|
Cuisine in India is as
varied and diverse as the regions of the country and the
people who inhabit them. Each part of the land has an enviable
range of culinary delights which promise a veritable
gastronomic experience. And the list of dishes is surprisingly
endless….. pampering equally those having a penchant for the
hot and sour tastes as it does the connoisseurs with a sweet
palate. The recipes, you will notice are redolent of the
climatic status of a particular region. So, less spicy and
oily food would be usually seen in tropical states while the
inhabitants of salubrious places normally relish hot and spicy
preparations.
On
the southern side, where cold weather is rare, light dishes
with boiled rice constitutes the staple meal. Coconut is
invariably liberally used in all the dishes which have garlic,
onion, spices as the basic ingredients. You could try your
hand at Chakka Thoran, raw jack fruit preparation or Tapioca
Avial. Or else, cook Kozhi Saaru, a mouth-watering Chicken
curry. The Pandi curry, made from pork is another specialty as
are the South Indian Paranthas.
IN
the Northern belt, which experiences all the seasons, people
prefer more hot and sour meals. A profusion of spices- be it
chilli, cardamom, garam masala or tamrind-is found in more or
less each dish…. There is a large variety of lentils and
most of the cuisine is onion and tomato based.
Indulge
yourself with dahi kabab, a subtly flavored Youghurt kabab;
Tandoori Machhi, a spiced tandoori pomfret; Acvhari Winglets,
tempting pickled Chicken Winglets; kali-Amba an irresistable
mutton dish. Western India, comprising some coastal areas, is
the place to enjoy an astonishing range of seafood…..
pomfret, crabs, trout.
The
eastern region is where dishes prepared in mustard oil are
quite common. Again it is a rcie predominated land.. Imagining
a meal sans rice is simply impossible! Lightly spiced and
subtly flavored food is what the people of this region enjoy.
You too can try Ilich mach Bhapa (Steamed Hilsa), a mustard
flavored steam fish.; or Crab Masala, a chilli hot curry.
Truly
India is a cornucopia of cuisines with exciting flavors and
tastes which is why this country has craved a niche in the
food-scape of the world.
|
