INDIAN CUISINE

NORTH INDIA

JAMMU

and

KASHMIR

DELHI

U.P.

PUNJAB

and

HARYANA

HIMACHAL

UTTARANCHAL

.

• The Cuisine of Kashmir as we know it today has evolved over hundreds of years.

• The first major influence on the cuisine is the food of the Kashmiri Pundits.

• The cuisine was

then influenced by the culture of people who arrived with the invasion of India and the Kashmir region by Timur from the area of modern Uzbekistan.

• It has also been influenced by other central Asian, Persian and Afghan cultures

KASHMIR

• The food usually uses a lot of yoghurt and turmeric. The cuisine traditionally does not use onion and garlic

• The Muslims however use onion and garlic in their food and avoid the use of hing and curds.

• Both Hindus and Muslims cook kebabs

• The Kashmiri Chilli as well as a flower called Mawal are used to impart a rich red colour to the gravies

• Rice is the staple though wheat breads are also eaten

• Kahwa or Kashmiri tea is very popular is made without milk but with 11 other ingredients.

• Saffron , nuts and spices like green cardamom and cinnamon flavor the green tea in a samovar.

• They also drink a salted milky tea known as Nun chai.

.Normally restricted to occasions of celebration at homes, the Wazwan experience includes table settings for groups of four on the floor where choice dish after dish is served, each aromatic with herbs and the fresh produce of the region

Of its thirty-six courses, between fifteen and thirty can be preparations of meat, cooked overnight by the master chef, Vasta Waza, and his retinue of wazas. Guests are seated in groups of four and share the meal out of a large metal plate called the trami.

WAZWAN

The meal begins with a ritual washing of hands at a basin called the tash-t-nari, which is taken around by attendants. Then the tramis arrive, heaped with rice, quartered by four seekh kababs and contains four pieces of methi korma, one tabak maaz, one safed murg, one zafrani murg, and the first few courses. Curd and chutney are served seperately in small earthen pots

As each trami is completed, it is removed, and a new one brought in, until the dinner has run its course. Seven dishes are a must for these occassions-- Rista, Rogan Josh, Tabak Maaz, Daniwal Korma, Aab Gosht, Marchwangan Korma and Gushtaba. The meal ends with the Gushtaba.

KASHMIRI DUM ALOO : Baby potatoes cooked in a rich curd gravy, flavored with green cardamom, fennel, cloves and cinnamon.

HAAK OR KASHMIRI SPINACH; Spinach leaves flavored with spring onions, yellow mustard seeds and garam masala.

KASHMIRI PULAO: a fragrant rice preparation with dry fruits , flavored with saffron and garam masala , cooked with milk and water.

ROGAN JOSH: Rogan means fat and josh literally the heat, though figuratively it means the intensity. Traditionally fatty meat on the bone was used and it was slow cooked in it own fat.

The hallmark of this dish is the liberal use of the true Kashmiri Chilli. The Muslims use PRAAN, a Kashmiri Shallot and Maval, the petals of the cockscomb flower. The Hindus add yoghurt and the flavor is highlighted by the use of fennel.

AAB GOSHT

A Kashmiri Muslim dish Aab means water in Persian and so has a watery gravy.

A mild curry of lamb cooked gently in water with whole spices and shallots and later in milk. It is flavored with fennel and cumin.

TABAKMAAZ

Lamb ribs about 5inches in length and 2 inches in width are cooked with aniseed, ginger, turmeric, asafetida and cinnamon powders along with cloves and salt , in milk and water.

Prior to serving they are fried crisp.

GUSHTABA

Pounded lamb meat along with cayenne, fennel, ginger, coriander and garam masala is ground with yoghurt and ghee into a smooth paste and made into koftas.

These are then cooked in curds, into which khoya and garam masala is added

KABARGAH

Lamb rib chops cooked in milk with a spice mixture of fennel, cayenne, ginger powder, whole garam masala and mace then dipped in yoghurt and coated in besan batter and deep fried.

