Curry and spices
Curry, in fact (kari) is not an Indian name. The term was introduced by the British, who referred to it as a mixture of ground roots, used in India as a spice. The cahri dish prepared in Gujarat, apart from its name, has nothing to do with seasoning.
In Kumaon, this word is completely different, indecent meaning.
Curry is the basis of Indian cuisine, although this spice is not to be expected in every dish. Some foods are so spicy, that it is impossible to swallow a bite, but in general the client's well-being is taken care of. Cooks use as many as possible to make curry 25 different roots. First, they crush the fresh roots in mortars, here called sil-watta, and then they mix in different proportions, creating a ma-hall, that is, a mixture. One of them, for example, the so-called. garam masala (spicy mixture), consists of cloves, cinnamon, cilantro, cumin and peppercorns. Depending on the dish, to which it will be added, curry can be of very different composition.
Saffron is one of the popular spices in this country, obtained from powdered stamens and pistil marks of one of the crocus varieties. It gives rice dishes a yellowish color and a delicate aroma. In India, a 1-gram pack of this spice costs money 35 INR.
Turmeric also changes the color of the dishes, spice with a distinctive strong flavor and aroma, used as a preservative.
Chili is also added to the dishes, which comes in various forms – it is sometimes dried and ground, it is also used in its entirety. We distinguish between two varieties of chili: red and green, the sharpest. Ginger soothes stomach discomfort, and coriander is appreciated, because it helps lower body temperature. Cardamom sweet coffee is added to desserts and meat dishes. Another, no less popular spices used in India include: nutmeg, mak, caraway seed, kozieradka, mace flower, Garlic, carnation, bay leaf and pepper leaf.
Bread and cereals
Rice is the staple food of Hindus, however, it is most consumed in the south of the country. The best kind of rice, long grain, yellowish with a sweetish taste, it is grown in the north, in the valley of Deh-radun. On the north, where large amounts of wheat are grown, the menu includes various types of wheat bread, called roles or chapati. In Punjab, roti is called phulka / fulka. You can also get white bread here, as tasty as in Poland.
Many kinds of bread are baked in India, each of which is extremely tasty. The most popular, apath/bread, It is made from flour and water, and then baked on a hot baking tray, here called lava. The loaves rise mainly due to heat, but a lot also depends on the gluten content of wheat grains. Paratha is baked in a similar way, additionally lubricating the loaves with butter from cow's milk and bending them into various shapes. Some of them are stuffed with peas or potatoes. Crisp, the plump bread in the north is called puri, in the east – lights. Loaf baked in a clay oven (tandoori) it is called naan. Each of the Indian breads is really delicious and makes an excellent addition to the dishes.
Dosas from the south are eaten almost everywhere in the country, that is, thin pancakes, made from lentils and rice flour. Stuffed with vegetables and spiced curry turns into masala dosa – a delicious snack. In the south, rice noodles are extremely popular, often served with a spicy sour milk sauce (dahin idli) or lentils and bread and usually eaten for breakfast. Crispy papadam is baked from ground lentils, eaten with a thali or other meal. Dosa-like pancakes are uttapam.
Large loaves of chapati are sold in front of the Grand Mosque in Delhi, called ru-mali roti (bread wrapped in handkerchiefs). Good to know, that Indians use concave baking sheets to bake their bread, while Muslims - convex!
Main dish
Dishes can be prepared with vegetables, meat (usually chicken or lamb), and also from fish, however, they are always fried in butter made from cow's milk or vegetable oil. They are often accompanied by rice, and in the north they are also eaten with bread.
Many other foods are eaten in India, which are not actually curry dishes, against that, what Europeans think. Windaloo, containing vinegar marinade, it is much spicier than a traditional curry dish. Pork windaloo is a restaurant specialty in Goa. Stewed vegetables or meat, extremely tasty and nutritious, it is called horse riding. We distinguish several varieties of this dish. For example, nuts are added to nawrathan korma, and the main ingredient of malaj kofta is cream. Coming from the same family dopiaza, which literally means "two onions", it is actually prepared, among others. with onion, which is added twice during cooking. Perhaps the most popular dish in India is dhal. It is eaten as an addition to curry dishes or as a main course, with bread or rice. Dhal, next to the rice, it is the staple food for many inhabitants of small villages. Each region has its own variation of this dish, e.g. in Bengal it is the yellow arhar, while in Punjab – black urad. The well-known green lentil grains are here called mung, and the beans are rajmaa.
Other Indian main courses include: mat-tar panir – peas with cheese and sauce; saw gośt – spinach with meat; aalu dum – curry potatoes; aalu hole – diced potatoes along with sour and spicy chickpeas. The Indian names for some vegetables are: boat gobi (cabbage), phuul gobi (cauliflower), empty (eggplant) and mattar (pea).