this is a south indian community which belongs to agriculture and trading community who are famous for trade of spices with the other countries. they are famous for their food, trade.
chicken chettinad here the chettinad means cheti land so the preparation is from the chetti place
the
Indian Food is synonymous with these two words since 3 centuries now.. British raj with the indian globe trotters spread the cuisine world over taking the flavour and the spice hunger with them. i'm not over exagerrating but every major and minor city all over the world has space for indian restaurant.
rassam
rassam... juice, or essence as its sanskrit meaning would be, akin to sambar but little different from it as sambar is thick vegetable stew where as this is thinner version majorly prepared with tamarind, tomato to provide the tangy flavour. Rassam has its own condiments to give its flavour which again vary as it changes the state. In tamil they call Rassam; saaru in Kannada; chaaru in Telagu.
this preparation basically has four major ingredients tamarind for sourness; lentils as liquid base; peppers for spicyness; curry leaves with fenugreek it all makes rassam the true rassam .. but it may change as the georaphy changes some parts use tomato instead of tamarind and may wont use the lentil water as liquid. even some uses coconut milk and cilantro to flavour their rassam.
but whatever the way they end up in making rasam, even the rasam is closer to mulligatawany. where as muligatawany has a tamil origin and it is translated as mulligu and thanni.. mulligu stands for pepper thanni for water as black pepper is major ingredient in the rassam.
rassam recipe: 1/2 kg tomato; 1/2 cup red lentils; 1/2 cup tamarind pulp; salt; curry leaves; 1 tsp cumin; 1 tsp mustard; 2 cloves of garlic; cilantro; 1 tsp red chilli powder(substitute paprika for milder version); 1 tsp turmeric
for spice mixture: 1 tsp coriander seeds; 1 tsp cumin seeds; 1 tsp fenugreek seeds; 3 red chillies; 1 tsp black pepper; dried curry leaves; pinch of asafoetida
1. broil all the spices in a pan and grind in a coffee grinder leave them aside.
2. cut tomatoes add in a pot with water and lentils let them cook until tomatoes cooks well.
3. strain the liquid by strainer crushing the tomatoes or use the food mill. the result puree thin it down to a liquid consistency again keep it to boil add tamarind to it add sugar and salt to taste.
4. in a separate pan heat the 2 tbsp oil add mustard seeds when they start to crackle add cumin asafoetida, curry leaves, turmeric and paprika temper the rassam with this mix well add cilantro and let it boil
serve as a soup or with rice.
this preparation basically has four major ingredients tamarind for sourness; lentils as liquid base; peppers for spicyness; curry leaves with fenugreek it all makes rassam the true rassam .. but it may change as the georaphy changes some parts use tomato instead of tamarind and may wont use the lentil water as liquid. even some uses coconut milk and cilantro to flavour their rassam.
but whatever the way they end up in making rasam, even the rasam is closer to mulligatawany. where as muligatawany has a tamil origin and it is translated as mulligu and thanni.. mulligu stands for pepper thanni for water as black pepper is major ingredient in the rassam.
rassam recipe: 1/2 kg tomato; 1/2 cup red lentils; 1/2 cup tamarind pulp; salt; curry leaves; 1 tsp cumin; 1 tsp mustard; 2 cloves of garlic; cilantro; 1 tsp red chilli powder(substitute paprika for milder version); 1 tsp turmeric
for spice mixture: 1 tsp coriander seeds; 1 tsp cumin seeds; 1 tsp fenugreek seeds; 3 red chillies; 1 tsp black pepper; dried curry leaves; pinch of asafoetida
1. broil all the spices in a pan and grind in a coffee grinder leave them aside.
2. cut tomatoes add in a pot with water and lentils let them cook until tomatoes cooks well.
3. strain the liquid by strainer crushing the tomatoes or use the food mill. the result puree thin it down to a liquid consistency again keep it to boil add tamarind to it add sugar and salt to taste.
4. in a separate pan heat the 2 tbsp oil add mustard seeds when they start to crackle add cumin asafoetida, curry leaves, turmeric and paprika temper the rassam with this mix well add cilantro and let it boil
serve as a soup or with rice.
sambhar
it can be described as southern Indian letil curry with vegetables added in it. it is served all over with 'Idli' or 'Dosa'. even the sambhar can be eaten with anything as it is a vegetable curry. there are plenty of recipes on the web and the books available even every household boosts its own curry recipes changes with the available ingredients. much more like a chowder made with lentils majorly the split pigeon pea.
the major ingredients it contains are split pigeon pea, tamarind, vegetables and curry leaves.
this dish is even called by various names in southern states kuzambu, pappucharu, sambharu. One legend goes it was Maratha king shahuji who was ruling in Tanjavoor who was hailed from western coastal region use to love the pigeon pea preparation called Amti. made with kokum (garcinia indica) a sour fruit from western coast of india. the cooked in his kitchen used tamarind instead of kokum and served in a greeting banquet arranged for visiting cousin Sambhaji. the preparation named after him as 'sambar'
the major ingredients it contains are split pigeon pea, tamarind, vegetables and curry leaves.
