★★  Cook book and guide to start a modern Indian takeaway business  ★★

New Indian take away , Take away culture of curry houses started in United kingdom. when we need to ensure the basic quality of Indian cuisine has to be upgraded it must start from the root .

The old school Indian takeaways are losing its market grip mainly due to unhealthy curry which is steeped in oils with boring same menu which started as a trend 50 years back .

You either upgrade yourself or face lose of business

The Food service delivery Market in Uk stands around 8.5 Billion GBP in 2019. UK households spend an average of around five British pounds per person per week on Takeaways .

My Hands on experience and research to run successful Modern Indian takeaway kitchen . Tried and tested perfect recipe that helped many of my restaurant clients to run successful restaurant and takeaway business in Uk , Middle East and India .

◆ The concept ◆

When i got the opportunity to revamp and design an existing old school Indian take away in to a ” New Indian Take away ” saw it as an greater opportunity to change the tired curry culture .

What I learned is an amazing opportunity how we can change the existing curry culture . The base gravies used tasted same , more to a sweeter side . My objective was to make it simple , authentic and using local ingredients around uk .

When we started of the old clients were suspicious and we saw a dip in sales . The owner was concerned and almost near to go back tested old styles .

But the patience paid of with the help pf worlds biggest marketing Tool Yes ” The word of Mouth . Now we raised More than 50% of Monthly sales compared to last year. which is a tremendous jump . The work culture has been improved as recipe given were accurate with perfect techniques to follow .

★ About Chef Bobby Geetha ★

Bobby Geetha is a chef With proven successful track record in business turn arounds, concept development and new openings.

Top rated chef at BBC master chef season 8 – First and only South Indian chef to reach to final 10 level.worked in capacity of Corporate chef , Group Head chef in London and Dubai.

Taj Hotels | Sofitel | Hilton | Noma | Ashas Restaurants | Compass Group .

Cornell University | IHM India

www.chefbobbygeetha.com

◆ TV: Featured in UAE’s top chef show 2018

◆ Trained in Michelin star restaurants Including Noma 2017

◆ Best Indian Chef Awards in Middle East 2018-19

Click To see chef bobby geetha’s books 

What Is A Cloud Kitchen ?

Times are changing and we are relying on technology. We are storing our photos and are streaming movies in the cloud. Even the businesses are running in the cloud

These concepts are much economical than traditional restaurants because of low operational cost. Many existing brick-and-mortar restaurant kitchens have seen much of their businesses go online. This has been possible by the rise of delivery apps. Thus, cloud kitchens are slowly upping the restaurant game.

Cloud kitchens are high profit, low risk food service businesses which basically act as food production hubs.

Chef Bobby Geetha | Indian chef Consultant

Follow  :  Instagram/chefbobbygeetha .

Previous Corporate chef for Indian Singer Asha Bhosle’s Chain of restaurant’s

Editor / Founder Finediningindian magazine

Trained in Michelin star restaurants Including Noma – Voted worlds Best

Best Indian chef Awards in Middle east

Published two cook Books

Restaurant Consultant which helped Indian restaurant to get shortlisted in top 7 London restaurant .

Took to No.1 Position for Ashas Restaurant In Dubai and middle east in fine dining category .

Indian Evolution cook book 

INGREDIENTS

2 cups Green Romaine lettuce, roughly torn

1/2 cup Cucumber, sliced

1/4 cup Cherry tomatoes cut into half

1/2 cup Fried Bread Cubes (Croutons)

For the dressing

2 tablespoons Classic Mayonnaise (With Egg)

1/2 teaspoon Mustard sauce

Salt, to taste

1 tablespoon Lemon juice

1 teaspoon Black pepper corns, crushed

1 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil

4 cloves Garlic, crushed

1/2 teaspoon Sugar

Caesar Salad Recipe

Garnish

Parmesan cheese

More from Fine dining Indian Recipes

Caesar Salad Recipe

METHOD OF PREPARATION

How to make Classic Caesar Salad Recipe

• To begin making the Classic Caesar Salad Recipe, we will first make the dressing. 
• To make the dressing for the Classic Caesar Salad
• In a mixing bowl, combine the mayonnaise along with the mustard sauce, salt, lemon juice, olive oil, crushed black peppercorns, garlic, and sugar. 
• Whisk vigorously until well combined; allow it to chill in the refrigerator. 

