Already having one of the oldest cultures in the world, gives us cause to be interested in its food through this interesting article you will be able to know much better everything about food and Indian gastronomy and much more. Don't stop reading it!
Indian Gastronomy: the 14 typical dishes that you must try
The cuisine of a country is the perfect way, not only to enjoy good food, but also to understand the culture and habits of the place where you travel.
The interesting thing about this world of flavors that is Indian gastronomy is that you will be able to know that here you will be able to know 14 foods that will give you the basis of knowing what the flavors of Indian food really are.
How is the cuisine in Hindu gastronomy?
In this article we want you to know what Indian cuisine is like and what variety of food you are going to try in this country. In this region, the first thing that catches your eye is the flavor of the innumerable dressings and dressings, always perfectly balanced to give that delicious touch of flavor to the dishes.
Of the variety of flavors used in Indian cuisine, what we can realize is the use of these spices: cayenne pepper, cloves, ginger, cardamom, or saffron. As a result of one of these mixtures of the previous spices and other additional ones, you can obtain the well-known Garam masala or Curry, which is, in the end, one of the perfect combinations of several flavors.
In the Indian kitchen we can find a wide variety of stews with legumes, rice and vegetables are also used, seasoned with Curry or masala, this is one of the flavors of great importance is accompanied by a Chai Tea, one of the drinks of great consumption in this country.
Starters or snacks used in Indian cuisine
samosa
Samosas are a typical cake of Hindu cuisine, but also from other neighboring countries such as Pakistan or Tibet. It is a dish that is also commonly found in Indian restaurants or kebabs in Europe.
Inside the samosa there is a side dish of potatoes accompanied by vegetables. The texture of the outer dough is very crispy and it is served fried. Like many of the country's dishes, it is a vegetarian snack.
masala dosa
Masala dosa is a kind of pancake or pancake rolled with potatoes, onions, curry, turmeric, coriander, rice, and lentils. It is a powerful dish, since these ingredients and more are hidden in this pancake, accompanied by a coconut chutney.
This dish is of vegetarian cuisine and also has a spicy point. It is normally served in two different sizes and the price is usually around €0,50. It is a dish that is eaten with the hands and can be found both in street stalls and in restaurants.
chole bhature
When you are in Delhi, the capital of India, you cannot miss the chole batura. It is a fluffy fried bread eaten with chole, a spicy chickpea paste and spices. This combination is designed so that you can dip the bread in the chole and enjoy a pleasant contrast between the milder flavor of the bread and the spiciness of the sauce.
This dish has its origin in the Punjab and is usually eaten in fast food or for breakfast. If you have it for breakfast, you'll find that it's often accompanied by lassi, a drink made with coconut, water, spices, yogurt, and sometimes fruit.
Bhelpuri
This snack is made with chickpea flour noodles, puffed rice and tamarind sauce. Sometimes it is served as a cone with a spoon and can be taken while visiting the city. It is common to see it in Mumbai, especially in the beach area, where people come to have this delicious snack, typical of Indian cuisine.
kati roll
If you want to try an authentic kebab, you will love the kati rolls: a paratha bread dough rolled with lamb and vegetables inside. It is also common to find kati rolls with chicken meat.
It is eaten with a refreshing sauce, lime or lemon, or chaat masala, a spice mix that contains mango powder. The price of a roll of kati varies from €0,40 to €1,80
Daulat ki chaat
Daulat ki chaat is a type of soufflé, as Indian food critic Pushpesh Pant calls it, made with milk, cream, sugar, pistachios and spices such as saffron.
It is especially common in the city of Delhi, especially when the temperatures are pleasant, since the heat defeats it. Its price is very cheap: a portion costs around €0,15.
Typical main dishes of Indian cuisine
Next, we will describe some of the most important typical dishes within Hindu cuisine:
Aloo Dum by Kashmiri
Kashmiri Aloo Dum is a vegetarian dish made from potatoes. It is a recipe that is part of the traditional gastronomic knowledge of the Kashmir region, in the state of Jammu and Kashmir, in the north of the nation.
Even so, this dish can be eaten throughout the country in different versions. To prepare Kashmiri Aloo Dum, the potatoes are first fried in oil and then slowly cooked in a characteristic spicy sauce that adds a touch of grace to the dish.
Tandoori chicken
Tandoori chicken is a well-known dish in Southeast Asia. It consists of a chicken roasted in the oven with spices. Really, tandoor symbolizes a clay oven and is cooked with firewood and charcoal. The union of spices with which the chicken is cooked is called tandoori masala.
This mixture can be made with coriander, cumin, garlic, cinnamon, cardamom, cayenne pepper, allspice, ginger, cloves, and bay leaf, among others. But you should keep in mind that the proportions and number of species of tandoori masala will vary depending on which region of India you are in.
