Khana- Indian Recipes and Cuisine

Indian Ethnic Cuisine

What's for dinner tonight? Cumin, coriander and cardamom; mustard, mango powder, ginger; asafoetida, fenugreek and chillies. And then there's turmeric, tamarind and saffron, curry leaf, coconut milk and kewara water, almonds, cashews and pistachios -- and those are just the seasonings! Only one place on the map incorporates this riot of sensory stimulation in its meals: India. In fact, the intensive use of spices -- whole, ground, roasted and stewed -- marks the unifying characteristic of an otherwise highly diverse cuisine. Characterizing Indian food is a bit like describing European cuisine -- all of it at once. Indian food presents a range of flavors, intense and subtle, as vast as the country itself. Regional influences range from climate and elevation to history and religion. They define cuisines that differ widely -- no surprise in a country of 884 million people occupying an area of 1,226,595 square miles.In addition to the pronounced use of spices, common culinary threads unifying local cuisines include the prominence of flatbreads and a far greater use of dairy products than anywhere else in Asia. Breads are made with wheat, rice and ground legumes depending on the part of the country while dairy products include milk, cream, yogurt, buttermilk, sour cream and cheese.Beyond that, the differences take over. Northern Indians tend to use their spices ground while Southerners start out with them whole and grind them to a paste with cooked onions and other ingredients. The South is the land of rice whileNortherners rely on wheat and other grains -- except for Kashmir, high in the Himalayas, which produces some of the best rice in the world. Cooks of the tropical South make heavy use of coconut milk, an ingredient rarely seen in the North. Areas with access to waterways rely more heavily on seafood. Thus Bengal is a region of fish-lovers, preferably the fresh water variety.Those parts of India with the longest history of Mughal rule exhibit strong Persian influences in their food, using fresh and dried fruit, cashews, pistachios and almonds in their meat dishes as well as a great many dairy products. The cuisine of royalty, Mughlai dishes may use as many as 12 spices in a single dish including the most expensive of them -- saffron, cardamom, cinnamon and cloves. Meanwhile, the food of Goa on the Southwestern coast betrays that province's long history as a Portuguese colony. Goans eat pork and duck, meats rarely seen outside the area, and use vinegar as a souring agent, a Portuguese legacy.Undoubtedly the strongest influence defining Indian food is religion. Centuries of Hindu practice and the profound belief in reincarnation have resulted in the most delicious vegetarian cuisine to be found in the world. For protein, vegetarians rely on a wide range of legumes, both whole and split. Mixed with grain, boosted by vegetables and dairy products, and spiced to the max, they provide a wholesome, varied diet.But nothing is simple in India. Brahmins and members of the merchant caste may observe strict vegetarian rules, but members of other castes eat meat. Styles of vegetarian cooking differ from region to region. Non-Hindu minorities produce their own cuisines and have had a major impact on how others eat. And then there's Kashmir where Brahmins eat meat -- but avoid garlic and onions. Hinduism, however, determines what kinds of meat people eat. Beef is strictly forbidden because Hindus realized from ancient times the life-giving role cows played in society - from producing dairy products to pulling plows to providing fertilizer for the fields. Today it is illegal to slaughter a cow anywhere in the country except in heavily Christianized Goa. The meats of choice are therefore goat, mutton and chicken.The Muslim minority in India -- currently 11 percent -- has impacted cuisine and eating practices nationwide.

