Living in India , we don’t really feel the butter chicken hype but I get it that it’s extremely popular outside of India. It’s not fair to stereotype a country with just one dish, & even more wrong to do this to a country like India , where everything changes from state to state . ✨
Omg THANK YOU for writing this. I’ve lost track of the (mostly) white online communities I’ve been a part of for one reason or another and when I say I write about going beyond butter chicken they looks at me blankly. Why? It’s so amazing!? And my answer is always you’ll KNOW if you try five other dishes and trust the process.
Completely agree w your thesis that indians are to blame to a degree as we have been so busy settling into our new countries that we’ve just been happy to go along with the butter chicken trends. Yes I’ll bring some butter chicken samosas to work for Christmas. Yes ofcourse I’ll teach you how to make naan (even if I’ve never made it at home more than once).
Id be less angry if it was Murgh Makhani that was famous. The Indian version of butter chicken. It IS yum and I do love it. Just not at the expense of every other dish we’ve got.
In fact wrote something else in the same vein about where one can find the “best Indian food”….
I felt every word of this. That blank stare when you gently suggest there’s life beyond butter chicken? I know it too well. There’s so much more to share, but only if people are willing to go beyond the gateway dish and trust the spice!
I love this post. I feel like screaming in the middle of a busy city street (Times Square, NYC would be perfect) - Can you please look beyond butter chicken? Indian cuisine is colossal one and even if I study it my entire lifetime, I would just scratch the surface. But we do have to thank BC for being a gateway (you used the perfect word), I'm sure some discerning food enthusiasts are tempted by the appeal and may say "if there's BC, what other hidden treasures are tucked away in this cuisine?"
Living in India , we don’t really feel the butter chicken hype but I get it that it’s extremely popular outside of India. It’s not fair to stereotype a country with just one dish, & even more wrong to do this to a country like India , where everything changes from state to state . ✨
Honestly, it’s frustrating. I’m so glad this resonated—and yes, India is way too dynamic to be reduced to one creamy bowl.
Omg THANK YOU for writing this. I’ve lost track of the (mostly) white online communities I’ve been a part of for one reason or another and when I say I write about going beyond butter chicken they looks at me blankly. Why? It’s so amazing!? And my answer is always you’ll KNOW if you try five other dishes and trust the process.
Completely agree w your thesis that indians are to blame to a degree as we have been so busy settling into our new countries that we’ve just been happy to go along with the butter chicken trends. Yes I’ll bring some butter chicken samosas to work for Christmas. Yes ofcourse I’ll teach you how to make naan (even if I’ve never made it at home more than once).
Id be less angry if it was Murgh Makhani that was famous. The Indian version of butter chicken. It IS yum and I do love it. Just not at the expense of every other dish we’ve got.
In fact wrote something else in the same vein about where one can find the “best Indian food”….
I felt every word of this. That blank stare when you gently suggest there’s life beyond butter chicken? I know it too well. There’s so much more to share, but only if people are willing to go beyond the gateway dish and trust the spice!
Here’s the full post: https://open.substack.com/pub/perzen/p/the-best-indian-food-is-available
I love this post. I feel like screaming in the middle of a busy city street (Times Square, NYC would be perfect) - Can you please look beyond butter chicken? Indian cuisine is colossal one and even if I study it my entire lifetime, I would just scratch the surface. But we do have to thank BC for being a gateway (you used the perfect word), I'm sure some discerning food enthusiasts are tempted by the appeal and may say "if there's BC, what other hidden treasures are tucked away in this cuisine?"
Please hand me a megaphone and I’ll join you in Times Square! 📢
Not if they eat the bland ketchup sweet version where the chicken hasn’t even been marinated let alone grilled!