FAQs

What is the difference between “Spicy” Food and “Hot” Food?

People commonly use the words “hot” and “spicy” interchangeably. However, is that these two words represent two different taste sensations in our palate. When we talk about a food being “hot” in taste, we really mean that it produces a burning sensation in one’s mouth. On the other hand, “spicy” traditionally describes savory and flavorful foods.

For example, we all know that Tabasco sauce is “hot.” Add a tablespoon of Tabasco sauce to your scrambled eggs would inevitably produce a strong burning sensation in one’s mouth. However, one would not call that scrambled egg spicy. By the same token, you can eat some well-seasoned Italian Sausage, that may have all kinds of seasonings and flavor, but you would not necessarily call it “hot.”

What makes a specific food “hot”?

Only two ingredients contribute to the burning sensation that “hot” foods produce: chili (of all kinds) and ginger. Chili can be fresh green chili of many varieties that we find in the grocery stores or it can be dried red chili, of either the powdered or crushed variety (the kind commonly used to sprinkle over pizza). One can put season their food with any other spice that they can find, however, if they don’t have one or both of those two ingredients in their food, a burning sensation will not occur.

What makes food “spicy?”

Cinnamon, cardamom, cumin, turmeric, cloves, cardamom, mustard seed, fennel, saffron, etc. are spicy foods. These and many other ingredients such as onion, garlic, and tamarind make foods flavorful and savory, yet they don’t make them “hot.”

Is Indian food spicy, hot or both?

Indian food is typically spicy but on occasion can be hot. A typical Indian entrée combines many spices including chili and ginger. Added in moderation, chili and ginger can enhance the sensation of one’s taste buds without the sensation of burning. Just as there are regional differences in American food, Indian food can be extremely hot depending on the region of India that it comes from.

What about Basu’s HomeStyle entrées – are they very hot?

The style of cuisine where Basu’s HomeStyle originates from is savory and spicy, but only mildly to moderately hot. Our dishes do have ingredients that connect with the heat receptors on your tongue. However, those hot ingredients are also balanced with other ingredients (sugar, for an example) that produce a smooth, balanced taste and finish. This balanced flavor is the product of delicately blending 8-10 different herbs and spices. The combination is so seamless that the food is neither particularly “sweet” nor “spicy”, but a combination of all the flavors added. This is why our foods, while exhibiting traces of ingredients such as ginger, cayenne peppers, or red chilies (which cause the heat), are nicely complemented with ingredients like sugar, garlic, cardamom, cinnamon and cloves (which tends to give the food a sweet yet subtle quality.) It is our experience that people find the taste of Basu’s HomeStyle a perfect balance between spicy and mildly hot. Since what is considered “hot” varies widely from person to person, it’s practically is impossible to be all things to all people. But we try.

I’ve never had Indian Food before and I’m not sure if I am going to like it.

The only way you’ll find out is if you try it! If you enjoy other types of spicy foods, e.g. Thai, Mexican, Szechwan, and Mandarin, the odds are excellent that you will also enjoy Indian food. Here is another guideline: If you think Mexican food is too spicy, then you probably will also find Indian food too spicy. There’s always the chance that it might not appeal to you, but we doubt it.

What types of entrées does BHS Makes? Do they use Curry?

The word curry carries a different meaning to Westerners familiar with Indian Cuisine than with the people of India. Most westerners think of curry as a sort of spice. To an Indian, on the other hand, it has little association with spices. Instead, it simply means an entrée that has some sort of sauce in it. For example, the phrase “chicken curry” would imply a chicken entrée that has sauce.

What about Curry Powder – What’s that?

Curry powder is a British invention. It is a mixture of spices of widely varying ingredients developed by the British during their colonial rule of India as a means of mimicking the taste of Indian cuisine at home. Typical ingredients of curry powder include coriander, turmeric, cumin, mustard, fenugreek, cardamom, nutmeg, red pepper, cinnamon, and cloves.

I must confess I do not like Curry:

Most people associate Indian food with the words curry or curry powder. The problem is not with what is commonly known as curry but the problem most people have is with curry powder. This difference, however, is not very well understood by most (even knowledgeable westerners). To an Indian the word curry means an entrée than has some kind of sauce. Where as most common western perception about the word curry is it is some form of spice. For example when an Indian says chicken curry it implies a chicken entrée that has sauce in it. It really does not have any implication of what kind of sauce or what kind of spices was used to make the entrée. However the word curry powder means a specific spice as we have described above. It is very common for people unfamiliar with the nuances and subtleties of Indian Cuisine to use curry powder to make some kind of curry entrée which typically tastes, shall we say, not very good. Our educated guess is that curry powder alone has turned more people off Indian food than anything else. We believe that curry powder has a foul odor and a foul taste. No self-respecting Indian chef would be caught dead using curry powder in their food! Unfortunately, many Americans unfamiliar with Indian cuisine try to prepare Indian food by simply adding curry powder as the primary, if not the only ingredient for creating Indian food flavor. Typically, the outcome is a disaster and the end result is that they become completely turned off to Indian food.

I once had a bad experience with Indian food and I’m afraid to try it again:

Unfortunately, you might have eaten at a sub-par restaurant. If you’ve been to a reputable Indian restaurant, then in all likelihood you’d have a reasonably good experience, provided that Indian food does appeal to you. If you did go to a reputable establishment, then perhaps your taste buds just don’t agree with Indian food.

However, there’s always the chance that you might have tried Indian food with curry powder. People who don’t specialize in Indian food often make this mistake. For example, you may have ordered a Chinese restaurant’s chicken curry or off a Country Club’s Daily Menu Specials. If so, then there is a strong possibility that the chef used curry powder in the chicken curry and it’s not unsurprising that you didn’t like it. Curry powder is a very big turn off for most people trying Indian food.

Recently the country club I belong to had a special of the day that was chicken curry. My friend’s wife ordered the special. The fact that she had spent a few months in India and was quite familiar with Indian Cuisine may have given her the courage to order chicken curry. I noticed though she hardly ate any of it after just tasting a few spoonfuls. I asked her about the chicken curry and she said she did not like it. It was not very good. I asked her if she went to a Chinese restaurant and there was chicken picata on the daily special would she have the confidence that the chef would know how to cook a good chicken picata? She answered – no. I asked, why do you think the chef in this country club would have any clue about how to make an authentic chicken curry? The point being it is not likely that you will find great chicken curry in a non-Indian restaurant. The most likely culprit? You guessed it! Curry Powder!