Every country takes pride in its handful of dishes that have gained popularity around the world. In India, we take pride in the buffet of Indian dishes that have found favor on tables around the world.
The vastness of our country with its cultural variety and ethnic diversity, along with differing topography and climatic conditions have led to the presence of dishes and cuisine that vary as one moves from north to south or east to west of the country.
And, if this culinary variety were not enough, we also have innumerable celebratory occasions — religious, national or of a personal nature — that call for the preparation of special dishes and sweets.
It is also a matter of pride for us that the diversity of foods and cuisines, as well as traditional cooking styles, have successfully withstood the onslaught of modern convenience foods and fast food cultures. People all over the country still spend hours laboriously preparing traditional dishes on celebratory occasions.
On this 75th Independence Day, let us celebrate the country’s culinary diversity with a few mouth water recipes that you could and should try out.
Indian chicken curry with black pepper
This fragrant southern Indian curry is unusual in that it gets all its heat from black pepper rather than chilli. For maximum flavor from the spices, marinate the chicken for as long as you can, which speeds up making of the curry.
Ingredients
- boneless, skinless chicken thighs 900g, cut into bite-sized pieces
- onions 2 large, finely sliced
- garlic 4 cloves, crushed
- ginger 50g, finely grated
- coconut milk 400ml tin
- coriander a small bunch, roughly chopped
- Marinade
- black peppercorns 2-3 tbsp, depending on how hot you like it
- cumin seeds 2 tbsp
- coriander seeds 2 tbsp
- coconut oil
- fresh turmeric 50g, finely grated or 1 tbsp ground turmeric
- lemon 1, juiced
Preparation
- For the marinade, add the peppercorns, cumin and coriander seeds to a small frying pan over a medium heat. Toast for a minute until they begin to smell fragrant. Tip into a spice mill or mortar and roughly grind.
- Place the spices into a bowl with 1 tbsp of coconut oil. Add the turmeric along with the juice of half a lemon (save the other half for later) and stir to a paste.
- Add the chicken and mix well with the spice paste. Cover and chill for a few hours, but preferably overnight.
- Heat a deep frying pan over a medium-low heat with 1 tbsp of coconut oil.
- Add the onion, garlic and ginger, and fry gently for 15-20 minutes until soft and lightly golden.
- Turn up the heat and add the chicken and marinade. Season and stir-fry for 10 minutes.
- Pour in the coconut milk, bring to the boil and simmer gently for 15 minutes or until the chicken is cooked.
- If you prefer a drier curry simply simmer for another 10-15 minutes until the sauce is a consistency you like.
- Turn off the heat and stir through the remaining lemon juice. Scatter over the coriander and serve with rice and naan bread.
Maharashtrian amti dal
A comforting food consumed on special occasions, as well as on numerous other instances, the sweet-and-sour-dal (lentil) is an ethnic fare common in the western India. However, the addition of jaggery and tamarind to the dal and serving it with a dollop of ghee or butter and some warm bread or rice, is a unique take on the dish that is popular in Maharashtra.
Ingredients
- toor dal or red lentils 250g, (see cook’s notes)
- ground turmeric 1 tsp
- ghee or vegetable oil 2 tbsp
- black mustard seeds 1 heaped tsp
- fresh curry leaves 10
- asafoetida a pinch
- green bird’s-eye chillies 2, slit lengthwise
- jaggery or light brown sugar 1 tbsp
- tamarind paste 2 tsp
- Maharashtrian goda masala 1 tsp, or garam masala ¼ tsp
- mild chilli powder ½ tsp
- coconut grated to make 1 tbsp
- coriander chopped, to serve
- chapatis or cooked basmati rice to serve
Preparation:
- Place the lentils in a heavy-based pan with 1 litre water and the turmeric. Bring to boil and simmer gently for 45-50 minutes or until the lentils start to get mushy. Stir well to ensure they do not stick to the bottom of the pan. Turn off the heat, mash the lentils slightly to thicken, then cover and set aside.
- Heat the ghee in a heavy-based frying pan over a medium heat then add the mustard seeds. As soon as they begin to splutter, add the curry leaves. Fry for a few seconds, then add the asafoetida and chillies. Tip in the cooked lentils, along with the jaggery, tamarind, goda masala and chilli powder, and season with salt. Mix well and fry for 1 minute. Add enough just-boiled water (about 100-200ml) to make the dahl soupy, then simmer for 5 minutes. Stir well, turn off the heat and garnish with the coconut and coriander. Serve warm with chapatis or rice.
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