To make the Classic Caesar Salad

• In a mixing bowl, add the roughly torn lettuce leaves and keep some ice- cubes over it for about 10 minutes. This will ensure the leaves are crunchy even after the dressing is added to it. 
• After 10 minutes, drain out all the water and ice cubes and pat dry the leaves with a clean kitchen towel. 
• To the bowl with the lettuce, add the thinly sliced cucumbers, tomato halves and bread croutons. 
• You can either buy readymade bread croutons or learn how to make Baked Homemade Croutons Recipe with Herbs. 
• To the vegetables in the bowl, add the chilled dressing and toss well. Top with parmesan cheese and serve the Caesar salad chilled.

Recipe By Umang Adhikari

SPOKESPERSON PROFILE – MR. RAHUL SARIN, CO-FOUNDER AND CEO
Mr. Rahul Sarin is the Co-founder and CEO of The Dineroom, a fine dine which has a bar as well, located at Punjabi Bagh, Delhi. A place to booze up with premium ambience, amazing food and, full fledged bar, events and cocktails in house. Rahul and his team believe in celebrating life with exhilarating cocktails and global delicacies to redefine nightlife with a gastronomical journey of flavours.

This past week, what with the lockdown and all, I finally decided that the time had come to sort out the kitchen. In a bit — you know, clean out the cubpoards, stop the pots cohabiting with pans. The silverware riot in the cutlery draw—-a place for everything, and everything in its place, no?

That’s when, I happened upon three pretty pouches — malabar pepper, ceylon cinnamon, and salem turmeric. Tucked away in one of those dark corners that my fingers seldom trek to.

Hmmm… spice…memories….every spice married to a memory . Ranging from trips to the local market, summers spent in the family kitchen, to beautifully executed evenings of refined gastornomy.

But ever wonder how spices, and everything linked with them. came to influence the collective history of humankind and rule our psyches?

The story of spice and all that it touches, has perhaps been one of the most recurring episodes in the story civilisation . For the journey from caves to cathedrals and the coronavirus-times of today, has often had a stopover by a pot of stew, with a spice or two.

No, not often, but always !

Take this pouch of pepper for instance — been traded about the seven seas for well over 3000 years now. Picked up from the coast of Malabar, the finest Telicherri pepper, was currency in some parts of the middle-east. Yes, you could pay your taxes, bribes and the bride-price in black-pepper back then, for it was the black gold of its times.

Same goes for Silphium, a wonder spice/drug that was traded to the extent of it going extinct. The city of Cyrene, along the Libyan coast ran its entire economy based on just this one spice, and the early Greeks waged many a war just to ensure its supply.

It isn’t difficult to conjecture why — as the lightest of all traded merchandise, spices were bound to be the most valuable — every merchant caravan heading west from India, traversing through Persia, Arabia and Turkey was sure to have a few camels laden with spice sacks for they alone, were both — tradeable goods, and currency — at the same time !

Spice Trade

The Romans introduced the earliest spices to England, the first legions brought ashore garlic, amongst other staples.

But out in Rome, it was pepper from the Indies that was the mainstay of every patrician kitchen. So much so, that Pliny the Elder, bemoaned the draining of the Roman treasury to finance these ‘luxuries’. With the Persians monopolising the land routes, and the Arabs commanding the seas, the Romans decided that they were done getting gouged for the pepper, and ended up conquering Egypt —and so, gained control of the land bridge between the two seas, and all the spices heading their way!

Imagine that — declaring war, just so one could get their pouch of pepper at a decent price !

Well, that was 30 b.c…but since then, the control of the spice trade became one of the pillars of foreign policy, of every major trading power in Europe. Beginning with the Romans, then the Byzantines and up until the era of the Republics of Venice and Genoa, it was all fine….. until the fall of Constantinople to the Ottoman Turks in the summer of 1453.

