THIS. There seems to be a mimicry of US “Chinese” restaurants with the one-sauce-fits-all philosophy. It’s kinda gross. There are a couple of decent joints where I live, though. I think it could be because most of the kitchen staff is central American and they have a feel for some of the desi cuisine flavors (tamarind, cumin, coriander, HOT peppers, etc.).

Btw the Mughals might have been Turks but they spread Persian culture. Most of the food in India is the original hindu food with the rest being Iranian muslim cuisine and afghan food. Urdu and persian were the court languages. The clothing was persian etc

http://www.enotes.com/food-encyclopedia/indus-valley “Cooking would have included roasting, boiling, and baking, as suggested by the handi-shaped pots, and frying, as documented by the copper-bronze frying pans. By 1500 B.C.E. the tandoor, a clay oven, is documented. This implies that this distinctive cuisine of modern India and Pakistan has a 3,500-year history.”

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tandoor “It is thought to have travelled to Central Asia and the Middle East along with the Roma people, who originated amongst the Thar Desert tribes. In India, the tandoor is also known by the name of bhatti. The Bhatti tribe of the Thar Desert of northwestern India and eastern Pakistan developed the Bhatti in their desert abode, and thus it gained the name”

Now I’m feeling hypoglycemic…let me enjoy this sugar-coated Chicken Dosa.

You’re 100% wrong. THe Tandor was actually from Turko-Mongolians who lived on the steppes. The Mughlais were Turkic, and they perhaps brought it down to India, although there have ben other Turkic speakers prior to the Mughals.

Therefore, tandoori chicken and chicken tikka masala were both Central Asian in origins originally.

I think the bigger issue is that most cheaper Indian restaurants here will make one batch of generic curry with various spices (and loaded with cream) and then boil some lamb into it to make it a lamb curry. Or chicken to make it a chicken curry. The meats or veggies themselves don’t stew in the pot like they would when you make it at home. The assembly line process does terrible violence to the food. Indian food is actually better suited to either a buffet style restaurant where they can make big batches individually or to a very short menu where they don’t need to have one-size-fits-all spice mixes mixed in heavy cream.

Nonsense. Raw tamarind absolutely, but you can buy concentrated tamarind paste by the bathtub-load pretty easily which is not a problem at all. Sure it’s not as authentic, but it’s better than vinegar! Where did you bear witness to this apostasy? I need to make a mental note to never eat there.