South indian food for 8 months baby
Baby food chart with recipes for 7 months to 1 year Indian baby & toddlers
By Swasthi on August 6, 2022, Comments,
Indian baby food chart along with a list of tried & tested 60 Indian baby food recipes. Thanks to the readers who led me to this post on Indian baby food chart. Before I take you to the details of the food chart and the food recipes, please be informed that this post is based on my experience. I have honestly expressed my views and opinions on easy baby weaning so that it could be helpful to new mothers.
Please read the comments below before posting your queries since similar queries may have been answered.
Well, some of my tips might look like old wives tales since they are based on Ayurveda, but I do trust them in growing healthy and happy babies. However I suggest consulting your elders or pediatrician before you follow any new foods or tip that have been mentioned here.
For the past several years, I have been consistently sharing & updating baby recipes especially for a good weight gain. You can find all the latest recipes or ideas on the baby toddler recipes section.
Readers who have been asking for suggestions on foods to gain weight, please check this detailed post on best foods for weight gain in babies & toddlers.
Is this baby food chart suitable to my Baby?
This Indian baby food chart is a generalized one suitable for most babies. However i suggest you to use your judgement whether to include or not, certain ingredients in your babies diet based on your babies allergies, intolerance, appetite, likes and dislikes.
I have tried to link most Indian baby food recipes that I have posted earlier on this blog. Many were written almost 5 years ago and are updated regularly with new tips based on the readers reviews.
This Indian baby food chart was developed by me based on what i fed my 2 kids, whose birth weight was 3.
3 kgs and 3.4 kgs. The ideas were basically drawn from the health and baby weaning booklets that were given to us during our visits to the singapore clinics, hospitals and few from clinics in Bangalore.
This chart is also suitable to babies who were preterm born or were underweight. However I suggest mums with such babies to consult a pediatrician if you are skeptical about these foods.
This post will be updated, to include tips and other information. You can leave a comment here if you want to know anything specific which will be answered. Please feel free to share or discuss your experiences, views, problems that you encounter while weaning your babies in the comment section. It could be helpful to other readers, it’s through sharing we can learn.
When to introduce food to baby – 6 months to 1 year
Here is a brief guide on the right time to introduce foods. But how to introduce them can be found in the recipe posts. Example: Oats or oatmeal – I have mentioned clearly how to choose them and the kind you can use and how to prepare it for a baby.
You can find a a detailed baby food chart for 6 months old baby here along with recipes.
This Indian baby food chart and the baby food recipes have been developed for a good weight gain in babies.
Indian baby food chart for babies above 7 months or from 8 months
| Milk – (skip milk if baby wakes up after 8 am, make a milk based breakfast from breakfast section) |
| One of the following: APPLE RICE CEREAL Quick fix breakfast (for 8 to 18 months): |
 15 am |
| One of the following: Steamed apple (raw apple for babies older than 12 months) |
| Try using whole grains like RAGI OR FINGER MILLET Try one of the following DALIA KHICHDI (vegetable broken wheat food) For a lighter meal, if the baby has colic mashed rice with dal ka paani with a pinch of ajwain(strained dal soup) |
 30 to 3 pm |
| Fruits or steam cooked mashed veggies |
| One of the following: Large serving of Milk |
| Please Note: Feeding late can cause indigestion and the infant may not sleep due to colic. Avoid feeding heavy foods. Dinner should always be light, nutritious, mostly vegetable based. For babies from 10 to 12 months prefer light foods from breakfast section. Avoid egg & nuts. Babies above 12 months : Any foods mentioned in the breakfast and lunch can also be served for dinner. Other options mashed rice with dal ka paani (strained dal soup) |
| Large serving of Milk. Make sure there is a gap of at least 1 hour 30 mins in between the completion of dinner and milk. For babies above 12 months: If the baby is still hungry after the milk, can feed some light crackers. |
Related post: how to make ragi flour for babies or toddlers’ porridge
Tips to increase the appetite in babies
1. Try to serve fruits 1 ½ to 2 hours before a meal. They tend to make the infant feel hungry naturally. Do not serve fruit with a meal.
2. Do not mix fruits with dairy especially milk.
It leads to indigestion.
3. Babies need exercise, let them play and crawl or run around. Don’t confine them to a small area. For toddlers / babies who can walk, a small walk in the neighborhood before a meal can make them hungry.
General Tips:
1. If you have a very fussy baby, avoid milk in the early morning and serve milk based breakfast mentioned in the table.
2. Serving bread or any other baked stuff to babies, leads to colic or bloating due to the ingredients like baking soda, powder, yeast etc.
