Indian Cuisine: Popular spices in Indian cuisine

Spices in an Indian kitchen may very well be referred to as the heart of Indian cuisine. Each spice has its own distinct taste and flavour. However, when combined in the preparation of a dish they come together to create a unique flavour.

Indian-Spices

We take a look at the use of spices in Indian food.

Most Popular spices

Turmeric is usually used in powder form and adds a strong yellow colour to the food. Although it is a natural antiseptic and antibacterial agent, it is still recommended to use sparingly, as even a little of it goes a long way!

Cumin Seeds are used in both forms; whole as well as powder. It has a distinct aroma and is used quite extensively.

Indian-Masala-Daani aka Masaal Dani

Black pepper is the fruit of the black pepper plant and is used whole as well as split. Rich in a number of vitamins, it is also a powerful anti-inflammatory agent. Pepper is indigenous to India.

Mustard and Coriander Seeds are both used to garnish dishes and are extremely popular in an Indian kitchen.

Red Chilli is a very important spice and is mainly used in the dry form. When grounded into a fine powder and sautéed in oil, it adds a fiery element to a dish. The degree of hotness depends on which part of India the spice originates. The Kashmiri red chilli is the most popular one that used in Indian cuisine followed by the Andhra red chillies.

Cardamom is a sweet spice having a very distinct aroma and is used in many North Indian as well as South Indian desserts.

Spices-on-wholesale-Market

Saffron is one of the most expensive spices. It is produced in very few regions of the world, Kashmir in India being one of them. Not only is saffron aromatic and delicious but it also adds a beautiful rich colour to the food.

Nutmeg and Mace are mainly used in desserts. Keeping in mind how strong and potent they are, it is strongly recommended to use them both sparingly!

Cloves are dried up flower buds and are a strong and heady spice. It is mainly used in North Indian dishes such as biryani and curry. They are barely used in South Indian delicacies.

Cinnamon is actually the dried bark of a tree. It is added to oil as its getting heated, in this manner the oil gets flavoured and the food gets cooked in this fragrant oil.

Fresh-picked-Pepper

Swaad with Sharmaji

Indian Cuisine: Best cuisine of east India

We look at the best cuisine of east India and the delicious dishes you should sample in Bihar, Orissa, West Bengal and Sikkim.

Three common threads connect the cuisine of the eastern states of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa. The first is the use of opium, or rather poppy seeds. The seeds are considered highly nutritious, and the paste of white poppy seeds is added for thickness, texture and a unique flavour.

East-Indian-Food-Thali

Bengal makes the alu posto made with potatoes and gourd. A paste of posto made with ground seeds seasoned with mustard oil, green chili and salt is also had with hot steamed rice. Orissa has jahni alu posta (a potato and gourd dish), and Bihar loves postaa-dana kaa halwa, a sweet pudding made of poppy seeds.

The second common thread is the use of the strong and pungent mustard oil as a cooking medium.

The third is the use of paanch phoron (literally ‘five seeds’ – aniseed, mustard seed, fenugreek, carrom, and nigella seeds). Beyond this, the cuisine of Orissa and Bengal overlap quite a bit with both states laying claim to inventing several famous foods (like the rosogolla, a famous sweet made of cheese).

Bihar

The cuisine of Bihar is a mixture of North and Eastern Indian cuisine. Chickpea flour is used in a variety of ways including the popular litti (baked and stuffed bread made of roasted chickpea flour, pictured below) served with chokha (potato, tomato and brinjal mash), sattu parathas stuffed with chickpea flour and the sattu drink, used in summers to cool down and get quick energy. The sattu along with Bihari kebabs are two signature dishes of Bihar that are popular outside the state as well.

Litti-From-Bihar

Orissa

Orissa, though famous for its food, often gets overshadowed by Bengal. It is believed that most of Bengal’s famous cooks came from Orissa, and quite a few Bengali dishes are derivatives of Oriya cuisine. Dalma is a unique and famous dish prepared in Orissa with vegetables and dal. All meals have a khatta – a sweet and sour dish. The famous khattas are dahi baingan, tomatoes khatta and amba khatta. During scorching summers, the cooling pakhal (pictured below),  made of rice, water, and yogurt fermented overnight, prevents heat strokes.

Pakhala from Orissa

Bengal

Bengal loves fish and no meal is complete without ‘maachher jhol and bhaat’ (fish curry and rice). If you have a sweet tooth, you will be spoilt for choice here as Bengalis are famous for their sweet concoctions (pictured below) – fried, steamed and baked.

Mishti doi, rosogolla and sandesh from Bengal

Try the mishti doi (sweet curd), rosogolla and sandesh (both made from cottage cheese).

The city of Kolkata has its own special cuisine, different from the rest of Bengal. It is influenced by the passage of conquerors and immigrants the city has witnessed over centuries. Street food like kathi kebabs and rolls are influenced by the Mughals. The footprint of the Brits can be seen in the varieties of cutlets including the kabiraji cutlet, the Jews gave alu makallah, the khaw suey came from the Burmese, and the Chinese contributed chowmein and noodles. A signature dish of Kolkata, the Chingri Malai Curry, has Malaysian roots.

Sikkim

Further up from Bengal, towards the Himalayas is the state of Sikkim, which has its own distinctive culinary style influenced by neighbouring Tibet, Bhutan and Nepal. A popular food is the momo (pictured below) – a dumpling stuffed with chicken, pork, beef or vegetables.

