here too, so i guess they are used very sparingly!, which would account for the blandness of Indian food here.

Also ive heard that thais dont like the smell of Indian food in general and theres some old joke about "indian armpits" which i better not go into here!

In my Gf's case ive narrowed her dislike down to the smell of lots of cumin in food...err no jokes please

[rixalex]

In my Gf's case ive narrowed her dislike down to the smell of lots of cumin in food...err no jokes please

Spoilsport!

Actually, all jokes aside, cumin is one of the ingredients i love about Indian food.

It can also be found in some Southern Thai food.

[trogers]

but most Indian restaurant in Bangkok serve North Indian food and they are very very expensive so I have given up eating Indian food in Bangkok.

Go to Villa supermarket (Sukhumvit 31/1) after 7pm and buy their indian food at 40% off. You can get dinner for 2 within Bt200.