this dish is even called by various names in southern states kuzambu, pappucharu, sambharu. One legend goes it was Maratha king shahuji who was ruling in Tanjavoor who was hailed from western coastal region use to love the pigeon pea preparation called Amti. made with kokum (garcinia indica) a sour fruit from western coast of india. the cooked in his kitchen used tamarind instead of kokum and served in a greeting banquet arranged for visiting cousin Sambhaji. the preparation named after him as 'sambar'
madras curry
this is very much interesting as the country like india which is a continent in itself with vivid climatic changes and culinary diversity. South Indian cuisine takes a prominent art in this as the food here is very much different than its northen part of the india and the food known to the rest of world. the food here is revolves with water thin curry, rice, tamarind (rown, podded fruit with brittle flaky skin and a deep brown-red, sticky pulp that surrounds several hard seeds. The pulp has a very unique sweet-sour-spicy flavor, scientific name ' tamarindus indica') the word curry derived from this part of region and even national soup of india 'mulligatawny' comes from this region.
vegetarianism is much more pronounced than the non-vegetarian food, the culture the climate and the food habits are totally diverse the staple food is rice which grows abudantly use of rice, tamarind, tomato, lemon, yogurt, less oily food is more prominent in the food. as the climate is too hot the curries are watery, rice has been used in various ways from its bread to sweet pudding the day starts with breakfast where you can see either steamed rice cakes 'idli' and 'sambar' also Dosa a crepe made with rice and split black gram, where as in lunch you can have rice with different curries and the food always ends up with rice with yogurt flavoured with curry leaves or rice with butter milk as they both works as a coolent for the hot suuny day, coastal part eats fish and here too curries are watery one more prominent thing here is usage of coconut is in abudant as the states like kerala and tamilnadu grows largest coconut produce in india so use of fresh grated coconut dried, coconut milk and even use of coconut oil for cooking food is also prominent.
vegetarianism is much more pronounced than the non-vegetarian food, the culture the climate and the food habits are totally diverse the staple food is rice which grows abudantly use of rice, tamarind, tomato, lemon, yogurt, less oily food is more prominent in the food. as the climate is too hot the curries are watery, rice has been used in various ways from its bread to sweet pudding the day starts with breakfast where you can see either steamed rice cakes 'idli' and 'sambar' also Dosa a crepe made with rice and split black gram, where as in lunch you can have rice with different curries and the food always ends up with rice with yogurt flavoured with curry leaves or rice with butter milk as they both works as a coolent for the hot suuny day, coastal part eats fish and here too curries are watery one more prominent thing here is usage of coconut is in abudant as the states like kerala and tamilnadu grows largest coconut produce in india so use of fresh grated coconut dried, coconut milk and even use of coconut oil for cooking food is also prominent.
Rogan Josh
rogan josh is a preparation from Kashmir himalayan state of india. and the state of beautiful valley. kashmiri pundits speciality preparation. the authentic recie asks for the ratan jog a tree bark which give the red colour for the preparation it is not necessary to have. evne the kashmiri red chilli also provides the colour.
there is a controversy with its name rogan means clarified butter and josh the heat while other meaning says rogan josh as red lamb. anyways the dish can be described as lamb braised in yogurt. with spices such as cardamom, fennel and specially asafoetida (believed to give the onion flavour to the food).
recipe for rogan josh
there is a controversy with its name rogan means clarified butter and josh the heat while other meaning says rogan josh as red lamb. anyways the dish can be described as lamb braised in yogurt. with spices such as cardamom, fennel and specially asafoetida (believed to give the onion flavour to the food).
recipe for rogan josh
2 lbs. (1 kg) boneless lamb leg or shoulder,
2-3 tsp salt
¼ c vegetable oil
3 black cardamom pods*
1 piece cinnamon stick, 1-inch
3 cloves
pinch asafoetida*
4 t Kashmiri chili powder* /paprika
3 c plain yogurt
1 T fennel seeds, ground to a powder in spice mill
2 t ginger powder
3 c water
¼ t garam masala*
Thoroughly season lamb with salt
Over medium-high flame, heat a heavy bottomed pot large enough to hold lamb pieces in one layer. Add oil. When hot, add black cardamom, cinnamon and cloves. After a few seconds, add asafetida. Brown meat for 5-8 minutes, turning pieces only occasionally as each side caramelizes.
Add chili powder and about a cup of the yogurt, stirring well to prevent the chili powder from burning. Add the and stir well. Cook (still over medium-high heat) for about 10 minutes, until liquid has all been cooked off, being careful to stir well during the last few minutes. It is ready for next step.