So, after 1400 years of reasonably priced spices, Europeans had to kowtow to yet another Middle-Eastern power again!

What is it about spices that was so important, that inspite of the immense effort and price, there was an undiminishing demand for them in every known culture?

Was it just a novel indulgence for the rich then? Not quite, ask any able homemaker and they’ll tell you —- every spice, began its journey in the kitchen, as some sort of medicine.

Ginger, pepper, coriander, cumin, costh and nard—digestives and dewormers of different types; Cloves, cinnamon and Camphor the best pain-relievers; Cardamom, fennel, and aniseed to beat bad breath! The list is endless. Now, who amongst us, has never needed help with any of these issues huh?

Spices, also played a vital role in food preservation around the world …. every pickle and sausage out there has atleast one (if not more!) in its recipe. This ensured a remarkable increase in the access to food the poor had, particularly during the harsh European winters.

So all through the 15th century, while there was a gradual resurgence in European military power in the western mediterranean, the east was tethered tight to the Turkish yoke. And that is when more traders, and adventurers got desperate to find a direct sea route to the Indies, giving rise to increasing investments in naval adventurism. Columbus sailed west and landed on a totally different continent. But Vasco da Gama sailed south, along the African coast around the Cape of Good Hope, and buffeted by the monsoon winds, landed on the sands of Calicut — the South western tip of the subcontinent.

That single event in the summer of 1498, set the tone for all interactions — between Europe, and the rest of the world — for the next 500 years. While Spain hankered for gold in the new world thanks to Columbus’ discovery of America, the Portuguese banked on trade monopolies with the Indies. The Dutch, and the English were quick to follow in their wake and within a period of 150 years, had ‘factories’ (trading outposts, mostly along the waterways ) along the coasts of Africa , India, Sri Lanka, eventually reaching deep into south-east Asia.

Alongside spices, Europe now had easy access to other comestibles like refined sugar, rice, and potatoes.

This had a marked influence on food preferences in Europe, altering culinary traditions forever. Beginning in the royal kitchens and eventually, trickling down the social strata to even the humblest hovel, spices dictated what foods one ate.

The fantastic fortunes to be made from the spice trade, also ushered in an era of colonisation and slavery, influencing the mores of a society that saw virtue in Imperialism. Vasco da Gama’s first voyage was so successful (the profits were sixty times the cost of the voyage!)that it sent forth a slew of traders to the Indies, all sailing under the Portugeuese flag. In the 10 years following da Gama’s landing at Calicut, the Portuguese state had a stranglehold on most of the major ports of Western India –from Cochin in the south, up the coast to Goa and Diu! They subdued the local potentates, and negotiated very profitable treaties with the empires of Vijaynagara and the mighty Mughals. The Dutch followed, fighting the Portuguese tooth and nail for control over Ceylon and the Indian ocean trade, establishing colonies as far out east as New Guinea.

England caught onto the game a full 100 years later and chartered The English East India company in 1600, trying hard to woo the Mughals away from the Portuguese, and within the next 200 years controlled all trade (and as a consequence, politics )becoming masters of an empire that eventually covered 25% of the globe.

Another consequence of all this trading about and colonisation, was the movement of entire communities (and the culinary exchanges ), along these routes. Gujarati traders setting up shop in Mombassa also brought their cloves and cumin, while the Telugus and Tamils heading to Malaya and South Africa took with them chillies and black pepper. The Bhojpuris, with cumin and fenugreek, changed the eating cultures of lands stretching from Mauritius and South America to Fiji. The staples in all these places might not have altered that much, but the spices introduced by these people, have transformed the native palates forever.

A lot has changed in the world since the first of the spices was sold in the international marketplace. The way we cook, trade and live nowadays is markedly different from the Roman times, but the spice trade, is just as (if not more) important today , dictating the flavors and fortunes on every continent. Wherever you see a working kitchen — be that of a street vendor, a food factory, the local pub or a michelin star restaurant — there’s bound to be a bag spices there.

