Indian food thread

[Varunastra]

Nope



Comparison was only to the extent that both are mostly dry states and that means that besan is quite common in the cuisines for making dry snacks (snakes, LOL).



I was in Gujarat for 2 months on a project and honestly its not easy to get decent non veg food there. I had to buy even eggs from a hole in the wall kind of place in a run down neighbourhood and I felt that people around are stating at me. When we were leaving back for Mumbai after the project got over, my colleague and I decided to pack some non veg food for the night train journey from the station which had a fair bit of meat serving eateries. When we started eating inside the train, everyone was staring at us and we had to close the curtains.

Dammm, and most vegetarians I know are eggiterians, wonder how some states went vegetarian ultra pro max, influence of Jainism/Buddhism?

 

[Sharma Ji]

making dry snacks (snakes, LOL).

take it and go

I was in Gujarat for 2 months on a project and honestly its not easy to get decent non veg food there. I had to buy even eggs from a hole in the wall kind of place in a run down neighbourhood and I felt that people around are stating at me. When we were leaving back for Mumbai after the project got over, my colleague and I decided to pack some non veg food for the night train journey from the station which had a fair bit of meat serving eateries. When we started eating inside the train, everyone was staring at us and we had to close the curtains.

damn :| believable but, also a "dry" state, but there are quasi legal workarounds to those... "meat" is also sort of frowned upon by many there, again, like having a beer might be frowned upon in Saudia or something..

but India hai, sab kuch milega !

 

[Paitoo]

Dammm, and most vegetarians I know are eggiterians, wonder how some states went vegetarian ultra pro max, influence of Jainism/Buddhism?

In Gujarat it is definitely the influence of Jainism. It will be difficult to find non veg and eggs even in Gujarati dominated areas of Mumbai.

I don't associate Buddhism with vegetarianism. Sri Lankans, South East Asians, Tibetans, Buddhist Dalits etc all eat meat.

 

[Sharma Ji]

Dammm, and most vegetarians I know are eggiterians, wonder how some states went vegetarian ultra pro max, influence of Jainism/Buddhism?

Buddhism varies vastly, there are many schools of it.. if you head to Dharamsala, you'll often see Tib monks knocking back a few beers before devouring a pork belly noodle soup something lol

 

[RescueRanger]

In Gujarat it is definitely the influence of Jainism. It will be difficult to find non veg and eggs even in Gujarati dominated areas of Mumbai.

I don't associate Buddhism with vegetarianism. Sri Lankans, South East Asians, Tibetans, Buddhist Dalits etc all eat meat.

This is something that has always interested me. I’ve had my fair share of Buddhist friends from China all except one were meat eaters.

 

[Paitoo]

This is something that has always interested me. I’ve had my fair share of Buddhist friends from China all except one were meat eaters.

I guess historic food habits are hard to change. It's like Hindus in Kerala and Bengal eating beef.

Interestingly, pork is not considering clean even by most Hindus, though not as a religious diktat, but I guess centuries of Muslims shunning it on the same grounds has had its effect. Here pork is eaten mainly by Christians, lower castes or by North Easterners. In an Indian city, pork shops are usually located in the poorest neighbourhoods and meat shops in other areas will sell mainly chicken, mutton and fish. When my parents first found out I had eaten pork, they were aghast. My dad was extremely upset.

Hindus who live on the edge of forests in South India will occasionally hunt and eat wild boar though.

 

[Sharma Ji]

This is something that has always interested me. I’ve had my fair share of Buddhist friends from China all except one were meat eaters.

Like any other great tradition, Buddhism too has spread far and wide..

Not qualified enough to speak on it, but there's the Theravada and Mahayanas, there's the Tibettan schools and the Japanese ones.. alag alag flavor lagtay ge inka mazhab ko.. no different to Islam, Myanmar have their (sort of) own take... in SE Asia there's yet other flavors. Cuisine and traditions differ by region, determined by topography, climate, and a myriad of other factors.

 

[hembo]

Indian biriyani is top of the food chain

But overall food is way to spicy and can't handle spicy

Not all Indian dishes are spicy. Some of the Bengali dishes and most of the Asaamese dishes do not use traditional spices, only herbs. Out of so many items from a traditional Assamese thali, only one dish (the chicken curry) uses some of the traditional spices. Even meats (mutton, chicken, duck, pigeon, pork etc.) are prepared without spices in Assam and let me tell you, these are damn delicious....

 

[hembo]

Maasor Tenga (Tangy Fish Curry)​

Maasor Tenga (Tangy Fish Curry) is a classic and popular Authentic Assamese dish.
The classic traditional Assamese tangy fish curry is one highly recommended dish which should not be missed in Assam. Maasor Tenga is one of the top favourite dishes, widely popular among food lovers across the country. This iconic dish is cooked with tomatoes and fresh rohu fish. The Assamese people use different souring elements to cook this dish, like Outenga (elephant apple), Thekera (Garcinia), Tomato, Lemon, different herbs, etc. Maasor Tenga or tangy fish curry is quite soothing in summer months, especially during lunch. The hot bowl of white rice with Maasor Tenga is good enough to satiate your food desire in Assam.