3. Limit crackers or biscuits to only once a day, avoiding is however better.
About Swasthi
I’m Swasthi Shreekanth, the recipe developer, food photographer & food writer behind Swasthi’s Recipes. My aim is to help you cook great Indian food with my time-tested recipes. After 2 decades of experience in practical Indian cooking I started this blog to help people cook better & more often at home.
Whether you are a novice or an experienced cook I am sure Swasthi’s Recipes will assist you to enhance your cooking skills.
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Baby food recipes - 6 to 18 months
By Swasthi on August 26, 2022, Comments, Jump to Recipe
Baby food recipes – A collection of homemade Indian baby food recipes for 6 10 18 months babies. If you are a new mum, you can check this Baby food chart for 6 months baby. If you have a baby older than 7 months then you can check this Indian baby food chart for 8 months & above. You can also take a look at the best foods to gain weight in babies & toddlers.
This post contains a list of all Indian baby food recipes available on this blog.
I have also included a few sample baby food recipes in the recipe card. All the recipes are tried and tested and have been served for both my babies.
If your pediatrician has suggested you to start, then You can start with a single fruit, single veggie and then single grain. For more details please check this post on How to introduce solids to baby.
I highly recommend reading every line of the baby food posts on this blog as they can guide you extensively.
Baby food recipes – babies above 6 months
How to make baby rice cereal
Apple rice
Ragi porridge for babies
Apple Wheat porridge
Apple ragi (try ragi and apple separately first, then try together)
Khichdi for babies
Methi khichdi
Moong dal soup
Carrot almond baby food
Potato rice
Barley baby cereal
Sago carrot kheer for babies
Sabudana kheer for babies
Wheat cereal for babies
Soft idli recipe
Milk oats porridge
How to make ragi flour for babies
Oats porridge with vegetables (blend till smooth)
Sweet potato rice
Apple oats
Babies above 8 months
Sprouts soup
Urad dal khichdi
Raw banana rice
Ven pongal.
please mash the rice well and remove the pepper corns. You can also puree it.
Curd rice. Puree if desired, skip tempering.
Curd oats
Moong dal halwa
Ragi idli
Baby food recipes for babies above 11 months
These need to be pureed before serving
Dalia khichdi
Oats vegetable khichdi
Sweet corn soup
Barley soup with vegetables
Chickpeas toddler food
Chickpeas soup (for babies above 15 months)
Badam milk. pls consult your doctor and use buffalo or goat milk, avoid cow’s milk.
Set dosa
Banana milkshake
Lassi (avoid salt and sugar)
Neer dosa
Kambu dosa
Sample Indian baby food recipes
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Servings2
AuthorSwasthi
Ingredients for 6 months baby food recipes 1 – Any one of the following (refer notes)
- ▢ ½ banana
- ▢ 1 sapota
- ▢ ½ papaya
- ▢ 2 tbsp cooked rice
Ingredients for 7 to 8 months baby food recipes 2 (refer notes)
- ▢ 2 tbsp rice or 2 tbsps ragi or wheat flour
- ▢ 200 ml water
- ▢ 1 small apple or banana
- ▢ 1/8 tsp ghee homemade (refer notes)
Ingredients for 8 months baby food recipes 3
- ▢ 1½ tbsp rice aged rice
- ▢ 1½ tbsp dal (toor or moong dal)
- ▢ 1½ tbsp carrots chopped
- ▢ 200 ml water
- ▢ 1/8 tsp ghee homemade
Ingredients for 8 months baby food recipes 4
- ▢ 2 tbsp rice
- ▢ 1 baby potato or 2 tbsp chopped
- ▢ 1 pinch carom seeds powder (ajwain powder)
- ▢ ¼ tsp ghee homemade
Making 6 months baby food recipes
- ▢
Make sure you follow the 3 day test rule for every food you introduce.
Wait for the results until 4th day. - ▢
To make the baby food, Mash any one of the fruits – banana, papaya, sapota very well until smooth.
- ▢
If desired add it to a blender and puree until smooth. To thin down add a few spoons of boiled and cooled water. Fruit puree is ready.
- ▢
If using cooked rice, then puree together rice and any of the fruit – (banana, papaya, sapota or steamed apple) along with some boiled and cooled water. Fruit flavored rice is ready.
- ▢
You can also feed only steamed apple. Peel and chop the apples. Bring half cup water to a boil and add the apples to it.
- ▢
Cook until the apples are slightly tender just for a minute or 2. Cool and puree with rice or just the steamed apple. Apple puree is ready.
Making 7 months baby food recipes
- ▢
Wash rice and soak in water for at least 30 mins.
- ▢
Pressure cook on a medium flame for 2 to 3 whistles.