SHALGAM GOSHT

Flavored with saunf and black cardamom thisIs an extremely fragrant dish. The turnips are rubbed in salt before frying to remove the bittertaste .

MARCHWANGAN KHORMA: Mutton cooked with curds, with garam masala,Maval, dry ginger powder and chillies. It is relatively spicy.

•Kashmiri Kheema Pulao

•Zaffrani Pulao

•Kashmiri Mutanjan : A type of Lamb pulao

•Pasande Kebabs : Spiced lamb boneless kebabs

•Shammi Kebabs

•Rista ( Meat balls in Red gravy)

•Daniwal Korma : Lamb in a yogurt and fresh coriander based gravy.

•Methi Chaman

Kashmiri breads like Sheermal and Baqerkhani are popular, without which no Kashmiri breakfast is complete.

Baqerkhani is the Kashmiri equivalent of rough puff pastry .

Kulcha is a melt-in-the mouth variety of short-bread, sweet or savory, topped with poppy seeds.

Tsot and Tsochvoru are small round breads, topped with poppy and sesame seeds and traditionally washed down with salt tea. Lavas is a cream colored unleavened bread

PHIRNI

A creamy rice pudding flavored with Cardamom, with almonds, cashew nuts, Pistachios and some saffron

DELHI

Delhi happened to be the most favored and favorite city of Moguls and hence the secrets of the rich and royal Mughlai food was handed down to the people of this state.

Delhi takes pride to have inherited the recipes deemed 'fit for royals'. It consists of a superb mix of aromatic spices, butter based curries, loads of dry fruits and roasted meats cooked in earthen ovens called tandoors.

Due to its proximity to Punjab and the dominant Punjabi community ,recipes from Punjab are extremely popular in Delhi. Liberal doses of ghee and butter are savored with as much joy here as in Punjab.

PARATH PARATHA

Flavored with red chilli powder, salt and garam masala, these rotis are cut into squares, smeared with butter and then stacked on one another. They are then rolled out and cooked . Eaten with sabzi pickle and pickle chutneys.

BADAM PASANDA Thin pieces of lamb thigh meat flavored with spices and marinated in curds with ginger garlic, salt . Cooked. Served in a rich cashew gravy

CHICKEN CURRY

SHAHI PANEER : Cubes of paneer

cooked in a rich cashew,

Curd and tomato gravy

ALOO JEERA

METHI MALAI MATAR

TANDOORI CHICKEN

SEEKH KEBAB

PUNJAB and HARYANA

Staple diet of the people Punjab and Haryana is wheat based rotis, paranthas and naan.

Rice is cooked less frequently on special occasion. It is often prepared flavored with onions and other condiments.

Striking feature of the cuisine of Punjab is lavish use of butter, cream, ghee.

Pulses or dals, cooked on slow fire and flavored with characteristic Punjabi tadka, constitute a major item of the meal.

Gravy is prepared using the basic mix of onion, tomato, ginger, garlic, chillies and liberal dose of spices.

Jaggery is appreciated by the people in the winter season

BAINGAN KA BHARTA

LASSI PATIALA

Chilled curd, sugar, saffron, cardamom and creamAlong with plenty of crushed ice

MAKKI KI ROTI SARSOON DA SAAG

Maize flour rotis kneaded with warm water eaten with

A Sarsoon and palak ka saag

With onion, ginger, garlic chillies and

Maize flour. Tempered with Ginger and green chillies and finished with white butter.

PUNJABI DAHI KADHI

DAL MAKHNI

A yoghurt and besan kadhi

A blend of whole urad dal, a little rajmah, cooked with whole spices.Finished with tomatoes, cream and butter

PUNJABI CHOLE

A tangy dish of chickpeas, cooked with tomatoes. Enjoyed with Bhaturas

PALAK PANEER

AMRITSARI FISH

Deep fried, besan batter , flavored with ajwaiin

STUFFED VEGETABLE PUNJABI PARANTHA

Paranthas made with a combination of or with single vegetables like carrot, cauliflower, potato, white radish etc. Cooked on the griddle.