For man, can’t just live by bread and salted butter alone — while meat and veggies might be nice to have, one needs a bit of pepper too.

Fine dining Indian Ltd is privileged to announce this new launch . Our chef consultant director Bobby geetha has an immense experience international and Uk work environment .

Chef bobby geetha worked in highly reputed 5 star hotels , premium restaurants , trained in Noma . Top Indian chef awarded in middle east by Prochef awards and Hozpitality group . He worked as corporate chef for the Pioneer Ahas restaurant group for 21 restaurant’s in Uk and Middle east .

Few of the dishes that are unique to My spice kitchen projects are

Given below . The menu is the key driver for dark kitchen concepts  . More focus of limited space availability , multi use of ingredients . smart menu planning . Use of eco friendly packaging . Prime focus on natural resources and produced from Uk

some images are given below

Contact for new Dark kitchen or cloud kitchen concept Just click the Link Below

Chef bobby geetha’s Instagram profile

[thb_image full_width=”true” alignment=”center” image=”31735″ img_size=”250×300″]

chef Bobby geetha

Chef Bobby geetha is our Indian consultant chef for Brand Finediningindian Ltd. He is one the Top 10 chef at BBC master chef season 8 cooking Indian food at International level . He authored Two cook Books published By Finediningindian. Beyond Curry and Indian cuisine evolution . Contact Chef Bobby geetha For help with your  Indian restaurant .

We are one of the very few Indian studios that offer customised Indian Hand crafted plates in various mediums clay bodies like Terracotta, Stoneware & Porcelain, borosilicate glass, brass and corrugated sheets.

Triple ‘T’s’ in Pattterned Studio

are the three pillars of the brand:‘Tatva’: element – ‘mitti aur kaanch’. To transform our creative energies into functional wares.
‘Taap’: energy, heat, to shine. The products go through fire to transform into utility products.
‘Tapasya’: Consistent hard work and perseverance, with passion and determination to take the brand ahead with time

We extensively work with chefs to design and develop exquisite ceramic tableware for their restaurants. We work with architects to enhance their interior sites with one-off ceramic sculptures and ambient glass lights.

Our studio collaborate with design houses to batch produce their designs and corporate houses for corporate gifting. We simultaneously work on eclectic in-house collections.

At Patterned Studio,

we share stories through our works and collections. The design language of our utility products reflects playfulness. The forms, illustrations, textures, patterns are all thoughtfully hand developed. We sketch our ideas out of clay, as the material is quite handy & moldable. Working straight out of clay helps in speeding up the sampling process.

All our designs are amalgamation of an expressive interaction between clay & my fingers. We resist using many tools as we believe that the best tools are our fingers. Hence most of our products are free-form designs and rarely circular or Symmetrical.

Since all our products are hand-built, human involvement is vital, and hence no two products are the same but are similar, like any family.  Both the materials, ceramic & glass are fragile & quite engaging.

Designs

Pattterned Studio believe that design is always an evolving process.
Every stage of developing the final piece – from picking raw material, to mixing them in right proportions, to shaping them up, putting them in the furnace for firing, followed by testing the products for quality.

Our strategy for marketing and promotion has been evolving ever since we started. In this 4 year journey of our brand, we have got multiple fortunate opportunities. published in prestigious magazines like Vogue India, Pool magazine India, etc

Work closely with Michelin Star Chef Vineet Bhatia  & Rashima Bhatia . We have developed more than 20 serveware designs for their restaurants Ziya – The Oberoi Mumbai, Indya Dubai & Indego by Vineet and his Rasoi series of restaurants. Collectively came up with designs that are asymmetrical by emphasising on hand built patterns, playful textures and broken edges along with earthy glazes, complimenting the aesthetics of their delicious Indian cuisines.

About me

As a founder & the principal designer of Pattterned Studio, the seed of initiating a ceramic & glass product brand initiated a decade ago while studying Bachelor’s in Fine Arts majoring in Sculptures followed by pursuing Master’s in Ceramic & Glass Design from National Institute of Design.
The sculptural element comes complimentary in my functional designs. There has been a gradual transition of thoughts with an evident shift from non-functional artworks to user friendly utility products.

