Indian food and its recipes

INDIAN TRADITIONAL FOOD 

Today, we will talk about... Indian food! To be honest, I have eaten Indian food probably less than twice in my life, but that's why I'm so interested on it! I love seeing all those spices mixed together to form different flavors. In this entry, I will give you the instructions to have your home smelling like a true Indian market. So, let's get to it. 

Warning: do NOT keep reading if you are hungry!

BREAKFAST

- Dosa (or lentils crepes): is a popular South Indian thin crepe made with fermented rice and lentil batter. At first, it was made only with rice, but as years went by, people started adding black lentils (urad dal) to get a better texture. Dosa is made by soaking and blending black lentils and rice to a batter. It is a healthy, high-protein dish to start the day, also rich in calcium.

RECIPE: https://www.indianhealthyrecipes.com/dosa-recipe-dosa-batter/

- Idli: also named idly, they are a type of savoury, steamed rice cake very popular in Southern India and Sri Lanka. The cakes are made by steaming a batter consisting of fermented black lentils and rice. They are soft, fluffy, and quite healthy! The process of soaking the lentils, blending the batter and fermenting preserves and enhances the nutrients. It can be made either with rice or using "idli rava".

RECIPE: https://www.indianhealthyrecipes.com/soft-idli-recipe-using-idli-rava/

SNACKS

- Vegetable Samosas: Samosas is a fried or baked pastry with a savory filling, such as spiced potatoes, onions, peas, lentils, and minced meat (which in this case will be replaced by veggies). Vegetable samosas are super easy. You can even make them with puff pastry instead of having to make the dough. they are often cooked in ghee, a clarified butter. A vegetable-filled samosa can be a relatively nutritious snack or appetizer.

RECIPE: https://www.sanjanafeasts.co.uk/2019/09/the-best-vegetable-samosas/

- Lentil Fritters: similar to falafel, lentil fritters are a mixture of spices that can be made with lentils, chickpeas or even potatoes. They are also called Masala Vada, and they are a fried Indian savoury snack. They are prepared by grounding the chickpeas or lentils and then spicing this dough with chilies and other dry spices.

RECIPE: https://www.elmundoeats.com/en/lentil-fritters-masala-vada/

LUNCH

- Chicken curry: Probably the best-known dish in Indian cooking. Chicken curry is curry gravy with small pieces of chicken and usually some vegetables, like onions and peppers.

RECIPE: https://thefoodcharlatan.com/easy-chicken-curry-recipe/

- Butter Chicken: a variation to chicken curry is this amazing butter chicken. It is a type of curry made from chicken with a spiced tomato and butter sauce. It has a mildly sweet flavor, which cuts the intensity of the curry spices used in its making. It’s traditionally cooked in a special oven, but may be grilled, roasted or pan-fried.

 RECIPE: https://www.recipetineats.com/butter-chicken/

- Matar paneer: a vegetarian Indian dish and Punjabi dish consisting of peas and paneer in a tomato based sauce, spiced with garam masala. It is often served with rice and some Indian flatbread.

RECIPE: https://www.indianhealthyrecipes.com/matar-paneer-mutter-masala/

DINNER

- Aloo Gobi (Potato and Cauliflower): it is a simple, vegetarian Indian dish made with potatoes, cauliflower, and Indian spices like turmeric (which gives the dish its yellowish color), kalonji and curry leaves. It is popular in Indian and Pakistani cuisines. 

RECIPE: https://www.cookwithmanali.com/aloo-gobi/

- Malai Kofta: this dish is a vegetarian variation to meatballs. It consists of fried balls (kofta) made of potato and paneer that are served with a creamy and spiced tomato based curry. The filling of the kofta can be spicy, sweet or savoury depending on the of herbs and spices used in its cooking.

RECIPE: https://www.indianhealthyrecipes.com/malai-kofta-recipe/

BREAD

And of course, how could a meal be any good without some bread? Indians love to eat bread with their foos, as it normally has sauce to dip in. The most typical bread in India are Naan bread and Pita. So, here are two recipes to finish off your meal. 

- Naan Bread https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/naan-bread

- Pita bread https://www.themediterraneandish.com/homemade-pita-bread-recipe/