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Indian cooking is more about flavoring. Seasoning and tempering is an essential need in all parts of India. India is known for its versatile variety in cooking and owing to urban residency there is an easy transition of adopting cooking trends. Meals are generally of gourmet nature in any part of India. Generally the culinary trends are related to the local produce. The condiments and spices are internally imported in case the local area does not have the produce.
There are various ways of using the spices. For e.g. in the rice variety like kichdi, pulav or biryani it is a traditional to use whole spices in the pure form. This adds to the flavor and the aroma is felt as the food is being cooked. The advantage of using spice is flavoring and moreover it aids to build the appetite. Desserts are also aided with spices like cinnamon or cardamom that lend a distinct flavor and beneficial for digestion.
Any Indian home has a traditional stocking of the choicest spices and in many kitchens we find masalas or mixtures that are typically related to the type of cooking. It is a common trend to use the garam masala in North Indian style and this is a huge list of spices gently ground to a fine mixture. A pinch of the same is enough to whet the appetite. South Indian sambar is also a variety of spice and asafetida is a normal inclusion.
Herbal remedies are also utilized with standardized spices. It is common to treat the stomach flatulence with a concoction of jeera in boiling water. It is also believed that a mixture of asafetida applied on the stomach relives gas problems. Spices also have the property to fight bacteria and hence the same is used in storing pickles. Apart from the flavor spices also help in preserving the food for a long time.
Roots like Ginger, Garlic and Turmeric are very high in their medicinal properties. Ginger is very good for alleviating sinus troubles and garlic is a good for balancing cholesterol in the body. Turmeric is purely and antiseptic and also known to loosen phlegm in the body during common cold. Clove with its distinct flavoring is an essential part of Indian cooking. The tangy taste of kokum in Indian cooking is very common in India.
Check out new and interesting Indian recipes and discover India blog
Use our colorful cotton tablecloths to set the mood you want to create, regardless of the occasion. So whether you are looking for colorful picnic table cloths, or something cheery for your country kitchen or even a decorative atmopheric setting for an elegant formal dinner party; this luxury cotton tablecloth is sure to add vibrant color and drama to the banquetExcept Om Pudi (which is a South India variety of Bhujia Sev), 2 of the other recipes are easier to make. Try them out and let me know how they turned out.
Three Snack Recipes are featured here:
1. How to make Om Pudi 2. Masala Papad 3. A different snack in Pepper Chips
Ingredients:
Besan flour or channa dhal powder- 3 cupsRaw Rice flour- 1 cupPowdered Ajwain- 2 teaspoonsRed chilli powder- 2 teaspoonsWhite butter- 2 teaspoonsSalt- as requiredAsafetida- ¼ teaspoonOil- for deep fryingMethod:
Sieve Besan and rice flour through a fine siever separately.Add all the ingredients and make thick dough by adding sufficient water.Make portions of the dough; put each portion (one at a time) inside an Om Pudi Container.Press (using Murukku maker) it straight into the hot oil in a rotary motion.When crisp, turn the other side over and deep fry till golden and crisp on both the sides.Remove from oil with a perforated spoon and keep over a Colander.Store in an air tight container.Ingredients:
Maida – 1 cupPepper Powder – 2 teaspoonsWhite butter- 2 teaspoonsOil, salt- to tasteMethod:
Mix Maida, pepper powder, butter, salt and knead like chapathi dough.Roll it like a chapathi and cut into diamond shapes and deep fry it in oil.Now the tasty, mouth watering Pepper fries are ready to serve!
Ingredients:
Maida- ½ cupGinger Paste- 1 teaspoonMasala powder- ¼ teaspoonsPepper Powder- 1 teaspoonsWhite butter- 2 tablespoonsChilly powder- ¼ teaspoonsAsafetida- a pinchOil, Salt- to tasteMethod:
Mix Maida, ginger paste, pepper powder, masala powder, butter, chilly powder, asafetida thoroughly with oil and water and knead it like chapatti dough.Roll it like a small chapathi and deep fry in the oil.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If you want to know how to make delicious Deepavali sweets and Halvas, check them out here:
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Soya is one of the richest sources of protein, yet it finds only a small place in Indian cooking. I’m not sure why ; maybe there are fewer Indian recipes that you can make out of Soya. Soya – based dishes can not only be tasty but healthy too! Replace Paneer with Soya chunks or granules (available in most grocery stores) and you can make delicious evening snacks or tantalizing curries for your Rotis.
