The site has been made to fulfill the requirement of E-Learning subject (ITE 3543) in Mara Professional College Indera Mahkota.

  

The main objective of this blog is to:

• To introduce about the traditional Indian food 
• To expose about the history of traditional Indian food 
• To inform about the variety types of traditional Indian food 
• To share the traditional Indian food recipes 
• To share the specialty of food for certain special festivals

• Main Ingredients
• Vegetarian
• Non Vegetarian

• http://festivals.iloveindia.com/diwali/diwali-recipes.html
• http://festivals.iloveindia.com/holi/holi-recipes.html
• http://festivals.iloveindia.com/durga-puja/durga-recipes.html

• Top 3 Appetizers
• Top 3 Main Courses
• Top 3 Desserts

• http://www.buyindianfoodonline.com/history-of-indian-food/
• http://asiarecipe.com/indculture.html
• http://www.haldiramusa.com/History_Indian_Food.htm

KHEER (RICE PUDDING)

• A traditional South Asian sweet dish. It is made by boiling rice or broken wheat with milk and sugar, and flavored with cardamom, raisins, saffron, cashew nuts, pistachios or almonds. It is typically served during a meal or also consumed alone as a dessert.
  
  
• It is almost like the custard pudding and can often be almost soupy. It is a very popular dessert and no wedding or festival in India or Nepal would be complete without it.

BESAN LADOO

• Ladoo are one of the most popular sweets from India usually prepared to commemorate special occasions like wedding, festivals, or distributed as prasad at temples. 
  
  
• There are many types of ladoos prepared with different ingredients but all of them share one common attribute - they are all formed into balls. But if the balls are savory, then they become Koftas.

PEDA

• A sweet from the Indian subcontinent, usually prepared in thick, semi-soft pieces. The main ingredients are khoa, sugar and traditional flavorings, including cardamom seeds, pistachio nuts and saffron. The color varies from a creamy white to a caramel color.

NAAN

• Naan in South Asia usually refers to a specific kind of thick flat bread, another well-known kind of flat bread is chapati. Naan is cooked in a tandoor, or clay oven, from which tandoori cooking takes its name.
  
  
• Milk or yogurt may also be used to give greater volume and thickness to the naan. Typically, it will be served hot and brushed with ghee or butter.  More info about the history of Naan, click to this website: http://www.desiblitz.com/content/history-of-the-naan

RAVAI UPPAMMA (UPMA)

• Upma is a South Indian breakfast dish. It is usually made with refined wheat grains, which Indians generally call suji. A variety of upmas can be made with either vermicelli and thick, brown wheat grains.
  
  
• For taste, vegetables may be added. Upma may also be garnished with a variety of beans (raw or sprouted), cashew and peanuts.

ROGAN JOSH (LAMB CURRY)

• Rogan josh is an aromatic lamb dish hailing from Kashmir which means cooked in oil at intense heat. The dish classically involves slow cooking at moderate heat for prolonged period of time.
  
  
• It is usually been eaten by rice as that can be called as Briyani and the taste is totally blend with the mixture of the lamb, and it has been the main dish for the people especially in Kashmir. 

HERBS AND SPICES 

• The most important spices in Indian cuisine are chilli pepper, black mustard seed (rai), cumin, turmeric, fenugreek, ginger, coriander and asafoetida (hing). Another very important spice is garam masala which is usually a powder of five or more dried spices, commonly comprised of cardamom, cinnamon and clove. 
• Some leaves are commonly used like bay leaf, coriander 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.

FAT AND OILS 

• One of the most important things that will affect the flavor of your Indian food are the cooking oil that will be used.
• The two most common cooking oils in Indian food are ghee and mustard oil. Others which are used are those of coconut oil , peanut (groundnut) oil and sesame oil. Modern arrivals are sunflower oil, rapeseed (canola) and soybean.