Add fennel and ginger powders and stir and cook for a minute. Add water, bring to a boil then simmer Partially cover and simmer gently over medium-low to low heat for at least 2 hours, until tender (a wooden skewer will pierce the meat easily, with no resistance). It may take as long as 4 hours, depending on the variety of lamb used (more water may be needed for longer cooking). The sauce should be thick and velvety. If it is too thin, turn up the heat to reduce. If too thick, add more water.
importance of food in rituals
religious part of indian cuisine, hinduism has many rituals as if i am not wrong this life style is having most rituals to perform, set against the way of life we lead. from birth to death and after death the rituals continue with you even at a after life stage. food in this sence plays greater part of the ceremoneis performed and food is also set for that the order of the fod and the ipportance has been documented in our holy books, or the bramhn who will let us know.
every festivals and celebration has been assigned with a some kind of food the food which has been assigned is based on scientifically perfect such as on january 14 hindus celebrate makar sankrant when sun moves to capricorn nad the winter starts the food on that day eaten is 'sesame seed and jaggery' mixture called as tilgul. the oil in sesame seed gives the needed fat and jaggery the sweetness and warmth.
every festivals and celebration has been assigned with a some kind of food the food which has been assigned is based on scientifically perfect such as on january 14 hindus celebrate makar sankrant when sun moves to capricorn nad the winter starts the food on that day eaten is 'sesame seed and jaggery' mixture called as tilgul. the oil in sesame seed gives the needed fat and jaggery the sweetness and warmth.
regional cuisine
india a subcontinent to explain in better ways, this is a country of vivid cuisine and customs i have disussed this before in the world of flavours section. the regional cuisine is so diverse. in a modern india it has 28 states which have in broad sense 28 cuisines but even some state hide more diverse part of their cuisine.
geographical diverse has gave india the variety in its food and people. Moreover the land and the available fresh food played great part in the regional cuisine of india lets look at in the following article. well while describing this we as per geographical and cultural differences in a broader senses lets make 4 divisions of india North, West, East, south, each has a diverse cuisine which not even matches anywhere
while starting from kashmir, india's pride state on up in the north surrounded by beautyful valleys and himalayan ranges. The cuisine here is great and flavoured with mixed culture of kashmiri pandit who are hindus and muslims. fresh food fruits and dryfruits are in abudance, as in contrast bramhin in this part of india eat lamb but not chiken, the signature lamb preparation is rogan josh. the diverse vegetation and its production is done here mostly the lakes provide the food stems of lotus used beautifully
geographical diverse has gave india the variety in its food and people. Moreover the land and the available fresh food played great part in the regional cuisine of india lets look at in the following article. well while describing this we as per geographical and cultural differences in a broader senses lets make 4 divisions of india North, West, East, south, each has a diverse cuisine which not even matches anywhere
while starting from kashmir, india's pride state on up in the north surrounded by beautyful valleys and himalayan ranges. The cuisine here is great and flavoured with mixed culture of kashmiri pandit who are hindus and muslims. fresh food fruits and dryfruits are in abudance, as in contrast bramhin in this part of india eat lamb but not chiken, the signature lamb preparation is rogan josh. the diverse vegetation and its production is done here mostly the lakes provide the food stems of lotus used beautifully
history of india
am i guessing right? you are thinking why he is writing on history of india on a blog which meant for curries.... but indias history changed with its boundries only because of its wealth of abudant spices and trade with west thats why from alexander to other greeks .. moguls and finally british everyone took share of it and distinctively changed historical pages and boundrylines at each crescent of the decades and centuries.
while i will keep the historical information of indian history related to curry and its further travel dont get panic that you have to read all bloody wars ...
as per my point o view i would say its a fstival of flavour indian food truly has been focusses a varying taste all over the subcontinent. the region which wass india in its thousand years of history was sreched from afghan to myanmar and from himalayas to indian ocean has flavours as it came in and incorporated with it. the nation with its vivd culture and varying rituals all over its part and influence from invaders outsiders has made its food rich. most of its food has a influence from hinduism which had restrition and openeness to try new and keep the old rituals even in food making it preserved tradition use of fresh and seasonal ingredients, preserved food products, mixing six tastes of life. most of age old food logics and tradition have a backing of scientific explanation for its produce. 'ayurved' one of the greatest ook which suggest healthy eating and healthy life. the book which heels all illness and pains from yur food and also listed what to eat when to eat.
वदनी कवल घेता नाम घ्या श्री हरीचे
सहज हवं होते नानाम घेता फुकाचे
जीवन करी जीवित्वा अन्न है पूर्ण ब्रम्ह
उदाराभारण नोहिजे जनिचे यद्न्य करम
" chant name of god whie having food; its free and even help to digest.
food makes us to live the life; feel this as one of your needful work.
ॐ सहनावाभावतू। सहनौ भुनक्तु सहविर्यम करवावहै॥
तेजस्विना वधिता मस्तु। माँ विद्विशावाहिही॥
ॐ शान्तिही शंतिही शंतिही॥
lets get together sit together eat together think and work together
every ritual of india is comes around with food. food is considered as one of the greatest things in indian culture
diversity and geographial differences in india made its cuise adopt to the situation and they develoeed the taste according to the nature and available ingredient such as north is cold comepare to the rest of nature so their spice mixture includes the spice which keeps body warm the gravies are thicker and food mostly based on wheat as carbohydrate and plenty of milk products. as with southern its hot climate below the cancer line the food is hotter with sour, hot, and watery gravies major starch is rice. food is finished with curd or yogurt to wash down the heat of food and to keep the body cool.
the history of indian food and it changing curvves and palatibility runs down with histry of india since its early civilistion 'indus civilisation'. first it was with indus their food was basically plain included vegetarian diet in their meals. domesticated cows and bulls for milk and their use in the cattle field, basically meat of lamb, goat was among the popular, as per some new findings it is even said that cow and bull eating was common practise in early indus civilisation. while this cilisation was much more adventures new archiologiacal findings says they had trade realtion wiht early civilisation who was in china and south east asia and middle east such as mesapotamia and egypt; even they traveled far east. the first move was happened when aryans came from central asia (as west beleives) they brought new food habbits until now rice and barley was major food but now it started to change with wheat. the new foods intoduced to the land of india until now cow became important domesticated animal which was a bigget source of dairy for the religious customs every day; the cow remains pious until today.