I draw inspiration from Insects – their habitats and day-to-day elements, patterns, behavior around me. As if not ceramics, I would have pursued entomology. Haha!

I teach as a visiting faculty at many design institutes like National Institute of Design and at architectural colleges as well. We also conduct therapeutic clay workshops for kids, adults and corporate houses.

To know more, you can always reach out at pattterned@gmail.com.

MYSTERIOUS RICE

Apart from wheat, rice is the most cultivated cereal in the world. It grows in tropical, equatorial and temperate zone. It is believed that rice was first cultivated in China. India is the second largest producer of rice after China. In India rice is a much of staple for everyone. In India there are different varieties of rice such as Basmati rice, parboiled rice, Patna rice and etc. But do you know there is a rice from Assam which needs no cooking, this rice is called as Boka Saul rice.

Boka Saul rice is called as Mud rice in English and is also known as Magic rice because no cooking required. This is a sticky rice and this rice got its geographical indication tag in 2018. Tezpur litchi and Joha rice are two other agriculture products from Assam with GI tag.

WHAT IS GI TAG?

Geographical tag or GI tag is given to specific, which belongs to particular geographic location. It ensures that no one use the product name if it is not from the specific geographic location or authorised user.

Darjeeling tea was the first Indian product to GI tag.

PRODUCTION

Rice is an integral part in Assamese cuisine, geographic conditions of Assam favours the production of rice. Assam has hilly as well as plains and BOKA SAUL rice is grown in lower part of Assam. Mainly Goalpara, Baksa, Dhubri, chirang, nalbari, barpeta etc. its farming starts in “Xalli” season the hottest period for paddy farming starts from June and ends in December.

HISTORY

Boka Saul is grown in Assam since so many centuries back in 17 century it was the food for Ahom soldiers fighting against Mughal Army.

WHAT MAKES IT DIFFERENT?

Normally rice is cooked by absorption or drainage method but what makes this rice different is that it don’t needs cooking. One need to just soak this rice in cold water for 1 hour and it’s ready to consume. Due to this unique property it is also called as magic rice. So what makes this possible, in rice there is a starch component amylose which contributes to hardness of food grains. Normal rice contains 20-25% of amylose but in Boka Saul it is only 4-5%. Talking about nutritional value this rice have 10.73% of fibre content and 6.8% protein. One more interesting thing about this rice is that it is naturally organic, means that if one uses chemicals while growing, the crop will naturally collapse.

HOW IT IS CONSUMED?

In the olden days this rice was used as a fuel for Ahom soldiers fighting against Mughal army, but now this rice is staple for the farmers, they consume it by mixing soaked rice with curd, banana and jaggery. They have it as a breakfast or as lunch.                                                                 

THE FUTURE

Future lies in past, as in past this rice was used as food for Ahom soldiers, we can use it as food for soldiers at high altitude, we can also use it in food packages distributed in case of natural calamities as no cooking is required it’s easy to consume with much better nutritional values than normal rice. Or else we can use this rice in restaurant because it’s our responsibility to promote such unique agricultural products of India.

“Rice is the best, the most nutritive and unquestionably the most widespread staple in the world”

Auguste Escoffier

Food diversity in India

Our Food is an expression. It is an expression of cultural heritage and diversity. It is not just a quantity of nutrients and instead is a diversity which forms the basis of human civilizations. Food provides an exquisite vision of the cultural heritage of a place and also plays a quintessential role in preserving the culture.

Taking about India, the Land of Diversity, it is seen that the word ‘diversity’ can be fitted well in the culinary tradition of India. Indian cuisine is like a whole bunch of threads consisting of a zillion of culinary threads representing regional cuisines.  These regional culinary threads unite into a unified culture of Indian cuisine and, yet have a distinct identity of their own. The food culture of India signifies the thousands of unique and distinct cultures of different regions. One of the most interesting facts about Indian cuisine is that it has no national dish. Choosing one particular dish out of an invariable complex set of choices of Indian dishes is clearly insanity.