PUNJABI LACHHA PARATHA

Flaky rich paranthas, an excellent accompaniment

CHICKEN TIKKAS

Boneless chunks of chicken marinated with Curds, red chilli paste, tandoori garam masala,Garlic paste, salt and mustard oil. Cooked in the tandoor.

NAVRATAN KORMA

Carrots, French beans, green peas, mushrooms, white pumpkin , cashew nuts, raisins, cooked in a rich cashew and curd gravy, flavored with saffron. May be garnishedwith cherries and grated paneer.

DAHI BHALLE

RAJMA MASALA

Rajmah cooked with a masala of onions, garlic, ginger and tomato.

HIMACHAL PRADESHPaddy and maize happen to be the staple food

Dishes prepared from an iron rich cereal called Kodra are part of the daily food. Dishes prepared from energy rich Sattu is a must item of every day meal. Taste in Himanchal Pradesh varies from region to region. Some people are very fond of non-vegetarian dishes. These are prepared using host of spices like cardamom, cloves, cinnamon and red chillies.

There is a special style of serving meals, on special occasions and is called, 'Dham'. Food is cooked by botis in large copper utensils and people sit on the floor to have the meal served on a leaf. The traditional meal includes rice, a curd based dish, curry, raita, pulses and sweets.

KULLU TROUT

The whole fish is marinated with salt, dill leaves, crushed coriander seeds, chilli flakes, lemon rind, lemon juice and mustard oil. It is then cooked on both sides in the pan.Served tossed with rye, dices onions and coriander leaves, eaten with steamed rice.

CHANNA MADRA

Chickpeas cooked with spices and yoghurt, with raisins, Eaten with roti.

BHATURAS

UTTARANCHAL

•Picturesque state of Uttaranchal has a simple yet delectable cuisine. The food is extremely nutritious to suit the high energy requirements of the hilly and cold region .

•Basically people take a vegetarian meal though mutton and chicken are also savored by many.

•Characteristic feature of the Kumouni cuisine is the sparing use of milk and milk based products. This is due to the geographical nature of the state as hill cows do not yield good quantity of milk.

• Rice is the staple food for the people of Uttaranchal.

Favorites of the Pahari people are the lentils. Locally grown BHATT(a variety of soya bean) and the rust brown GAHAT also called KULATH (horse gram) are appreciated more than others. Large dried balls of urad dal, called badis and their smaller version prepared from moong dal called mangodi are also relished by the people here.

Also common is the use of coarse grain with high fiber content MUNDUVA(Buck wheat) in the interior regions of Kumaun.

Medium of cooking is normally mustard oil or pure ghee. Use of tomato is minimal in the Kumaoni cuisine

RECIPES FROM GARHWAL

GARHWAL KA FANAAKulad dal cooked with ginger , garlic and red chilli pastes, garnished with coriander leaves and eaten with black and white roti .

CHAINSOO Dry roasted and ground black urad dal, cooked with garlic, red chillies, cumin, coriander powder and hing, in water till it becomes thick and of the right consistency. Garnished with chopped coriander leaves and topped with ghee and garam masala powder. Eaten with hot rice .

KAFULI It is a  thick gravy preparation made from  green leafy vegetables. Kafuli made of Spinach leaves is the most common preparation . Most commonly a paste of spinach and methi leaves cooked till thick and pasty with green chilies, cumin, garlic and hing. Thickened with rice flour paste Topped with ghee and eaten with steamed rice .

JHOLI In Garhwali Jhol means very thin gravy. Jhol can be made out of tomatoes, potatoes and other tubers. On the other hand Jholi is gravy made out of curd.

