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Indian Cuisine
Most Indian cuisines are related by similiar usage of spices. Often, Indian cooking is distinguished by the use of a larger variety of vegetables than many other well-known cuisines.
Within these recognisable similarities, there is an enormous variety of local styles.
In the north and the west, Kashmiri and Mughlai cuisines show strong central Asian influences.
Through the medium of Mughlai food, this influence has propagated into many regional kitchens.
To the east, the Bengali and Assamese styles shade off into the cuisines of East Asia.
All coastal kitchens make strong use of fish and coconuts. The desert cuisines of Rajasthan and Gujarat use an immense variety of dals and achars (preserves) to substitute for the relative lack of fresh vegetables.
The use of tamarind to impart sourness distinguishes Tamil food. The Andhra kitchen is accused, sometimes unfairly, of using excessive amounts of chilies.
All along the northern plain, from Punjab through Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, a variety of flours are used to make chapatis and other closely related breads. In the rain-swept regions of the north-eastern foothills and along the coasts, a large variety of rices are used.
Potatoes are not used as the staple carbohydrate in any part of India.
Modern India is going through a period of rapid culinary evolution.
With urbanisation and the consequent evolution of patterns of living, home-cooked food has become simpler. Old recipes are recalled more often than used.
A small number of influential cookbooks have served the purpose of preserving some of this culinary heritage at the cost of homogenising palates.
Meanwhile restaurants, increasingly popular, encourage mixing of styles. Tandoori fish, mutton dosas and Jain pizzas are immediately recognisable by many Indians in cities.
India Food, Recipes, Spicy Food, Indian Curry
Most Indian cuisines are related by similiar usage of spices. Often, Indian cooking is distinguished by the use of a larger variety of vegetables than many other well-known cuisines.
Within these recognisable similarities, there is an enormous variety of local styles.
In the north and the west, Kashmiri and Mughlai cuisines show strong central Asian influences.
Through the medium of Mughlai food, this influence has propagated into many regional kitchens. To the east, the Bengali and Assamese styles shade off into the cuisines of East Asia.
All coastal kitchens make strong use of fish and coconuts.
The desert cuisines of Rajasthan and Gujarat use an immense variety of dals and achars (preserves) to substitute for the relative lack of fresh vegetables.
The use of tamarind to impart sourness distinguishes Tamil food.
The Andhra kitchen is accused, sometimes unfairly, of using excessive amounts of chilies.
All along the northern plain, from Punjab through Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, a variety of flours are used to make chapatis and other closely related breads.
In the rain-swept regions of the north-eastern foothills and along the coasts, a large variety of rices are used.
Potatoes are not used as the staple carbohydrate in any part of India.
Modern India is going through a period of rapid culinary evolution.
With urbanisation and the consequent evolution of patterns of living, home cooked food has become simpler.
Old recipes are recalled more often than used.
A small number of influential cookbooks have served the purpose of preserving some of this culinary heritage at the cost of homogenising palates.
Meanwhile restaurants, increasingly popular, encourage mixing of styles. Tandoori fish, mutton dosas and Jain pizzas are immediately recognisable by many Indians in cities.
Many Indian dishes require an entire day’s preparation of cutting vegetables, pounding spices on a stone or just sitting patiently by the fire for hours on end. On the other hand, there are simple dishes which are ideal for everyday eating.
Most of the spices used in Indian food have been used for their medicinal properties in addition to the flavor and taste they impart.
Ginger is believed to have originated in India and was introduced to China over 3000 years ago. In India, a knob of fresh ginger added to tea is believed to relieve sore throats and head colds, not to mention it’s aphrodisiacal properties!
Turmeric is splendid against skin diseases and neem leaves are used to guard against small pox.
It is the complexities of regional food in India that make it a so very fascinating try!
Staple ingredients and spices
The staples of Indian cuisine are rice, atta (a special type of whole wheat flour), and at least five dozen varieties of pulses, the most important of which are chana (bengal gram;and these are used in different forms, may be whole or after processing them in a mill that removes the skin,eg dhuli moong or dhuli urad.
some times mixed with rice and excellent for digestion food called khichri similar to the chick pea but smaller and more flavorful), toor (pigeon pea or red gram), urad (black gram) and mung (green gram).
Pulses are used almost exclusively in the form of dal, except chana, which is often cooked whole for breakfast and is processed into flour (besan).
The most important spices in Indian cuisine are chilli pepper, black mustard seed (rai), cumin, turmeric, fenugreek, ginger, coriander and asafoetida (hing).
Another very important spice is garam masala which is usually a powder of five or more dried spices. In sweet dishes, cardamom, cinnamon, nutmeg and rose petal essence are used.
Regional specialties
Dosa from Southern India.
Idli, also from Southern India: Steamed rice-cakes, which are prepared from a fermented batter of rice and urad dal (gram). Soak rice and pulses in water for about 12 hours, then grind to a smooth and viscous paste.
Place the paste into plates that contain small compartments with tiny holes under them, then cook in a pressure-cooker.
Idlis are very tasty when eaten with chutney or sambhar as a side-dish.
Other famous Indian dishes
Chapathi, Curry, Dum gosht, Tandoori chicken (a tandoor is a clay oven), Vindaloo, Biryani
There are several styles of Indian bread, including roti, paratha, dosai and naan.
Some sweets and desserts are Gulab jamun, Rasgulla, Mysore paak, Coconut burfi, Doodh pedha, Pheerni, Puran poli, Kheer, Modak, Halva, Kulfi, Jalebi, Shrikhand
Indian Food Abroad
Britain has a particularly strong tradition of Indian cuisine that originates from the British Raj. At this time there were a few Indian restaurants in the richer parts of London that catered for British officers returning from their duties in India.
In the 20th century there was a second phase in the development of Anglo-Indian cuisine, as families from countries such as Bangladesh migrated to London to look for work.
Some of the earliest such restaurants were opened in Brick Lane in the East End of London, a place that is still famous for this type of cuisine.
In the 1960s, a number of inauthentic "Indian" foods were developed, including the widely popular "chicken tikka masala".
This tendency has now been reversed, with subcontinental restaurants being more willing to serve authentic Indian, Bangladeshi and Pakistani food, and to show their regional variations.
In the late 20th century Birmingham was the centre of growth of Balti houses, serving a newly developed style of cooking in a large, wok-like, pan, with a name sometimes attributed to the territory of Baltistan, but more often derived from the Portuguese Balde, meaning 'bucket'.
Indian food is now a staple of the British diet: indeed it has been argued that Indian food can be regarded as part of the core of the British national cuisine.
Spain, which does not generally appear on the culinary map when it comes to Indian cuisine, also has many Indian restaurants, especially in Barcelona and Málaga, mainly to appeal to the large number of tourists.
A notable example, is the aptly named India Restaurant, in Hyatt Regency La Manga, Cartagena, Murcia.
In the United States of America, Indian cuisine has become far more popular and prevalent since the 1970s, especially in New York City but also in other large metropolitan areas nationwide, as a result of the huge increase in South Asian immigration.
In many Indian restaurants in the U.S., all-you-can-eat buffets with several standard dishes have become the norm.
Indian restaurants are common in the larger cities of Canada, particularly in Toronto and Vancouver where large numbers of Indian nationals have settled since 1970.
A number of the more adventurous restaurants have transformed their offerings into so-called Indian "fusion" menus, combining fresh local ingredients with tradional Indian cooking techniques.
One such establishment in Vancouver, called Vij's, has attracted the attention of the international gourmet set.
Due to a large population of Indians in South Africa, the cuisine of South Africa includes a number of Indian dishes, some unique to South Africa