Chicken Tikka Masala
Chicken tikka masala appears in the Western world as one of the world famous Indian recipes. Despite this, there is nothing like tasting a real chicken tikka masala where it was born, where you can have the experience of savoring the true formula of this great well-known dish.
This dish consists of chicken tikka, that is, chicken seasoned with baked yogurt and spices, and masala sauce. This last sauce that has a unique union of flavors, so the dish has a very aromatic flavor. It is also cooked with tomato sauce and coconut milk.
Sweets in Indian cuisine
mitha paan
In the north of the country, especially in cities like Bombay, Agra or in the Rajasthan region, you can find mithaa paan. Paan is made from a betel leaf wrapper containing other ingredients, usually salty.
In the case of mithaa paan, the taste is sweet due to the use of sweet fennel, cardamom or coconut, depending on the recipe and therefore it is especially pleasant for children and adults. Its approximate price is around 0,20 euros. There are some scriptures in the Nimmatnama-i Nasiruddin-Shahi cookbook that already describe paan recipes, so it is an ancient type of dish that has endured to this day.
Jalebi
As you walk through an Indian city, you see a dessert in the shape of a flower or a spiral, you will surely come across the famous jalebi. These candies are made from maida flour, sugar and oil and are bathed in cardamom, saffron and lemon syrup, which gives them a very characteristic flavor.
Jalebi are also known as zulbia and are popular in various countries in Asia and North Africa. They are served cold and sometimes hot and when you taste them you will have a sensation on your palate of crystallized sugar inside. They are usually accompanied by lime or lemon juice or rose water.
falooda
And if you are looking for a refreshing drink, the falooda is a perfect alternative. This drink is made from milk, basil seeds, ice cream, noodles, fruit, and ice cream. A mix that can be curious for the traveler but that is very common in the north of India or Myanmar. There are some variations of this drink that come with a certain type of syrup, such as rose water.
typical indian drinks
chai masala
For breakfast or after dinner, a good option to end the meal is with a good masala chai. It is mainly traded by itinerant tea vendors in the evenings, when the workers return home and take it on the road.
Masala chai is a tea that is boiled with water and milk. As its use is common in sweet and savory dishes in India, this drink is also accompanied by various spices, such as cardamom, cloves or pepper.
chaas
Chaas is a typical drink throughout the country. It is characterized by being a drink made from yogurt, which gives it a slightly creamy texture, very cold water, salt and spices such as cumin. The yogurt can be fresh or slightly sour, which will give it a slightly stronger flavor.
For lovers of this drink, it is said to have digestive properties. Its flavor is refreshing, perfect for the hottest days in India. It is taken all year round, especially in summer, accompanied by ice.
Etiquette for Eating in India
India is a country with a great gastronomic culture and many educational and cultural norms around it, for example, refusing food that anyone offers you is very rude, in big celebrations like weddings, birthdays and other festivities, as a sign of respect, the other diners are fed with their hands directly in their mouths.
In homes, a single plate is usually used for several people, making grandparents proud that their grandchildren share the plates with them. Food is also part of the dowry or gift given to the bride and groom on their wedding day, and feeding animals, cows, birds, monkeys, rats and various others brings good luck and happiness and prosperity.
Of course, you will have to learn to eat only with your right hand, always keeping the left on your side, since it is supposed to be used for dirty tasks, although in the most touristic places they will always take you under cover.
But our recommendation is that you try to eat with your hands, although it is difficult for us to eat rice for example, I assure you that it is just a continuation of feeling the country, a multisensory India that satisfies everyone. the senses, full of smells, colors, shapes and flavors.
Indian bread, always freshly baked in its different varieties, should be broken only with the right hand, especially with the thumb and middle finger, taking it with the ring finger and little finger, avoiding using the index finger, which is considered the most impure of the clean hand, to be used for pointing, scratching, etc.
Not only does it look hard, but it's also hard, but someone around you is always talking to help you break it without you asking, you'll see. Also, Indians in general are very tolerant and understand that you come from a culture with different standards, so following their parenting rules will only flatter them for your interest, but there will be no problem if they don't.
Gastronomic Diversity In India
As it is known, it is a huge country, and of course with a great variety of food, being able to try different foods from when you get up until you go to bed, which seems to me a very exciting part of the trip, but what makes it difficult to summarize only 15 plates .
In general terms, it can be said that the big difference between the food from the north and the south of the country is the level of spiciness in the north, this is not the case in the south of the country, but you will enjoy it in both parts. of an explosion. with a multitude of exotic flavors, almost addictive.
The best and most economical way to get into this great gastronomic variety is to do it eating like them, in Thali, a large plate usually made of brass with bowls that usually contain dhal, a stew of lentils, a mixture of vegetables with curry such as aloo gobi ( potato and cauliflower), paneer (a fresh cheese cooked in different ways).