GRAM FLOUR

• Gram flour is a flour made from ground chickpeas. It is also known as chickpea flour, garbanzo flour, or besan. Used in many countries, it is a staple ingredient in Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi cuisines and in the form of a paste with water or yoghurt, a popular ingredient in the Indian Subcontinent. Moreover, when mixed with an equal proportion of water, it can be used as an egg-replacer in vegan cooking.
• Gram flour contains a high proportion of carbohydrates but no gluten. Despite this, in comparison to other flours, it has a relatively high proportion of protein.

FRUITS AND VEGETABLES 

• The dishes of India are characterized by the extensive use of various Indian spices, herbs, vegetables and fruit. Indian cuisine is also known for the widespread practice of vegetarianism in Indian society.

• The methods of cooking meat in the south produce different flavors and use local produce, such as coconut, tamarind and curry leaves. Dishes from the south are hotter and more spicy than those from the north. The Bengali (Bangladesh included) method of cooking is extremely testy and is in a class of its own. 

• The dishes are prepared with meticulous precision and great care. Curries involve long, slow simmering to extract the juices from the meat.

CHICKEN CHETTINAD

INGREDIENTS:

4 chicken breasts on the bone, skin on
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
8 golden shallots
12 cloves of garlic
1 tsp fennel seeds
6 dried red chillies
1 tbsp black peppercorns
5 tomatoes
125ml vegetable oil

DIRECTIONS:

• Clean and trim the chicken breasts. Season to taste with sea salt and sprinkle with turmeric and set aside.
• Peel the shallots and garlic. Dry-roast half the fennel seeds with chillies and peppercorns over gentle heat, stirring constantly. Crush using a pestle and mortar. Crush the shallots and garlic in a blender, then mix in the pounded spices. Chop up the tomatoes roughly.
• Heat oil in a heavy-based saucepan over high heat. Put in the rest of the fennel seeds and then the chicken breasts. Seal well on all sides and remove.
• Add the tomato and some salt. Stir and cook well. Add the garlic, shallot and spice mix and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly. Return chicken to the pan and simmer over low heat until it reduces to a thick sauce consistency.
• [Note: I used chicken drumsticks and finished the cooking process in the oven at a low temperature so that the meat on the drumsticks would be very tender]
  

        How to cook Chicken Chettinad?

LAMB KEEMA

INGREDIENTS:

(1 Ib)450g kg lamb
1 cinnamon stick
4 cardamom pods, lightly crushed
1 curry leaf
4 cloves
1 onion, thinly sliced
2 tsp ginger-garlic paste
2 tsp ground coriander
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
2 green chilies, sliced
½ cup yogurt
1 tbsp dried fenugreek
salt to taste
2 tbsp vegetable oil
cilantro and peas to garnish

DIRECTIONS:

• Heat the oil in a preheated wok, or large pan,
• Add the onion and fry for 5 minutes until light brown.
• Add the cinnamon stick, cardamoms, curry leaf and cloves and cook, stirring constantly for 1 minute then stir in garlic-ginger and cook for 1 additional minute.
• Add the ground lamb and sprinkle over the ground coriander, cumin, and chili powder.
• Cook for 5 minutes, or until the lamb is lightly browned.
• Stir in the yogurt and fenugreek and season with salt. Cover and cook over low heat for 20-30 minutes, or until the lamb is tender. Ladle into serving dish and garnish with chopped cilantro.

  
  How to cook Lamb Keema?
  

  
  
  
  

TANDOORI SHRIMP

INGREDIENTS:

2 lb 2 oz/1 kg jumbo shrimps
1 cup yogurt
1 tbsp garam masala
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp chili powder
3 tsp garlic-ginger paste
1 tsp red food coloring
3 tsp lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

• Place the yogurt in a large bowl. Add the garlic-ginger paste, chili powder, cumin, coriander powder, garam masala, salt and red food coloring and blend together until well mixed.
• Add shrimps to the yogurt - spice mixture and mix to coat well.
• Cover and let it marinate in refrigerator for a minimum of 6 hours.
• Preheat the broiler to the medium.
• Transfer shrimps to a heatproof dish and brush with vegetable oil.
• ▫ Cook under the preheated broiler for 30-35 minutes, turning the pieces occasionally and basting with any remaining oil, until the meat is tender and cooked through.

