Mughlai food is known for its richness. It is famous for the exotic use of spices, dried fruit and nuts. The Mughals did everything in style and splendor. Since they ate very rich food they reduced the number of intake during the day. Mughlai dishes as they are called have lots of milk and cream with spices to make rich and spicy meal that is the reason why Mughlai recipes are rich in fat, carbohydrates and proteins.
With the advent of the Muslims, India witnessed a definite and indelible mark in its cuisine. The Muslims ruler did everything with panache and extravagance which also got translated into the culinary nuances. The idea of community dining with lavish and extravagant banquets was introduced to India and formed a part of the courtier’s life. Dishes were served in jade, silver and Chinese porcelain.  The splendor of the Mughal/Muslim cuisine is reflected in the Muglai Cuisine of India which is the richest and the most lavish in the country. The mutton kebabs were accented with spices, the rice preparation of India were cooked with meat and turned into wonderful biryanis, and mutton roasts were now flavored with Indian herbs, spices and seasonings.  Also, Indian dishes were garnished with not so common almonds, pistachios, cashews and raisins.

India was also introduced to leavened breads by the Muslims.  At this time the tandoor, the clay oven was created by the royal chefs.  The Indian rotis and the leavened breads were merged into Tandoori breads like roti and naan. Meats were now marinated in yogurt and spices and also cooked in tandoors.  Both pork and beef were avoided to respect the traditions of both cultures.  The idea of concluding a meal with sweet-meats was introduced as the Persian rulers loved sweets. As one of the foremost authority on Mughal cuisine has recently remarked “The Mughlai cuisine has casted the most permanent influence on the similar other regional cuisine like that of Awadh and Hyderabad”.

Until the second decade of 19th century, the city of Awadh was under the Mughal rule put under the charge of a Nawab. Awadhi cuisine is from the city of Lucknow which is the state capital of Uttar Pradesh and the cooking pattern has drawn a considerable amount of influence from Mughal cooking style and bears resemblance to those of Hyderabad and Kashmir. The cuisine consists of both vegetarian and meat dishes which employs the dum style of cooking or cooking over slow fire which has become synonymous with Lucknow.

As opposed to conventional thought, Awadhi food does not make use of hundred-odd spices to produce each dish but a blend of handful but not so common spices. The truth lies in the manner in which the food is cooked on a slow fire. This process allows the juices to be absorbed well into the solid parts. All nutrients are retained in the food through this process.  In addition to the major process of cooking food in Awadhi style, there are also other important processes such as marinating meats in order to produce a delightful taste. This is especially the case with barbecued food that might be cooked in a clay oven of over an open fire.

Fish, red meats, vegetables and cottage cheese may be marinated in curd and spices. This helps to soften the taste and texture of them as well as remove any undesired odors from the fleshy materials. They were often cooked on tawa, the flat iron griddle, as opposed to Mughlai influence and bear a testimony to the local influence and convenience. Some of the tawa preparations are, in fact, equally, if not more, famous like tandoori kebabs and tikkas.

- Kuntal

Tags: handi, indian curry, gosht, dhokla, kebab, tandoori, chicken, karahi, lentil, desi

Herbaceous perennial plant is used worldwide in powder form and revered for its colouring and flavouring qualities. Fresh turmeric is generally available in the cold months from December to late March and is superior in many ways to dried form. Even though it is the essential component of curries, they also find their way into chutneys, pickles, commercial mustard, sauces, biscuits, pop corn etc.

The history of turmeric dates back to the pre-historic era and duly recognized in Ayurveda for their medicinal properties like antiseptic qualities for cuts, burns and bruises. The most commonly recognized brand which you have seen frequently on TV is ”Vicco Turmeric”. Some of the sunscreen cream also uses the turmeric in their formulation. The brides in India are also smeared with turmeric before their marriage to impart glow to their skin and make it impeccable. In the recent past 256 research papers were produced in US alone and trials are underway to establish their beneficial effects for Alzheimer’s disease, Liver disorder and pancreatic cancer.

Fresh Turmeric pickle
2 medium size fresh turmeric, peeled and sliced thinly
1 medium knob ginger, peeled and sliced thinly
1+1tbsp sunflower oil
1 tsp fenugreek seeds
A pinch asafetida
1 tbsp yellow mustard powder
1/2 cup lime juice
few green chilies, slit halfway
salt to taste

Method:
Heat 1 tbsp of sunflower oil in a pan, crackle mustard seeds until fragrant, remove from pan and add asafetida. Transfer to a manual mortar and pestle and allow to cool. When cold crush them with pestle until coarsely ground. Add mustard powder to fenugreek mixture and stir well.

