A Culinary Tour

Local produce: The vast wheat fields of Punjab could be called the granaries of the nation. Most Punjabis have close ties to farms. Some of Punjab’s best food is hearty country fare, based on fresh wholesome milk, buttermilk, ghee and freshly harvested produce.

Punjabi food has a strong influence in India’s capital, Delhi.
An example of a popular meal in Punjab is a local produce mustard greens (sarson ka saag) and corn bread (makkai ki roti). This dish is best enjoyed in winters when the mustard greens are in full bloom. Also popular are parathas or tandoori rotis stuffed with vegetables like grated radishes, fenugreek and cottage cheese. Lentils such as black-eyed beans or kidney beans simmered long over slow fires and the dhaba special, chana-bhatura (stewed chickpeas) served with fried Indian bread are commonly eaten. A tall glass of buttermilk usually accompanies a meal.
 
It would be no exaggeration to say that the gourmet in you will not be satisfied until you have tandoori delights discovered for yourself. Unique to the north, the tandoor is a clay oven whose fuel is burning coals. The joy of partaking in this cuisine is that minimal oil is used in the cooking process and you get abundance of flavor without the additional calories.

Wheat and lentils contain all the essential amino acids; they are good sources of protein and carbohydrate.
Green vegetables are rich in Vitamins A and C and contain iron and magnesium.
Milk products are good sources of calcium and also provide the body with the necessary amino acids.

Local produce: Rice from the lush rice paddies. Black pepper, cinnamon, clove and tamarind, coconut, curry leaves and jackfruit.

The south does a great deal of its cooking over steam, as a result of which all homes are equipped with steaming pots. Idlis, dosas, rice puttu (glutinous rice powder steamed) and sambhar or rasam are popular breakfast foods.

 “Stew” made with lamb, chicken, vegetables or potatoes, simmered gently in coconut milk and flavored with spices are eaten with appams. Appams, kallappams or wellapams, are rice flour pancakes designed to have soft, thick, white centres and thin, crisp, lace-like edges.

Besides appams and stew, meat, fish, vegetables and rice are popular. No meal is complete without rice.
 
The Moplas of Kerala serve excellent rice pilafs or pullaos. The Keralaiteshave modified this to suit their tastes and conditions. On this coastal strip, the most favored pilaf is studded with Arabian Sea prawns, subtly flavored with coconut milk.

Meals in the south are commonly steamed and centered around the consumption of rice, making them healthy, light and nourishing.
Fish contains essential nutrients Vitamin A and D. These are essential fats, which provide the body with energy and improve the metabolism. Intake of fish also helps lower cholesterol levels.
Rice and lentils are rich in calcium, consisting of ample protein and sufficient complex carbohydrates.

Local produce : Fresh water fish from the rivers and lakes of Bengal.
Mustard oils and mustard seeds are used for cooking.

“I’m cooking some elish,” says the Bengali lady. Elish – or hilsa – is a fish. All Bengalis are passionate about food – especially fish, rice and sweets. Savoring a meal is an important event for them.

A typical meal consists of rice, dal and bhaja (a savoury made out of fish, vegetables or potatoes), fish curry, aam jhol (a thin soup made out of green mangoes) and mishti doi (thick sweetened curds) to satisfy the sweet tooth.

Fish contains essential nutrients Vitamin A and D, essential fats that provide the body with energy and improve the metabolism. Intake of fish also helps lower cholesterol levels.
Rice provides the body with the necessary carbohydrates.
Milk products are good sources of calcium and also provide the body with the necessary proteins.

Local produce: In Saurashtra, the climate is dry. The fields grow peanuts, stalks of millet, wheat, sesame seeds and lots of tall sugarcane.

The majority of people in this region are vegetarians. A typical Gujarati meal consists of rice, dal, two vegetables, curds and pickle. Much of the food is based on grains, beans, roots and vegetables. Millet is a staple grain that grows here; it is high in protein, Vitamin E and iron, and low in carbohydrate and fat. Another popular bread is the thepla, rich in iron, calcium, protein and carbohydrates. Made ofwheat, it is mixed with spinach/ greens/ vegetables and made into a dough, then formed into a chapatti. This is eaten with green chutney, pickle or curds.

Local produce: Coconut, jawar, nachni, bajra

The vegetables here are more or less steamed and lightly seasoned so as to retain their nutritional value. Coconut is an important ingredient used for cooking.
A typical meal consists of bhakri (chapatti made of jawar or bajra or nachni), a green vegetable, vegetable curry, varan (lentil), rice, koshimbir (salad) accompaniments and curds or buttermilk.

The combination of lentil with carbohydrates like chapatti or rice, provides
necessary intake of protein and carbohydrates.
Vegetables provide essential Vitamins, minerals and fiber.
Fats are found in coconut or peanuts or cooking oils.
Milk products are good sources of calcium and also provide the body with the necessary amino acids.

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