Bread Versus Rice

"When it comes to roti or naan versus rice...90% of the time it comes down to personal preference," Nakul Mahendro, who, with his father, Pawan, and brother, Arjun, owns and operates Badmaash, an Indian gastropub in Downtown LA, says. "Actually, it's a common thing to either be a 'roti' person or a 'rice' person — so much so that it was one of the things my wife and I discussed very early into dating each other.”

But he adds there are some traditional pairings. Rice goes with "everything saucy." Think butter chicken, chicken tikka masala, daal and anything with a "wet" curry. "This is because of the level of wetness — the sauce can easily coat the rice, ensuring each and every bit is full of flavor," he explains.

Breads like naan and roti pair well with tandoori items like Badmaash's Hot, Spicy Indian Sausage (a kebab) and dry-sautéed or roasted dishes like aloo gobi. "You typically would not want to have drier items, such as aloo gobi, with rice — the flavors do not mix into the rice," he explains, adding that eating tandoori meats with rice is like eating barbecued chicken with rice.