CUISINE OF INDIA
the cuisine of India was synonymous with Garam Masala, mango chutney(sweet concoction of mangoes with cumin, cloves, coriander) chicken Tikka Masala, vindaloo. But it is more than that it is widest as you go by length and breadth of this country the worlds knows the part which migrants of India who choose to showcase them what they felt Indian food. since decades world is eating curry chicken and vindaloo. People still confuse with curry chicken the word curry came from tamil word 'kari' or kadhi which means nothing but sauce or gravey in which the preparation is cooked, small Indian restaurants which are around the globe are majorly have food influenced from Punjabi and Mughlai cuisine as majorly the cooks were either migrated from Punjab part of India or Bangladeshis even before India's independence, Indians from todays pakistan settled in various part of world where British moved, so they took the food with them. Today's Indian restaurant have the same menu they had a decade back, as no one wanted to experiment with the taste buds of the people in fear they will miss their loyal patrons.
but some of the chefs who are new entrepreneurs cum chefs who worked with other chefs came up with the new dimension to the food, they have tried their hands on good option turning the tables to the new taste.
as the india is large country and has different flavours with the festivals all around the year which are the all related with the seasons. so the food around India is vivid with the taste some foods are made same knew different such as rice pudding called 'payasam' southern india which turns to be doodh pak in western india and payesh in north east and 'phirni' in kashmir the northen part of india.
while i will keep the historical information of indian history related to curry and its further travel dont get panic that you have to read all bloody wars ...
as per my point o view i would say its a fstival of flavour indian food truly has been focusses a varying taste all over the subcontinent. the region which wass india in its thousand years of history was sreched from afghan to myanmar and from himalayas to indian ocean has flavours as it came in and incorporated with it. the nation with its vivd culture and varying rituals all over its part and influence from invaders outsiders has made its food rich. most of its food has a influence from hinduism which had restrition and openeness to try new and keep the old rituals even in food making it preserved tradition use of fresh and seasonal ingredients, preserved food products, mixing six tastes of life. most of age old food logics and tradition have a backing of scientific explanation for its produce. 'ayurved' one of the greatest ook which suggest healthy eating and healthy life. the book which heels all illness and pains from yur food and also listed what to eat when to eat.
वदनी कवल घेता नाम घ्या श्री हरीचे
सहज हवं होते नानाम घेता फुकाचे
जीवन करी जीवित्वा अन्न है पूर्ण ब्रम्ह
उदाराभारण नोहिजे जनिचे यद्न्य करम
" chant name of god whie having food; its free and even help to digest.
food makes us to live the life; feel this as one of your needful work.
ॐ सहनावाभावतू। सहनौ भुनक्तु सहविर्यम करवावहै॥
तेजस्विना वधिता मस्तु। माँ विद्विशावाहिही॥
ॐ शान्तिही शंतिही शंतिही॥
lets get together sit together eat together think and work together
every ritual of india is comes around with food. food is considered as one of the greatest things in indian culture
diversity and geographial differences in india made its cuise adopt to the situation and they develoeed the taste according to the nature and available ingredient such as north is cold comepare to the rest of nature so their spice mixture includes the spice which keeps body warm the gravies are thicker and food mostly based on wheat as carbohydrate and plenty of milk products. as with southern its hot climate below the cancer line the food is hotter with sour, hot, and watery gravies major starch is rice. food is finished with curd or yogurt to wash down the heat of food and to keep the body cool.
the history of indian food and it changing curvves and palatibility runs down with histry of india since its early civilistion 'indus civilisation'. first it was with indus their food was basically plain included vegetarian diet in their meals. domesticated cows and bulls for milk and their use in the cattle field, basically meat of lamb, goat was among the popular, as per some new findings it is even said that cow and bull eating was common practise in early indus civilisation. while this cilisation was much more adventures new archiologiacal findings says they had trade realtion wiht early civilisation who was in china and south east asia and middle east such as mesapotamia and egypt; even they traveled far east. the first move was happened when aryans came from central asia (as west beleives) they brought new food habbits until now rice and barley was major food but now it started to change with wheat. the new foods intoduced to the land of india until now cow became important domesticated animal which was a bigget source of dairy for the religious customs every day; the cow remains pious until today.