Cultural diversity

India is a land of cultural diversity and much of its diversity is witnessed in its culinary traditions. The 29 states offer a myriad of flavours and delicacies making Indian food as diverse as possible. Food in India has always been of cultural importance. Indian food has lower traces of homogeneity in its regional cuisines than in any other country which makes it a hub of flavours, dishes and palates. There are so many layers to Indian cuisine which unfold regional culture with every layer.

Regional cuisines offer a wide assortment of scrumptious foods to serve the palates of a wide population of the country. Some recipes are high on spices while some are less spicy, yet intricately flavoured. This difference in regional cuisines is what makes India a paradise full of flavours, delicacies and aroma. Some of the major regional cuisines of India are from the states of Punjab, Rajasthan, Gujarat, West Bengal and Kerala which have been elucidated.

Punjabi cuisine

The culinary style of Punjabi cuisine has originated from Punjab which is the major region in the northern part of the Indian continent. Punjabi cuisine is known for its wide variety of vegetarian and non vegetarian dishes. The rich buttery flavours coupled with locally grown staple foods and farm dairies make Punjabi cuisine a melange of cross cultural influences of Mughals, Afghanis and Persians. The famous tandoor which had gained a huge popularity as a barbequed fare in the whole of India was adopted by the fleeing Punjabis from Pakistan during the Indo-Pak Partition.

what is famous

Tandoori meat, paneer (cottage cheese), fish as well as mutton tikka became the legacy of Punjabi cuisine. Sarson da sag, makki ki roti, butter chicken and chola bhatura are the most lip smacking dishes of Punjab which are popular all over the world. Majority of the dishes are cooked in desi ghee (clarified butter) which is a tastier alternative to vegetable oils. The rich, buttery flavour of Punjab is witnessed in its most consumed beverage, lassi which is a sweet yogurt drink having lumps of butter to make it more Punjab worthy. There is no denying the fact that Punjabi cuisine is drool-worthy. Its succulent taste, hearty ingredients and the passion and energies of local Punjabi people is what makes Punjabi cuisine as one of the most popular and sought-after Indian cuisine.

Rajasthani cuisine

Coming from north to west, Rajasthani cuisine is yet another culinary thread of Indian regional cuisines. Its popularity can be traced back to the rich culture and heritage of the land of Maharajas. The royalty of the state is witnessed in its delectable dishes. Laal Maas (Red Meat) and dal bati churma are the most famous dishes of Rajasthani cuisine. The history of the state has its impact on the diet. Rajputs have been non-vegetarians and thus, game meat, safed maas (White Meat) and laal maas had found their place in Rajasthani cuisine. The cuisine was predominantly influenced by the Rajputs but soon after the arrival of Maheshwaris, Jains and Vaishnawas, vegetarian diet has been started following.

Home food

The state of Rajasthan has a myriad of both vegetarian and non vegetarian dishes. The famous vegetarian dishes are gatte ki subzi, aloo-pyaz ki subzi, ker sangari, papad ki subzi, sev tamatar ki subzi and makki ka dhokla and several other dishes. Apart from its rich culture, another peculiar point which affects Rajasthani cuisine is climatic conditions. Rajasthan has a dry climate and is majorly covered in deserts as a result of which there is a dearth of fresh vegetables.

Rajasthani food is indeed a culinary delight and Rajasthanis have taken ‘cooking from scratch’ to another level. They are capable enough to combine the available vegetables with dried preserved foods such as wadis and papads. These are then eaten by roti and piping hot puri. Rajasthani cuisine is also known for its snacks such as Bikaneri bhujia, pyaaz kachori and mirchi bada. Rajasthan is not only famous for its beautiful forts and sand-dunes but is also famous for its never ending platter providing a wide variety of dishes in spite of facing a shortage of fresh vegetables.

Gujarati cuisine

Gujarati cuisine provides a wide array of flavours and nuances with hidden undertones of sweetness. The Gujarat state of India has a wide coastline but still majority of the people are vegetarian. There are countless vegetarian dishes in Gujarat which are distinctively flavoured. Dal-bhat-roti-shaak is the ever day meal. Panchkutiyu shaak, batata nu shaak are some of the common vegetable curries made in Gujarati households and restaurants. Gujarati Kadhi is the most popular dish where sweeter notes are intricately flavoured in a yogurt-based curry. One of the most striking features of Gujarati cuisine is its farsan (snacks).