In a glass bowl, place turmeric and ginger and smear with the mustard mixture until all the pieces are well coated. Add lime juice, green chili and salt. Heat another tbsp of oil until smoking and pour it onto the pickle, mix well and allow to cool. Store in a dry glass jar and occasionally put into the sun for about 30 minutes. Serve it after a week.

- Kuntal

Tags: vindaloo, dosa, karahi, dal, handi, chana, naan, idli, indian food, bhatura

Sometimes erroneously called as lemon in India, lime is the most commonly used souring agent in India. India is the original home to both lime and lemon and to a large extent quite replaceable in the recipe. Thus a so called lemon recipe will actually be based on lime. In Hindi the lemon and lime would be respectively called “galgal” and “nimbu”. The juice of either of them would be added towards the end of the cooking process as acid interferes with the protein of the food and prolong the cooking time.
Generally green to yellow they are valued highly for their culinary usage like lemon drink, lemonade, cocktail, cocktail garnishes and in food like lime based desserts, lime butter sauce for fish, pickling etc. It is also one of the versatile ingredients found on the kitchen shelves as most part of it can be used like leaves, fruit, juice, peel and oil.

Medicinal uses
Internally, with leaves infused as an herbal tea, it is helpful for bilious headaches. The fresh juice is also used to counter diarrhea. The lemon pickle, as such, is also used to cure the mild case of dyspepsia and served with congee/ over-boiled sticky rice.  Those who wish to forgo the bad habit of bed tea which is one of the causes of gastroenteritis can start their day with lemon-ginger –honey concoction. A few drops of lemon juice added for the final rinse of hair with water can also do wonder with the lackluster hair. Essential oil distilled from lime also energizes the otherwise tired mind and relieves anxiety.

Plain white pickle
20+10 lime
½ cup sea salt

Method:
Cut 10 limes into half and press the halves to extract the juice. Lightly rub the rest of the lime against a rough surface to just remove the top skin. In a medium glass jar put all the rubbed lime, add lime juice and salt and cover with the lid. The salt will drain out the water from lime and will form brine for the pickle. Put the jar in sun everyday for 2 two hours which mellows the pickle and make it ready for consumption. Allow to age for 2 weeks before eating.

Note: For the spicy lime pickle, quarter the lime and add chili powder, sliced ginger, turmeric, fennel seeds, fenugreek seeds, mustard oil, salt and sugar. Allow to mature for 4 days before eating.

Tags: chana, desi, murgh, kulfi, curries, dosa, tandoori, lentil, idli, chettinad

Even though tamarind is referred to as indigenous to India, but it travelled all the way from Africa or most precisely Sudanese and adjoining region. It was also known a long back in Egypt and Greece.  The husk looks vaguely like a withered and dried feves (fava beans). When the husk is removed, it reveals the sticky brown pulp with the seed. The pulp is revered for its souring quality and is one of the most staple ingredients of South Indian cuisine.

Even though extracting the pulp from the seeds can be a little tough but it is worth all the effort as using the fresh has definitive benefit against the readymade paste but to confess tamarind concentrates have become very popular over the years. Even though exclusively used for its souring properties, it also exhibits some medicinal properties like a potent fighter against digestive disorders, the leaves also is said to have anti malarial properties when taken as an herbal infusion.

The recipe which we have included here is one of the most famous tangy chutney eaten during all festivals where it enhances so many of the culinary delights.

Tamarind chutney

1 cup tamarind
1/2 cup dates deseeded
1 cup jaggery
2 cups water
2 nos. red chili whole
1 tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp salt

METHOD:
Soak the tamarind in equal amount of warm water to release the pulp. Work slowly until all the seeds are removed.  Place the tamarind, dates, jaggery and water in a deep boiling pan. Slowly bring to boil, add red chili, fennel seeds and salt, reduce to simmer for 10-12 minutes until chutney starts to come together. One of the tricks to know whether the chutney is ready is to coat the back of the spoon thinly; if it does it is ready. Cool to room temperature, then store in clean airtight container and refrigerate.
Use with chat, aloo tikki, dahi bhalla etc.