Ancient Vedic concerns with purity made for an austere lifestyle when it came to food. Socializing over a meal was almost impossible if one had to worry about contamination from a host's kitchen or the caste of his cook.Muslims, who conquered a large portion of India in the 12th century, had minimal religious restrictions -- principally prohibitions against alcohol and pork. What's more, Islam encouraged zakat, or the sharing of food with others. Hospitality played a critical role in Mughal courtly society and, as Persians, the Muslim rulers brought with them a marvelous cuisine to share.Mughal influence is most strongly felt today in the culinary centers of Delhi and Lucknow in the North and Hyderabad in the South. But while the kebabs, pilafs, kormas and yogurt dishes may spring from similar roots, interpretations reflect local cooking styles. The foods of Delhi and Lucknow remain slightly closer to the Persian models -- with the addition of cumin, coriander, turmeric, cardamom, cinnamon and ground chilies typical of the North. Meanwhile mustard seeds, curry leaves, hot chilies, tamarind and coconut milk infuse the dishes of Hyderabad.Indian restaurant food barely skims the surface of Indian cuisine. Hindu Punjabis forced back across the border from Pakistan at the time of the partition started the first restaurants in 1945. Their beehive-shaped tandoori ovens which heat up to 1000 degrees cook meat, fish and bread lightning-fast and remain their greatest claim to glory. A mix of Punjabi and Mughal cuisine has become standard restaurant fare both in India and abroad.Sampling the breadth of Indian cuisine thus remains a challenge inside the country and out. Serious research is necessary to locate those few restaurants dedicated to serving pan-Indian cuisine.The alternative, of course, is to cook it yourself. Many good cookbooks can help you along and the techniques are not that difficult. Grind your spices in a coffee grinder and puree seasoning pastes in a blender or food processor.Meanwhile, what is this stuff called "curry" we've beeneating all these years? Not Indian, I'm afraid.Colonial rulers have never been known for their linguistic accuracy and no one knows for sure where the British got this one. "Kari" is a South Indian word for sauce and "tarkari" is a North Indian dish -- which may or may not be relevant. Clearly the sahibs and memsahibs fell in love with the flavors of India. When they returned to the homeland, they had their cooks grind up a mix of spices to sprinkle on their staid British staples. The world now knows this as "curry powder" and whatever is cooked with it is "curry."As if the same stodgy old combination in dish after dish could begin to reflect the wonders of India!

Indian Cuisine

Every fine meals that suit the various taste buds of people all over the world are prepared in India. Strict vegetarianism is mostly confined to the South. Beef, from the holy cow is strictly taboo for the Hindus and Pork is equally taboo for the Muslims.In the north, much meat is eaten and cooking is often of the "Mughal style" which bears relation to that of the Middle East and central Asia. The emphasis is more on spices and less on curry heat. In the north more grains and breads are eaten and less rice. In the South, more rice is eaten and the curries tend to be hotter. Another peculiarity of Southern vegetarian food is that it has to be eaten by hand and not by fork and spoons!

Curry and Spices

There is no such thing as "curry" in India. It is an all-purpose term devised by the English to cover the whole range of Indian food spicing. Indian cooks have about 25 spices on their regular list and it is from these that they produce curry flavor. Normally the spices are freshly ground in a mortar and pestle called SIL_VATTA.

