There was a time in India when international cuisine meant Chinese food but with a heavy dose of Indian elements. However, in the past few years, we have been seeing an explosion of flavours. Though Italian and Thai cuisines were one of the earliest foreign cuisines that became household names, like Pizza and Pad Thai, Japanese with their sushi and Sukiyaki, Mexican with tacos and burritos, Vietnamese with their quintessential Vietnamese soup, Pho and Korean with Bibimbap and Ramen entered the flavour palate of Indians, along with the Arabian dishes that stole our hearts.
However, in the quest of finding out what’s the best out there, many forget to celebrate the diversity of India’s own food culture. From the Mughalai cuisine, pahadi dishes of Himachal Pradesh, the wide variety of fermented and smoked dishes of North Eastern states, pav bhaji, poha of Maharashtra, and the unique blend of Indian and Portuguese culinary elements of Goa to Kolkata’s mesmerising mishti doi and biryani, to Tamil Nadu’s poriyal, Hyderabadi Biryani and Kerala’s many varieties of fish curries and porotta and beef, there are umpteen cuisines just like our languages for each Indian to savour.
“India is diverse in all senses. One dish will appear in different forms in many states. Look at kebab, In Karnataka, by default, it is chicken kebab and is fried in oil. Whereas in Lucknow, there will be plenty of choices of meat that will be minced. They add the necessary spices and shape the meat in the form of a cutlet and fried in a kadai. Whereas, in Kashmir and Punjab, kebab is made in a tandoor,” says Mrinal Das Vengalat, management consultant and food blogger.
Burmese influence
Executive chef of Hyatt Regency Trivandrum, Senthil Kumar says that other than the Mughlai, Indian food has a close connection with Burmese and Chinese style. “After independence, many from Burma (now Myanmar) got settled here and a mixing of flavours happened. Burmese food is famous in Tamil Nadu, as many Burmese families have migrated there,” he said.
“Their traditional street dish, Atho, and its varieties are now famous. Also gobi, or chicken Manchurian and chili chicken are not authentic Chinese dishes. These dishes were invented in Calcutta when Chinese people settled for business years ago. They mixed their sauces with some popular regional spices to create these dishes,” Senthil noted further.
Kashmiri cuisine piqued the interest of Mohammed Jamsheed Y, a 21-year-old Kasaragod-based food vlogger. “Their traditional thali called Wazwan is a must try. Another one is the winter breakfast thali, ‘Harissa’ — a mix of less spicy and sweet delicacies. Tuji, Kashmir’s street food is a barbecue dish. These are a must try to delve deeper into the local cuisine,” he says.
Executive chef of the Hilton Garden Inn, Thiruvananthapuram, Asmic Raj loves Goan food. “A Portuguese influence is reflected in every menu in Goa. Seafood and sausages made of pork are common. The Goan cuisine has liquor-based dishes too, which are one of a kind,” he says.
Bengal’s biryani & maach
West Bengal is known for a its wide and evolved cuisine. Maach (fish), bhat (rice), rosogolla and sandesh are talked about a lot, but the cuisine has a huge spread of vegetarian dishes as well. The sustainable cooking methods of this culture are another noteworthy factor.
“In Bengal, mustard oil is the base. Some seafood dishes are very interesting. They use pumpkin leaves for steaming and serving. And the leaf can be eaten,” says Anjana Gopakumar, a food blogger based in Thiruvananthapuram.
“The Kolkata biryani is very popular. The aroma of masala, mixed with a blend of spices in slow-cooked basmati rice and juicy meat is a burst of flavour,” says Balram Menon, a food blogger based in Kochi. He goes on to explain that kachori and jalebis are other must-haves. “Another item which you can easily have from Bengal is the kathi roll — made in flaky bread, filled with veggies, masala and meat, it will never disappoint,” adds Balram.
Litti chocka to kanji
Bihar, Jharkhand, and the rest of Bhojpuri-speaking regions too have some lip-smacking culinary stories. It is said that any festival in these states is a culinary celebration. “The litti chokha is an authentic Bihari delicacy. The ball-sized litti is made out of wheat, pickle masala, ginger, coriander leaves, green chilli, lemon juice and mustard oil,” says Mrinal.
Another delicacy is dhuska, a deep-fried snack. “It has powdered rice, chana dal and boiled potatoes. The bread is then deep fried and it is found mostly in market area stalls,” he adds. Mrinal also points out that in the tribal regions of Jharkhand, demta chutney, prepared with red ants, is another savoured dish.
Now coming to Odisha, Mrinal says, kanji is a popular and simple dish. “It piqued my interest during my journey in Odisha. Every year, the state celebrates Kanji Amla fest and rice soup is what is offered to God as prasad. Restaurants will serve mutton and dry fish with kanji,” he says.