Regards, Kuntal

Tags: naan, karahi, idli, indian food, kulfi, tikka masala, chettinad, gosht, bhatura, palak

Considering the fact that potato is not indigenous to India, it is hard to imagine the face of Indian cuisine without its presence from the very basic to the most advance kitchen. Potato, in fact, traces its origin to Andes region where there are more than three thousand varieties grown across its regional diversity. It then travelled to Europe in the 16th century and soon followed in India where they found ample space to develop and became a part of every Indian household. They are used right from raitas, pachadis, eaten by themselves or used in conjunction with other vegetables and even meat and seafood.

Nutritionally they are very good source of energy because they contain carbohydrate the predominant form of which is starch. A part of potato is also a very good source of fibre and also provides the resistance against colon cancer. They help in fighting against insulin intolerance and prove to contain number of important vitamin and minerals including potassium, iron, zinc, phosphorus, magnesium etc.
Potato, unfortunately, also contain the poisonous compound called solanine which develops because the skin of it comes in direct exposure to sunlight. Try avoiding the potato which contains those visible green spots or cut it completely before cooking as they may cause diarrhea, mild to major headache and cramps.

One of the simple but special recipes which almost invariably finds its place is “Jeera Aloo” or Cumin tempered potato.

Jeera Aloo
4 medium potatoes
2 tbsp ghee/ clarified butter
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp ginger-garlic paste
½ tsp turmeric powder
1tsp red chili powder
½ tsp garam masala powder
Few sprigs of coriander, cleaned and chopped
Salt to taste
Chat masala to sprinkle

Method:
Boil the potatoes in their skin with some salt, check for resistance. They should not be overboiled.  Drain and cool. Peel and dice in even pieces.

Heat ghee in a kadhai/ wok, add cumin and allow to crackle. Next add ginger-garlic paste and stir fry until they are lightly browned and fragrant.

Add diced potatoes, turmeric powder, red chili powder and salt and continue cooking until potatoes are well coated with spices and are lightly browned. Add this stage stir in garam masala powder (Recipe of Garam Masala) and chopped coriander. Sprinkle chat masala and serve hot.

Bon Appetit !

Tags: chicken, vindaloo, tikka masala, chana, idli, curries, naan, balti, indian food, chettinad

Leaves of the curry tree have got nothing in common with the curry powder which is a blend of spices. It is also known as karipatta in common parlance or otherwise as sweet neem leaf. Even though resemble neem leaf; the curry tree is just about 3-4meter high with slightly pointed leaves.

Curry leaf is extensively used in Southern and western Indian cuisine though conspicuously absent in Goa. The leaves releases its fragrance after being fried for a while which makes it aromatic. If it is added to the curries, it requires a couple of minute of cooking to release its flavor to the curry.  They should be used fresh as far as possible as they do not keep well for a long time. Alternatively they can be fried and kept in airtight container for a few days but make sure to use them soon or else they will turn rancid because of the presence of oil. Some people also use it dry but the dried version has got very little flavor as most of the fragrant volatile compound have already vanished by then.

As it comes from the same family as neem, they almost exhibit the same medicinal properties like anti- bacterial properties. The dried leaves are also used as organic pesticide for plants.
Most of the recipe calling for curry leaves use it as one of the flavouring ingredient but not just on its own. Here we share peanut chutney flavoured with curry leaves which can be eaten during any meal.

Peanut Chutney
1 cup peanut with skin
1 tbsp tamarind pulp
2 green chilies (optional)
1 tsp rock salt
10 curry leaves
1 tsp peanut/ groundnut oil
½ tsp cumin seeds
½ tsp fenugreek seeds
½ tsp split urad dal
½ cup grated fresh coconut

Method:
Roast the peanut on a griddle until lightly blistered, approximately 5-8minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Once cooled, loosen skin from peanut. Heat oil in a pan and fry the curry leaves briefly until fragrant, add urad lentil and fry for another minute until the lentil is lightly colored. Remove from heat and cool. Put all the ingredients in a blender and grind to a paste. If you require to add water, add a little to facilitate the blending.

Tags: kulfi, curries, bhatura, tandoor, palak, chettinad, murgh, vindaloo, indian food, tikka masala

While the debate about the difference between yogurt and curd will always go on, the good quality contained within will remain same always. While there are no stringent laws in India which defines the production of yogurt as per its guidelines, the US Food & Drug Administration agency is forthcoming as to what can constitute yogurt. As per the definition available with them, the inoculation of pasteurized milk has to be done with permitted cultured bacteria which contains Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus.

