Indian Food
In Indian food everywhere, you will encounter the myriad spices or masala, the lentil soup known as dhal, the yoghurt drink known as lassi and the condiments known as chutney.

A typical Indian meal starts with a simple rice plate being placed in front of you. If you ask for one in a vegetarian restaurant, you won't get a plate at all, but a large banana leaf. On this a large mound of rice is placed, then scoops of a variety of vegetable curries are tossed in. With your right hand, you then knead the curries into your rice and eat away. When your banana leaf starts to get empty you'll suddenly find it refilled as this is basically a 'as much as you can eat' meal. In a 'banana leaf' restaurant however, you will get to choose from a whole range of meat curries and fried seafood to go with your meal. When you've finished, fold the banana leaf in two with the fold towards you, to indicate that you've had enough.

Other vegetarian dishes include the popular masala thosai, a thin slightly sourish pancake which is rolled around the masala (spiced vegetables) with some rasam (spicy soup) on the side, provides about the cheapest light meal you could ask for.

An equivalent snack meal in Indian Muslim restaurants is murtabak, made from paper-thin dough filled with egg and minced mutton and lightly grilled. Then there's the ever-popular roti canai, made from murtabak dough, which you dip into a bowl of dhal or curry.

Another popular favourite is biryani. Served with a chicken or mutton curry, the dish takes its name from the saffon-coloured rice it is usually served with.
Finally there's tandoori, which takes its name from the clay tandoor oven in which meat is cooked after being marinated overnight in a yoghurt and spice mixture.

One of the things you can't possible not try is Indian Rojak, a salad dish of bean sprouts, fishcakes, prawn fritters, beancurd and squid in a sweet spicy peanut sauce.