CUISINE OF INDIA
the cuisine of India was synonymous with Garam Masala, mango chutney(sweet concoction of mangoes with cumin, cloves, coriander) chicken Tikka Masala, vindaloo. But it is more than that it is widest as you go by length and breadth of this country the worlds knows the part which migrants of India who choose to showcase them what they felt Indian food. since decades world is eating curry chicken and vindaloo. People still confuse with curry chicken the word curry came from tamil word 'kari' or kadhi which means nothing but sauce or gravey in which the preparation is cooked, small Indian restaurants which are around the globe are majorly have food influenced from Punjabi and Mughlai cuisine as majorly the cooks were either migrated from Punjab part of India or Bangladeshis even before India's independence, Indians from todays pakistan settled in various part of world where British moved, so they took the food with them. Today's Indian restaurant have the same menu they had a decade back, as no one wanted to experiment with the taste buds of the people in fear they will miss their loyal patrons.
but some of the chefs who are new entrepreneurs cum chefs who worked with other chefs came up with the new dimension to the food, they have tried their hands on good option turning the tables to the new taste.
as the india is large country and has different flavours with the festivals all around the year which are the all related with the seasons. so the food around India is vivid with the taste some foods are made same knew different such as rice pudding called 'payasam' southern india which turns to be doodh pak in western india and payesh in north east and 'phirni' in kashmir the northen part of india.
spice trade
spice in indian cuisine takes so much pride no other food takes. The unique flavours taste and efficient use of them made them important not only in indian cuisine but also whom they use to trade with exchange of gold and diamonds yes the Romans and Europeans.
BACKGROUND
the roman had most important relation with india was with spice trade. the voyage to india is much more dependant on monsoon seasonsand majorly was ued by them. this trade was going wiht southern india until the fall of rome.Seleucid Empire controlled and developed network of trade with india was done very smoothly which was much more influenced with persian way. majorly it was beleived that indian trade with romans via persians but the documents and history shows that it was with at simultanious, Periplus Maris Erythraei an egyptians trader wrote down " Eudaimon Arabia was called fortunate, being once a city, when, because ships neither came from India to Egypt nor did those from Egypt dare to go further but only came as far as this place, it received the cargoes from both, just as Alexandria receives goods brought from outside and from Egypt." and it was well developed with red sea ports.
the greece after fall of rome kept the trade relation with india. as per strabos work he wrote down not less than 120 vessels were sailling to india. even at the time of augustus around more than 100 vessels use to travel all the way to indian ports carrying gold to exchange with india for spices such as pepper and cardmom bay leaf.
ports of both sides
roman
arsinoe: one of the most important port of egypt under ptolemaic dynasty present day it is called as suez.
Myos Hormos and Berenice: this trade port was used by both egyptians and romans to trade spices.
indian ports :
major ports was from guarath and kerala and arikamedu near pondicherry।
muziris: periplus in his trade account wrote down "Muziris and Nelcynda, which are now of leading importance (...) Muziris, of the same kingdom, abounds in ships sent there with cargoes from Arabia, and by the Greeks; it is located on a river, distant from Tyndis by river and sea five hundred stadia, and up the river from the shore twenty stadia" this port city of india was the busiest in all of the Indian ports aorly dealng with pepper and spices.
Barigaza: periplus while his trading realation with india observed following for this port" There are imported into this market-town (Barigaza), wine, Italian preferred, also Laodicean and Arabian; copper, tin, and lead; coral and topaz; thin clothing and inferior sorts of all kinds; bright-colored girdles a cubit wide; storax, sweet clover, flint glass, realgar, antimony, gold and silver coin, on which there is a profit when exchanged for the money of the country; and ointment, but not very costly and not much. And for the King there are brought into those places very costly vessels of silver, singing boys, beautiful maidens for the harem, fine wines, thin clothing of the finest weaves, and the choicest ointments. There are exported from these places spikenard, costus, bdellium, ivory, agate and carnelian, lycium, cotton cloth of all kinds, silk cloth, mallow cloth, yarn, long pepper and such other things as are brought here from the various market-towns. Those bound for this market-town from Egypt make the voyage favorably about the month of July, that is Epiphi" this port was majorly in business with cotton silk and clothing material and use to receive precious stones glass work and art work.
regional cuisine of india
india is a vast country 7th largest in the world. with different cultures and different favours way of life is liberal and splendid as indian tourism department says 'incredible india' the cuisine is also incredible indeed it is greatest, unofficially UKs national food where english people eat more curry than anything else.
