nirajdesai10 t1_itz5unl wrote on October 27, 2022 at 11:36 AM

If you go to an Indian restaurant in the city and ask them if they can make any dish Jain style, they will know what you are referring to. Most Indian restaurants are used to accommodating Jain versions of their dishes.

Outside of the city Herndon, Fairfax, reston etc have a lot of Indian restaurants and they can definitely accommodate Jain versions of their dishes.

Ubizubi t1_itzagb0 wrote on October 27, 2022 at 12:21 PM

Maybe "jain style" is a magic phrase, but in my experience over the years, waiters in Indian restaurants are the absolute worst at reassuring me that there are absolutely no onions in something and then later find out it just meant that they didn't think I would notice. :(

MBN2022 OP t1_itz8o5x wrote on October 27, 2022 at 12:04 PM

I didn’t know I could just request that. Thank you so much!!

d1dzter t1_itzc7ek wrote on October 27, 2022 at 12:36 PM

I would be a bit wary. Some restaurants maintain a stock of sauce which can have onions or garlic in it.

I am of Indian origin, but not Jain, and have never tried this - but I did work at an Indian restaurant in college.

I’d call ahead to just confirm to be safe.

DefiningFeature t1_iu0zhl9 wrote on October 27, 2022 at 7:16 PM

I'd also be careful of counting on this. I'm intolerant of garlic and several Indian places have told me there weren't *any* menu items without it (other than plain naan). One fancy Indian place downtown marinades 100% of their chicken in a garlic marinade days in advance! Fortunately, I'd called a few days before my work was going, so they were able to set something aside for me. Can't remember the name - it was a few years ago.

Low FODMAP cookbooks and food brands are going to be your friend! Fody Foods is one of the brands I use. There's also some weird rule about how garlic in olive oil can be used to infuse it with the taste, but the harmful chemical gets filtered out? I'm only intolerant rather than allergic, so I'd do some more research on this one. Fody makes tons of marinades and sauces that should be safe for you and they are carried in some grocery stores (very hit or miss - there's a lot more on the website).

nirajdesai10 t1_itzp74q wrote on October 27, 2022 at 2:15 PM

Agreed. You should always check and with all things there is no guarantee but when Jain style is requested, Indian restaurants generally understand it is a strict religious requirement for Jains. I’d be cautious about Indian restaurants in the city but the ones out in VA will 99% times accommodate Jain style properly.