Nothing Is Important Than Food

The cuisine of India is characterized by its sophisticated and subtle use of many spices and vegetables. Indian food is as diverse as many ethnic and cultural groups in India. Just like Indian culture, food in India has also been influenced by various civilizations, which have contributed their share in its overall development and the present form. Tradition, ethnicity, geographic location, religion or individual preference defines a typical meal.

The colonial period introduced European cooking styles to India adding to the flexibility and diversity of Indian cuisine. Indian cuisine has had a remarkable influence on cuisines across the world, especially those from Southeast Asia.

Influence of cultures

As a land that has experienced extensive immigration and intermingling through many millennia, India's cuisine has benefited from numerous food influences. The diverse climate in the region, ranging from deep tropical to alpine, has also helped considerably broaden the set of ingredients readily available to the many schools of cookery in India. In many cases, food has become a marker of religious and social identity, with varying taboos and preferences. For instance, a segment of the Jain population will not consume any roots or subterranean vegetables. We will discuss different groups and their food preferences in various articles here.
One strong influence over Indian foods is the longstanding vegetarianism within sections of India's Hindu, Buddhist and Jain communities. People who follow a strict vegetarian diet make up 20–42% of the population in India, while less than 30% are regular meat-eaters.

Core Ingredients

The staples of Indian cuisine are rice, atta (whole wheat flour), and a variety of pulses, the most important of which are masoor (most often red lentil), chana (bengal gram), toor (pigeon pea or yellow gram), urad (black gram) and mung (green gram). Pulses may be used whole, dehusked, for example dhuli moong or dhuli urad, or split. Pulses are used extensively in the form of dal (split). Some of the pulses like chana and "Mung" are also processed into flour (besan).

Oil

Most Indian curries are cooked in vegetable oil. In North and West India, groundnut oil has traditionally been most popular for cooking, while in Eastern India, Mustard oil is more commonly used. In South India, coconut oil and Gingelly Oil is common. In recent decades, sunflower oil and soybean oil have gained popularity all over India. Hydrogenated vegetable oil, known as Vanaspati ghee, is also a popular cooking medium that replaces Desi ghee, clarified butter (the milk solids have been removed). Add plenty of oil when starting the dish, it will separate and excess oil can be skimmed off at the end of cooking and kept covered in the fridge for use with your next curry.

Spices which make Curry

The most important/frequently used spices in Indian cuisine are chilli pepper, black mustard seed (rai), cumin (jeera), turmeric (haldi, manjal), fenugreek (methi), asafoetida (hing, perungayam), ginger (adrak, inji), coriander, and garlic (lassan, poondu).

Popular spice mixes is called Garam Masala which is usually a powder of five or more dried spices, including cardamom, cinnamon, and clove. Each region or I should say each individual chef, has a distinctive blend of Garam Masala.

Goda Masala is a prevalant spice mix in Maharashtra. Some of the leaves are used in whole or crushed form like tejpat (cassia leaf), coriander leaf, fenugreek leaf and mint leaf. The use of curry leaves is typical of all South Indian cuisine. In sweet dishes, cardamom, nutmeg, saffron, and rose petal essence are used.

The Curry Method

Finally we get to pulling all of the above together to create a curry. Some of the following steps are optional and depend on the curry being made or your preference.

• Step 1. Optional. Crackle some whole spice seeds in a hot pan for 1-2 minutes util they crackle.
• Step 2. Put some oil (more is better) into a frying pan on a medium heat, add finely chopped onions and cook until translucent or slightly brown. Each gives a different flavour and texture which you can try to see which you prefer.
• Step 3. Now add the main curry powder or paste and stir in. Then add grated ginger, crushed garlic and any fresh chopped chillies.
• Step 4. Now add the main ingredient. If this is meat you should try and brown it well on all sides to add lovely caramelised browning flavours. Add some stock or water to prevent burning if needed.
• Step 5. Add stock or water to cover the ingredients and simmer until main ingredient is cooked.
• Step 6. Add the sauce body to thicken and/or flavour as required and bring back to a simmer.
• Step 7. Stir in some garam massalla powder thoroughly. Optionally add 1 crushed clove garlic for extra strong garlic taste.
• Step 8. Taste and season.
• Step 9. Optional. Garnish the finished dish with coriander leaves or a dash of yogurt or twirl of cream or some ground or sliced nuts.

Depending on the main ingredient, most curries are quite tolerant of longer cooking and will keep on a low simmer while other cooking catches up. Alternatively remove from the heat then reheat through just before serving.