Western, Eastern, Northern And Southern Indian Recipes
Wednesday, 07 July 2010 07:57
Author: Dr Kevin Johnston
Indian food is famous for its sumptuous varieties and richness and is extensively regarded as one of the tastiest cuisines in the world. The essence and whiff of Indian food is conspicuous by its presence and you can find an Indian restaurant in just about any part of the planet.
Indian food is famous for its sumptuous varieties and richness and is extensively regarded as one of the tastiest cuisines in the world. The essence and whiff of Indian food is conspicuous by its presence and you can find an Indian restaurant in just about any part of the planet.
Indian cuisines are segregated into four, based on the four geographic regions and all of them have distinct characteristics. In this short article we will attempt a short discussion on the south, north, east and west indian 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.
South India has a lot of coastal areas that receive heaps of rain during the monsoons and so there is no scarcity of crops, fruits and vegetables in this region. Rice is the staple food in this region with bread and rothis being less common. Rasam and Sambhar are the two most popular soups that are mixed in rice and they form the important part of any meal in South India. The food in some southern regions like Andhra Pradesh tends to be very hot and spicy. 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 made from rice and black lentils and is more like the Indianized version of the pancake. It is rich in carbohydrates and proteins and is generally eaten for breakfast. Idli is the thicker version of Indian pancake prepared 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 somewhat influenced by the Chinese and Mongolians. East India is known for its sweet dishes and the number of dessert recipes in this region is huge. 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 consumed a lot in East India and therer are lots sea food recipes in regions such as Kolkata. The popular vegetarian dishes in this region are momos, thupka and sandesh amongst others.
West India is said to have hot and dry weather conditions and is also said to have limited vegetables but that doesn't stop it from having an assortment of cuisines, which are a lot. Rajasthani dishes are spicy while Gujurat is renowned for its delicious sweet dishes. The staple food that is available in this part depends on what the cuisine is; and rice as well as bread/rothis are consumed just as well here.
Indian food is famous for its sumptuous varieties and richness and is extensively regarded as one of the tastiest cuisines in the world. The essence and whiff of Indian food is conspicuous by its presence and you can find an Indian restaurant in just about any part of the planet.
Indian cuisines are segregated into four, based on the four geographic regions and all of them have distinct characteristics. In this short article we will attempt a short discussion on the south, north, east and west indian 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.
South India has a lot of coastal areas that receive heaps of rain during the monsoons and so there is no scarcity of crops, fruits and vegetables in this region. Rice is the staple food in this region with bread and rothis being less common. Rasam and Sambhar are the two most popular soups that are mixed in rice and they form the important part of any meal in South India. The food in some southern regions like Andhra Pradesh tends to be very hot and spicy. 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 made from rice and black lentils and is more like the Indianized version of the pancake. It is rich in carbohydrates and proteins and is generally eaten for breakfast. Idli is the thicker version of Indian pancake prepared 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 somewhat influenced by the Chinese and Mongolians. East India is known for its sweet dishes and the number of dessert recipes in this region is huge. 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 consumed a lot in East India and therer are lots sea food recipes in regions such as Kolkata. The popular vegetarian dishes in this region are momos, thupka and sandesh amongst others.
West India is said to have hot and dry weather conditions and is also said to have limited vegetables but that doesn't stop it from having an assortment of cuisines, which are a lot. Rajasthani dishes are spicy while Gujurat is renowned for its delicious sweet dishes. The staple food that is available in this part depends on what the cuisine is; and rice as well as bread/rothis are consumed just as well here.
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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.