Dhokla, a food item from the state of Gujarat, is made from a fermented batter of rice and split chickpeas. Pieces of green chilli, ginger and chopped coriander, and baking soda are added to the mixture and it is poured into a flat dish and steamed. Once the dish is ready, it is cut into pieces, tempered with mustard seeds cooked in hot oil and served. Some people also sprinkle sugar water over the dhokla to soften it. […]
A popular mealtime preparation in Bihar, Jharkhand and eastern Uttar Pradesh, litti chokha refers to dough balls made from whole wheat flour that are stuffed with roasted chickpea flour (mixed with spices) and then baked over open fire, and then served with pickles, yoghurt, vegetable gravy or chicken curry. The baked wheat balls are known as ‘litti’, which ‘chokha’ is a vegetarian preparation made from roasted eggplant, tomato and potato, but the full name has stuck to the dish nonetheless. In recent times, due to the lack of open fires, the litti is often as well. […]
Avial is a popular dish of South Indian origin. It is a thick mixture of vegetables and grated coconut, and is seasoned with curry leaves sautéed in coconut oil. Avial is an essential part of the ‘Sadya’, the multiple-course vegetarian meal served during the festival of Onam in Kerala. […]
Makki di roti is a flat, unleavened bread made corn meal. It is similar to the tandoori roti, which is made from wheat flour, but is cooked on a heated pan or tava instead of a tandoor. […]
Puran poli is a sweet flatbread, wherein the bread – made with flour (plain or wheat flour, with gram flour added in) – is stuffed with a mixture made from chana dal (split yellow gram), jaggery, ghee, water and seasoning (cardamom or nutmeg powder). Variations include the use of chopped nuts or grated coconut in the stuffing. The rolled bread is cooked on a hot pan with a bit of oil or ghee added to make it crispy on the outside. […]
It has often received a rap as being the last resort – the easy to make dish that people turn to when they are short of time or resources. Upma, primarily a breakfast or tiffin item in South India, is never seen in a glamorous light. But this humble dish rose to worldwide acclaim when Mumbai-born chef Floyd Cardoz cooked it in the Top Chef Masters contest in Los Angeles (2011) – and won the top prize of USD 100,000! […]
Puttu, which is made by steaming rice flour, is a popular breakfast dish in South India. The dish is made from coarsely ground white or red rice, grated coconut, water and salt. Spiced such as cumin may be added for flavor as well. The rice flour is mixed with water, salt and spices (if any), then layered with grated coconut and put into cylindrical tubes made from bamboo or metal. The tubes are then put into a steamer, so that the food is cooked through the steam and without the use of oil or any other fat. This makes it a healthy breakfast option. […]
Many people think that the word tandoori refers to a recipe or ingredients used but it is actually the method in which it is cooked – that is, food made in a tandoor. […]