Spices

Spices are usually blended in certain combinations to produce meals. Garam Masala, for example is a red-hot combination of cloves and cinnamon with peppercorns.Popular spices include saffron, an expensive flavoring produced from flowers. This is used to give biryani, that yellow color and delicate fragrance. Turmeric also has a coloring property and acts as a preservative. Chillies are ground, dried or added whole to give that hot taste to curries. They come in red and green varieties but the green ones are the hottest. Ginger is supposed to be good for digestion. Coriander is added to many masalas so as to cool the body. Cardamom is used in many sweet dishes and in meat preparations. Other popular spices are nutmeg, cinnamon, poppy seeds, caraway seeds, cumin seeds, fenugreek, mace, garlic and cloves.BreadsRice is the staple food of the Indians but it is given much importance only in the South. The best Indian rice is the famous Indian Basmati whose patenting has raised a lot of dust and is still under controversy. It is predominantly grown in the Dehra Dun Valley. It has long grains, is yellowish in color and has a slight sweetish or "bas" smell, which gives it its name.In the north a range of breads called ROTIS or PHULKA in Punjab supplements this rice. Indian breads are varied but they are always delicious. Simplest form is the Chapatti, just Wheat flour and water fried up like a thin pancake. It is supposed to be a British invention. Rotis are flour and water cooked on a hot tawa. Direct heat blows them up, but how well depends on the glutin content of the wheat. Baste your roti in butter or ghee and it becomes a paratha. If deep-fried it is called poori in the north and loochi in the east, made of rice and black gram flour it is called dosa in the South. Dosas are found all over India and when wrapped around curried vegetables it becomes masala dosa, a nice snack. Another type of deep-fried bread with a stuffing is the Kachori. Bake the bread in an oven and it becomes Naan. An Idli is a kind of rice dumpling, often served with dal curry called sambar, a south Indian favorite and green chilly chutney. Tomato or Onion chutneys also go with it. Papadams are crispy deep-fried wafer often served with Thalis or other meals.BasicDishes Curries can be made of vegetables, fish, meat, chicken, lamb, and pork. Mostly vegetable oils are used for this purpose. These curries are accompanied by rice in the South and Rotis in the north. Probably the most basic of Indian dishes is Dhal. Dhal is almost there everywhere whether as an accompaniment to a curry or with rice and chapattis. The favorite dhal of Bengal and Gujarat is yellow arhar; in Bengal channa is also yellow; mung is green, rajma is Heinz. Altogether there are 57 varieties of dhal available in India.Tandoori and BiryaniTandoori food is northern specialty and refers to the clay oven in which the food is cooked after first being marinated in a mixture of yogurts and spices. Tandoori chicken is a special favorite in many places.This food is not very hot and usually tastes terrific. Biryani is a Mughal dish. Chicken Biryani is mostly the best favored. Here the meat is mixed with deliciously flavored, orange colored rice, which is spiced with nuts and dry-fruits.

A Pulao is a simpler version of the biryani. These biryanis are not too hot like most of the curriesRegional specialtiesRogan Josh is a curried lamb popular in Kashmir where it originated and also in most parts of northern India. Guntaba, pounded and spiced meat balls cooked in a yogurt sauce is also a Kashmiri specialty. Still in the north, Chicken Mahanwala is a rich dish cooked in a butter sauce. Many coastal areas have excellent seafood, including Bombay, where the Pomfret, a flounder-like fish, is popular. Bombay Duck, another fish dish is also famous in Bombay. Dhansak is a Parsi specialty found in Bombay, lamb or chicken cooked with curried lentils and steamed rice. Goa has excellent fish and prawns. Further South in Kerala, all varieties of prawns and crabs and a lot of fish are available.Another famous Indian dish is the Kababs. These are found all over north India with a lot of variations. The two main forms are Sikka (skewered) or Shami (wrapped). In Calcutta Kati kababs are a local favorite. Further south in Hyderabad, Hallen, pounded wheat with lightly spiced mutton gravy is available. The Andhras are noted for their heavily chillied food. InTamilnadu Pongal made of cooking rice with jaggery is a specialty. Equally notable is the "vada", made of Black gram dhal flour or Bengal gram dhal mixed with chillies and lots of onions. These two always find their place in the menu of any Tamil family.Side dishesIndian food has a number of side dishes to go with the main meal. Probably, the most popular is the Dahi- or curd or yogurt. It has the ability to cool the stomach after a very hot meal. Curd is also used in making Desserts and in the popular drink Lassi. Raitha is another popular side dish where with curd a lot of vegetables in raw form or curried vegetables are mixed. Particularly tomato and cucumber is used. Sabzi are curried vegetables, bhartha is pureed or minced vegetables, and bhujjas are fresh vegetables. India is also famous for a variety of pickles. They come in all flavors, lime, mango, ginger, onion, mixed vegetables, chili, alloo, etc., and in a number of combinations of the above mentioned.ThalisA thali is the all-purpose Indian vegetarian dish. Although it basically belongs to south India, it is found in the north too. There are regional variations also. The name comes from the "thali" dish in which it is served.