This recipe call for using curd and besan with a tempering of garlic whole red chilies and hing ,and coriander powder, chili powder and turmeric. Towards the end , chopped spinach leaves are added and topped with ghee, eaten with hot rice

PHANU is also made of dals (lentils) like Chainsoo, but in this case the dals are soaked in water for about 4 to 6 hours before its use. A different variety of dals like- Gahat, Arhar or green Mung

can be used  to prepare Phanu.   A paste of the dals is made withGreen chilies, ginger and garlic and half the quantity is made into cakes and cooked on he griddle. The remaining is cooked into a

gravy into which these are added

THECHWANI can be prepared using radish root (pahari mula having round root) or   potatoes. The preparation is called by this

name as the radish root or potato is never cut, but crushed (thinchao) into pieces. Cooked with onions tomatoes and spices,

garnished with green chillies and coriander leaves.

BAADI Made from mandua flour which has been cooked in hot water For just two minutes and then mixed with ghee. It is an accompanimentfor lentils.

RAS

(A very appetizing and highly nutritious dish made from a mixture of dals. It is typically eaten in winters along with steamed rice. It is usually made in an iron Kadahi.). The commonly used dals are lobia, rajma, kanuli channa, kala channa, urad dal. For tadka whole red chillies, pinch of hing, jeera are added . Serve with lots of ghee and bhaat (rice).

ARSAThis is a sweet delicacy, which is a special preparation on the occasion of Marriages and Festivals .It is made of ground rice mixed with a thick syrup of jaggery and then made into a dough, This is shaped and deep fried .

GULGULAA paste of wheat flour and jaggery and fennel Seed is fried in hot oil

BLACK and WHITE ROTI : A combination of two dough's, wheat four and mandua flour is used . Made like a rotiAnd topped with butter

UTTAR PRADESH•Uttar Pradesh has the most exotic recipes of the country in its kitty. The state capital, Lucknow (erstwhile Awadh), inherited the secrets of the Nawabi cuisines. Thus amongst many other things Lucknow boasts of the rich and world famous Awadhi cuisine.

•Outstanding feature of Awadhi tradition of cooking is the 'Dum Pukht' . Finesse is also apparent in the blending of the various spices in Awadhi cuisine. 'Dastarkhwan', the ceremonial tradition of laying food on the table and a celebrated tradition of nawabs transcends the traditional cuisine into a fine-art.

•Otherwise, a vast majority of the state enjoys simple and sober vegetarian meals. With dal, roti, Subzi and rice constituting the essentials of daily food habits. Pooris and kachoris are relished on special occasions.

Murg MussallamThe 'Murg Mussallam' (literally means whole chicken) is a

delicacy perfected by the cooks of Awadh. The cavity of the marinated chicken is stuffed with a mixture of chicken mince, onions, ginger garlic, garam masala, eggs, almonds and pista. The coating is made with yoghurt and almond paste along with

saffron.

LAZEEZ LAUKIThe bottle gourd or 'Lauki' is a popular vegetable of the summer season. It has cooling properties owing to its high water content. The Lazeez Lauki or literally 'delicious' gourd is prepared whole. Stuffed with khoya, and nuts in a lightly spiced curd and poppy

seed gravy.

DUM BHINDIBhindi cooked with onion, capsicum tomato, chilli and haldi powders in dum

GOBHI MUSSALLAM

Whole Cauliflower cooked with a mixture of curds, cashew

GOBI MUSSALLAM

Cauliflower cooked whole with rich Cashew paste, poppy seed paste,curds, garam masala

KARELI ROGAN JOSH

Kareli boti cooked with curd, brown onion paste, boiled onion paste , khada masala and a Paste of desiccated coconut, sunflower seed, cashew nuts, shahi jeera and garam masala powder .

AWADHI MURGH MASALA

A rich chicken gravy dish with brown onion paste, coconut, spicesCurd, saffron and roasted gram flour. Flavored with mace and cardamom.

VEGETABLE PARDA PULAO

KACHORI

SAMOSA

Ground yellow moong dal , mixed with spices and encased in pastry and fried

SEWAINRoasted and fried vermicelli, cooked with khoya and milkSugar, nuts and raisins, flavored with saffron.

SHAHI TUKDA

MALPUAMade from a batter of flour and yoghurt. Dipped in sugar syrup, flavored with saffron.