There are three Soya recipes – Indian style featured here:
1. How to make ‘Indian – Chinese’ Soya Manchurian (an alternative to Gobi Manchurian)
2. Soya Dosa – A healthy dish of this South Indian bread variety
3. Soya in Kofta Curry – Perfect for a weekend menu
Recipes follow below:
Who says you can only taste Gobi Manchurian in restaurants? Well, now there is a healthier alternative to this Indo-Chinese recipe.
Ingredients
Soya Chunks- 1 small cupMaida- ½ tbspCorn Flour- ½ tablespoonPepper Powder- For tasteAji-no-moto- 1 pinchFinely Chopped Garlic- 10 podsGreen chillies- 5Soya Sauce- 1 teaspoonCapsicum- 1Salt- to tasteOil- For fryingFinely chopped spring onions- littleHow to make / Method:
Soak the Soya chunks in hot-water for 10 minutes.Then squeeze them to remove the excess water from it and keep aside.Mix Maida, corn-flour, salt, Pepper powder well in a bowl.Mix water if required to get a batter form (preferably a pakoda batter), add the squeezed Soya chunks into it and deep fry it in oil and keep those fried soya aside.Heat little oil in another kadai or pan.Add chopped garlic, green chillies, Chopped capsicum, and sauté for a while.Add Soya sauce, Aji-no-moto, and little water and cook for a while.Then add those fried Soya ones into it and sauté it for sometime.Sprinkle chopped spring onions and serve.
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With simple ingredients and a simpler recipe, you could turn any dull cooking day with this recipe for Soya Kofta Curry.
Ingredients
Soya Granules- 1 ¼ cupBoiled Mashed Potatoes- 2Tomato Puree- 2 tablespoonOnion Paste- 1 tablespoonPepper Powder- 1 teaspoonGinger-Garlic Paste- 1 teaspoonCoriander Powder- 1 teaspoonSaunf Fennel Seeds) – ½ teaspoonGaram Masala Powder- 1 teaspoonTurmeric Powder- 1 pinchSalt- To tasteOil- 1 tbspCoriander- For garnishingHow to make / Method
Mix mashed potatoes, Soya granules, salt, and pepper powder in a bowlIf the mixture is watery, mix a little corn/rice flour and then make smalls out of it and deep fry it in oilKeep this aside.Heat oil in a pan and add saunf, ginger-garlic paste, onion Paste, tomato puree, and fry for a while.Then add Pepper Powder, coriander powder, garam masala powder, turmeric powder, salt and cook for a while.Then add fried Soya koftas or balls into it and stir for sometime.Add fresh cream and cashew paste to add more flavor (optional)Garnish with coriander leaves and serve with chapathi, Rotis, Pulkas, Kulchas or Nan. You could even enjoy this with plain rice~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ingredients
Soya Chunks – 30Toor dhal (Pigeon Peas) – ½ cupBengal Gram dhal – ½ cupRice – ½ cupFinely chopped fenugreek leaves – 1 cupChopped onions- 1 cupCoconut Milk – 1 cupRed Chillies – 10Ginger – 1 small piece – chopped finelySaunf (fennel seeds) – 1 teaspoonCumin Seeds – 1 teaspoonSalt and Oil – to tasteHow to make / method
Soak the rice and the dhals in water for about 2 hours.Remove this soaked mixture and add red chillies, salt, ginger, saunf, cumin seeds, and grind it coarsely.Put the Soya chunks in hot water. Squeeze them and add it to the coarsely grinded mixture.To this batter, add chopped onions, fenugreek leaves, and coconut milk and mix well.Then heat a dosa tava, Pour the batter like a dosa but little thick in size.Serve with tangy chutney~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Send us your own Indian soya recipes (and other recipes too) and it will be published on the main Indian food recipes website or this blog. Use this form to email me the recipes.
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Useful Links to other websites:
From Indian Food Kitchen:
Delicious Curry Recipes
Indian Snacks recipes
Dosa Recipes
More Snacks and Tiffin varieties – from this blog
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Soy Recipes by SoyConnection.com
Soya health benefits and recipes by Soya.be
Soya Milk Recipes by SoyMilkMaker.com
photo credit: RavenCore17
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