Fried Rice

Ingredients
boiled basmati rice-1 cup
onions-1 or 2
vegetables cut into small pieces-1 cup
salt,pepper-to taste
tomato sauce,chilly sauce-each 1 tbsp
soya sauce-1 or 2 tsp
coriander leaves-1 or 2 tbsp
thinly chopped green chilly-1 or 2
oil-1 or 2 tbsp
spring onions-1/4 cup

Method
1)Heat oil in a pan
2)Fry chopped onions.when onions become transparent,add green chillies and fry for a min
3)Now add all sauces and fry for 30 sec.
4)Add vegetables,spring onions,salt,pepper and fry for 2 min.Until vegetables are cooked.
5)Add boiled rice and mix well.Garnish with coriander and spring onions.
6)serve hot and enjoy.

Fish Masala Fry

Ingredients :

500 gms. fresh fish cut into large pieces and gashed or whole fish gashed either side,
12 dry chilies,
1 tsp. Coriander,
1/2 tsp. Turmeric powder ,
1/8 tsp. Mustard,
12 pepper corns,
6 garlic flakes,
1/2 cup red onions,
Salt to taste,
1/4 cup oil,
1 cup milk extracted from one cup of grated coconut,
1 tsp. Ginger,
sliced thin and long,
1 tsp. Vinegar.

Preparation Method :

Grind the ingredients of the second item to a smooth paste and smear over the fish and keep for 2 hours. Remove excess of paste from the fish before frying. Heat oil and fry onion till light brown and drain. In the remaining oil fry the fish lightly on both sides over medium fire and drain. Fry rest of the paste in the oil stirring constantly. Mix coconut milk. When it boils add the fried fish, onions and sliced ginger. When the gravy thicknes add vinegar. As the oil separates remove from fire and serve hot. The fish can be decorated when prepared whole. Since it is to be served hot, have the decorated plate ready and place the fish covered with thick gravy in the middle.

Prawn Gravy

Ingredients:

* Prawns(Chemmeen) - 500 gm
* Onion - 2 nos
* Tomato - 1 no
* Capsicum - 1 no
* Chilly powder - 2 tbsp
* Coriander powder - 1 tbsp
* Garam masala powder - 1/2 tbsp
* Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
* Salt - As reqd
* Lemon juice
* Oil
* Coriander leaves for garnishing

Method :

1)Clean the prawns well .

2)Marinate prawns with lemon juice, salt and chilly powder. Keep aside.

3)Heat oil in a pan or a kadai.

4)Fry chopped onions.When onions had turned into light brown color add chopped tomato and capsicum.

5)Add marinated prawns, coriander powder, turmeric and garam masala.

6)Add salt, if required.

7)Allow it to cook for 20 mins on low flame.

8)Garnish with coriander leaves.

Prawn Pakara

Ingredients
Prawns - 2 lb
Egg - 1 no
Ginger paste - 1 tbsp
Garlic paste - 1 tbsp
Chilly powder - 2 tbsp
Salt - 1 tbsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tbsp
Lemon - 1 no
Coriander leaves(chopped) - 2 tbsp

For garnishing:-

Onion(medium) - 1 no
Capsicum(medium) - 1 no
Coriander leaves(chopped) - 2 tbsp

Preparation:

1)Marinate prawns with above ingredients for 4 hrs.

2)Deep fry the marinated prawns and keep aside.

3)Heat a litle oil in a pan or a kadai.

4)Fry chopped onions and capsicum.

5)Mix fried prawns, onions and capsicum.

6)Garnish with thinly sliced lime and coriander leaves.