Also basmati rice, bread, curd or dhai, a liquid yogurt to drink sometimes with salt and cumin, and in the best meats, usually chicken or fish, and for dessert gulab jammum, a very typical Indian sweet. The price of the thali varies between 100 rupees for the cheapest, only vegetarian, and 750 rupees for the most expensive, prepared with meat or fish.
Breakfasts in India
Breakfasts in India are mostly salty and spicy, although in hotels you can always opt for western-style breakfasts, during the trip you will have to adapt to your food, that's why I'll tell you my favorite dishes. for this time of day and more tolerable for me. Body of a Spanish girl who needs a sweet breakfast.
Dose Mass
We consider it as the dish of the southern area, which reminds us of our home. The dosa is a kind of very thin and crunchy pancake, stuffed with potatoes and onions fried over a slow heat, as in our most typical potato omelette, seasoned with spices that enhance its flavor. This is an ideal option and does not sting at all.
aloo parantha
The second option I suggest is much spicier. It is a kind of chapati, a dough of flattened wheat flour mixed with potato and chopped red onion, but much more flaky. A delicious choice.
Starters
There are many things that Indians nibble on throughout the day that are often used as starters for meals, such as:
pakora
This snack consists of chopped vegetables such as onion, cauliflower, potato, green pepper, sometimes separately, and as I prefer, all chopped together, seasoned with hot green chili, coriander, cumin and dipped in some kind of flour. Chickpea tempura, fry afterwards. It has a really spectacular flavor, especially for nights in the desert or traveling by train.
daddy
It is one of the starters that I like the least, but really very typical. It is a very fine lentil flour cake, seasoned with black pepper and cumin, which is placed directly on the fire, taking care not to burn, and the best appetizer to accompany a great Kingfisher beer.
Other Main Dishes
Dhal
Lentils are one of the most used foods for Indians, and should not be left out of any meal. The recipe is made with a finely chopped onion sautéed with cumin, tamarind, turmeric, ginger, a pinch of asafoetida digestif, dried coriander and ground red pepper, to which the lentils are added and left to cook.
Once the lentils are tender, add the cinnamon and some crushed garlic and parsley in a mortar. I cook them a lot and I assure you that you will love them.
Palak paneer
It is one of those recipes that is prepared a lot at home and that we all love, as well as being a very original way of eating spinach, especially for those who resist vegetables. My way is to make a sauce with onion and a little red tomato, mixed with turmeric, very little cumin, tamarind, dried coriander and paprika.
To which is added the previously cooked spinach, fresh coriander and cheese, which in India is usually homemade and made with buffalo milk, but here we settle for some goat cheese tacos, since the mozzarella is rich but has an extremely delicate texture. chewable. Spectacular!
curried egg
If you love hard boiled eggs, this is your perfect choice. Boiled eggs with sauce, or sauce as they say there, with onion, garlic, peas, ginger, tomato, hot green chili, coriander, tamarind and garam masala, all fried in vegetable oil or ghee.
Shrimp Curry with Coconut Milk
Another very quick dish to prepare at home, more typical of South India, is the curried shrimp that we are talking about. To prepare them, simply fry them with butter, onion, garlic and ginger in a mortar, turmeric, bay leaf, chili and cardamom. Once the onion is golden, add the lime juice, the coconut milk, season with salt and pepper and finish with the peeled shrimp, letting it cook over low heat for 4 to 5 minutes.
Lamb Biryani
Lamb biryani is a festive dish, cooked mainly by Muslims in India at the end of Ramadan. It is made by browning the seasoned lamb in a saucepan, reserving and sautéing with the coriander, garlic and ginger previously crushed in the mortar and the onion cut into julienne strips.
Then add the rice, lemon juice and cover with water to cook for 35 minutes until there is no liquid left and the rice is soft, adding the chili, turmeric, bay leaves. and saffron. Before serving, decorate with hydrated raisins, cashews and toasted almonds.
Chicken in Butter
If when you look at the menu of a restaurant you decide to order Butter Chicken, you should know that it is a dish that I don't know how many degrees it would have on the Scoville scale, but I assure you. tends to be very spicy. It is prepared in different ways depending on the region and even the house, but basically the chicken is browned in a pan with butter or put directly in the oven, after marinating it with yogurt, lime, ginger, garlic, red pepper, garam. masala, salt and a splash of oil.
To make the sauce you'll get tired of dipping your bread in with its richness, it contains cardamom, cloves, and cinnamon, all fried in butter, with red chili, crushed tomato paste. and a little water that is reduced, until adding the chicken. Once it's almost done, add creme fraiche or cooking cream if you make it.