Celebrations of festivals have assumed significant proportions in the wake of religious unrest and much could have been contained by understanding the true values behind the festivals.

Sharing the food with neighbours and relatives has always been at the forefront of the culmination of these festivities which fostered brotherhood, understanding and empathy. While tracing the history of communal dining, one comes across the real purpose and noble motive behind such occasion.

Eid markes the end of fasting during the months of Ramazan or Ramadan and is celebrated starting on the first day of the lunar month of Shawwal. I also recount some of the occasions of lavish dining along with some of my friends celebrating Eid . How can I forget the aroma which used to permeate the entire room with exotic spices and curries. Zarda pulao, meat curries, biryanis, sewai (sevaiyan) laden with nuts,  evoke some fond memories of those evening experiences in the company of friends.

Recipe : Zarda Pulao
1 cups Basmati rice  (Long grain rice as a substitute)
1 ½ cups milk
½  cup water
½  cups sugar
½  cup ghee
½ cup mixed dried fruits
6 whole cloves
3 sticks cinnamon
few strands of saffron diluted with warm water
Pinch of salt

Method:
Wash the rice with soft hand twice or thrice until the water runs clear and then, soak for 15 minutes.
Melt ghee in a cooking pan and add cloves and cinnamon, fry for a minute until fragrant. Add rice and continue frying until all the grains are well coated with ghee. Pour milk and water over the rice and raise the heat to medium high. Add sugar and diluted saffron and cook for another 10minutes until the rice is cooked and fluffy.

Note: Some of houses also use canned pineapple which is diced and added to the pulao during the last minute of the cooking of rice. If using fresh pineapple, simmer on low heat in sugar syrup before adding to the rice.

Tags: roti, vindaloo, tikka masala, paneer, desi, tandoori, curries, sambhar, bhatura, 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

Question : What would you reccomend for someone who is trying Indian food for the first time?
My boyfriend is Indian and I want to show him that I care about him and want to learn about his culture by trying Indian food. I am a picky eater and not a big fan of spicy foods. What would you recommend for someone who wants to try Indian food and will like it? (It is asked in reference to people going out and picking a dish from a menu)

Kuntal Answers : At the outset, allow me to dispel the notion that Indian food is spicy and oily. The spice present in the Indian cuisine is more than often confused with Chilli which is definitely spicy. The other spices are there to create the particular flavour and aroma which is distinctive in several of curries found in India, even with the use of same spices. The other common spices used in Indian cuisine are cumin, coriander, turmeric, cardamom, cinnamon, clove, fenugreek, dried fenugreek leaves (kasoori methi), dried bayleaf (tej patta), peppercorn (kali or gol mirch), saffron etc.

When trying to learn the cuisine of a particular country, it is advisable to stick to basic popular choices which are easy to understand, prepare and relish as well. Some of the examples can be Kadhai preparations like Kadhai chicken, lamb, vegetables or paneer, Curries like chicken curry, Lamb Rogan Josh, fish curry, Kormas like chicken, lamb, paneer or mixed vegetable. Some of the popular vegetarian dishes are matar paneer (green peas and cottage cheese), Palak paneer (spinach and cottage cheese), Aloo Jeera (potatoes spiked with ginger), Kadhai paneer (wok tossed cottage cheese with onion and tomato), Gobhi matar (cauliflower and green peas ) etc. Indian breads like tandoori roti, naan (plain or flavoured), Roti (Indian flat bread) or paratha (Triangular pan fried Indian bread which can be flavoured with fresh coriander, onion seeds, carom seeds etc.), For the rice preparation you can go for pulaos or biryanis of your choice. Spike your meal with Indian chutneys, pickles and papads.

For the starters you can go for Pakodas (Indian fritters), samosas (deep fried pastry with stuffing inside) or Tandoori vegetables and the chance for your success rate will be much higher.

For the desserts you can go with popular choices like Kulfi (Indian milk ice cream flavoured with saffron), gulab jamun (sweetened dumpling of reduced milk and cottage cheese) Kheer (rice and nuts pudding).

For more detail on popular choices of Indian dishes, you can also refer to the e-book “The Ultimate Indian Curry Manual” available with sonzykitchen.com where you will come across so many easy to prepare dishes with step by step instructions and explanations. Infact you can use that e-book to prepare a romantic dinner for your boy-friend.

Sonzy Adds : When choosing an Indian restaurant, ensure that it is run and owned by an Indian. Many Indian restaurants mislead people because cooks from other countries cook Indian food without knowing the authenticity or the technique of it.

Tags: tikka masala, tandoor, murgh, dosa, kulfi, indian curry, naan, tandoori, roti, kebab