Spicy Mutton Chops

Ingredients
Mutton chops - 1 kg
Curd - 250 ml
Onions - 1 cup, chopped
Tomatoes - ½ cup, chopped
Green chillies - 2 tsp, chopped
Coriander leaves - 2 tbsp, chopped
Red chillies - 3
Coriander seeds - 2 tsp
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Pepper corns - 1/2 tsp
Cardamoms - 3
Cloves - 4
Cinnamon - 2 pieces
Ghee or oil
Salt

Method:

Wash the chops and drain the water. Add curd and salt and marinate for 1 hr.
Add onion, tomato and green chillies.
red chilli Powder, coriander, cumin, pepper, cardamoms, cloves and cinnamon together and add to the chops.
Add ghee or oil and ½ cup of water .Pressure cook for 15 minutes.
Cool the cooker for 10 minutes and open the lid.
Place the cooker back on fire and cook stirring till all the liquid is absorbed and ghee or oil floats on top. Serve with roti or parathas

Fish Masala Fry

Ingredients
1 Medium Sized Pomphret
1 Tbsp Ginger Garlic Paste
Salt as per taste
Lemon juice 1 tsp
Kolhapuri tecchha {Readily available at any store}



Method
Clean Pompret, make fine lines on both the sides. Please don't make pieces. Mix all the given ingredients. Keep aside for 5 mins.

Heat oil in a pan & fry the Pompret in simmer gas till done.

If required garnish with Coriander leaves & tomatoes.

Fish Fry

Ingredients:
4-6 Mackerels/ Pompret (Cut & cleaned)
tamarind Paste
semolina (Suji Rava)
1/2 tsp Turmeric( Haldi)
2-3 tbs Red Chili powder (According to the spice preferred)
1tsp Coriander Powder ( Dhania powder)
salt
oil

Method:
First Cut and Clean the Fish.
Marinate the Fish with Tamarind Paste/ Juice and Salt and keep it aside for almost 1/2 an hour.
Now take separately Semolina (Rava), Red Chili powder, Turmeric,Coriander Powder, Mix all of them and keep it.
Before frying the fish coat the fish with the above mixture.
Take a Pan and spread little oil on it and place the Coated Fish on the pan and put little more oil on top of the fish and cover the pan with a lid over it.
After frying for 5-7 minutes on a medium flame , turn the fish on to the other side so that both the sides are cooked properly.
Follow the same procedure of putting little oil and covering it with a lid.

Bengali Fish Keema

Ingredients
Rahu fish 500 gm ( preferably stomach section of the fish)
Onion 150 gm
ginger garlic paste 1 table spoon
turmeric 1/2 teaspoon
tomato 1 medium sized
cumin seeds
bay leaves
garam masala
red chilli paste
green chilies 2-5

Method
Add salt and turmeric to the fish and keep aside for 10 min. Place the fishes in a microwave safe dish,sprinkle 2 table spoons of water and microwave on high for 7 mins.Allow it to stand for 5 mins in the oven.Remove the fish from the oven and then remove the bones from the fish( they easily come out because the stomach pieces don't have too many bones). Add the de-boned fish to a electric mixer and grind for 1 min with some green chilies.Remove the fish from the grinder and keep aside.
Heat oil in a pan and add the cumin seeds,bay leaves,once they crackle,add the chopped onion. Fry the onion til golden brown and then add the ginger garlic paste,red chili paste & cumin paste.Fry on low flame for 3 mins till the spices cook well. Then add the tomato pieces and turmeric powder. Then add the fish paste and simmer down the flame.sprinkle oil and salt as per taste around the pan and keep turning the mixture of fish and spices so that they mix and cook well.Cook on low flame for 15-20 min. Once the fish looks brown , add the garam masala powder and remove from flame. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve with steamed basmati rice.

Salmon Cutlets

Ingredients:

Salmon – 3 slices
Turmeric powder – ½ tsp
Salt – to taste
Potato -1 big
Onion - 1 medium. Finely chopped
Ginger – 1 tsp grated
Green chillies – 2 thinly sliced
Egg – 1
Fresh breadcrumbs – from 2 to 3 tsps
Oil


Preparation Method:

Cook the fish with salt and turmeric powder until it is done. Remove the bones and shred into small pieces. Keep aside.
Cook the potato in a pressure cooker, peel and mash it with a fork.
Heat one tbsp of oil in a frying pan. Saute onion until they are translucent. Add ginger and green chillies and cook for a couple of minutes. Add the shredded fish and stir well. Cook for another couple of minutes and turn off the flame. Let it cool.
Add the mashed potatoes to the fish mixture. Mix well and add salt if needed.
Make lemon size balls and shape into cutlets.
Prepare the wet dip by whisking one egg with salt.
Prepare the dry dip by processing the fresh bread in a food processor. You may also use store bought breadcrumbs, but the fresh breadcrumbs make the cutlets very crispy on the outside.
Heat oil in a frying pan. Dip the cutlets in egg and then in the breadcrumbs. Shallow fry until it is golden brown on both sides.
This is a less spicy version. If you want the cutlets spicier, increase the number of green chillies or add chili powder .Enjoy :-)

Fish Kofta Curry

Ingredients:
300 gms fish pieces, boneless
2-3 onions, chopped
4 green chilies, chopped
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 lemon
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp ginger-garlic paste
3-4 tomatoes
Few coriander leaves, chopped
Oil for frying



Directions
Grind the fish pieces in a blender until smooth. Keep aside.
Heat 2 tsp of oil in a pan and fry few chopped onions, chopped green chilies, chopped coriander leaves for a while.
Add these to the blended fish, salt, beaten egg, lemon juice and mix well. Make balls from this mixture, roll in the bread crumbs, and fry in hot oil until golden. Keep them aside.
Heat oil in another pan, fry the remaining chopped onions until brown. Also add ginger-garlic paste, coriander powder, cumin powder, chili powder, turmeric and fry for few more minutes.
Blend the tomatoes to a fine puree and add to the above mixture. Boil until it simmers, add salt and koftas. Simmer for 10 more minutes or until the koftas are tender. Serve hot with plain rice or naan

Fish Curry Kerala Style

Ingredients:

White Fleshy Fish : 500gm
Onions : 4 (chopped)
tomatoes : 3 big(chopped)
Ginger Garlic Paste : 4 tsp
Green Chillies : 4 (slit)
Tamarind : lemon sized tsp
Coconut : 1
Turmeric Powder : 2 tsp
Coriander Powder : 3 tbsp
Red Chili Powder : 2 tbsp
Garam Masala Powder : 2 tsp
Pepper Powder : 2 tsp
Mustard Seeds : 1 tsp
Lemon Juice : 2 tbsp
Salt : to taste
Coconut Oil : as required
Curry Leaves : 1 spring
Water : 1 cups



Method
Preparation:

Scale, clean, wash and cut fish into 1 ½' cubes. Grate coconut & extract the milk from half of it. Make a thick paste of 1tsp turmeric, 1 tbsp chili powder, 1 tbsp coriander powder, 1 tsp pepper powder, salt and lemon juice. Apply it to the fish pieces and keep it fridge for at least one hour. This can be done a day before.

Heat oil in a pan and fry marinated fish pieces on a medium flame and keep it reserved. Remove excess oil from the pan and mustard fry till it splutter. Add onions and fry till golden brown. Add the grated ginger and garlic and chillies. Add tomato and fry till dry. Add remaining chili powder, coriander powder, garam masala and ½ cup of water. Fry for 2-3 minutes.

Take half of the coconut extract and add it to the tomato mixture along with ½ cup of water. When it starts boiling reduce the flame, add salt and the fried fish pieces. Stir gently not to break the fish pieces.

Cook covered for 5 minutes in the lowest flame. Turn off the flame. Now add reaming thick coconut milk and stir gently. Garnish with curry leaves.

Kadai Chicken

Ingredients
Chicken pieces- 500 gm. (boneless will be good)
Oil - 3/4 cup
Jeera - 1/2 tsp
Bay leaves - 2
Dried red chilly- 2
Garam masala- 2 tsp
Onion - 2 medium size
Ginger Garlic paste - 1 big tbsp
chopped coriander/cilantro leaves - 1 tbsp.
Haldi powder- 1 tsp
Jeera powder- 1 tsp
Dhania powder- 1 tsp
Red Chilly powder- 1tsp
Garam masala powder - 1 tsp
Tandoori masala powder - 1 tsp (optional)
Salt - to taste
Water - 1 litre
ghee- 1 tbsp


Method
1. Wash the chicken thoroughly.
2. Heat oil in a non stick kadai, put jeera, bay leaves, and dried red chilly.
3. When the jeera begins to splutter, add garam masala, onion and saute for sometime over medium flame for 2 minutes.
4. Add ginger garlic paste, powdered masalas, chicken, salt and saute everything for 2 minutes.
5. Put the flame to minimum.
6. Put 1 tbsp ghee and cover the lid of the vessel.
7. Open the vessel after every 10 minutes, saute and cover again.
8. After 30 minutes, check if chicken is cooked.