You will find that most of the Indian households make their own yogurt which finds variety of uses in the house ranging from being eaten sweet with sugar or jaggery, savoury as raita, curry and “kadhi” and even as a natural face cleanser.

Recipe for “Punjabi Kadhi”

Even though Kadhi is, more often than not, made as a stew to immerse gram-flour dumplings, the recipe given below can be also used on its own as an accompaniment for Indian breads or rice.

1 cup Curd (yogurt), preferably a day old,
2 tbsp Gram flour (besan)
¾ cup water
2 tbsp cooking oil
½ tsp cumin seeds
1/3  tsp Fenugreek seeds
6 garlic cloves, chopped finely
2 no. Dry red chili whole
1 tsp Turmeric powder.
Salt As per taste

Method:

Beat yogurt and gram flour in a large bowl until smooth. Add water and blend again to obtain a smooth mixture. Keep aside.

Heat oil in a pan, crackle cumin and fenugreek seed and add garlic and dry chili. Cook for 30 seconds until the garlic has just turned golden. Reduce the heat to low.

Pour in the yogurt mixture in the pan and stir. Slowly bring to boil, stirring from time to time to avoid curdling, and allow to thicken to the consistency which you like to serve with your bread or rice.

Note: If you cannot use all the kadhi in a single meal, store them in the refrigerator. When you bring them out again, they would have thickened invariably. Boil some hot water, add the kadhi and stir them back to normal for further use.

- Kuntal

Tags: chicken, dhokla, curries, sambhar, chettinad, idli, handi, naan, tikka masala, murgh

Rice : So many cultures for so many centuries, have survived on the staple diet of rice coupled with some basic preparations like vegetable or meat curries. The coastal cities of India would prefer to take rice in all the three major meals. Boiled rice can be literally eaten with even the most humble of the preparation or simple ingredients like onion, pickles, yogurt or lentils.

It is strange that the seedlings of rice can tolerate the most inhospitable environmental condition not suited for most of the grains. It is, in fact, neck deep in water when they are planted in the paddy field, tolerate the wet weather throughout its growth, ultimately harvested and sold as per their quality.

Without an iota of doubt, Basmati is the king of all the rice grown across the globe. So famous is the quality that few enterprising Americans wanted to patent the name “BASMATI” which for centuries is indigenous to India. It boasts of long slim grain, which becomes at least 2 ½ times longer after cooking. The aroma of this rice has enchanted even the king and no wonder that a major part of the grain is exported to fetch better money value in the international market. Try to find Basmati rice which has been rested for at least an year for better result with your rice, pulao or biryani dishes.

Rice cooking requires some sort of practice as the difference between good and bad rice is few extra minutes. What is most important is also to understand the heat contained in the rice to carry-over cooking for the required duration when it becomes perfect cooked rice. There are two ways of cooking rice, one is called absorption method and the other as drained out method

In absorption method, which is the tougher of the two, rice is cooked in just the required amount of liquid which is normally 2 ½ times of the rice quantity. During the course of the cooking, rice absorbs most of the liquid, some is lost as steam, and lengthen in size. If cooked perfectly, most of the grains will remain separate and is a good indication of correct cooking. One of the most important benefits of this cooking process is that nutrients remain with the rice because there is minimal loss of water during the cooking process.

The other method is very popular with Indian household where rice is boiled with lots of water and when tender, excess water is drained out which means some of the nutrients are also drained out. The important aspect of this style of cooking is that the rice remains lighter for consumption in terms of its starch content as most of it is drained out with the water. Some of the household keep the drained water to serve as pastime drink or apply to cloth to stiffen it.

Some of the blogs will definitely feature a few of the most popular Indian dishes like pulao, biryani, tehri, flavored rice etc. Watch out until then “Happy tryst with rice”.

- Kuntal.