Sikkimese people love noodle-based soups with or without meat to keep the chill out. Thukpa, thanthu, gyathuk, and fakthu are one-pot soup meals.

Sha-phaleys are fried patties filled with minced meat had as a snack. Chhurpi is a local cheese made from cow or yak’s milk, commonly used by mountaineers who chew it to maintain salivation.

Momo from Sikkim

Sikkimese use a lot of fermented foods – like kinema, a fermented soybean with a high protein content, and the sel roti made with fermented rice. Gundruk soup (prepared using leaves of mustard, radish and cauliflower) is a great option for vegetarians. So is Sinki made from roots of the radish.

Rice isn’t the only grain, Sikkim uses a wide variety – finger millet, wheat, buckwheat and barley. When the Himalayan chill gets to you, try the local drink chhang, a millet beer served in bamboo tankards, sure to warm you up.

No matter where you travel you’ll find the cuisine of east India offers plenty of variety to get the mouth watering and taste buds tingling!

Swaad with Sharmaji

Karnataka Tourism: Weekend getaway From Bangalore

If you are in Bangalore and want to escape the city for the weekend there are plenty of easily accessible options. Here is a list of our favourite hill station breaks for getting away from it all.

Coorg

Nestled in south-west Karnataka lies Coorg, a small hillstation that’s often called ‘The Scotland of the East’. In Mercara or Madikeri, one finds the proud Madikeri Fort, which was built in 17th century. Here, the Raja’s Seat overlooks a deep valley and from here you can enjoy spectacular views of the sunrise and sunset. At the Abbey Falls water cascades to a depth of 70 feet into a rocky valley offering an unforgettable sight to visitors.

Tadiandamol_Pan_of_Coorg

Tadiyendamol is the loftiest peak in Coorg challenging people to climb it. Located on the banks of the river Cauvery is the Valnoor Fishing Camp where avid fishing enthusiasts can indulge in the luxury of angling for the huge game fish mahseer. Over 5000 monks reside at the Namdroling Monastery in Bylakuppe and it is one of the largest Tibetan settlements in the country.

Wayanad

This hill station is located in the northern part of Kerala. Its natural beauty has been left intact as it hasn’t been overrun by tourism. Wayanad is largely covered by spice plantations, paddy fields and forests. The region’s landscape is speckled with beautiful trekking trails. One important trail is the 10 hour climb to the top of the 2100m Chembra Peak, the highest point in Wayanad.

Wayanad-weekend-gateway-from-Bangalore

One of the main attractions is the Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary where it is possible to see deer, bears, macaques, elephants and even tigers. Other attractions include the ancient Sree Thirunelli and Valliyurkava Bhagavathi temples and the 5000 year old prehistoric rock-art in the Edakkal Caves.

Ooty

Ooty is known as ‘the queen of the Blue Mountains’ and is a beautiful hill station located in the Nilgiris. It is known for beautiful gardens, wooded rolling hills, pine and eucalyptus forests, coffee and tea plantations, ancient tribes and monuments. Ooty’s Botanical Gardens has developed over the last 150 years, and offers over 2,000 species of flowering plants.

A popular spot amongst families is the Ooty lake. This is an artificial lake, which was constructed in the early 1800’s.

Ooty-Hill-Station

Doddabetta is the highest peak in the Western Ghats and it stands at a height of 8,640 ft above sea level. It is accessible by road and the drive offers panoramic views of the surrounding ranges and valleys. Ten minutes from the Ooty Market is a Toda Village. The Todas are one of the oldest tribes to inhabit this region and you will find beautiful Toda temples in the area. For those who want to shop, handicrafts can be purchased right from the village at great prices.

Coonoor

Coonoor is the second highest hillstation in Nilgiris and it is perched at a height of 1,856 meters above sea level. Sim’s Park in Coonoor is located at an altitude of 1798 meters and is nestled in a deep ravine. The park is famous for great views to many of Coonoor’s popular tourist spots such as Lamb’s Rock, Dolphin’s Nose and Lady Canning’s Seat.

Enjoy-Weekend-in-Coonoor

Nilgiri’s famous Toy Train is a great way to reach Coonoor. The charming train started operating over a century ago and maneuvers the rocky terrain with ease. Many songbirds like nightingales, babblers, larks and robins, whoare found in Coonoor. The Pomological Station is a feast for those interested in horticulture. Many varieties of fruits are grown here for research purposes. The Law Falls are located 7 kilometers from Coonoor and water here drops from a height of almost 200 feet.

Yercaud

Located near Salem in Tamil Nadu’s Servarayan range at an altitude of 1,500 meters is Yercaud. Yercaud’s highest point is the Servarayan temple, which is perched at a height of 5326 feet. The hills here are rich with fauna and flora, which includes bison, deer, rabbits, hares, and many other native species. The Yercaud Lake is surrounded by well-groomed gardens and thick trees. One of the best views that Yercaud can offer is at the Lady’s Seat. Panoramic view of the ghats and beyond can be seen from here. Stargazing is a lovely experience at the Lady’s Seat.

Spend-weekend-boating-in-Yercaud

The Kiliyur Falls in Yercaus fall from a majestic height of 90 feet andare popular amongst visitors.

Swaad with Sharmaji