My take on Indian Food

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The writer’s block I developed for this topic has been the most painful. ‘Indian food’ would ideally be my favorite topic, actually it is my favorite topic but I have no clue where to start. Should I pick a region (North, South etc.), a state (Punjab, Kerala, West Bengal …), a cuisine (Awadh, Konkan…), a religion (Jain, Parsi …)? India has foods that could cover a world on its own, and no it’s not just curry we are serving tonight! In fact curry is the last thing ‘Indian cuisine’ would like to boast of, she is a gourmet and curry is too much fusion for her pride. ‘Indian cuisine’ cannot be defined because of its vastness, it cannot be categorized for the same reason too. What can explain the delicacies of this amazing country is the experience itself. So after you read this, take a trip to the closest restaurant that serves a cuisine other than that of your region (if you are in India) and if you are abroad, go to any Indian restaurant and no two will taste alike.



Let me start with two of the broadest categories I can find – Vegetarian and Non Vegetarian. Vegetarian’s in India are a large majority and most restaurants even international ones keep well stocked menus for them. There are no ‘vegan’s’ per se but there are communities that avoid onions and garlic all together, like the Jain’s. International flights readily offer ‘Jain’ meals because they are essentially a trader caste and run some of the largest family led business conglomerates. India has always had a strong farming culture which offers fresh seasonal vegetables through the year. The interesting thing about all the foods of India is that their history lies entrenched in ‘Ayurveda’. For instance, cauliflower is a winter vegetable, scientifically it is proven to be difficult to digest, its best consumed in cold weather because the body has a slow metabolism. It is available only in the winter months. Summers produce lighter, more water based vegetables and fruits like a variety of gourds and melons. Summer and winter foods throughout India vary and science behind it is always good for digestion and essential for the elements of that season. In states like Gujarat and Rajasthan, a vegetarian spread could mean over 100 dishes and again no two will taste alike. The famed ‘thali’ is the Indian counterpart of a 10-15 course meal, except that it’s served together and replenished as often as the patron likes. A variety of pulses, wet and dry will be served, along with curried or stir fried vegetables, pickles, yoghurts infused with onions, tomatoes, cucumbers or tempered with curry leaves, fritters called ‘pakoras’ of seasonal vegetables will complete the thali.

Non vegetarian cuisine on the other hand has historical value. The innumerable invasions of India, the Mughal era that started in the 1500’s, the Portuguese in Goa and the French in Pondicherry, all left a stark impact on the dishes of those areas. Some states like Kerala and regions like the Konkan coast can share fish and seafood recipes from hundreds of years ago but by and large non vegetarian food in India has constantly evolved. I once read a fun story about the famous ‘Meen Moily’ fish curry of Kerela (‘meen’ means fish). A British lady (I am sure it was over a 100 years ago), loved the authentic Kerala fish curry except that she found it too spicy (the real black pepper spice not the god awful red chilli one), so she worked it around with naturally sweet coconut milk, a whole lot of curry leaves and just a few green chillies… her name was Molly. Try that dish and you will thank me, in fact I think I’ll cook it tonight. Fish and seafood are cooked throughout coastal India, being a peninsula there was a lot of coast to cover. West Bengal uses coconut milk too but their ‘masala’ base is mustard seeds, Goan’s on the other hand are as fond of coconut milk but their ‘masala’ is a potent combination of dry red chillis and vinegar. You would have never tasted two prawn curries so different from each other and yet from the same country. Other meats like chicken, lamb and pork are very popular too. Imagine multiplying 100 vegetables x 25 cuisines x 1 billion homes … that’s the variety we offer.