You can also cook in a pot until soft. - ▢
Apple flavored rice cereal : When the pressure goes down, open the lid and add grated apple. Cover and cook for 2 to 3 mins. Cool and make a smooth puree. If needed add some boiled and cooled water. Add few drops of hot ghee. Apple flavored rice is ready.
- ▢
Banana rice cereal : Cool the rice completely. Add banana and rice to a blender and make a fine puree. Pour few tbsps boiled and cooled water if desired.
Making 8 months baby food recipes
- ▢
Wash rice and dal in a cooker or pot a few times until the water runs clear. Add grated carrots and pour water.
- ▢
Pressure cook for 2 to 3 whistles on a medium heat. If cooking in a pot add more water as needed.
- ▢
When the pressure goes down, using a masher mash the food to smooth. This is the stage you must be teaching you baby to eat mashed foods. Reduce feeding pureed foods. Add ghee to hot food and serve warm.
Rice dal baby food is ready.
Making 8 months baby food recipes
- ▢
Soak rice until water runs clear. Soak for 30 mins and cook along with potato until soft for 3 whistles. Mash the rice well and add ghee. Feed warm. To prevent colic you can add a pinch of ajwain powder. Potato rice is ready.
The nutrition values are only for the banana flavored rice. These are approximations only.
Please follow 3 day wait rule for every food you introduce.
Alternative quantities provided in the recipe card are for 1x only, original recipe.
For best results follow my detailed step-by-step photo instructions and tips above the recipe card.
Nutrition Facts
Baby food recipes
Amount Per Serving
Calories 45
% Daily Value*
Potassium 105mg3%
Carbohydrates 10g3%
Sugar 3g3%
Vitamin C 2.
6mg3%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Tried this recipe?Mention @SwasthisRecipes or tag #swasthisrecipes!
© Swasthi’s Recipes
step by step
About Swasthi
I’m Swasthi Shreekanth, the recipe developer, food photographer & food writer behind Swasthi’s Recipes. My aim is to help you cook great Indian food with my time-tested recipes. After 2 decades of experience in practical Indian cooking I started this blog to help people cook better & more often at home. Whether you are a novice or an experienced cook I am sure Swasthi’s Recipes will assist you to enhance your cooking skills.
Follow Swasthi’s Recipes
Sign up to receive awesome Swasthi’s Recipes in your inbox *
Popular Recipes
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Indian cuisine - 3 recipes for autumn colds
Diverse and intriguing.
Intense and colorful like a Bollywood movie, that's what Indian cuisine is like. Its taste will surely warm you up in autumn like no other! See 3 recipes for flavorful Indian dishes!
Tapinder Sharma , owner of the Ganesh restaurant chain, presents some original recipes for warming up Indian dishes.
Aloo Chat (Indian specialty - fried potatoes with tomatoes)
Ingredients:
- 6 large potatoes, 1 tomato
- a pinch of cumin (Jeera), half a teaspoon of turmeric (Haldi)
- half a teaspoon of chata masala, salt/pepper to taste
- lemon juice sprigs of coriander
- 0.5 l oil
Wash and peel the potatoes. Cut into large cubes and fry until golden brown. After achieving the desired effect, drain them and drain the fat. Heat a tablespoon of oil in a frying pan, and in the meantime cut the tomato into large cubes. Once the oil is hot, add the Jeera and fry it.
When it turns an intense brown color, add pre-fried potatoes, haldi and chat masala. Salt and pepper to taste and taste. We intensively mix all the ingredients for 5 - 8 minutes. After getting a golden brown crispy potato shell, add the pre-cut tomatoes and squeeze in the lemon juice (to your taste and taste). Put the resulting dish in a dish and garnish with sprigs of fresh coriander.
Samosa Veg (fried vegetarian dumplings)
Cake:
- 80 g of wheat flour, ½ teaspoon salt
- Lorona seeds (Ajvain)
- 2 large potatoes, 10 green peas
- salt/pepper to taste, half teaspoon turmeric (haldi)
- half teaspoon Chat Masala spice, half teaspoon coriander seeds (dhaniya)
- 0.5 l oil
Dough: mix flour with Ajvain, gradually mix with water until smooth. The dough should be firm and well beaten. We roll into a circle and cut it in half.
Filling: Peel and cook the potatoes, then crush them. Heat oil in a pan and add all ingredients one at a time. Once the filling is thoroughly mixed, set it aside to cool.