9. Garnish with chopped coriander/cilantro leaves.
10. Add 1 tbsp ghee when chicken is cooked(optional)

Ellu Chicken

Ingredients:
1. 1 kg chicken
2. 2 tsp garlic, chopped
3. 2 tsp ginger, chopped
4. 6 green chillies
5. 1 tsp peppercorns
6. 1 tsp turmeric powder
7. 2 dsp lime juice
8. Salt to taste
9. 2 cups hot water
10. 2 eggs, beaten
11. 1 cup bread crumbs
12. 3 dsp white & black mixed sesame seeds
13. Oil to fry

For the gravy: 1. 1 tsp butter 2. 1 tsp rice flour

Method: 1. Wash and clean the chicken. Cut into ten pieces. 2. Grind into a paste ingredients 2 to 6. Add lime juice and mix the chicken pieces with the ground paste. 3. Add salt to taste and cook the chicken in hot water. When the chicken is cooked, there should be ½ cup stock left for the gravy. 4. Separate the chicken pieces from the gravy. 5. Dip the cooked pieces of chicken in beaten egg. 6. Coat well by rolling in bread crumbs mixed with sesame seeds. 7. Heat oil in a shallow pan, deep fry the chicken and serve hot with a bowl of gravy.

To make the gravy: 1. Melt the butter. Add the flour and brown. Add the stock and stir to make a gravy.

Note:Try using the same recipe for mutton chops.
Serves 10 persons

Source:Mrs. K.M.Mathew

Chicken Curry

Ingredients
1 Chicken (boneless and cubed).
2 big bunches of coriander leaves.
4 tbsp of ginger, garlic paste.
2 tbsp of green chillies paste.
salt.
2 tsp of garam masala powder.
Whole garam masala( 5 pods of cardamom, 5 pieces of cinnamon, 3 tsps of jeera,)
3 red dry chillies.
2 big onions( sliced and fried)
1 cup fresh yogurt.
2 tbsp oil.

Method
1. Boil chicken in 2 cups of water , salt,and 2 tbsp ginger,garlic paste till just soft.
2.Grind fried onions, with yogurt and coriander leaves.
3.Put oil in a pan add whole masala and red chillies, fry for 20 sec.
4.Add yogurt paste, remaining ginger, garlic and green chillies paste. Fry for 15 mins on medium heat.
5.Add boiled chicken ( not the stock) cook again for 10 mins on med heat, till oil separates.
6.Add stock ,salt and garam masala powder, slow the heat and cook for 10 mins.
7.Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with naan or jeera rice.

Easy Chicken Biryani

Ingredients:
basmathi rice - 2 cups
chicken -1/2 kg
water - 4 cups
onion - 1 large
tomato - 1 large (or 2 small)
green chillies - 8 (or according to taste)
garam masala - 1/2 teaspoon (optional - can be used is u desire spicy dishes)
turmeric powder- 1/4 teaspoon
mint leaves - few
ginger - 3 inch piece
garlic - 15 flakes
bay leaf - 1 leaf
cloves - 3
cardamom - 3
oil - little
salt - as desired
coriander's leaves - for garnishing

Preparation Method:

Make a paste of the ginger & garlic.
Cut onions & tomatoes.
Wash the basmathi rice & let it soak in water for 30 mins.
Clean & cut chicken into pieces suited for biriyani.
Place the pressure cooker on the stove, add oil. When oil is hot, add the spices to it.
Add the cut onion & fry till transparent.
Now add whole green chillies (without cutting or slitting them).
Add the ginger garlic paste (prepares in step 1) and fry till oil separates.
Add the tomatoes, mint leaves, garam masala and turmeric powder & fry for a while.
Add chicken & fry for 3 mins.
Now add the basmathi rice, water & salt.
When the mixtures starts to boil, close the cooker, put the weight & reduce the flame to medium.
Leave the cooker on the flame for 10 to 12 mins & switch off the stove (no need for any whistles)
Garnish with coriander leaves & yummy biriyani is ready.