Assam to Arunachal
The seven sisters, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura all have a diverse set of cuisines, with some similarities and even more variety. However, most of their dishes are not dependent on oil and masala. Here the dishes are protein-rich, hot, aromatic, healthy, and use less spice. No food is complete without a platter of rice, green vegetables, and the infamous ghost chillies (bhut jolokia).
Pork with bamboo shoots is a Naga speciality and Sikkim, contrary to its popular assumption of being heavy on meat, has some delectable vegetable dishes like Gundruk ko jhol. Meghalaya is known for its pork dishes like Jadoh with dohkhleh, whereas Tripura likes colour on its plate and uses a lot of turmeric. Pork and fish are common sources of meat in these often cold states.
When compared to other regions, Manipur offers the greatest variety of dishes. The thali here can have as many as 30 items. Akhuni (fermented soybeans) and bamboo shoots are part of many dishes here.
According to Balram, an Assamese thali is incomplete without a tenga (a type of tamarind) based curry. “Fish curry meals is a staple,” he says.
Dosa to meen soup
Coming to the south, Andhra Pradesh and its spicy flavours are well-known around the world. Pulihora (tamarind rice) is a local favourite. It is popular in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka too. Another favourite is pulasa pulusu made with fish, various spices and a considerable amount of oil.
Telangana has more to offer than biryani and Karachi biscuits. Sarva pindi, a healthy breakfast is a savoury pancake made out of rice flour, chana dal, peanuts and chilli. Golichina mamsam (golichina means ‘fry’) has succulent pieces of mutton and thick gravy cooked over low flame for hours.
Korri Gassi is a Mangalorean recipe in Karnataka. The chicken cooked with spices and ground fresh coconut is served with dosa and roti. Then comes another Mangalorean coastal region recipe, Kundapura Koli Saaru, with gravy made from onion, garlic, ginger and other spices.
Despite Karnataka and Tamil Nadu having their own set of diverse dishes, it’s the dosas that hold dominance, at least for the outsiders. “In Tamil Nadu, dosas are large and crispy. Karnataka has neer dosa — the batter is not kept for fermentation for not more than an hour. Mysore’s Banne dosa made using homemade butter has a unique taste,” says Mrinal.
When Kerala is taken into consideration, it’s the Malabar cuisine that mostly receives undivided attention. “Kerala is beyond the moplah cuisine. One place that hasn’t received wide attention is Kollam. It’s one of those places that gives equal importance to meat and seafood,” says chef Suresh Pillai. “There’s one wholesome dish made mostly by the fishermen community, it’s called meen soup curry. After selling the big fish, the fishermen collect small fish caught in the net, like chooda, prawn, koozhali, and cook them by just cutting the tail and head. It’s made using coconut milk and mango and has loose gravy,” he says.
Chef Pillai also notes another dish commonly made in the Christian households in Kollam. “It’s called ethakka pothapoichathu. It’s consumed as a main course with appam. This sweet curry is made with ripe plantain sauteed in butter, coconut milk and rice flour,” he concludes.
Bharwa Bhindi (Stuffed Okra)
Ingredients
Okra/bhindi-- 450 grams
Vegetable oil--2 tablespoons
Desiccated coconut powder: 4 tbs
Coriander powder-- 2 tbs
Cumin powder--2 tsp
Dried mango powder: 1 tsp
Red chili powder: 1 tsp
Garam masala: 1 tsp
Turmeric powder: 1/4 tsp
Salt or to taste
Vegetable oil: 2 tsp
Method of preparation
Make a cut in each bhindi lengthwise without cutting through the entire length. To a large bowl, add and mix all the ingredients above. Then add 2 tsp of oil to the stuffing and mix it well with the spices. The stuffing is now ready. Take one bhindi and stuff it with the prepared masala. Repeat the process. Heat 2tbsp of oil in a large pan on medium heat and place the stuffed bhindi. After 2 minutes, lower the heat to medium-low and cover the pan. Keep tossing the bhindi after every 2-3 minutes. Serve bharwa bhindi hot with roti or paratha.
Badam Paneer Ka Kashmiri Shufta recipe
Ingredients
1 cup almonds
8 pitted dates
1/2 cup paneer
2 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon ginger powder
1 teaspoon saffron
80 ml water
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup coconut flake
2 cup ghee
1 teaspoon powdered cinnamon
1 teaspoon powdered green cardamom
1 tablespoon dry rose petals
Method of preparation
Cut the dates into small pieces and soak in water for 15 minutes. Soak the raisins in a separate bowl for 15 minutes. Heat ghee and fry the almonds, paneer and coconut flakes till it turns golden. In a pan, add water, sugar, spice powder, saffron and rose petals. Cook till you reach a syrupy stage. Add fried almonds, paneer, soaked dates and raisins. Mix it thoroughly till the syrup is reduced to a coating consistency.