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North Indian Cuisine is largely influenced by the Mughal style of cooking. In their nearly 500 years rule over India, they contributed a lot to India including cuisine. Since the Mughals were originally from central Asia, the cuisine bears much similarity to the central Asian style of cooking.
North Indian gravies are generally dairy-based and employ thickening agents such as cashew or poppy seed paste unlike the South Indian cuisine where coconut plays the vital role of a thickening agent. The staple food of most of North India is a variety of lentils, vegetables, and roti (wheat based bread). The varieties used and the method of preparation can vary from place to place. Some common North Indian foods such as the different types of kebabs and most of the meat dishes originated with Mughals who advent into the country.
North Indian cuisine is distinguished by the extensive use of dairy products like milk, paneer, ghee (clarified butter), and yoghurt (yogurt) which form the common ingredients as compared to that of southern India, where the milk products, though consumed in large quantities are usually used unaltered.
A typical North-Indian meal would consist of chapatis or rotis (unleavened bread baked on a griddle) or paranthas (unleavened bread fried on a griddle), rice and an assortment of assessories like dals, friend vegetables, curries, curd, chutney, and pickles. For dessert one could choose from the wide array of sweetmeats from Bengal like rasagulla, sandesh, rasamalai and gulab-jamuns. North Indian desserts are very similar in taste as they are derived from a milk pudding or rice base and are usually soaked in syrup. Kheer is a form of rice pudding, shahi tukra or bread pudding and kulfi, a nutty ice cream are other common northern desserts.
Meat also enjoys a special place in north Indian cuisine. A variety of Kebabs and Biriyanis (a tantalizing marinade of rice and meat) bear the Mughal legacy.
Samosa is possibly the most popular snack in north India. Lassi is another beverage made from curd, which has an overwhelming taste. Gulab Jamun, Motichur Laddoo are popular sweets in this region.
Some interesting north Indian dishes are Reshmi Kabab, Seekh Kabab, and Shammi Kabab, Kashmiri Pulao, Tandoori Chicken and Mutton to name only a few.
Food from Punjab, 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.
Style of food: North Indian curries usually have thick, moderately spicy and creamy gravies. The use of dried fruits and nuts is fairly common even in everyday foods. Dairy products like milk, cream, cottage cheese, ghee (clarified butter) and yoghurt play an important role in the cooking of both savory and sweet dishes. Thanks to the fact that such a rich variety of fruit and vegetable is available at all times of the year, the region produces a dazzling array of vegetarian dishes.
Staple foods: North Indians seem to prefer Indian breads over rice, if the rich variety is anything to go by. This region is home to the tandoori roti and naans (bread made in a clay tandoor oven), stuffed parathas (flaky Indian bread with different kinds of vegetarian and non-vegetarian fillings) and kulchas (bread made from fermented dough). Rice is also popular and made into elaborate biryanis and pulaos (pilafs).
Popular dishes: Mutter Paneer (a curry made with cottage cheese and peas), Biryani, Pulaos, Daal Makhani, Dahi Gosht, Butter Chicken, Chicken Tikka, Fish Amritsari, Samosas (snack with a pastry case with different kinds of fillings), Chaat (hot-sweet-sour snack made with potato, chick peas and tangy chutneys), Motichoor laddoo....
States included: Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Uttaranchal, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Bihar, Jharkhand, Chattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh. |
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