Chicken Biryani

Ingredients:
chicken - 1.5 kgs (cut into big pieces),basmati rice - 2.5 cups,onion - 5 (medium),pudhina - 1 bunch,coriander leaves - 1 bunch,cloves - 6 to 7,cinnamon - 1,biriyani leaves - 3 0r 4,ginger - 1 " piece ,garlic - 20 cloves,ghee - 3 tbs,oil - 3 tbs,red chillies - 13(according to your taste), green chillies - 3,coconut milk - 1 cup,salt to taste


Method:
Fry some onion ,chillies and garlic in ghee for 4 mins in medium heat till done.
Allow it to cool. Meanwhile Fry Basmati rice in ghee for 1 mins.
Keep it aside. Grind the fried onion and chillies to a paste.
Make ginger - garlic paste.
Keep the pan on the stove and pour the remaining ghee and oil and after it gets heated put the cloves,cinnamon ,biriyani leaves and fry it.
Put the remaining onion and fry it again.
Now add the chicken pieces and fry for 4 mins.
Add pudhina and corinader leaves into it.
After 4 mins, add the grinded onion paste into it and coconut milk should be added now.
Allow it to fry for another 5 mins. Now add boiled water (measured almost double the amount of the rice ).
Allow it to boil for few mins add turmeric powder and salt to it.
Now add rice into it. Close the lid keep it in medium flame. Cook till rice id done.Serve it hot with Raita or Spicy Kurma.

Hyderabad Chicken Biryani

Ingredients:
chicken - 500 gms ,basmati rice - 800 gms, curd - 1/2 cup, shahzeera - 1 tsp,coriander & mint leaves - 1 bunch,green chillies - 5,salt to taste,chilli powder - 1 tsp,turmeric powder - 1 tsp,ginger garlic paste - 1/2 cup,whole garam masala,garam masala powder - 1 tsp,onions - 2 (bigger ones),saffron (optional) - few strands,milk - 1/4 cup,oil - 100 ml


Method:
Soak the rice in water and keep it aside.
Wash the chicken thoroughly.
Add salt, chilli powder, garam masala powder, ginger garlic paste, turmeric powder and curds.
Make a paste of coriander leaves, mint leaves and green chillies and add it to the marinade.
Heat oil in a kadhai and add finely sliced onions and fry till golden brown and crispy. Add the onions with the oil to the chicken mixture and let it marinade for 1 hour.
In a vessel, take the soaked rice and add a pinch of turmeric, whole garam masala and required amount of water to cook.
Let it cook till the rice is half done and then strain the water and remove the rice.
In the same vessel, add a layer of marinated chicken and then on top of it add a layer of rice. Then add the remaining chicken and the remaining rice on the top.
Mix saffron in milk for a minute and pour it over the rice. Cover it with a lid and let it cook for 20 minutes till steam comes out.
Garnish with boiled egg and serve hot with Raita and Mirchi ka salan.

Different Cuisines in India

North Indian cuisine


North Indian cuisine is distinguished by the proportionally high use of dairy products; milk, paneer, ghee (clarified butter), and yoghurt (yogurt, yoghourt) are all common ingredients. Gravies are typically dairy-based. Other common ingredients include chilies, saffron, and nuts.

North Indian cooking features the use of the "tawa" (griddle) for baking flat breads like roti and paratha, and "tandoor"(a large and cylindrical coal-fired oven) for baking breads such as naan, kulcha and khakhra; main courses like tandoori chicken also cook in the tandoor. Other breads like puri and bahtoora, which are deep fried in oil, are also common. Goat and lamb meats are favored ingredients of many northern Indian recipes.

