Introducing a beginner to Indian/Asian food - menu suggestions and recipes?

Question

I want to gradually introduce my boyfriend to Indian and Asian food - when I first met him he pretty much ate chicken, potato and carrot and nothing else, definitely no spices, and no sauces except instant gravy! Over the past year, he's come to like ketchup (!), spaghetti (but only in a herbed/spiced oil and broth coating, not in sauce, doesn't really like tomato, and doesn't like creamy sauces sigh), will eat spicy rubbed or marinaded meats BUT still doesn't like sauces, eg. wouldn't eat a curry because doesn't like the thick gloopy sauce. Anyway... even getting him to spicy at all is an achievement (chilli and paprika are the favourite flavours) but I want to work on a broader range of flavours, eg. tandoori chicken as a start. Ideally, I'd like to get him really into Asian food, and as he can handle chilli and will eat semi-dry noodles we're part of the way there - any suggestions for meals/menus/recipes that will get him more into it, or encourage him to try 'wet' foods? Thanks!!!

Answer 1

When introducing children to new food you put a spoonful of it on their plate to try.

Do the same.

Make something you like and let him have a taste. That way he is not faced with a whole plate of new stuff, and you don't end up with a plate of leftovers or waste.

The curry sauce thing is easy to resolve, make it thinner. Serve yours out and then thin down his portion.

I cook for my brother and he didn't like curry. I introduced it as a background flavour and gradually increased the amount I used.

I mix my own from mild curry and hot curry powder bringing it up to the temperature I like, and now he says it isn't hot enough, so there is hope for your man. My brother is a picky eater at times, and a garbage can at others.

We have a curry every 10 days or so.

Answer 2

Open this link, http://www.filipinorecipe.com/ for Asian food and you can almost taste it by the ingredients. They are easy to cook and very delicious. Good luck!

Answer 3

Well done to you.  You have to take the attitude it's not his fault no one has helped him sort out his food problems - this should have been done when he was a child. As you have discovered you have to introduce flavours and changes gradually, so ketchup leads to a bit of tomato puree, then pasata and then tomato sauce.  Anyway it sounds like he is trying hard too.

How about using some of the Spice-n-tice recipe kits available from below.  These are NOT cook in sauces, just the dried spices and seasoning mixes. So you can control how wet the result is.  The great thing is that they are totally authentic.  Something like the Jalfrezi would be good as that is a dry-fry type approach, and they do tandoori too. These curry kits are £1.99 each but serve 4 (so two meals if you use it up quite quickly once opened)

Alsothe site does loads of seasonings (84p a pack) like jerk, or lemon pepper, and Thai and if you havn't tried Piri-Piri (peri-peri) yet then that's a real spicy treat for chicken.  All ingredients are listed on the site so you know exactly what you are buying with some hints on using each.

Answer 4

Wow, what a fussy eater your boyfriend is. Anyway, why do you care? He's not your son. Let him live his own life, and you eat what you want. Why do women set out with this 'burden' of having to reform or change a man's habits? Either you accept him for what he is, or you find a different man whose dietary habits match yours.

I don't mean to sound harsh, but I'm tired of seeing women attempting to change something about a man. It Cannot Be Done. Women don't realize this until they're 60 years old.

Answer 5

Basically, your bf's palette is just not used to spicy foods or food with strong bold flavors like Indian or Thai foods.  He needs to gradually be introduced, exposing him to a full blown spicy meal may turn him off completely.

Definitely Tandoori, Tikkas & Kebabs are the way to go.  Naans, rice pulaos & raitas (or salads) are also pretty benign.  Also start him with "Balti" & "Bhuna" type dishes, these are stir frys with very little or no gravy.  Ask the waiter to make them mild in terms of spice level.

Once he gets used to eating flavorful dishes & acquires a taste -- then you can try various biryanis & curries.

Answer 6

Some of the Indian snacks and desserts are delicious and non Indians also have found them quite tasty.

My American friend loves Dosas and Desserts. You can check out some of them here - http://www.indianhealthyrecipe.com.

Answer 7

Chicken korma and chicken passanda are both creamy and mild. Peshwari nan bread is very fruity too.