Tamarind

01/08/2015

Come njoy mouthwatering delicacies from Tamarind at Dawaat-e-Biryani at Saltlake

26/05/2015

The Southern State of Mind - Varieties of South Indian Biryani

Hyderabadi biryani

Hyderabadi biryani is prepared with short-grained khyma rice and long-grained basmati rice.
This variety of was biryani developed under the rule of Asaf Jah I, who had been appointed as the Governor of Deccan by the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb.
It is made with basmati rice, spices and goat. Popular variations use chicken instead of goat.
There are various forms of Hyderabadi Biryani.
One such Biryani is the kachay gosht ki biryani or the dum biryani, where the mutton is marinated and cooked along with the rice.
It is left on slow fire or dum for a fragrant and aromatic flavour.

Hyderabadi Biryani is of two types: the Kachchi (raw) Biryani, and the Pakki (cooked) Biryani.
The meat is sandwiched between layers of fragrant long-grained basmati rice, and cooked on dum (steaming over coals), after sealing the handi (vessel) with dough.
This is a challenging process as it requires meticulous attention to time and temperature to avoid over- or under-cooking the meat.

In a Pakki biryani, the meat is marinated for a shorter time, and cooked before being layered with the rice and cooked in a dough-sealed vessel. In Pakki biryani (with cooked gravy), the ingredients are cooked before baking.

The gravy is redolent of mace, ittar and kewra. Saffron and cardamom are also used.

There is also a vegetarian version of Hyderabadi biryani, which is made using vegetables such as carrots, peas, cauliflower and potato and cashew.

Image: Hyderabadi Biryani

17/05/2015

The Southern State of Mind - South Indian Chutneys

Chutney (also transliterated chatney or chatni) is a family of condiments made from a highly variable mixture of spices, vegetables, or fruit.

As with other condiments such as relish or mustard, chutneys are based on a wide range of recipes and preparation methods and they vary widely by geography, they can range from a wet to dry—or coarse to fine—and they can be combined with a wide variety of foods or used for dipping.

The word "chutney" derives from the Sanskrit word caṭnī, meaning to lick.

The South Indian cuisine has a rich blend of different kinds of chutney and most of their food is accompanied with an assortment of various kinds of chutney.

Different regions in South India exhibit their signature ingredients and taste in the preparation of the chutneys. The staple ingredients of the respective regions are:

Andhra Pradesh - coconut, coriander, red chilli with grams (chana), tomato, onion, peanut, lemon, curry leaf, tamarind, green chilli, ginger, mint, mango chutneys.

Tamil Nadu - coconut, Coriander, Curry leaf, Red chilli, Green chilli, Garlic, Peanut, Tamarind, Tomato, Onion, Ginger, Radish, Mint, Mango, lentil chutneys.

Kerala - coconut, mint, urad dal, mango, dry fish, shrimp, onion chutney.

Karnataka - coconut, chilli, peanut, tomato, tamarind, mango, urad dal (a kind of legume), pudina (mint), heeray kayi (ridge gourd),badane kayi (eggplant), uchellu (Niger seed), bende kaayi (okra or ladyfinger), agashi (flax seed), ginger chutneys.

05/05/2015

THE SOUTHERN STATE OF MIND - The Cuisine of Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu is famous for its deep belief that serving food to others is a service to humanity, as it is common in many regions of India. Mostly all South Indian foods were originated from Tamil Nadu. The region has a rich cuisine involving both traditional non-vegetarian and vegetarian dishes.
It is characterized by the use of rice, legumes and lentils. Its distinct aroma and flavour is achieved by the blending of flavourings and spices including curry leaves, mustard seeds, coriander, ginger, garlic, chili, pepper, cinnamon, cloves, green cardamom, cumin, nutmeg, coconut and rosewater.

Rice and legumes play an significant role in Tamil cuisine. Lentils are also consumed extensively, either accompanying rice preparations, or in the form of independent dishes. Vegetables and dairy products are essential accompaniments, and tamarind rather than amchoor is the favoured souring agent.

The traditional way of eating a meal involves being seated on the floor, having the food served on a banana leaf, and using clean fingers of the right hand to eat the food. After the meal, the banana leaf becomes food for cows.

25/04/2015

The Southern State of Mind - The Cuisine of KERALA

Kerala cuisine is very diverse, a diversity is best classified on the basis of the various communities. The Syrian Christian dishes and Malabari Muslim dishes are famous.

Since Kerala's main export is coconuts, almost all of the dishes, irrespective of the variety in the cuisines of the different communities, have coconuts associated with them, either in the form of shavings or oil extracted from the nut. Seafood is also very popular in the coastal regions and eaten almost every day.