the regional cuisine has not been got the platform or stage to share to the rest of the world indian Diaspora had took the food with them but it remained in four walls of the kitchen what got famous was 'chicken tikka masala which became symbol of indian food to the rest of the world but there is alot more and as they say in china if you try one dish a day you have to wait for year to taste it again the same even its fits well with india too as there are people and palates rituals and festivals flora and fauna tradition and taboos set rules and liberal ideas the food has everything from balance to contrast taste. officially this vast nation has 28 states (7 union territories) but the cuisine is multiplied as every state is wide and they have their own taste buds its a subcontinent and cultures florished rapidly as i said in my previous post the food here grew along with festivity and rituals it made a diversity all indian festivals are subjected to the seasons this
the regional cuisine has not been got the platform or stage to share to the rest of the world indian Diaspora had took the food with them but it remained in four walls of the kitchen what got famous was 'chicken tikka masala which became symbol of indian food to the rest of the world but there is alot more and as they say in china if you try one dish a day you have to wait for year to taste it again the same even its fits well with india too as there are people and palates rituals and festivals flora and fauna tradition and taboos set rules and liberal ideas the food has everything from balance to contrast taste. officially this vast nation has 28 states (7 union territories) but the cuisine is multiplied as every state is wide and they have their own taste buds its a subcontinent and cultures florished rapidly as i said in my previous post the food here grew along with festivity and rituals it made a diversity all indian festivals are subjected to the seasons this
mughalai cuisine
in a period of time indias boundries became weak and power trasnfered from big kingdm to smaller kings who were earlier commanders or ministers in power. this made a great affect on the boundries and central asian mongols rolled down their chart and after loosing battles started t rule in indian sub continent. before this the mongols was only interested in looting india as much as they can in their war. but this time they came completely with to stay back here
BABUR was a such a first of kind of ruler lost many battles in his home terf. while mongols bought their culture food and feasts with them. which made positive changes in indian cusine. mongols use to love fruits and dry fruits in their food more thicker and sweet food. combitantion of mughals food and spicy indian food created a magical combinations which are great surprises. they beame famous becuase of the rich flavour and taste in the food even with that mild and thick graveys using dryfruits and cream well cooked browned onions.
BABUR was a such a first of kind of ruler lost many battles in his home terf. while mongols bought their culture food and feasts with them. which made positive changes in indian cusine. mongols use to love fruits and dry fruits in their food more thicker and sweet food. combitantion of mughals food and spicy indian food created a magical combinations which are great surprises. they beame famous becuase of the rich flavour and taste in the food even with that mild and thick graveys using dryfruits and cream well cooked browned onions.
gulab jamun
its a very famous sweet preparation all over India and usualy western world you can find it in any Indian restauarant world over. You can find this dish or rice pudding "kheer" in the restaurants as famous sweet preparation.
There are various ways to prepare it and taste differenciates in all those forms.
The basic definiation would be milk balls deep friend and diped in sugar syrup. resembling haitian rum balls. it also resembles very much closely to greek sweet loukoumas.
This is the best sweet dish i enjoyed my most of life not only eating but also preparing. the memories goes back to my childhood when i use to help my grandma to make this so i can eat the dough.
PREPARATION:
It is very simple preparation either use the dried form of condensed milk called as khoya or mava in India or simply milk powder. make a soft and smooth dough for this recipe using milk powder and milk, at some places refined flour is also used to give a binding to the dough but i prefer pure form of it. while making balls try to avoid cracks on the balls or else they may crack while frying or wont cook proper.
The frying medium for this is usually clarified butter as it gives a good semolina type consistency to the preparation refined vegetable oil can be substituted. Deep fry these balls into clarified butter and then deep it into sugar syrup for atleast 2 hours. Make a simple sugar syrup using equal amount of sugar and water. you can flavour sugar syrup using aither cardamom or rose petals.
This preparation is eaten usually after dinner on some special occasion.
recipe:
milk powder :2 1/2 cup
milk :1 cup
baking soda : 1/2 tsp
sugar syrup
sugar : 2 cup
water : 2 cup
rose water : 2 tsp
or cardamom :1 tsp
clarified butter for frying : 4 cups
make a smooth dough using milk powder and milk add baking powder until it becomes smooth as bread dough.
cover with damp cloth keep aside.
mix sugar and water and set to boil flavour it with rosewater or cardamom.
heat the clarified butter on medium heat.
make the dough balls averagely walnut size. deep fry them until golden brown and deep it in the warm sugar syrup for atleast 2 hours.
serve 2 per portion with cardamom icecream or vanilla ice cream
navaratan kurma
this dish is believed to be invented in court of akbar. his court room had 9 minister. as on those days the royal cooks had a competition to present the best food to the king and to produce in thier honour. even some of the foods have been named after the royal family.
this product has been devoted to the akbars 9 minister the preparation contents 9 products which are fruit, vegetable dry fruits and some flavourings and food scents.
this product has been devoted to the akbars 9 minister the preparation contents 9 products which are fruit, vegetable dry fruits and some flavourings and food scents.
chicken tikka masala
National dish of Britain, in 2001 foreign minister of Britain Robin Cook declared it. "Chicken tikka masala is now Britain's true national dish, not only because it is the most popular, but because it is a perfect illustration of the way Britain absorbs and adapts external influences" Robin Cook.
The preparation come out of a chefs mind when he was unable to exlain his guest why the chicken tikka is dry, he prepared a sauce using campbells tomato soup adding some spices finished with cream.
majorly its is believed develoed in glasgov curry house
recipe for chicken tikka masala:
INGREDIENTS
235 ml yogurt
15 ml lemon juice
4 g ground cumin
2 g ground cinnamon
4 g cayenne pepper
4 g freshly ground black pepper
6 g minced fresh ginger
25 g salt, or to taste
3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
4 long skewers
15 g butter
1 clove garlic, minced
1 jalapeno pepper, finely chopped
4 g ground cumin
5 g paprika
20 g salt, or to taste
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
235 ml heavy cream
10 g chopped fresh coriander
In a large bowl, combine yogurt, lemon juice, 2 teaspoons cumin, cinnamon, cayenne, black pepper, ginger, and 4 teaspoons salt. Stir in chicken, cover, and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Preheat a grill for high heat.
