What foods do you order at ethnic restaurants?

Question

Quite often recently, I've been talking to friends. I say, for example, "I like Thai food." And they do too. And I say, "My favorite is Pad Thai and Satay." And they're like "Huh?" So I say, "Well what do you get then." The answer is something boring like Cashew Chicken. Don't get me wrong, I like cashew chicken, but it seems very generic Asian.

So... I was thinking "Maybe I'm missing out just like those people are."

So for any and all ethnic foods you love, tell me your favorite foods to order. For bonus points, describe it as well so I want to rush out and get it right now.

Answer 1

Chinese...the little Octapuses...OH they are the best. They are smimmered with onion and jalepeno pepper, they are a tad chewy, but a with a small squash...tasty as all get out! I love, and call em the the little aliens...son of a gun they are good! Try em!!!

Answer 2

As far as Indian food goes, my favorites are Saag Paneer. Aloo Paneer and Aloo Gobi.

Answer 3

Stuffed grape leaves, hummus & tabboleh (sp?) .......or ... seaweed salad, tuna & octopus sashimi, Sweet shrimp handrolls

Answer 4

well for the most part cashew chicken and c**p like that are all americanized chinese food.

for chinese food i would say order sauteed flat noodles with beef and chinese broccoli. the flat noodles are soft, the beef is tender and moist and the vegetables compliment and its all covered in a thick brown kind of soysauce. and its amazingly good.

Answer 5

Chinese - noodles

Spanish - none 'cuz I got diarrhea after eating a burrito one time

Italian - I don't eat it because Italian people are filthy

Answer 6

Pad Thai just means "Thai noodles" so in truth, you're ordering a generic, dull, and unimaginative dish. Sure it's good and delicious, but you're being a bit hypocritical as far as your thoughts on the dishes your friends order.

Answer 7

Real Beef bulgogi.  I love Cashew Chicken and such too, but bulgogi (sometimes spelled bulgoki) is delicious!  Also, a problem with a lot of these ethnic asian restaurants is they might be a chinese restaurant, but they are actually korean or Thia, so the foods aren't actually what one might think they should be.

Answer 8

If I go to an Indian restaurant, it is usually with a group so we order the banquet, we get a taste of everything.

Same with Chinese.

Hungry now.

Answer 9

Bulgogi is Korean.  

I like bibimbap, and gimbab (korean sushi) for korean food.  But I love any hot spicy korean fish stew.  Really, I'll eat just about anything.  

My favorite Indian foods are chaat papdi and pani puri.  Hard to explain to go and google it but it's made of deliciousness and great snack food.

For Japanese, I like takoyaki, oyakodon, okonomiyaki, real yakisoba (like at festivals <3), ochazuke.

Answer 10

I agree with Claudia - I've always thought of Pad Thai as a boring cop-out when dining at a Thai restaurant.  My favorite is the green curry.  My wife loves drunken noodles.  Panang curry smells awful but if you can get past that the taste is pretty good.

South Indian food and North Indian food are very different.  Most Indian restaurants in the US are North Indian.  There, I like samosa (potatoes and peas in crispy shell), pakora (veg of the day deep fried in chick pea batter), chana masala (chick peas in red sauce), and dal makni (lentils).  But I like South Indian better.  I could drink the coconut chutney.  Idli (made from ground up rice) and sambar (veg soup) are good.  Vada (non-sweet donuts) are okay.  More of a utensil used to get coconut chutney from the plate to my mouth :)  My favorite is masala dosa (potatoes and curry and stuff inside a giant crepe), dipped in sambar and you guessed it, coconut chutney.  Did I mention that normally I don't even like coconut?  Crazy.

I like sushi, but I like udon (thick noodles) soup better.  Ramen in Japan is nothing like the little packets you get here, it's soooo much better.

I like just about anything Italian, and you probably don't need me to tell you what they are.

I like Tex-mex but I'm embarrassed to say I don't really like authentic Mexican food.

Costa Rica isn't known for its cuisine but I liked what I ate there.  Beans, rice, bread, egg, some corn thing, something like potato salad.  Walked past a Guatemalan restaurant in Chicago a couple weeks ago...looked pretty similar and may have to give it a try next time I go to Chicago.

@eggchick:  Oh, how could I have forgotten bi-bim-bap!?  Thumbs up to you!

Answer 11

Here are my favorites:

Thai:  Tom Yum Soup, medium hot, Pad Thai

Korean:  Barbecue with Kim Chee, short ribs, etc.

Japanese:  Miso soup with extra tofu, seaweed salad, California Roll (minus the avocado) with tobiko, tuna sashimi, smoked salmon and cream cheese,

Vietnamese:  Lemon Grass Pork, spring rolls with shrimp

Mexican:  Chili Verde

Italian:  sausage and peppers, spaghetti with bolognese, panna cotta

Chinese:  Shrimp in Lobster sauce; Tofu and Eggplant stirfry; Walnut Shrimp; Potstickers; Chicken in foil

Greek:  Spanikopita, gyro salad, avegolemono soup, pastitsio

Indian:  Lamb curry, tandoori chicken, hummus

Answer 12

Thai - Pad Se Lew with Beef - broad noodles with strips of tender beef, fresh broccoli and a light, sweet soy based sauce.  

Chinese - Prawns with Candied Walnuts - Fresh prawns stir fried in a creamy white sauce with crunchy sweet walnuts

Lebanese food - No one does Lamb Shanks better than the Lebanese, seasoned with mediterranian spices and roasted to a succulent medium rare.  

Morrocan Food - I LOVE the B'stella - flaky pastry layers with seasoned ground chicken and topped with powdered sugar.

Korean - Bi-Bim-Bop - a bowl of rice topped with seven or eight types of fresh veggies, bul-go-gi beef strips and a friend egg.  Top it with fresh made hot sauce to your taste, mix it up and Mmmmmmmm!

Vietnamese - Curried Goat with Lemongrass and coconut milk.  You have to try it to believe it!

I could go on and on - I LOVE ethnic foods.