The samosa is a popular North Indian snack, and now commonly found in other parts of India, Central Asia and the Middle East. A common variety is filled with boiled, fried, or mashed potato. Other fillings include minced meat, cheese (paneer), mushroom (khumbi) and chickpeas.

The staple food of most of North India is a variety of lentils, vegetables, and roti (wheat based bread). The varieties used and the method of preparation can vary from place to place. Popular dishes include buknu, gujiya, chaat, daal ki kachauri, jalebi, imarti, several types of pickles (or achar), murabba, sharbat, pana and aam papad. Popular sweets include mithai, such as gulab jamun, peda, khurchan, petha, rewdi, gajak, milk cake, balushahi, bal mithai, singori, kulfi, falooda, khaja, ras malai, gulqand, and several varieties of laddu, barfi and halwa.

Some common North Indian foods such as the various kebabs and most of the meat dishes originated with Muslims advent into the country. Pakistan was part of North India prior to the partition of India. As a result, Pakistani cuisine is very similar to northern Indian cuisine.

Eastern
East Indian cuisines employ thickening agents such as cashew or poppy seed paste. Milk-based sweets are also very popular fare, being a particular specialty in Bengal and Orissa. Bangladeshi cuisine is very similar to East Indian cuisine. Fish and seafood are very popular in the coastal states of Orissa and West Bengal. Many of the sweet dishes now popular in Northern India initially originated in the Bengal region.

Southern
Main article: South Indian cuisine

The South Indian staple breakfast item of Idly, Sambhar and Vada served on a banana leaf.South Indian cuisine is distinguished by a greater emphasis on rice as the staple grain, the liberal use of coconut and particularly coconut oil and curry leaves, and the ubiquity of sambar and rasam (also called saaru'/'chaaru) at meals.

South Indian cooking is more vegetarian-friendly than north Indian cooking. The practice of naivedya, or ritual offerings, to Krishna at the Krishna Mutt temple in Udupi, Karnataka, has led to the Udupi style of vegetarian cooking. The variety of dishes which must be offered to Krishna forced the cooks of the temple to innovate. Traditional cooking in Udupi Ashtamatha is characterized by the use of local seasonal ingredients. Garam masala is generally avoided.

The dosa, idli, vada, bonda, and bajji are typical South Indian snacks. Andhra, Chettinad, Hyderabadi cuisine, Mangalorean, and Kerala cuisines each have distinct tastes and methods of cooking. In fact each of the South Indian states has a different way of preparing sambar; a connoisseur of South Indian food will very easily tell the difference between sambar from Kerala and sambar from Tamilnadu and 'pappu pulusu' in Andhra cuisine.


Western
Saraswat cuisine forms an important part of coastal Konkani Indian cuisine. Poha is an important food item made from rice that originates in Western India.

Souce:Wikipedia

Common Ingredients in Indian Food

The staples of Indian cuisine are rice, atta (whole wheat flour), and a variety of pulses, the most important of which are chana (bengal gram), toor (pigeon pea or yellow gram), urad (black gram) and mung (green gram). Pulses may be used whole, dehusked, eg dhuli moong or dhuli urad, or split. Pulses are used extensively in the form of dal (split). Some of the pulses like chana and "Mung" are also processed into flour (besan).

Most Indian curries are fried in vegetable oil. In North and West India, groundnut oil is traditionally been most popular for frying, while in Eastern India, Mustard oil is more commonly used. In South India, coconut oil and Gingelly Oil is common. In recent decades, sunflower oil and soybean oil have gained popularity all over India. Hydrogenated vegetable oil, known as Vanaspati ghee, is also a popular cooking medium that replaces Desi ghee (clarified butter).

The most important/frequently used spices in Indian cuisine are chilli pepper, black mustard seed (rai), cumin (jeera), turmeric, fenugreek, asafoetida (hing), ginger, and garlic. Popular spice mixes are garam masala which is usually a powder of five or more dried spices, commonly comprised of cardamom, cinnamon and clove; and Goda Masala, a popular spice mix in Maharashtra. Some leaves are commonly used like tejpat (malabathrum), bay leaf, coriander leaf, fenugreek leaf and mint leaf. The common use of curry leaves is typical of South Indian cuisine. In sweet dishes, cardamom, cinnamon, nutmeg, saffron, and rose petal essence are used.