Gujarati snacks are popular all over the world which acts as the side dishes complementing the main meal. They hold a special place in Gujarati cuisine. Farsan or savoury snacks are eaten with tea or on special occasions and are majorly used to woo the guests. Farsan can be in any form. They can be fried, fresh, dried or steamed. Some of the common names under this category are dhokla, khandvi, fafda, gathia, chakri, methi vada, thepla and handvo. This is just 1/4^th of the list. Imagine the wide variety of mere farsan in which constitute to be the most of the items in Gujarati cuisine. Also, this western land is a hub of chutneys, achars and kachumbers. Gujaratis are fond of accompaniments which enhance the meal through their peppy textures and tangy flavours. The popular accompaniments are cabbage kachumber, mango chunda and raw papaya chutney.

Kerala cuisine

When it comes to regional cuisines of India, it observed that there is a certain degree of biasness. People tend to prefer North Indian cuisine as compared to South Indian cuisine. However, Kerala is every food lover’s paradise. Typical cuisine of Kerala includes a long list of dishes which use tantalising flavours and concoctions full of spices. The culture within the state offers a number of delights ranging from Muslim biryanis, seafood delights of Syrian Christian families as well as sadyas among Hindus. Cardomom, pepper and cloves are the main highlight of the dishes.

In Kerala, dishes are very unique such as kozhinira chathu, muttumaala, appams, duck roast, avial, kappa, sambar, rasam and many more. Rice is a mandatory accompaniment in Kerala and since the state is known as the land of spices, the mustard seeds, turmeric, curry leaves and asafoetida are generously used in almost all of the dishes. Food is cooked in coconut oil and a lot of dishes are coconut milk-based. The major reason behind this is the abundance of coconuts in the region.  In sweet delights, paal payasam is the most consumed sweet in the state which is a simple rice pudding.

Bengali cuisine

Bengali cuisine has originated from the eastern state of the country, West Bengal. The state is known as the land of rice and fish. This culinary style is characterised by a mini encyclopaedia ranging from Bengali fish to Bengali sweets. Fish, lentils and rice are common in Bengali diet. What makes Bengali cuisine different from its other regional counterparts is the structure of the style of cuisine.

Unlike other regional cuisines where everything is served all at once, Bengali cuisine follows a multi-course tradition much like the French cuisine. Food is served in courses in West Bengal. Moreover, there is a further categorisation of the dishes. Bengali dishes are categorised into 4 different categories- charbya (food that is chewed such as rice and fish), peya (beverages mainly milk), lehya (food that is to be licked such as a chutney) and chosya (food that is to be sucked such as ambal).

The cultural influences of the neighbouring country of Bangladesh (Nawabs of Dhaka) have been traced in Bengali cuisine wherein some aesthetics of Mughlai cuisine are witnessed. For instance, dishes like kebabs, roast lamb, korma and stuffed breads are regional specialities. Rice is eaten in majority of the course. It is eaten as a starter and is also eaten in the main course too with fish and chicken. In desserts as well, rice is majorly used. Starters include fries, mashed steamed vegetables, lentil soup and shaak. Main course includes fish gravy infused with spices, prawns made in coconut curry and mutton curry. Bengali sweet tooth is identified by numerous desserts made out of cheese curd which is known as ‘chhena’. Bengali sweets have reached to the other parts of India such as the famous Rasgolla, Mishti Doi, Shondesh, Rasmalai and Payesh. Thus, Bengali cuisine is vast and elaborate.

This little background on the Indian culinary threads is likely to turn your next Indian meal into an exhilarating adventure. Sadly, not every dish has been mentioned in the article here. This is the surprising truth of the Indian food and the culture behind it. The unity in diversity is what makes India the most cultured country of the world.

Article Put Together By Ms. Ambalika Singh