Vegetarian dishes comprises of olan, paalpradaman, nendarangai chips and aviyal.

Non-vegeterian dishes include shrimp coconut curry, fish curry (various versions depending on the region), fish fry, chicken fry with shredded coconuts, fish pickle, podimeen fry, meen thoran (fish with coconut) and karimeen.

Image - Kerala Fish Curry
Courtesy - mariasmenu.com

12/04/2015

10/04/2015

The Southern State of Mind - RAVA DOSA

The Rava dosa (in Tamil) or Ravvattu (in Telugu) or Rave Dose (in Kannada) is an Indian crepe of South India.

It is a crispier derivative of Dosa.

The Rava dosa is made with a batter of semolina, rice flour and water along with cumin seeds, salt, asafoetida, diced onions, diced carrot, curry leaves, cashew nuts, black pepper, chopped cilantro and green chillies.

The mixed ingredients are then poured thinly, to ensure crispiness, onto a heated, lightly oiled pan using a ladle in a circular motion. Then, oil or ghee is sprinkled around the dosa and it is cooked for about two minutes, after which it is ready to be served with a variety of chutnies or sambar.

This dosa does not require any fermentation of the batter.

Pic Courtesy: eknazar.com

05/04/2015

The Southern State of Mind - SAMBAR

Sambar is a lentil based vegetable stew based on a broth made with tamarind popular in South Indian and Sri Lankan and Tamil cuisines adapted in each to its taste and environment.

A myth states that it originated in the kitchen of Thanjavur Marathas ruler Shahuji during the 19th century from the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu.Shahji made a dish called amti and experimented with pigeon peas instead of moong bean, and tamarind pulp for kokum and the court named it sambhar after the visiting guest of the day, Sambhaji, the second Emperor of the Maratha Empire.

Sambar is prepared with one of these vegetables or a combination of them - okra, moringa, carrot, radish, pumpkin, daikon, potatoes, tomatoes, brinjal and whole or halved shallots or onions.

Sambar powder is a coarse powder made of roasted lentils, dried whole red chilies, fenugreek seeds, coriander seeds, asafoetida, curry leaves with regional variations including cumin, black pepper, grated coconut, cinnamon, or other spices.

Sambar is usually served with steamed rice and is one of the main courses of both formal and everyday south Indian cuisine.

29/03/2015

The Southern State of Mind - APPAM

Appam is a type of pancake made with fermented rice batter and coconut milk. It is a common food in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu and Kerala.

Appams are soft and spongy in the center and has a lacy and crispy edge.

It is considered as a traditional breakfast and a staple diet and a cultural synonym of the Nasranis, who are also known as Saint Thomas Christians or Syrian Christians of Kerala.

It is called Appam in Malayalam and Tamil, Appa in Sinhala, Chitau Pitha in Oriya and Paddu or Gulle Eriyappa in Kodava.
Chicken and Mutton, cooked in the Southern style, makes for a good side dish with Appam.

24/03/2015

The Southern State of Mind - UPMA

Upma or Uppuma or Uppittu is a common South Indian and Sri Lankan Tamil breakfast dish, cooked as a thick porridge from dry roasted semolina or coarse rice flour. Various seasonings and/or vegetables are often added during the cooking.
In many Dravidian languages, the word 'Uppu' means Salt and the word 'Mavu' or 'Hittu' means flour. Hence the name Uppumavu or Uppittu. In North India, it is called Upma, short-form for Uppumavu.

A huge number of variations of Upma are made with whole or refined ground wheat and rice of varied grain size, vermicelli, Durum wheat semolina or pearl sago. A wide range of vegetables may be added, and may be garnished with a variety of beans (raw or sprouted), cashew and peanuts. For a variation called masala upma (known as 'Kharabath' in Karnataka), sambar masala or garam masala is added along with red chilli powder, instead of green chillies.

The Rice Upma, which is mainly popular in Tamil Nadu and southern parts of Karnataka is referred to as Akki Tari Uppittu (Rice coarse flour uppittu).

Another variant of upma is prepared with grated coconuts instead of onions, especially on holy days, when onion is avoided. This type of upma is generally smeared with ghee at the end of preparation.

Dishes similar to upma can be made by substituting small crumbs of leftover bread or Idli instead of flour. Upma made from coarser rava known as Sajjige is a dish of Udupi cuisine.
It is sometimes served along with snacks such as sauted and spiced poha or Chevda.

Photo courtesy: totalveg.com