Lightly oil the grill grate. Thread chicken onto skewers, and discard marinade. Grill until juices run clear, about 5 minutes on each side.
Melt butter in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Saute garlic and jalapeno for 1 minute. Season with 2 teaspoons cumin, paprika, and 3 teaspoons salt. Stir in tomato sauce and cream. Simmer on low heat until sauce thickens, about 20 minutes. Add grilled chicken, and simmer for 10 minutes. Transfer to a serving platter, and garnish with fresh coriander
see more info:
news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/special_report/1999/02/99/e-cyclopedia/1285804.stm
biryani
spiced meat layered highly flavoured rice preparation can be its simplest description. but the preparation of this recipe is not so simple as its description.
there are veery many preparation and varieties of this preparation from aromatic flavoured awadhi and hyderabadi biryani to less flavoured calicut biryani.
historically biryani has very many stories and culinary background.
as per historians biryani came from middle east where it is known as biryan (bir-yan)
which means roasted or fried. the other story goes like while at time of akbar ruling there was a famine so to give jobs to the migrating community akbar decided to build a fort day n night the day workers will build the fort and night workers will break it down again. the work kept going for several days. The people use to work there use to bring whatever they had at home to cook, in community kitchen food use to cook whole day, so while in mean time the food was tasted by queen, she then appointed some cooks and taken care of its way of preparation and thus born the biryani which usually started to cook early in the morning and finished until evening on low flame which helped to give the meat succelant taste and perfect tenderness.
but these are the legend whatever it may or the way of the preparation or the stories the food landed at the time of mughal rule in india and then became indian
there are several ways to prepare this food and many variations
there are veery many preparation and varieties of this preparation from aromatic flavoured awadhi and hyderabadi biryani to less flavoured calicut biryani.
historically biryani has very many stories and culinary background.
as per historians biryani came from middle east where it is known as biryan (bir-yan)
which means roasted or fried. the other story goes like while at time of akbar ruling there was a famine so to give jobs to the migrating community akbar decided to build a fort day n night the day workers will build the fort and night workers will break it down again. the work kept going for several days. The people use to work there use to bring whatever they had at home to cook, in community kitchen food use to cook whole day, so while in mean time the food was tasted by queen, she then appointed some cooks and taken care of its way of preparation and thus born the biryani which usually started to cook early in the morning and finished until evening on low flame which helped to give the meat succelant taste and perfect tenderness.
but these are the legend whatever it may or the way of the preparation or the stories the food landed at the time of mughal rule in india and then became indian
there are several ways to prepare this food and many variations
mulligatawny
National soup of India. Actually it is anglo indian version of a indian preparation called as rassam. The word Mulligatawny contents to words millagu means pepper and tanni water, literally it is pepper water, in raj days british officers liked this preparation called as rassam but it was much fiery and watery to the appetite of the bland british food. Some of the newly converted indians have tried their hands on this preparation and turned in to little thick preparation and served their masters. as officers were very less into culinary section whatever they found in the soup they wrote down as recipe to their newly wed english wivs back in britain or to their relatives.
variations are accepted in this soup as it travelled length and breadth of the world and changed its course of taste at every corner. at first hand british and anglo indians transfered this watery thin fiery pepper water into thick split lentil soup adding some leftover meat into it. when it reached britain before 20th century very little was known about india some fancy ladies using gourmet magazine added and tried new variation in this soup they added from vegetables to fruits from meat stock to sausages whatever handy to them and easy to buy. wrong concept of indian food as it uses fruits in its preparation even didnt spared this dish and fruits such as apples, fried onions and pineapple also added to it. Even base of lentil water changed to lentil cooked in meat stock and garnished with rice.
the vegetarians also added their own variation into this recipe and made into lentil base and cucumber instead of meat.
even british declared this soup as national soup of india. newly opened indian restaurants havent changed image of the world and served the food how they liked. which made a false effect on indian cuisine. now some of the new culture of chefs are trying out the variations and bringing up the real indian and proper food .
variations are accepted in this soup as it travelled length and breadth of the world and changed its course of taste at every corner. at first hand british and anglo indians transfered this watery thin fiery pepper water into thick split lentil soup adding some leftover meat into it. when it reached britain before 20th century very little was known about india some fancy ladies using gourmet magazine added and tried new variation in this soup they added from vegetables to fruits from meat stock to sausages whatever handy to them and easy to buy. wrong concept of indian food as it uses fruits in its preparation even didnt spared this dish and fruits such as apples, fried onions and pineapple also added to it. Even base of lentil water changed to lentil cooked in meat stock and garnished with rice.
the vegetarians also added their own variation into this recipe and made into lentil base and cucumber instead of meat.
even british declared this soup as national soup of india. newly opened indian restaurants havent changed image of the world and served the food how they liked. which made a false effect on indian cuisine. now some of the new culture of chefs are trying out the variations and bringing up the real indian and proper food .
chai ...
