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Tuesday, December 7, 2010

An Introduction To Indian Cuisine By Ramandeep Anand

Indian food has become pretty popular across the globe. With its distinct flavours and unique use of spices, it's now one of the most sought after cuisines worldwide. If you're looking to try something new to add to your cooking skills, it's a great idea to try your hand at Indian food. You could draw from this guide on some of the basic flavours of Indian food.

Most Indian curries are flavoured distinctly with a diverse blend of spices. Some of common spices used are garam masala, turmeric, sesame, coriander, fenugreek, coconut, cardamom, saffron, ginger and garlic. Most of the dishes use a blend of spices as the essence of Indian cuisine.
These are just some of the basic spices used in Indian cuisine, but must tell you how uniquely they must be flavoured. There are many other types and varieties out there to choose from, it just comes down to personal preference after a while.
Cottage cheese, ghee, curd (a form of cultured yogurt) and other forms of cooked milk are used often in Indian cuisine. This is just another traditional thing.
Natural yogurt may be spiced and used as a side dish such as raita. They may also be used to make drinks and shakes such as lassi or butter milk, which is mostly a spiced yogurt drink.
While most Indian religions, cultures and communities restrict eating meat, meat is still quite popular among some Indian communities and religions. Fish is largely a coastal delicacy and chicken is one of the most popular meats in Indian cuisine. Meat maybe curried, stewed or barbequed.
Rice is one of the staple foods in India. Many rice preparations are made throughout the country. Indian cuisine is famous for it's rice specialities like biryanis and pulaos. Most of these rice specialities are made with basmati rice. This is a long grained rice, popular for its fragrance and delicate flavouring across the country. It is used mainly during special occasions and is mostly cultivated in the Punjab and Himalayan region.
Lentils are one of the most commonly used pulses in India. Along with rice there are also breads of different kinds like naan, roti and chapattis that form popular main courses. Dosas, a very popular South Indian crepe or pancake like bread and is usually eaten for breakfast or light meal. There is also the fried bread called puri. Samosas and pappadams are mostly served as snacks or appetizers.

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