        How to cook Tandoori Shrimp?

• Vegetable and lentils are an essential part of an Indian diet. Vegetable curries are either cooked dry, with the natural juices in the vegetables supplying the moisture, or with a little sauce, or made into a sort of purée (bhurta). 

• A little water can be added to dry-cooked vegetables to prevent them from sticking to the pan during cooking. Very little spice is used in cooking vegetables, and they should never be overcooked.

SAAG PANEER

INGREDIENTS:

1 kg/2 lbs spinach
1 tsp cumin powder

2 tbsp chickpea flour

4 cloves of garlic finely chopped

1 onion chopped

salt to taste

¼ tsp chili powder

½ lbs or ¼ kg paneer

2 tbsp heavy cream

¼ cup oil

3 tbsp ginger julienned

2-3 tbsp fresh coriander

DIRECTIONS:

• Chop spinach and set aside.
• Heat oil, add cumin while heating. When oil starts to crackle, add garlic and onion, sauté until light brown, then add chickpea flour and mix well to avoid lumps.
• Cook until oil emerges, then add spinach, and sauté until pan is dry.
• Add salt, chili powder and paneer, finish with cream and serve garnished with julienned ginger and fresh coriander.
  
  How to cook Saag Paneer?
  

  
  
  
  

GOBI MATAR

INGREDIENTS:

1 small cauliflower

1 cup frozen peas

2 tomatoes

2 tsp whole cumin

2 tsp cumin powder

1 tsp coriander powder

2 dried red chilies

salt to taste

¼ tsp turmeric

½ tsp garam masala

2 tsp chopped cilantro

4 tbsp olive oil

DIRECTIONS:

• Heat the olive oil in a thick bottomed pan.
• Add cumin seeds and fry for 2-3 minutes. Add chili powder, coriander powder, cumin powder and red chilies.
• Cut cauliflower into small florets and add to the spice mixture.
• Fry for 10 minutes.
• Add green peas and chopped tomatoes. Cover the pan and let simmer for 10-15 minutes.
• Transfer the vegetables to serving plates, garnish with fresh cilantro and serve immediately.
  
  How to cook Gobi Matar?
  

  
  

BHELPURI (RICE POPCORN)

• A snack with almost iconic status in Western India, bhelpuri is low-fat, nutritious and delicious. It is a puffed rice dish with various vegetables and a tangy tamarind sauce. It is a type of chaat, or small plates of savoury snacks.
  

• Bhelpuri is best consumed as soon as it is made. If left for a while, the juices from the tomatoes, chutneys and peanuts will combine to render the puffed rice soggy. A dry variant of Bhelpuri popularly known as Bhadang is consumed after garnishing with onions, corriander and lemon juice. 
  More types of Bhelpuri, click here: http://kitchenflavours.blogspot.com/2009/06/chatpati-bhel-puri.html

ALOO KI TIKKI (POTATO PATTIES)

• Aloo tikki is a North Indian snack made of boiled potatoes and various spices. "Aloo" means potato, and the word "tikki" means a small cutlet or croquette. It is served hot along with tamarind and coriander mintchutney (sauce), known as Hari chutney, and sometimes yogurt or chick peas.

• Aloo tikki is basically mashed potato patties mixed with various herbs, like coriander and spices, deep-fried in oil/vanaspati, and some North Indiandhabas or café-style eateries will sandwich the aloo with bread.

SAMOSA

• Samosa’s are triangular shaped pastry shell deep fried and filled with a savory potato (sometimes meat), onions and spices. The entire pastry is then deep fried to a golden brown color, in vegetable oil. It is served hot and is often eaten with fresh Indian chutney, such as mint, coriander or tamarind. 

• It can also be prepared as a sweet form, rather than as a savory one. Samosas are often served in chaat, along with the traditional accompaniments of yogurt, chutney, chopped onions and coriander, and chaat masala.