MAHARASHTRIAN CUISINE
The local cuisine of Maharashtrians is rich & diverse ranging from the vegetarian preparation of the Brahmins to the exquisite sea food based cuisine of the Kolis. One of the most famous sweet dish is the shrikhand, a thick of curd. It is a great favourite at Maharashtrian weddings & festivals. Traditionally, a Maharashtrian wedding feast has to have 5 sweet delicacies of which motichur
laddu is a must.
The puran poli is another Maharashtrian sweet delicacy which is roti [wheat bread stuffed with flavoured ingredients]. It is generally associated with the Maharashtrian new year ‘GUDI PADVA’ & the Maharashtrians love to have it with aamti, the local curry & bhaji, a mixed vegetable dish. Many of the Maharashtrians, especially from the interiors, like Kolhapur, prefer spicy food.
Aamti, bhaat, & bhaaji is the essence of daily menu in the home of Maharashtra, Aamti is little hot, a little sweet, & a little tangy. Aamti is generally eaten with rice, roti, or bhaakris.
GUJARATI CUISINE
The traditional Gujarati food is primarily vegetarian & has a high nutritional value.
Gujarati cuisine has so much to offer & each dish has an absolutely different cooking style. The traditional ‘Guajarati thali’ mostly encompasses Rotli, Dal, or Kadhi, Sabji, also known as Shaak & Rice. Most of the Gujarati dishes are sweet, while other have a quite larger concentration of sugar as compared to salt & spices. Sometimes, jaggery is used as an alternative to sugar.
Gujarati food is mostly vegetarian & can be categorized based on the geographical regions. The Southern region food comprising Surat etc., is rich with ghee & spices & has a traditional flavour. Most common dishes from this part are ‘Undhiyo’ & Dal Dhokli’, etc., Khichadi is another Gujarati food which is now widely accepted in all regions of India.
A visit to Surat, Ahmedabad is incomplete without eating famous ‘Guajarati thali’. The meal starts with Chhash, followed by a thali with various type of Farsans, sweets, pickles, chutney, rice, vegetables etc. Gujarati dishes are very simple & can be easily prepared using little oil & spices.
‘Surat nu Jaman ane Kaasi nu Maran’; The food of Surat is like dying in the holy city of Kashi [now Varansi in Uttar Pradesh]. This popular saying praises the cuisine from the district of Surat in Gujarat.
PUNJABI CUISINE
The cuisine of Punjabi food is usually relished by people of all communities. In Punjab, home cooking differs from the restaurant cooking in style.
In the preparation of Punjabi food, onion, ginger, & garlic are used extensively to enhance the taste of the food.
Traditional Punjabi thali consists of varied kinds of bread, some are baked in the tandoor such as Tandoori Roti, Lachha paratha, Naan, Kulcha, while other are dry baked on tawa like Chapatti & Jawar ki Roti.
Punjabi food in itself is rich with items like, Chana, Choley or Rajma Lobia. Roti has its own variety in the form of Tandoori Roti.
The Punjabis are very hard working people & they love their food. Parathas are meant for breakfast, rajma, rice or chana masala for lunch & tandoori nonveg is for dinnertime.
Our Punjabi cook has chosen special Punjabi dishes which are most popular part of Punjabi cuisine like Pindi Chana with Roganjosh & Sarson ka saag with Makki ki Roti.
RAJASTHANI CUISINE
The cuisine of Rajasthan is primarily vegetarian. Rajasthanis’ use ‘Ghee’ for cooking most of the dishes. Rajasthani food is well known for its spicy curries & delicious sweets.
There is a popular sweet of each region like ‘Mawa Kachori’ of ‘Jodhpur,’ ‘Rasgullas of Bikaner’, ‘Ghewar of Jaipur’, ‘Malpua of Pushkar’, etc. Gramflour is the major ingredients in the making of a Pakodi & Gatte ki Sabji. Gramflour is a mainstay of ‘Marwari’ food mainly due to the scarcity of vegetables in the area. Major dishes of a Rajasthani include Dal bati, Tarfini, Rabadi, Ghewar, Bail Gatte, Panchkutaa, Chavdi, Laapsi, Kadhi & Boondi. Typical snacks include ‘Bikaneri Bhujia, Mirchi Vada, Pyaz Ki kachori, & Dal Kachori.
Dal-bati is the most popular dish prepared in the state. It is usually supplemented with ‘Churma’, a mixture of finely grinded baked rotis , ghee & sugar.
Traditional Rajasthani food comprises of special rotis like ‘Bajare ki Roti, Missi Roti,’ & Vegetables dishes like ‘Gatte ki Sabji,’ Kadhi, Dal Bati, Churma etc.
SOUTH INDIAN CUISINE
The cuisine of South India is known for its light, low calorie appetizing dishes. The traditional food of South India is mainly rice based. The cuisine is famous for its wonderful mixing of rice & lentils to prepare Dosa, Vadas, Idlis, & Uttapams.
Sambhar is like a must in the main course. It is usually a companion to most of the food items be it Idli, Vada or Dosa. Most of Sambhar, Rasam, Veg Curry & Pachadi, Other preparation of rice include Coconut Rice, Carrot Rice, & Fried rice made by using Coconut, Curry Leaves, Urad Dal, Tamarind, Peanuts, Chillies, & Fenugreek Seeds. South Indians do not make much use of Garam Masala & other dried spices.
It is well known that South Indian recipes are a favourite as they are light & fast to make.
South Indian cuisine is traditionally vegetarian & includes tasty, lip smacking delicious varieties prepared from grams, lentils, rice, greens & vegetables with spices adding aroma & taste to the food. The special varieties include dosas [crispy pancakes], Idlis [steamed rice dumplings], Pongal [cooked Rice & Lentils flavoured with Ghee, Pepper, Cumin Seeds, Cashewnuts, & Ginger], Idiappam [steamed rice noodles], Appam [baked pancake], delicately, spiced vegetables like ‘Sambhar’ [seasonedLlentil Broth], Chutney [Coconut Paste flavoured with Green Chillies & Coriander Leaves], Rasam [Tomato, Pepper & Cumin Seeds Broth] & Mounds of Rice.
Sweet are favourite with Sevaiya [sweetened noodles], Payasam [sweetened lentil along with Coconut Milk] being the favourite ones.