Indian Restaurant Dishes Explained

A plain-speaking guide to the dishes on almost every British and American Indian restaurant menu, so nervous first-timers and seasoned regulars alike can order a meal they will actually enjoy. The curries run roughly from mildest to hottest, followed by the tandoor and appetizers, then the rice, bread and sides that turn one dish into a proper spread. Every entry says what the dish is, roughly where it comes from and how hot to expect it. Heat is a rough guide rather than a law: one kitchen's madras is another's vindaloo, so ask if in doubt, and many places will make a dish milder or hotter on request. No snobbery here either: many of these dishes took shape in British curry houses, the everyday Indian restaurants of British towns, and that makes them no less worth ordering. Regional specialties that rarely appear on a typical restaurant menu are left for another day.