Indian Food
We are going to tell you about the food that the people of India-Enjoy. These are the most popular food items being served in any common Restaurant in India or on the road side stalls.
This is the real Indian Food, not just a Curry!!
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Idli is one of the most popular breakfast foods of India. It is about 2 inches in diameter and made from a fermented batter of ground rice and lentil and steamed in moulds.They are normally served with chutney -a spiced ground coconut paste and Sambar (see below) a watery gravy, not too spicy and goes well with idly . |
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Dosa is also a popular breakfast food and is made with the same fermented batter as the Idli, but instead of steaming it is made flat like a pancake. Chutney and Sambar are served with it. Masala Dosa has a potato filling. Dosas are delicious and very popular with the tourists. |
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Vada is the doughnut shaped brown rings on the plate. Vadas are deep fried breakfast food made from ground lentil. They are usually served together with the idlis. Accompaniments for Vada is the same as for Idlis – Chutney and Sambar. |
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Sambar is a watery gravy made with special spices like Asafetida and tamarind paste, together with Dal (de-husked lentil) and vegetable pieces. It is always served free with foods like Idly, Vada and Dosa. It is also served with rice for lunch or dinner. |
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Appam and Stew from Kerala is made with a rice flour batter fermented with Toddy (alcoholic nectar of Coconut trees) or yeast. Appam is like a pancake with a thick center and paper thin lace border. Stew is a gravy made with coconut milk, spices and meat or vegetables. Very tasty. |
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Biriyani is a flavored rice dish cooked with meat, fragrant spices, rice and many other ingredients. The biriyani has its own versions in different parts of the country - examples Hyderabadi byriyani of Hyderabad and the Malabari biriyani of Kerala. They are very tasty and should be tried. |
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South Indian Thali is the popular meal. not only in the South, but all over India. It is a vegetarian meal served on a large stainless steel plate with all the different curries in small dishes arranged on the circumference. In the centre goes the breads or rice. To end the meal a payasm (see below) or two is included. |
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Kerala Sadya is the traditional festival meal served on a washed banana leaf with rice and many vegetable curries, different types of spiced yogurt and few types of Payasam (see below). Keralites eat it squatting on the floor. |
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Naan and Chapatis are the common Indian flat breads eaten with sabji - a vegatable dish or a meat dish like Rogan Josh. Naan is made with white wheat flour and grilled in a thandoor (clay oven). Chappati is made with whole meal wheat flour and cooked on a tava (rimless sauce-pan) |
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Rogan Josh is a gravied meat dish, fiery red colored, but not too spicy. Goes well with Naan or Chappatis. The dish is cooked with the Kashmiri Chilies which are bright red but not burning hot like other chilies. |
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Thandoori Chicken (Chicken Tikka) are made by grilling marinated chicken pieces in a Thandoor. The marinate is a mixture of yogurt and thandoori masala spices. The Thandoor is like a large clay pot with burning embers of charcoal at the bottom. The chicken pieces are grilled on the inside walls of the thandoor. |
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Samosas are triangular shaped fried, stuffed pastry. The filling is usually spiced potatoes and served with a green minty chutney. In South India a smaller and crispier somoosa with meat or vegetable filling is common. Samoosas are the most common street stall snack. |
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Panipuri is a common snack in India and consists of a small (to fit the mouth) ball shaped hollow 'puri' - deep fried tiny flattened dough. Just before eating the puri is broken and a filled with potato, onion, masala, etc. and a tamarind extract. No explanation can do it justice, it must be tried. |
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Pakora is a snack made by deep frying special chickpea batter coated ingredients like eggplant, onions, potatoes, cauliflower, chilies and paneer (type of cheese) . Sometimes meat is also used. |
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Dhokla is a Gujarati snack made by steaming on a flat dish, a fermented and specially spiced batter of chickpeas. It is then cut into pieces and served with a green minty chutney. Some times Dhoklas pieces are fried and served. |
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Gulab Jamun is a popular sweet in South India. It is made from fried, golf ball sized balls of a batter of white wheat flour, milk powder, raising agents, etc. These brown balls are then served dipped in a syrup of rose flavoured sugar. |
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Jalebi is a sweet, shaped like pretzels, and normally an orange yellow colour. It is a very popular sweet in India. It is made by deep frying a batter made from Chickpea flour and then dipping it in a sugary solution. |
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Ladoos are orange yellow in color and golf ball size. It is the sweet of choice in India to celebrate a happy occasion – like a wedding or passing an exam. It is made from Chickpea flour, sugar crystals and special flavoring spices like cardamom. It tastes great. |
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Payasam is a porridge like sweet. There are several varieties. Some are made with Cow’s milk, others with Coconut milk. The sweetening agent can be sugar or Jaggary (sugarcane molasses). The solids can vary from Dal (split peas) to Vermicelli or to ripe bananas and other ingredients. |