The Thali consists of a metal plate with a number of small metal bowls known as Katoris on it. Sometimes the small bowls are replaced by small indentations on the plate itself. Mostly the plate is a big Banana leaf.A thali consists of a variety of vegetable curry dishes, relishes, a couple of papadams, puris or chapattis and a whole lot of rice. A deluxe variety would include a Pata, a rolled betel leaf stuffed with fruit and nuts. It may also include curd and one or two Desserts. The main plus points of thalis are they are cheap and 100% filling. Moreover the rice is unlimited for the Gourmet.Snacks Samosa, tasty little curried vegetable snacks fried up in a pastry triangle, are found all over India. Bhelpuri is a popular snack in most of the cities, one, which is sold in peddled, carts in the nights. Chana, spiced chick peas served with puris is also a roadside favorite. Chat, a general term for snacks and nibbles is now found in good packs to suit all tongues and pockets.Western FoodThe western foods available for breakfast include Bread Toast and Jam, Bread with butter or Cheese, all types of egg like omelette, fried eggs, bulls-eye and a lot more, the types that can be prepared with little effort.

One western food that the Indians have come to terms 100% is the French Fries, which we Indians call, the chips. Calcutta and Bombay have a small Chinese population so Chinese foods can be had in the major cities with a little search. In the north where the Tibetans have settled in many places Tibetan restaurants are present as in places like Dharamsala, Manali and Srinagar.Desserts and SweetsIndians are said to have a sweet tooth and an amazing collection of sweets are available to satisfy them. Kulfi is a widely acceptable dessert, a sort of Indian representation of ice cream. Of course, good quality ice creams are also available from a number of leading brands all over the country.

Rasgullas are another popular type of Dessert, sweet little balls of rose-flavored cream cheese.Desserts are mainly rice or milk puddings in sweet syrup or sweet pastries. Gulab Jamuns are small round balls made of flour, yogurt and ground almonds. Jalebi are pancakes in syrup. Milk dishes are usually boiled until the liquid has been removed and then the various ingredients are added to desserts like barfi, which has coconut with almond or pistachio flavoring. Sandesh is a variety of milk dish popular in Calcutta.

Payasam as it is called in the south is made from milk simmered with crushed cashews, cereals and sugar, topped with raisins. Firnee is a rice pudding dessert with almonds, raisins and pistachios.Many of the Indian sweets come with a coating of silver paper, which is edible. Halwa, a translucent, vividly colored sweet belongs to Tamilnadu, particularly the Tirunelveli District. Grinding wheat for a long time and then boiling the ground paste with sugar and seasoned with a lot of nuts makes it.

Fruits India

Fruits India boasts of a wide variety of fruits, fresh from the gardens. The collection varies all the way from tropical delights in the south to apples, apricots and other temperate region fruits in the north. Cherries and strawberries are available aplenty in Kashmir, and apricots in Ladakh and Himachal Pradesh. Apples are found all over the northwestern part but particularly in the Kulu Valley of Himachal.Melons are widespread in India, particularly watermelons that are fine thirst quenchers. Mangoes and bananas are found in many parts of India; Pineapples in Assam, Oranges in Kerala, tangerines are widespread in Central India, particularly the hot season.PaanAn Indian meal finishes with Paan- the name given to the collection of spices and condiments chewed with betel leaves. Found throughout eastern Asia, Betel is mildly intoxicating and addictive. But after a meal it is taken as a mild digestive in small amounts. Paan sellers have a number of little trays and containers in which they mix either sadha or Mitha (sweet) paans. The ingredient may include apart from the betel nut itself, lime paste, various spices and even a dash of opium for a better price. The whole concoction is folded up cleverly and chewed.

