INDIAN COOKING

Mutton Rogan Josh is prepared with lamb or mutton fried lightly and then stewed slowly in gravy flavored with garlic, ginger, and aromatic spices. Ingredients: Mutton/Lamb pieces    500 gms Lime Juice   10 ml Garam Masala Powder  10 gms Ghee    100 gms Bay Leaves  2 nos Black Cardamom  crushed two pods Cinnamon   about 3" stick Green Cardamom crushed four pods Asafetida   3 gms Curd       150 gms Kashmiri Chili Powder     60 gms Green Cardamom Powder  4-5 gms Black Cardamom Powder  2 gms Saunf powder   20 gms Dry ginger powder  20 gms Black Pepper Powder   5 gms Recipe: Add mutton, salt, and lime juice in a bowl.  Mix well. Let it stand for two hours. Take curds in another bowl, whisk it to smooth paste, and add to it Kashmiri Chilli Powder, Add the cardamom powder, saunf powder,  dry ginger powder, and black pepper powder, and mix well. Heat ...

  Kashmiris are heavy meat eaters, and that holds, even today. Timur's invasion of Kashmir influenced its cooking. Many skilled workers from Samarkhand migrated to the Valley of Kashmir. The original Kashmiri cuisine was that of the Kashmiri Buddhists and Pandits. The influence of Central Asia, Persia, and the North Indian Plains are also apparent in Kashmiri Cuisine. The life of the Kashmiris encompasses entertainment and music, which has made an impact on their cuisine. Mother Nature has been very kind to the Kashmir Valley, which made their food delicious and enjoyable. Kashmiri cuisine is meat-based. The variety of Kashmiri dishes is cooked on low flame and uses many exotic spices. Their formal banquet, called "wazawan," is a multi-course meal cooked all night by the chefs called "wazas ."Moreover, their master chef is called "Vasta Waza."  Yogurt, spices, and dried fruits are abundantly available in the Valley. They are the frequently used ingred...

  This dish is prepared and consumed in the winter season. The sour taste of mutton pieces cooked with aromatic spices is a perfect winter food for the Dogris. It combines well with the local Bread Gheur. Ingredients: Mutton      1 kg Onions     250 gms Turmeric Powder  5 gms Garlic Pods     10 nos Tomatoes       200 gms Chopped Ginger     25 gms Whole spices: Cloves 2, Cardamom 1, Javitri ½, Cinnamom ½", Bay leaf 1, Star Anise 1. Whole Jeera  2 gms Kasuri Methi   5 gms Red Chilly Powder 7-10 gms Dhania Powder     40 gms Jeera Powder       5 gms Pomegranate Powder  5 gms Garam Masala Powder 5 gms Walnut Oil 20 gms Salt to taste Recipe: Bring 1-liter water to boil Add Mutton Add sliced onions Add turmeric powder Add garlic pods Add a little salt Continue boiling till the mutton is 80% cooked. Strain and keep the broth aside for use later. In a s...

  Madra is a curry made using yogurt legumes and spices, giving the dish a unique flavor. Rajma Madra gets its name as Rajma and yogurt are the main ingredients. It combines well with rice. Ingredients: 1.  Rajma     100 gms 2. Fresh Curds/yogurt 200 gms 3. Pure Ghee 40 gms 4. Cloves 3 5. Cinnamom  about 1." 6. Green Cardamom  2 7. Black Cardamom 1 8. Cumin Seeds  1.5 gms 9.  Asofoetida  1 pinch 10. Fennel Seed Powder  1.5 gms 11. Fenugreek Powder  1.5 gms 12. Turmeric Powder in a pinch 13. Rice flour five gms 14. Red Chilly Powder 2.5 gms 15. Garam Masala Powder  1.5 gms 16. Salt to taste Procedure Wash and soak the Rajma overnight. Pressure cook the Rajma such that it is nice and soft but does not break. Strain and keep the water aside for diluting the gravy. Beat the curd nicely to a smooth paste and the rice flour to it and mix well. In a thick wok/kadhai, add the ghee and meet it. To the ghee, add the whole spices ex...

    This Dogri curd-based dish is a popular side dish in the Jammu region. Auria is always served cold at room temperature. It is easy to prepare. The fermented curd is the main ingredient for the preparation of Auria. It is preferred to ferment the curd overnight. However, if time is a constraint, it can also be allowed to ferment by keeping the curd in the sun. Ingredients: Mustard Seeds      5 gms Curd/Yoghurt     250 gms Potatoes            150 gms Turmeric Powder     5 gms Red Chilly Powder   5 gms Mustard oil           20 gms Salt to taste Recipe: 1. Coarsely grind five gms of mustard seeds in a mortar pestle or a mixie. 2. Add the coarsely ground mustard to the curd and mix it well. Allow it to ferment either in the sun or overnight. 3. Take a suitable pan....

  Jammu Cooking is popularly known as Dogra Cooking. Dogra Cooking has influenced Himachal as well as Punjabi cooking. The natives of the Jammu region are predominantly vegetarian. Their staple diet is Rajma and Jammu Rice. As milk, fruits and vegetables are available in plenty in the region; they are the main ingredients. On special occasions, their most popular dish is Madera which is pulses cooked with curd and dry fruits. Madera is available in two varieties: Salty and sweet. Butter and ghee are used liberally in this region. Hence, their famous bread, kyur or gehur, is rich in fat. Charolian and Chilla are special Dogra preparations, consumed mainly during the monsoons. Winter special bread called Toda is the right combination with Sarson da Saag.    A dried mushroom variety locally called Guchiyyas, which grows in the forests, makes a lovely dish along with pahadi aloo (mountain potato). Other popular dishes are Gandlen da saag,  Ambal, Auria, and ...

  Indian Cooking, which dates back nearly 5000 years, had evolved considerably when in the early days, the influence was mainly from Hindu Scriptures to the influence of Mughal Cooking when they invaded India and ruled over it for many, many years. Then came the European influence due to colonization, when many Europeans like the French, Portuguese and British ruled over India, amongst others. The shrinking of the world due to globalization has led to international influence on Indian Cooking. So, today Indian cooking is an amalgamation of various influences. However, the predominant influences remain Vedic and Mughal. It would be fair to state that Indian Culture has influenced its food. India, before independence,  was a cluster of kingdoms. The various palaces had their kitchens,  with chefs preparing dishes to suit the taste of their rulers and continuously trying to create new dishes and improving upon the existing ones. The local homes, too, developed the...

India is a land of diversity, both cultural and religious. Indian Cooking embraces India's diversity and is perhaps more diverse than India's. Diversity is not only confined to the number of dishes but also to a wide variety of ingredients that people use in Indian Cooking. With so many ingredients, people tend to think that Indian Cooking must be pretty complicated. However,  it is uncomplicated once one gets the hang of it. From Kashmir to Kanyakumari, one will discover another variant of the same dish with its distinctive taste and flavor. There is little doubt that any cuisine in the world can boast so much variety in its Cuisine but also extensive variations. With the growing strength of the Indian Diaspora worldwide over the years, Indian Cuisine has entered many homes worldwide. Its popularity and acceptability are spiraling. In India, Cooking is a tradition passed on from mother to daughter, and the cycle continues. With Indian women, too, venturing out to work, the t...