Form a semi-circle of the dough into a cone (joining the flat part of the cut dough together) and stuff it with the filling. Finally, we cover Samosa with the remaining "tongue" from the half circle of the cake. Heat the oil in a saucepan and add the cooked samosas. It is important not to put the dumplings in hot oil, because the stuffing will remain cold. Fry for about 5 - 10 minutes. until golden brown. Mix flour with water until smooth. We shape it into a ball, crush it between the palms and roll it out a bit to get a wide, flat cake. We'll put that aside. Wash the potatoes and peel them. Boil all vegetables until tender. We mix with each other, seasoning with salt, pepper and haldi (the more daring to add chopped chili at this point). Place the resulting mixture into the previously formed cake. We close them like this to create a "bag" with vegetables inside and glue it.
Then roll out so that the vegetables inside “crush” the dough. Parant should be 2 - 4 mm thick. It is important to dust the cake with Atta flour when rolling - there is no other! Place the formed Parantha on a hot dry frying pan. When we notice that the bottom is golden, we translate the cake. Melt butter on top for better flavor. When the other side has a similar color - repeat the action. Parantha tastes best with natural yogurt. When the bottom turns golden, we translate the cake. Melt butter on top for better flavor. When the other side has a similar color - repeat the action. Parantha tastes best with natural yogurt. When the bottom turns golden, we translate the cake. Melt butter on top for better flavor. When the other side has a similar color - repeat the action. Parantha tastes best with natural yogurt.
Bharva Parantha (pancake made of Indian flour with vegetables)
Ingredients:
- 100 g of anthu flour, 1 large potatoes
- Cut green beans, green peas
- Cubated carrots, salt and pepper
- tr.
haldi) - butter, 1 glass of water, optional 1 fresh green chili pepper
Mix flour and water until smooth. We shape it into a ball, crush it between the palms and roll it out a bit to get a wide, flat cake. We'll put that aside. Wash the potatoes and peel them. Boil all vegetables until tender. We mix with each other, seasoning with salt, pepper and haldi (at this point, the brave ones add chopped chili). Place the resulting mixture into the previously formed cake. We close them so that we have a "bag" with vegetables inside and glue them together. Then roll out so that the vegetables inside “crush” the dough. Parant should be 2 - 4 mm thick. It is important to dust the cake with Atta flour when rolling - there is no other! Place the formed Parantha on a hot dry frying pan. When we notice that the bottom is golden brown, we transfer the cake. Melt the butter on top for better flavor. When the other side has a similar color - repeat the action. Parantha tastes best with natural yogurt.
Indian cuisine has become increasingly popular in Poland over time. There are two main types worth distinguishing: South Indian and North Indian cuisine:
- The cuisine of South India , due to its geographical location and the hot climate of the monsoon zone, is based mainly on seafood and coconut (most of the population of this region - Hindu believers who do not eat meat). His dishes are served on palm and banana leaves.
- North Indian cuisine is definitely heavier, with thick sauces and an explosion of aromatic spices. Meat is also widely used, mainly poultry and lamb. The most famous dish is curry - meat stewed with many spices, served with specially prepared vegetables. This cuisine is the most famous and widespread in the world.
for those who like it hot
The basis of the average Indian diet is rice with vegetables and legumes, and dishes are so spicy that sometimes a fire extinguisher will not interfere.
When cooking in India, they use so many spices, a mixture of which is called "masala", that after a meal, a real "fiery flower" blooms in our European stomachs, which are unusual for such things. However, Indian cuisine is so unusual and varied that it is not a pity to lay down the stomach to study it.
SACRED COW
Approximately 80% of the population of India are vegetarians. In Hinduism, meat-eating is not welcome. But the remaining 20%, most of whom are Muslims, enjoy eating chicken, lamb and even beef.
The cow is a sacred animal in India and is forbidden to eat in most states. At the same time, locally produced dairy products are eaten with pleasure by Indians.
When one reads Indian legislation, one gets the impression that cows in the country are in a much better position than women! Judge for yourself: in India, a prison term is due for injuring or killing an animal. So, in the state of Kashmir, you can get up to 10 years in prison, and in the state of Gujarat, even more - life imprisonment! In addition, the storage and transportation of beef is prohibited, which is also punishable by a prison term.
"When one reads Indian legislation, one gets the impression that cows in the country are in a much better position than women"
It is legal to slaughter and eat cows in the northeastern state of West Bengal and in the south of the country in Kerala. By the way, Kerala is an extremely prosperous Indian state with the lowest birth rate in the country, the best medical care and the highest literacy rate of the population - 93%. The communists have been ruling here for a long time, and the cow is not considered such a sacred animal. Therefore, they are brought here for slaughter from all over the country.
