Indian Desserts Recipes Halwa Kheer with Condensed Mild Pistachio Recipes Easy for Diwali Menu : North Indian Recipes Indian Desserts Recipes Halwa Kheer With Condensed Mild Pistachio Recipes Easy For Diwali Menu Pictures

North Indian Recipes Biography

Source(google.com.pk)
The food from North India traces its descent from Persian ancestors who started filtering in India from the 11th century A.D. onwards and then more definitely from the 16th century A.D., when the Mughals came to power. The Mughals brought with them Persian and Afghan cooks who started North Indians on the rich and fragrant Persian rice dishes, such as pilafs and biryanis (meat-based pilafs). Garnished with pounded silver (vark), these dishes along with spicy kormas (braised meat in creamy sauces), koftas (grilled spicy meatballs) and kababs used to grace the tables of emperors.

Even today, these dishes are cooked and eaten all over north India. The ultimate destination of foodies is the North Zone of India. There is absolutely no dearth of variety for a creative gourmet in this part of the country. The zone is fortunate to be the hub of some of the most exotic styles of cooking. Many of which are renowned all over the world and regarded as the most developed and refined of all culinary arts.

Most famous of all is the Mughlai Cuisine. National, capital, Delhi is the place to enjoy this style in its best form. Known for their love for life and lavish styles, Mughals treated their gastronomic requirement with a lot of seriousness. They added a touch of royalty to the food and produced mouth watering taste with the generous use of spices, sausages, dry-fruits and butter. Roasted in tandoors, the meat dishes taste out of this world. Thinking of yummy Tandoori Chicken and Seekh Kebab?

Jammu and Kashmir is blessed with the tradition of Kashmiri Cuisine and Wazwan, the fabulous aromatic banquet consisting of over 36 delectable dishes. Most of these are meat based and contain heavy dose of spices, condiments and curds. Rista , Tabak Maaz , Rogan Josh are just some names of the dishes from this awesome state.
Chapati
The Awadh style of cooking, popular in the city of Nawabs and Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh. The 'Dum Pukht' method is prevalent in Awadhi cuisine. In this food is cooked in handis on slow fire. The final result is rich in taste and aroma. The very famous Murg Mussallam and Shami Kebabs are prepared with the dum process.
Food from Punjab also known as Punjabi, needs no introduction. Have a bite of Makki di Roti with Sarson ka Saag and down it with the famous Punjabi Lassi and one will get the taste of food in this land. Food in Punjab and Haryana is cooked with love. It is rich in butter and ghee and contains lot of spices.

Recipes from the hilly regions of Himanchal Pradesh and Uttaranchal are simple and extremely nutritious. Here one can find huge variety of dals cooked in labour intensive styles over slow fire. One can find a lot of variety in cooking pattern in this state as taste preference change from one region to other.

However, everyday meals of people in north zone of India consists of chapati, rice, lentils and vegetables. A large number of people are also very much fond of non-vegetarian food.

North Indian cooking is one of the world's popular cuisines. The recipes from this website are written the way they are actually cooked in a North Indian kitchen. This site is for people who just cannot find a good Indian meal anywhere and want the authentic dish which is not detailed in any recipe or found in any restaurant

My recipes may seem lengthy but I have tried to explain step by step how to make several North Indian meals. Once you become accustomed to the flavors and methods of cooking it will become very easy to cook my dishes.
These recipes only provide a guideline so once you learn how to cook them feel free to be creative and make variations according to your taste. It is not necessary to stick rigidly to a recipe as you can always increase or lessen any spice according to taste. You can adjust the salt, pepper and sourness of a dish or the consistency according to your taste or choose your own combination of vegetables and spices. Everybody has different tastes and preferences so try to follow the recipes and feel free to make changes. In North Indian cooking, even simple dishes have different versions.

A major influence on Indian cuisine is the Muslim method of cooking, the Mughlai style, which is distinct in the fact that a lot of stress is laid on cooking the food over slow fire and the use of rich spices and nuts like saffron, almonds, cashew nuts, poppy seeds elachi, dalchini and jaiphal to name a few, liberal use of desi ghee and tandoor. Most traditional Mughlai food preparations include the use of yogurt and cream to produce rich creamy gravy and the most important part of Mughlai cuisine is the perfect blending of the spices using the right proportions bringing a distinct aroma and flavor to the dish.

Even though Indian food and its tastes have changed dramatically over the years but the influence on cooking still remains.
Please take the time to let me know what you think about my recipes. Your comments would be helpful to me to improve the recipes.

“There is no love sincerer than the love of food,” said the Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw. And I cannot agree more. As someone who has lived in India all her life, I’ve been blessed to enjoy a range of local cuisines that explode with a palette of gorgeous flavors. My love of food is also one that is spread across the length and breadth of India.
It is the same love that drives me to take you through the best of Indian food.
Given the range of diversity in soil type, climate and typography the local cuisines significantly vary from each other and use locally available spices, herbs, vegetables, fruits and meat.

Indian food is heavily influenced by religious and cultural choices. Broadly, the cuisine can be divided into North, South, East and West. These are some quintessential North Indian dishes:
Butter chicken, or as we say here in India “˜Murgh Makhani’ is among the best-known Indian foods the world over. It is the godfather of North Indian cuisine.

