Indian Recipes
Indian food has great fan following and its spicy and effervescent cuisines are loved by many all over the world. The flavor and aroma of Indian food is conspicuous by its presence and you can find an Indian restaurant in almost any part of the world.
Indian cuisines are divided into four based on the four geographic regions and each of them have distinct characteristics. The four Indian cuisines are South, North, West and East Indian cuisines. In this article we will take a brief gander on each of these cuisines.
Lets start by talking a bit about North Indian cuisines. Fruits and veggies are a ample in North India and the region has extreme climates – cold winters – good monsoons and intense summers. Central Asia has had a great influence on North Indian culture and food. Nuts and dry fruits are used a lot and there is always a generous dash of cream, yogurt and ghee in the sweet North Indian dishes. The region is abundant in vegetables and as a result there are plenty of vegetarian dishes in North India. Rice is not consumed in this region as much as it is in other parts of India. Bread, naans, rothis, parathas and kulchas are more prevalent. Coriander, red chillies, garam masala and turmeric are the widely used spices here. Some of the famous North Indian cuisines are Punjabi Chole, Tandoori Chicken, Lassi Patial and Dal Makhani.
Southern India has a hot and humid climate and with a lot of the states in this region being coastal there is ample rainfall during monsoons. This coupled with a fertile soil helps in producing abundant fruits and vegetables. Rice is the staple food in this region with bread and rothis being supplementary. The most common dishes in South India are Sambhar and Rasam which are essentially soups that are mixed with rice to give it flavor. Indian food can be hot and pungent and South Indian food is more so, with the spiciest food being from the state of Andhra Pradesh. Commonly used spices in South Indian Curry leaves, chillies, tamarind and mustard. Some examples of the common south Indian snacks are dosa, vada, idli and payasam. Dosa is the Indian version of a thin pancake and is made from rice and black lentils. It is rich in carbohydrates and proteins and is generally consumed for breakfast. Idli is the thicker adaptation of Indian pancake made from a batter of rice and fermented black lentils. Both idli and dosa are served with soups like sambhar and chutney.
The East Indian Cuisines are influenced by the Chinese and Mongolians. East India is renowned for its sweet dishes and the sheer number of dessert recipes in this region is testimony to that. People here like to steam and fry their food and the staple food is rice. Milk and yogurt are used in abundance while the spices used are similar to that used in South India. Fish is very popular in this region. Sandesh, Momos and Thukpa are popular vegetarian dishes in this region.
The Western part of India has dry as well as hot weather and the vegetable supply is limited compared to other regions; but that doesn’t seem to affect the lavishness and surplus of its cuisines. Gujurat is known for its sweet dishes and Rajasthan is famous for its spicy dishes. Staple food in this region depends on the cuisines and there is no preference to either rice or rothis.
For additional information on Indian food and in particular the south Indian recipes please visit South Indian Recipes. The web page contains South Indian Food recipes and videos.