 

[Black Tornado]

Anda Pav is an egg burger and Cucumber Pachadi is a dish from kerela made with yogurt, cucumber, mint leaves and we were served it wish a dosa.

How come you don’t know about Anda Pav it’s a Mumbai favourite apparently.

Well being a Mallu I'm unaware of Pachadi, seems I need a software update.

 

[hembo]

Haah Joha Kumura (Duck Cooked with Ash Gourd)​

This is definitely one of the highly celebrated iconic traditional Assamese dishes. No Assamese feast is complete without this exotic dish. Duck meat is generally enjoyed in the winter months. Cooked with a special type of ash gourd called “joha kumura “which smells like Joha rice (Aromatic Rice) when cooked. Only traditional spices like ginger, garlic, green chillies and black pepper are used to cook it. This particular dish is always a part of Uruka feast (A celebratory feast one day before Magh Bihu)

 

[Paitoo]

Well being a Mallu I'm unaware of Pachadi, seems I need a software update.

More like a change of OS

 

[Varunastra]

I guess historic food habits are hard to change. It's like Hindus in Kerala and Bengal eating beef.

Interestingly, pork is not considering clean even by most Hindus, though not as a religious diktat, but I guess centuries of Muslims shunning it on the same grounds has had its effect. Here pork is eaten mainly by Christians, lower castes or by North Easterners. In an Indian city, pork shops are usually located in the poorest neighbourhoods and meat shops in other areas will sell mainly chicken, mutton and fish. When my parents first found out I had eaten pork, they were aghast. My dad was extremely upset.

Hindus who live on the edge of forests in South India will occasionally hunt and eat wild boar though.

I agree on the historic attachment, though I would say beef eating for Hindus in Bengal is not the norm but I do know a lot who do(it's usually buffalo meat). You'll find even Bengali Brahmins sparing none of the known non veg dishes, which would be awkward to see for sometime from rest of India.
The pork taboo is definitely due to islamic influence, but is a shame since it's so damn good, bring me those pork ribs mate. Have had the best in northeast and goa.

 

[hembo]

Patot diya maas (Steamed Fish Wrapped in Banana Leaf)​

Patot diya maas (Steamed fish wrapped in banana leaf) is another must try authentic Assamese dish. If you are a fish lover, this is highly recommended. The tiny fresh river fishes are used to prepare this dish. The cleaned fishes are mixed with aromatic herbs like coriander, culantro /sawtooth coriander, chopped onions, chillies, salt and mustard oil. They are wrapped in banana leaves or aromatic turmeric leaves and steamed. After steaming, add a few drops of aromatic lemon to it and Voila, taste it now!!

 

[RescueRanger]

Not all Indian dishes are spicy. Some of the Bengali dishes and most of the Asaamese dishes does not use traditional spices, only herbs. Out of so many items from a traditional Assamese thali, only one dish (the chicken curry) uses some of the traditional spices. Even meats (mutton, chicken, duck, pigeon, pork etc.) are prepared without spices in Assam and let me tell you, these are damn delicious....

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My fav food of all time has to be Gitthey a Pakistani smoked Sausage made in Chitral, it’s truly a unique mix between pepperoni and frankfurters.

I would certainly like to try some Indian meat dishes and even their vegetarian dishes, purely because I think exploring flavours like music is a magical experience.

This page has given me some inspiration . I regularly cook for my family and sometimes it’s hit and miss, i do live the idea of Thali food.

In Islamabad we have restaurant called table talk that serves a mix thali of vegetable dishes. It’s very delicious although I strongly think its flavour is more localised.

When I was younger there used to be an old trucker hotel (dhaba) called Mian Jee’s. It only served one dish a mix daal cooked in desi ghee which was so famous people came from all over Pakistan just to try it.

Sadly it has become popular and commercialised so the unique experience doesn’t exist anymore.

What kinds of Dhaba food is popular in India?

Wouldn't call it a melting pot - cause that's assimilation and becoming one thing
It's diverse - people from 40s still retain their culture, language etc (I saw a video of malayali Muslims speaking Thier own language eventhough they have been living in Karachi for decades), that's something different imo atleast

Thiers a big Urdu speaking cammunity in Lahore too but they're now low key going extinct culturally due to inter marrying and kid's have an inner city Lahori accent, while the grandfather speaks weird old Urdu,
I went to a wedding (both groom and bride were Urdu speaking ) and wedding had bhangra and pistol firing - only difference was dolkhi didn't have as many folk songs, and some rituals I couldn't understand

Karachi on the other hand stays diverse and authentic, this is what makes it beautiful imo

Karachi is a melting pot, I was born in Karachi and spent a good number of years there. Only in Karachi can you have a Parsi, a Christian and a Muslim running the same shop without causing WwIII