Tags: murgh, tikka masala, bhatura, indian curry, chicken, gosht, paneer, chana, chettinad, kebab

Chilies have often been blamed for the ultimate spiciness of the Indian food to the extent that even other spices have paled in shadow. Spices have invariably given way to spiciness in the mind of innumerable admirers of Indian cuisine. Today we try to give an insight into the ingredient which has titillated the palate , new and old. Chilies have also been used in other cuisines like Thai, Chinese, Mexican and Italian.
Two kinds of chili are used in Indian cooking- the green chili which is used fresh and dried red chili. Even the green and the red vary in pungency and depends upon factors like ripeness, location etc. Just because of this reason, chilies are always indicative as far as their quantity is concerned in a particular recipe.
One way to tone down the pungency of chilies is to fry them; as a result the finished dishes will not be as hot as they may appear. You may experience the difference in pungency of the finished dishes which depends upon the way chili is introduced in the recipe, deseeded, chopped, whole, fried whole or dried flakes without seeds. Much of the heat is present in the seed which contains the chemical called capsaicin. There is no surprise that the hottest chili has its origin in India called Bhut Jolokia found in the North-East state of Assam. It rates 1,001,304 SHU (Scoville Heat Rating) and is recognized in The Guinness Book of World Record.

Baby potato and green chili pickle
½ kg baby potatoes, scraped and washed
8-10 green chilies split lengthwise with stem intact
1 tsp yellow mustard powder
1/3 tsp turmeric powder
½ tsp coriander powder
1tsp cumin powder
1 tsp red chili powder
1/3 cup vinegar
1 cup mustard oil
Salt to taste

Tempering
1 tsp black mustard seed
½ tsp onion seed (nigella seed)
½ tsp fenugreek seed

Method:
Boil baby potato in sea like salted potato until just done, rest of the cooking will be carried over by the internal heat. Heat oil in a pan, fry green chili for 30seconds. Add potatoes and toss until it just starts to take some colour. Drain the oil, reserve separately and put the potatoes in a large bowl. Add all the spice powders, vinegar, mustard oil and salt and mix well.

Reheat the reserved oil, add mustard seed and allow crackling. Next add onion seed and fenugreek seed and cook from another 30 seconds. Remove from heat and allow cooling. When cooled sprinkle on top of potatoes. Transfer the pickle to a clean dry container and use within a fortnight.

- Kuntal

Tags: vindaloo, dal, indian curry, tikka masala, kulfi, dhokla, balti, chana, sambhar, desi

Vindaloo now a days, as it stands is a Goan interpretation of the popular Portuguese preparation originally called “Vindalho” which when dissected meant Vinho for wine and alhos for garlic. These two were the integral part of the dish originally made with pork which also contained ginger, pepper and red wine vinegar.

The modern version available in most of the Indian restaurant including the one in Goa is made with lots of chilli, tomato and potato. Potato because some of chefs have presumed that the last word in Vindaloo is equivalent to “aloo” (potato) which most of the Indian likes in some form or the other.  The pork used in the Portuguese recipe is not a very popular choice with the Indians and is a complete taboo with the Muslim Chefs; hence it further underwent a complete makeover and local versions made with lamb or chicken are equally popular with undertones of local Goan feni made with cashewnut fruit.

The original recipe is contained in the curry manual available with www.sonzyskitchen.com. However I will try to recreate the most commonly found lamb vindaloo.

Lamb Vindaloo:
1 kg lean lamb, cleaned and cubed into 1 inch pieces
3 tbsp cooking oil
2 medium red onion, chopped roughly
1 inch knob ginger, scraped and chopped roughly
10 cloves garlic, peeled
¼ cup coconut feni
½ tsp turmeric powder
2 medium potatoes, peeled, quartered and deep fried until crisp
1 small bunch fresh coriander leaves, washed and chopped
Salt to taste

Marinating ingredients
10 dried red chillis (can vary the quantity to suit individual palate)
10 peppercorns
10 cloves
1 medium bark cinnamon
5 nos green cardamom
1 tsp cumin seeds
½ tsp mustard seeds
1/3 cup malt vinegar

Method:
In a blender, make the paste of marinating ingredients. Marinate the lamb cubes and season a little with salt. Keep aside for 2 hrs to allow the flavour to penetrate inside the meat fibres

In a cooking vessel, heat the oil and fry the lamb, stirring occasionally, until it is light brown on all sides. Add chopped onion, ginger and garlic and continuing frying until the vegetables are brown and cooked. Add turmeric powder and pour in coconut feni and water, bring to boil. Reduce to simmer for 10-15minutes until lamb is tender and the oil starts floating on top. Check seasoning. Serve hot garnished with deep fried potato wedges and freshly chopped coriander.

Bon Appetit !

- Kuntal

Tags: lentil, desi, curries, vindaloo, dosa, palak, indian food, roti, chana, dal