Eating Out in India

The magic sentence

Infographicmagic-sentence.png — The eight words that settle most Indian menus: "No ghee, no butter, no dairy, no paneer, please."eatingout

"No ghee, no butter, no dairy, no paneer please."

Say it once when you order. Eight words. Solves 90% of Indian restaurants.

Cuisine cheat sheet

South Indian — easiest

Already mostly vegan.

• Safe: idli, sambar, vada, plain dosa, masala dosa (ask no ghee), uttapam, rasam, lemon rice, curd rice (skip — has dairy), coconut chutney, sambar, all the chutneys.
• Ask: "No ghee on dosa please." (Most places brush it on.)
• Filter coffee: ask with soy milk if they have it. Often they don't — get jal jeera or a chaas substitute.

North Indian — needs filtering

The default for most North Indian gravies is butter + cream + cashew paste. Ask before ordering.

• Safe (usually): dal tadka, chana masala, bhindi do pyaza, jeera rice, mixed veg curry, baingan bharta, aloo gobi.
• Risky: dal makhani (butter + cream), shahi paneer obviously, kadhai paneer obviously, butter chicken, naan (has milk/curd).
• Bread: tandoori roti without ghee. Rumali roti. Skip naan and kulcha.

Chinese (Indo-Chinese) — very safe

• Safe: veg fried rice, hakka noodles, chilli mushroom, gobi manchurian, schezwan rice, hot and sour soup (ask, sometimes has egg), spring rolls (often have egg in wrap).
• Ask: "No egg in the noodles."

Italian

• Safe: any tomato-based pasta (arrabiata, marinara, puttanesca), bruschetta, pizza marinara (no cheese), salads (no dressing or oil + vinegar).
• Ask: "No cheese, no cream please." Most chefs are used to this now.
• Pizza: ask for olive oil + vegetables + extra basil instead of cheese. Or order a Bombay Cheese Co. pizza if available.

Thai

• Safe: green/red/yellow curry with tofu (ask no fish sauce), tom yum (ask no fish sauce), papaya salad (ask no fish sauce — sense a pattern?), jasmine rice, mango sticky rice (ask if coconut cream not condensed milk).
• Ask: "No fish sauce please." (Fish sauce sneaks into everything.)

Lebanese / Middle Eastern — very safe

• Safe: hummus, baba ganoush, falafel, tabouleh, fattoush, mutabal, pita, olives, dolma.
• Skip: tzatziki (yoghurt), labneh.

Japanese

• Safe: vegetable maki, avocado roll, edamame, vegetable tempura (ask if batter has egg), miso soup (often has dashi/fish — ask).
• Ask: "No dashi, no fish."

Mexican

• Safe: bean burrito (ask no cheese, no sour cream), guacamole, salsa, beans, rice.
• Ask: "No cheese, no sour cream."

Street food

Most Indian street food is vegan or one tweak away.

• Vegan as standard: pani puri, sev puri, bhel puri, jhal muri, samosa (most), vada pav, pav bhaji (ask no butter — they'll laugh, then do it), most chaat.
• Ask: for pav bhaji and grilled sandwiches, ask without butter — most stalls happily switch to oil.
• Skip: dahi puri, dahi vada, anything with curd, lassi.

Apps — Swiggy & Zomato

• Use the 'Pure Veg' filter (still need to check dairy).
• Some restaurants have a 'Vegan' tag — fewer than there should be.
• Best instruction line: "No dairy, no ghee, no butter, no paneer please. Vegan."
• For pizza, search 'vegan cheese' — Bombay Cheese Co. partners with many places.

Hotel breakfasts

Breakfast buffets are tricky. Stick to:

• Fresh fruit, juice
• Toast + jam + peanut butter (carry your own PB sachet if needed)
• Idli + sambar (ask coconut chutney, no ghee)
• Hash browns, baked beans (ask)
• Oats + nuts + plant milk (some hotels have it on request — call ahead)