Western India comprises of Maharashtra, Goa and Gujarat. The traditional cuisine in Goa has a strong influence of Portuguese who conquered the region and stayed behind as rulers. Items like vinegar and chilli peppers was introduced to India. Meat signature dishes like pork vindaloo made out of duck and fish head curry was presented to the locals who are now well acquainted with meat. In different circumstances, Gujarati cooking is mostly vegetarian.
Eastern cuisine: Green and green vegetables is an inherent part of their daily meals. They also tend to use a lot of mustard oil in their cooking, along with poppy seeds. Both South and East share love for rice.
The influence of religion in Indian food
India is a religious country and as such, religion plays a substantial role in the food. For instance, beef is prohibited for Hindus. Buddhists and Jains are mostly vegetarian. Infact, Jains exclude all root grown vegetables from their diet like onion, garlic, ginger, carrot etc. Muslims refrain from consuming pork and stick to a halal diet.
Christians don’t have any such kind of restrictions.
Recipe for Naan: A type of leavened roti that originated in Northern India.
Ingredients required
* White flour
* Curd
* Salt
*Sugar
*Baking soda, baking powder
* oil
*Nigella seeds
Method of cooking: First take a bowl and add about two tablespoons of curd in it. Now add a teaspoon of baking powder and baking soda to the curd. Mix well and add a teaspoon of powdered sugar. Transfer about two bowls of refined flour into the bowl. Add your salt, nigella seeds and mix well to ensure that it is well integrated. Make a pit in the center of the bowl using a spoon and add a tablespoon of oil (your choice), preferably vegetable oil.
Add water bit by bit and start forming the dough. Once the dough is formed, leave it to rest for about 2 hours. The dough doesn’t necessarily rise in size because there is no use of yeast.
Divide the dough into several pieces and round them up into even sized balls. Flatten each ball of dough with a rolling pin using a light hand. Once flattened, smear one side of the naan with water and stick it to the frying pan. Let it cook for a few seconds until bubbles appear. Now flip the pan and cook the other side directly on fire. The naan will now expand in size and start browning. You can alternatively navigate the pan in a way that all sides of the naan are sufficiently cooked.
Once it is cooked, remove the naan and keep it aside. Brush it with a combination of butter and coriander leaves. Serve hot! Naan can be eaten with a variety of side dishes like paneer butter masala and vegetable kadhai.
Rotimatic can prepare a variety of roti variations with ease like puri, paratha, tortilla etc. Give the rotimatic reviews a quick glance to gain a broader understanding.