Anyone travelled to India.. fortunately by train have heard this word like hundred times the chai wallas calling every next station even when you open your eyes ealy in the morning on long train journies, these are the vendors provide the local knowledge of where train is now and how much time it will take to reach its destination.
I encountered with them many times of my life and enjoy drinking the hot sip of Indian tea prepared tolerating hygiene care ..but i dont mind in the journey cause everything in the train smells the same.
now they are providing better teas in india while providing the indian tea decoction they also provide the tea with tea bags ...as per apporach by the Indian Railway Minister now tea is given in earthern pots which are enviornemnt friendly.
Tea begun to be in Indian homes around 1903.but took time to indian kitchen rack until mid of the last century when it became a common drink, all credit goes to the british raj and indian tea association, both who tried all the way to establish tea culture into indian population for their trade to sell the tea produced in tea gardens of assam and northern india. the word chai is derived from the word 'cha'(茶) in chinese. but at present chai deontes indian way of preparing the thick milky decoction of tea with spices such as ginger cardamom and cloves with plenty of milk and gracious amount of sugar. today india produces worlds second largest tea after china also worlds best selling teas from the gardens of darjeeling and assam.
tea is growing in india and foothills of himalaya since 1000 of years near the borders of china, burma and tibet scientifically named camellica assamica. a 10th century sanskrit medical text 'Nidan' recorded about a shampatra from which loacal people and tribes use to make shampani.now the scholars and historians are trying to find out whether it is a first reord of tea. tea in china begun since 4th century still in some indian parts tribals of tibet use to make tea lilke soup adding butter into it. some northeastern people use to chew the leaves fresh or fermented. desite of its trade relation with china india missed the charm of tea drinking until british arrived in india. instead of tea indian drunk milk, buttermilk or sherbets the latter introduced in india after moghul rule for more strong people use to drink toddy arrack botht are intoxicating drinks.
even after tea introduced in india mainly it was known for its medicinal properties. so usually it is given on colds and coughs chest pain and headache. even it was a luxury to common man until end of 19th century. still much of indian population drinks tea cure on cough and cold strongly flavoured with ginger and lemon grass.
indian tea association a bard set by british after observation and several british officers complaints, that it is very much difficult to find out tea in remote parts of india where they had postings. so british developed this board to provide tea to the british officers and developement of tea flavour alos to produce tea for export. but eventually they found the biggest market lying beneath is unknown to this drink.
indian tea association majorly developed to produce tea for british as their sole trade and imort from china was tea. as tea was more fashinable and famous drink in britain. Since 1838 to 1870 was a trila and error period for the assam tea association. cj grdon who brought tea sampling and two tea growers from china in early 1904.
the tea became famous in first world war when british supplied tea to the troops in the war outside of india. evne back in india many mill owners adn factory employers gave te break to keep their employee happy. this effect made a ositive response the troops coming back from warfront started to drink tea as it was provided under rationing to them. secondly tea became famous when they opened tea shops on railway station where a common man use to travel majorly use to transport the goods. but soon tea hawkers called as chai wallahs took the place as they use to prepare this british drink indian style...as indian tendency to accept any foregin food with spices even tea wasnt spared fro this and gone under indian treatment came out with a milky frink flavoured with ginger cardamom and lots of milk with plenty amount of sugar some tea hawkers even use to sell masala tea adding strong flavour of ginger. soon the tea shops closed as their tea was watery to the indian population who were used to drink milk liked this 'chai'.
today in modern india still sells the best teas in the world and its largest selling drink in india. still the indian tea hawkers sell the tea in trains and on train stations. even the tea stalls opened in cities and towns who sell tea with minium equipement. mostly their stall consist of a table a gas and burner a tea pot milk pot and half cup size glasses to sell tea. even the indian restaurants sell this typical in tea to their patronise guest on their special request world over. the flights take off from indian airorts also now selling this masala tea keeping in mind their western guests taste make less flavoured.
some gujarathi community(business men community of india from western part of india) sell the specially blended spices to add into tea. usually includes cinnamon cardamon cloves.
tea cultivation india begun under british as they developed tea gardens in north eastern parts of india where they found suitable temparature
tea forms as darjeeling tea, assam tea and some parts of tea comes from southern india from nilgiri.
darjeeling tea: tea produced in darjeeling tea gardens produced processed and packaged in gardens.
assam tea: english tea or breakfast tea known for its body malty briskness strong flavour and bright flavour.
nilgiri tea: intensely aromatic fragrant and flavourful grown in southern india this produces a uniqe tea known as ctc (crush tear curl). this is made after th hand sorted first class tea is separated and sold to western markets.
recipe for chai:
11/2 cup water
1/2 cup milk
3 tea spoon sugar
2 tea spoon tea powder
1/2 inch crushed ginger
2 cardamom pounded
boil water add sugar and add crushed gigner and cardamom.
add tea powder and simmer let it boil.
add milk and boil it.
strain and serve.
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