The term "curry" is usually understood to mean "gravy" in India, rather than "spices."

Courtesy:wikipedia

History and Influences on Indian Food

Food is integral to any culture and, as a land that has experienced extensive immigration and intermingling through many millennia, the subcontinent has benefited from numerous food influences. The diverse climate in the region, ranging from deep tropical to alpine, has also helped considerably broaden the set of ingredients readily available to the many schools of cookery in India. In many cases, food has become a marker of religious and social identity, with varying taboos and preferences (for instance, a segment of the Jain population eats no roots or subterranean vegetable; see Jain vegetarianism) which has also driven these groups to innovate extensively with the food sources that are deemed acceptable.

One strong influence over Indian foods is the longstanding vegetarianism within sections of India's Hindu and Jain communities. At 31%, slightly less than a third of Indians are vegetarians.[1].

Around 7000 BCE, sesame, eggplant, and humped cattle had been domesticated in the Indus Valley.[2] By 3000 BCE, turmeric, cardamom, black pepper and mustard were harvested in India[3]. Many recipes first emerged during the initial Vedic period, when India was still heavily forested and agriculture was complemented with game hunting and forest produce. In Vedic times, a normal diet consisted of fruit, vegetables, meat, grain, dairy products and honey.[citation needed] Over time, some segments of the Brahmin caste embraced vegetarianism,[citation needed] facilitated by a cooperative climate where a variety of fruits, vegetables, and grains can easily be grown throughout the year. A food classification system that categorized any item as saatvic, raajsic or taamsic developed in Ayurveda. Each was deemed to have a powerful effect upon the body and the mind.[1]

Later, Muslims from Central Asia, Arabia, the Mughal empire, and Persia, and others had a deep and fundamental effect on Indian cooking. Influence from traders such as the Arabs and Chinese, and invaders such as the Mongols, Turks, British and Portuguese diversified subcontinental tastes and meals. As with other cuisines, Indian cuisine has absorbed the new-world vegetables such as Tomato, chilli, and potato, as staples. These are actually relatively recent additions.

Islamic rule introduced rich gravies, pilafs and non-vegetarian fare such as kebabs, resulting in Mughlai cuisine (Mughal in origin), as well as such fruits as apricots, melons, peaches, and plums. The Mughals were great patrons of cooking. Lavish dishes were prepared during the reigns of Jahangir and Shah Jahan. The Nizams of Hyderabad state meanwhile developed and perfected their own style of cooking with the most notable dish being the Biryani, often considered by many connoisseurs to be the finest of the main dishes in India. During this period the Portuguese introduced foods from the New World such as potatoes, tomatoes, squash, and chilies.

Source:wikipedia

About Indian Food

Food, glorious food...The way to a man's heart is through his stomach...An army marches on its stomach....and so many other cliches that all centre around one of life's necessities - eating. Without exception we aim to ensnure you into a truly unique, unforgettable cuisine experience. We combine the ancient with the modern and take you down the path to losing yourself in the exotic flavours of INDIA.

Most Indian cuisines are related by similiar usage of spices. Often, Indian cooking is distinguished by the use of a larger variety of vegetables than many other well-known cuisines. Within these recognisable similarities, there is an enormous variety of local styles.


The multiple families of Indian cuisine are characterized by their relatively extensive use of spices and herbs. Indian cuisines vary, reflecting the varied demographics of the ethnically diverse subcontinent. They are also characterized by a wide assortment of dishes and cooking techniques.

Indian Cuisine
India Food, Recipes, Spicy Food, Indian Curry, ...

Most Indian cuisines are related by similiar usage of spices. Often, Indian cooking is distinguished by the use of a larger variety of vegetables than many other well-known cuisines. Within these recognisable similarities, there is an enormous variety of local styles.