First Time Eating Indian Food? What to Order and How Spicy It Is

We get a lot of first-timers in Cherry Creek. Usually someone at the table says "I've never really had Indian food" and then looks at the menu like it's a pop quiz. It doesn't need to be. Once you know about ten words and which dishes are mild, the whole menu makes sense.

Spiced doesn't mean spicy

All Indian food is spiced. Not all of it is hot. Cumin, coriander, cardamom, cinnamon, and turmeric give warmth and smell amazing, but they don't burn. Chili is what brings heat, and plenty of classic dishes barely use it. On our menu, a chili pepper next to a dish means it has real heat.

Mild dishes to start with

• Butter chicken: grilled chicken in a smooth tomato, butter, and cream sauce. The most common first order, and for good reason.
• Korma: creamy and gentle. Comes with chicken, shrimp, lamb, or vegetables.
• Paneer makhani and malai kofta: vegetarian comfort food. Paneer is a mild fresh cheese that holds its shape, and kofta are soft vegetable dumplings in a creamy sauce.
• Dal makhni: slow-cooked lentils finished with butter and cream.

Medium: for your second visit

• Tikka masala: like butter chicken but tangier and more spice-forward.
• Rogan josh: a deep, aromatic curry with Kashmiri roots.
• Saag: meat or paneer in a spiced spinach sauce.
• Chana masala: chickpeas in a tangy tomato gravy. A great vegan pick.
• Biryani: fragrant layered rice. It carries some heat, but the rice spreads it out.

Hot: when you're ready

• Vindaloo: tangy and fiery. There's a vegan vegetable version too.
• Kathmandu spiced pork belly: a Nepali starter with three chilies on the menu. Order it on a dare.
• Wings with hot masala or Kathmandu dry rub: the hottest sauces on the wing list.

How to put a meal together

1. One starter to share, like vegetable samosas or momo.
2. Two curries for the table: one mild, one you're curious about.
3. Basmati rice and garlic naan. Tear the naan and use it to scoop.
4. A mango lassi. If something's hotter than you expected, yogurt helps far more than water.
5. Dessert: gulab jamun (warm dough balls in syrup) or mango kulfi (Indian ice cream).

Share everything. Indian food is built for the middle of the table, not one plate each.

Menu words worth knowing

• Tandoor: a very hot clay oven used for naan and grilled meats.
• Masala: a spice blend, or a dish cooked in one.
• Paneer: fresh Indian cheese.
• Dal: lentils. Chana: chickpeas.
• Aloo and gobi: potato and cauliflower.
• Momo: Nepali dumplings. Our momo guide has the full story.

If you get stuck, ask your server what they'd order. They'll point you somewhere good.