The dish originated in Punjab, India. Its evolution is traced back to Kundan Lal Gujral, the owner of Moti Mahal restaurant in Daryangaj, Delhi.
Kundan Lal Gujral, a Hindu, originally from the undivided India’s Peshawar in Punjab, fled to India following the partition. He was ingenious enough to overcome the times of political upheaval and open a restaurant in Old Delhi- Moti Mahal. The restaurant became a landmark in Delhi, and was sought after by famous visitors including world leaders like Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, Bhutto, Kennedy, and the like. Thus began the popularity of butter chicken.
There are many versions of Butter Chicken, but the one that is most well-known is chicken marinated overnight in a yogurt and spice mixture, which includes garam masala, ginger, garlic paste, lemon, pepper, coriander, pepper and fenugreek and fresh cream.

Cashew paste can also be added, which will make the gravy thicker.
Of all the spices added to the dish, it is dried fenugreek leaves that make the best contribution to the characteristic flavor of the meal. Once the sauce is prepared, the prepared chicken is chopped and cooked until the gravy and chicken have blended.

The dish is then garnished with butter, fresh cream and green chillies. Butter chicken is usually served with flatbreads like naan (oven baked flat bread), roti, parathas and roomali roti, or steamed rice.
Best places to try it in Delh
Moti Mahal in Daryaganj, near Chandni Chowk
Punjabi by Nature, Vasant Vihar, New Delhi
Colonel Kebabz, Defence Colony, New Delhi
Kake Da Hotel, Cannaught place, New Delhi

CHOLE BHATURE
Indian food is also known for its beautiful vegetarian dishes. Chole Bhature is one such example.
Chole Bhature is a combination of Spicy chickpeas (Chole) and fried bread (Bhature).
Here is an authentic Indian recipe for this simple, yet delightful dish all the way from India:
2 cup chickpeas (channa)
2 tsp oil
1 bay leaf
1 stick cinnamon
3-4 cloves
1 tsp whole peppercorn
3 green cardamom
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp ginger (chopped)
1 tsp garlic
1 tsp ajwain
1 tsp lime juice
½ tsp asafoetida (heeng in Hindi)
1 green chili (chopped)
FOR THE BHATURAS

2 cups maida (refined flour)
½ tsp yeast, dissolved for ten minutes in lukewarm water
½ cup whole wheat flour
A pinch of salt
Water to knead
Oil for frying the Bhatura
METHOD:
In a pan, add oil, bayleaf, cinnamon, cumin seeds, cloves, whole peppercorns, green and black cardamom
After ingredients brown, add chopped onions and sauté
After sautéing, add chopped ginger and garlic
Then add turmeric, chili powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, asafoetida, salt and fry well
To deglaze the pan add a little water
Now add chole (soaked overnight and pressure cooked)
After stirring well, add tomatoes, a pinch of sugar and salt to the chole
Now add ajwain, chopped green chilies and water for the base
Simmer the chole gently for 15 minutes and cover
Garnish the chole with coriander and butter
Serve the chole hot with bhaturas
Knead the whole wheat flour, maida and salt together with adequate amount of water
Sprinkle the yeast on top. Let sit for 2-3 hours for the yeast to rise
Divide it into equal portions. Roll out in an oval or round shape
Deep fry till golden brown
Serve
Chole Bhature incorporates many spices ““ a trademark of Indian cuisine — so much so that the vegetables (and meat) seem like an afterthought. There are no rules in spice usage, as long as it results in something delicious.

CHICKEN TIKKA
The next Indian dish that is very popular globally is “˜Chicken Tikka.‘ Tikka, in English means “bits” or “pieces”.
It is small pieces of boneless chicken baked using skewers in a clay-based oven called Tandoor. (The Punjabi version of the dish does not necessarily include boneless pieces.) The pieces are brushed with ghee (clarified butter) at intervals to increase its flavors, while being continuously fanned. It is eaten with green coriander chutney and tamarind chutney served with onion rings and lemon.

WHERE TO EAT
Delhi
Khan Chacha in Khan market, New Delhi
Karims, Old Delhi (a definite must!)
But why wait for your trip to India?
Of course no place abroad can rival the experience of Delhi’s local cuisine, though there are many globally that come quite close.
Through my “˜Golden Thread’ (friends and family whose opinions and tastes I can vouch for), I managed to gather the names of a few excellent Indian restaurants in New York and London that almost do justice to the legacy of “˜Murgh Makhani’ and all that goes with it.

London
In London, one should definitely try “˜Punjab’ in Covent Garden. It was established in 1946 and is the oldest North Indian restaurant in the UK.
You should also try East is East, on Commercial Road, London for its Tandoori Chicken and Dal Makhani black lentils
New York
In New York, Dawat on 210 E 58th St is a must if one wants an authentic experience with North Indian food
Also Tamarind on 41-43 East 22nd Street is a must for classic Chicken Tikka Masala.
Chola on 232 E. 58th St is a worth a try for an all around perfect Indian meal.
In India, food is culture and vice versa. To experience Indian food is to taste India in all its colorful and vibrant forms.
What’s not to love about that?
Hailing from Assam, India, Divya Patwari is an avid tea drinker who holds a Bachelors degree in Political Science and a Masters in Fashion Management. She is always “˜in pursuit of happiness’ and wishes to travel all across Europe. Patwari’s studied John Locke and Rousseau, loves Julius Caesar and has a knack for reading minds. She’s always in love and welcomes you to join her in finding out the “˜Joie De Vivre’ together.