Drinks Non - Alcoholic

Tea is the most popular drink in the north, while in the south, coffee is the number one drink. "Tray Tea", which gives you the tea, milk and sugar separately is the most commonly available form of tea in most of the sophisticated hotels in India. Nimbu Paani, which is nothing but lemon squash is commonly available in all the towns, particularly in the summer. A number of branded soft drinks like Pepsi, Coca-cola, sprite, seven-up, etc have cropped up in recent times, and they seem to quench ones thirst though they are said to have only artificial contents with high sugar content. Apple juice drinks are widely available in Himachal Pradesh. Coconut milk, straight from the young coconut, is a popular street-side drink. Another escape from soft drinks is the plain soda, which is widely available. Finally there is the Lassi, that cool, refreshing and delicious iced curd drink.

Drinks - Alcoholic

Alcohol seems to be little expensive in India. In some states like Goa, it is very cheap, whereas in some states like Tamil Nadu, it is very expensive. Indian Beers to mention are Golden Eagle, Rosy Pelican, Cannon Extra Strong, Kingfisher, etc., Beer and other interpretations of western alcoholic drinks are known as Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL). Local drinks are called country Liquor and include Toddy, a mildly alcoholic extract from coconut palm flower, and Feni, a distilled liquor produced from Fermented cashew nuts or from coconuts. The two varieties taste differently.

Sweet Dishes

No Indian meal is complete without a generous treat of sweets that tickle the taste buds. A rich variety of sweets are prepared in the Indian households not only on special occasions like festivals and fairs but also to treat their guests. Most popular among the Indian sweets are the different types of Laddoos, halwas and syrup-based sweets.

South Indian Dishes

The northern region of India comprises the valley -filled Kashmir to the vast field- lands of Punjab. The cuisine also varies widely in this region but the predominant one is the Mughlai one. The staple food of the Kashmiris is rice and plenty of meat dishes, which includes "Gustaba", "Kaahwa", etc. The Kashmiri cuisine is a blend of its major produce, which includes red chillies, fruits, nuts, saffron and rajma.For the Punjabis, the Rotis and Lassi give them the vigor and energy they are noted for. The sarson ka saag and the makke di roti is a good combination. The Punjabis also place a lot of stress on the ginger, garlic, onion and tomato combinations. Altogether the northern part is famous for its tongue tickling Mughlai dishes. They are a gift to us from the Mughals who probably got it from their Persian ancestors. The succulent kababs, kormas and the parathas are good examples. The blending of spices over low heat is an important factor of the Mughal style of cooking.Most of the vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes are famous for their distinctive tastes. Though rice is sparingly used throughout northern India, Wheat is their staple food. They take wheat in the form of rotis and chappathis. They come in a wide range, which includes parathas, puris, naans, kulchas, rotis and chapathis, and stuffed parathas.

The Malabar Coast in the south is famous for its spices of pungent aromas that lured many foreign invaders like the Dutch, the French and the English. Cardamom, pepper, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg are some of the notable spices, which are found in abundance in the South. The availability of coconut, fish and root tubers have influenced the culinary creations of the South. Rice is the staple food for the people of the four states of South India.

The very mentioning of the name of South India, particularly Tamil Nadu, brings to ones mind the tastes of Idlis, dosas, Sambhar and Vada. But there are more than these that can treat the taste buds. Most of the vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes of this region have a generous use of spices and coconuts. The final tempering with oil, mustard seeds, curry leaves, red chillies and urad dhal is almost the same for most of the dishes.

In Kerala, the staple food of the people is fish accompanied with steaming rice of big size. Banana chips and jackfruit chips are the specialty snacks of this state and most of the visitors make sure they have at least a few bags of these items in their carry home luggage!The Andhra cuisine has a great Mughal impact. Their food is known for its spiciness and hotness. The kebabs and the Briyanis are not to be missed. Home made pickles, pappads and dry chutney powders to be used with dosa or idli or rice are the famous culinary traditions of this region.