Meet South India’s Favorite Comfort Food

Few things can beat the feeling of biting into a piping hot idli, soft as cloud and with the characteristic sharp after-taste that this amazing dish leaves on one’s palate.

Idli, the south Indian version of rice cake, is made from a fermented batter of ground rice, lentils, fenugreek seeds and salt. For most South Indians it is the top most comfort food and is very commonly eaten at breakfast.  The perfect idli is soft, fluffy and pillowy to touch. They are usually two to three inches in diameter and are cooked in a steamer.

 Idli by itself is mostly bland with a slightly sour aftertaste that comes from the fermentation process. The traditional way of eating idli is to have it with accompaniments such as a coconut/peanut chutney and sambar. Sambar is a lentil preparation with loads of onion, garlic, spices and often vegetables added to it. The idlis are usually dipped in chutney or soaked in sambar before eating. The bland taste of idli readily soaks up the flavors of the accompaniments for a tastier meal.

There is an unfermented variety of idli too, called rava idli. Rava is semolina and idlis made with rava, instead of rice, do not need fermentation. The rava idli batter is often flavored with chopped ginger, chilies, curry leaves and onion as well.

The texture of idli varies from region to region. While some regions prefer a grainy idli, others like their idlis to be smooth and buttery. Even the size of idli differs. But, one thing remains constant, which is that all varieties of idli are very healthy and low in calories. Weight watchers often add idli to their diet as it provides significant amounts of nutrition at a very low calorie intake.

With health, nutrition and taste combined into one fluffy cake, idlis are one of India’s best foods for sure!

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Check Out This Unique Indian Ingredient

While most Indian restaurants have popularized northern Indian cuisine and Southern Indian cuisine heavily, there are certain regional cuisines which even most Indians have little knowledge of. We already covered gems like black rice and red ant chutney. This week we have akhuni.

Akhuni comes from the North Eastern state of Nagaland. Also known as Dzacie aakhone or axone, akhuni is a common fermented food product of the state. It is a paste made of fermented soyabeans and used as a flavorant. Akhuni is relished by people of all tribes, but most notably by the Sema tribe of southern Nagaland.

To prepare akhuni, soyabeans are harvested and cleaned well in fresh water. They are then boiled till they turn soft, but retain their shape. The water is then drained out and the beans are placed in a pot and put out in the sun, or stored next to a fire in order to ferment. The fermentation process takes three to four days in summer and about a week in winter. There is no fixed time for soyabean to reach the right level of fermentation. The locals depend on the smell to judge when the beans are ready.

The fermented beans are coarsely smashed using a mortar and pestle to make a lumpy paste. The akhuni is packed in banana leaf parcels and sold. This paste can be used immediately or stored for a few weeks if placed next to a fire.

The fermentation process gives the soyabeans a strong smell and a distinctive umami flavor. This paste is used to cook a variety of dishes, most notably pork and snails. Akhuni is also used to make a pungent chutney by mixing it with roasted and ground ghost peppers, garlic, ginger and other spices.

While akhuni by itself can be overpowering for most people, once cooked, it gives the dish a very tangy and unique taste. The trick lies in knowing how much of akhuni to use and exactly when to add it to the dish.

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Exotic Dining Takes A New Form With Red Ant Chutney

In a land known for its exotic ways of life, there is something to surprise you at every turn. A lot of such exotic elements come from the food of India. Apart from the well known vindaloos, naans and various curries, Indian food also has some relatively unknown foods like black rice, fermented soya bean, bamboo shoot delicacies and red ant chutney!

Yes, you read it right. We said red ant chutney. This exotic condiment, known as chaprah, is a spicy, pungent chutney, sour in taste. This is made from the eggs of red ants combined with the ants. It is a tribal dish from the state of Chattisgarh in India and is a favorite among the Dhuruva tribe.

The ants are packed with formic acid which is said to have medicinal properties which are effective against stomach ailments. The ants are also believed to raise libido which is another reason for chaprah being so popular.

Red ants and their eggs are collected by sticking a thick stick on an ant hill for the ants to crawl over. Once the stick gets covered with ants and eggs, they are shaken into a container. Tribal cooks believe that queen ants are best as they are fat and juicy. The collected raw ingredients are sun-dried and then ground into a paste with spices such as chili, ginger, salt and tamarind. The result is a fiery, decadant dish that makes an excellent garnish as well as a condiment on its own.

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The Black (Food) Beauty!

So, everybody knows India is the land of rice and curry. The fluffy snow white grains of rice seamlessly take on the flavors of curry to create a taste explosion in your mouth. But, there’s another lesser know variety of rice which rarely gets its due in the spotlight. Black rice, also known as purple rice or forbidden rice, is an Eastern/N. Eastern Indian specialty. It is mostly grown in Odisha, West Bengal and Jharkhand, but, commonly eaten in Manipur because of its medicinal value.

The medicinal value of black rice comes from the nutrients it is loaded with. This variety of rice contains more B and E, niacin, calcium, magnesium, iron and zinc as compared to regular rice. Consequently black rice has anti-inflammatory properties and anti-angiogenesic effects.

Called ‘chakhao poireiton’ in the local language, Manipuris serve black rice pudding at feasts and celebrations. The raw grains of the rice are a matte black color but once cooked the rice turns purple. The cooked rice is slightly sticky and nutty in taste.

It is interesting to know that black rice is also consumed in China. The name ‘Forbidden rice’ originates from China where this rice was served only to royalty and the common people were forbidden to eat it. The Manipuri variety of rice is more aromatic, but apart from that, Chinese black rice and the Manipuri chakhao are same in every other way.

Black rice is a great alternative for those who are looking for a low GI variety of rice or are trying to watch their weight.

For a first time black rice eater, it might be a good idea to taste it in pudding form first to get a feel of what it is like. You can move on to the more commonplace way of eating it later!

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The Portuguese Connection!

Could you imagine Indian food without tomatoes, potatoes and most importantly, chillies? No? Well, you can thank the Portuguese for that.

The Portuguese established trade colonies in India during the early 16^th century. Portuguese India spread mostly along the west coast of the country and also influenced Eastern India, specifically Bengal. The most noticeable Portuguese influence is in the cuisine of Goa. Goa’s most famous dish, the vindaloo, is a derivative of the Portuguese Carne de Vinha d’Alhos. Carne de Vinha d’Alhos is a pork dish made with the meat marinated in garlic and wine. Vindaloo is a modification with palm vinegar instead of wine and the addition of red chillies and additional spices.

Vindaloo is just one of the many Portuguese influenced dishes. There’s the Goanese Bebinca, dodol and kulkuls, Mangalorean sorpotel, Bengali Bandel cheese and shukto, and many varieties of puffs, pastries and buns found across India.

The Portuguese left their mark in cooking, most notably with the use of cayenne pepper, potatoes, vinegar, beets, bell peppers, carrots, cashews, cassava, pineapple, passion fruit, corn, cocoa,guavas, lima beans, litchis, peanuts, papaya, pumpkin, sweet potato and custard apple, among others.  Nowadays these food items are a mainstay of Indian cuisine, considered a part of Indian culinary heritage with ther actual origins being long forgotten.  The Portuguese also introduced pork to Indian cuisine.

The confluence of the various culinary arts resulted in a cuisine rich in flavors and covering a wide range of preferences in terms of taste and ingredients. This year make it a point to try out the various globally influenced food items of India and go on a culinary discovery that will surprise you at every turn. Happy New Year!

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A Celebration That Brings The Country Together

It’s the end of the year and time for celebrations! Christmas is a festival that calls for much fanfare across India. It’s not just Christians, but people from all walks of life put up trees, decorate their homes and celebrate this day.

Christmas fare in India is more or less the same as it is in most other parts of the world. Roast meat - ham, chicken, duck, beef, and in recent times, even turkey – is the centerpiece of the Christmas table.  Plum cakes or Dundee cakes also make an appearance. Rum soaked fruitcakes are the highlight of Christmas and noted bakeries or hotels often host a fruit-soaking event a month ahead of Christmas. Conventional Christmas drinks such as eggnog and mulled wine are also gaining popularity.

Along with the traditional food, local dishes and desserts are also incorporated during Christmas feasts. Sweet coconut filled dumplings, cashew candies, rice puddings, rose cookies and several regional delicacies are churned out this time of the year. Indeed, preparing for Christmas is more of a social event than just making a family meal.  Household specialties are made and distributed among neighbors, family and friends. The preparations, which often start a week in advance, lead to long gossip sessions and a memorable chance to catch up with each other.

In a country which is a huge melting pot of diversity, Christmas has achieved the impossible. It brings people of every caste, creed and religion together, even if it is for just one day in the year!

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Enjoy The Crunchy Indian Papad

The papadum or papad, as it is more commonly known, is a crunchy appetizer to be found in most Indian eating establishments. This crisp thin cracker is a favorite with Indian food lovers and why not? Papad packs quite a punch within its crispy goodness.

Papads are made from lentil flour. While these days papad is mass produced using machinery, the traditional method of making papad is by hand. Water and spices are added to lentil flour to make dough. After resting the dough for some time, it is rolled into a long sausage like shape. Threads are used to chop off small sections of the dough roll and these sections are rolled out till they are paper thin and almost transparent.  These are then sundried and packaged. Variations on the papad include potato flour papad or tapioca pearl papad.

While all varieties of papad are delicious, the lentil flour papads are most common and widely regarded as having a few health benefits as well. The spices in the papad, such as cracked pepper and asafetida, help in digestion. Moreover, the protein content from the lentils also help in contributing to the health aspect. However, these benefits come with a condition. Deep-fried papads, while delicious, are not at all healthy. Go for the oven roasted papads and do not consume more than a couple of them in a day. Papad dough is high in salt, so too many papads will have adverse effects on your health.

For those who find plain papads a bit boring, try out the masala papad. Masala papads usually has a mix of chopped cucumbers, onions and tomatoes on top. Chopped chili may also be added at times. 

Be warned though, masala papad is not for the faint of heart. Keep some yogurt on hand if the heat gets too much to handle. 

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