MUST EAT
Snack and breakfast
The most common snack in the country is fried triangular patties stuffed with spicy potato, legumes or vegetable samosa. Vendors shouting "Samosa, samosa, samosa!" with each other can be found on the streets and markets, at stations, on trains, parks, squares, and at most attractions.
And we know such pies under the name samsa.
Another great quick snack is pakora, or batter-fried vegetables cut into small pieces. However, be careful! Among potatoes, cauliflower and eggplant, hot peppers can also be caught.
In India, it is customary to eat with your hands, and here bread cakes often serve not only as a snack or side dish, but also as spoons. Therefore, there are a great many varieties of bread in the country, and each region will definitely have its own recipe. Everywhere in India you can find puri - palm-sized airy cakes fried in oil. As a rule, puri is served for breakfast, accompanied by a filling of stewed vegetables or sweet and spicy potatoes.
Another popular breakfast dish is dosa. It is a huge, thin and, in most cases, crispy pancake made from rice flour. Mounted on a tray like a mountain or rolled into a tube, the dosa is served with several types of chutney sauces, spicy to tears.
Lunch and dinner
This is a spicy stew made from boiled legumes (chickpeas, lentils, mung beans) with the addition of spices, tomatoes and onions.
Dal is served with wheat cakes cooked on an open fire, and at home on a gas burner. In different parts of the country, such cakes are called chapati (chapati) or roti (roti), although this is the same dish.
When it's time for dinner, feel free to go to any restaurant and order a traditional Indian "business lunch" - thali. Tali is served on a large tray in the center of which they put a plate with rice and a couple of wheat cakes, and around 5-7 bowls with different dishes are added: dal, stewed vegetables, spicy potatoes, local milk - in general, everything that is found in the kitchen. Tali is traditionally eaten with the hands or with flatbread.
"The role of the main dish here is successfully performed not only by legumes and vegetables, but even by simple potatoes"
Well, perhaps the most famous dish of Indian cuisine in the world is curry. In fact, curry is not a specific dish, but a whole group of Indian sauces. In different parts of the country, curries are prepared using all sorts of ingredients (legumes, vegetables, meat or fish) and are served in addition to boiled rice.
One of the features of Indian cuisine is that not only legumes and vegetables, but even simple potatoes successfully serve as the main dish here. To understand how it is to eat a side dish with a side dish, order one of the varieties of curry - fiery-spicy alu gobi. Aloo means "potato" in Hindi and gobi means "cauliflower". The whole dish consists of stewed potato slices with cabbage buds, of course, with the addition of the hottest spices and is served with a bowl of boiled rice.
Another group of dishes popular in India includes the word "paneer" in the name. Paneer is a soft cheese similar to the familiar Adyghe cheese. In Indian dishes, paneer is fried, steamed and baked. They are often substituted for meat in vegetarian versions of local dishes. One of the must eat dishes of this group is palak paneer. It looks like an unpresentable green liquid made from pureed spinach with pieces of cheese and traditional Indian spices, but it tastes gentle and spicy.
Desserts and sweets
Indian desserts are sweet and extremely high in calories.
They are usually prepared from bean flour, cereals, nuts, dairy products, fruits and all kinds of spices, and be sure to add melted butter ghee (ghee) to delicacies or fry them in fat. Honey is used extremely rarely, because according to Ayurveda, when heated, it becomes harmful to health.
India's most popular treat is sweet laddu balls made from grated nuts, spices, coconut flakes, and chickpea or mung bean flour fried with ghee. Laddu is traditionally prepared in India for the holidays, and on ordinary days they can be found in pastry shops throughout the country.
Gulab jamun (gulaab jamun) - another sweet balls that adorn Indian festive tables and religious festivals. Gulab jamun is prepared from milk and semolina, frying in oil, which allows you to achieve a hard crust and a delicate filling.
Also popular in India are multi-colored creamy sweets burfi (burfi) made from milk and butter with the addition of various ingredients that affect the color of the delicacy, as well as halawa.
True, Indian halva is not the same dish that is sold in our stores. Halava in India is made from semolina with a lot of butter, and it resembles a crumbly sweet pudding.
Perhaps the most beautiful Indian delicacy is the translucent “nests” of zhalebi. They are fried right on the streets in huge vats and even watching the cooking process is a pleasure! With a flick of the wrist, skillful Indian culinary specialists pour batter from yogurt and flour into boiling oil, and amazingly beautiful stings appear before our eyes.
Another dessert found everywhere in cafes and restaurants is kheer, a sweet rice porridge. Kheer is boiled in full-fat milk with zest, almonds and many spices added to the rice. In general, dairy products in India are delicious, varied and will definitely appeal to you.
For those who cannot live without kefir for a day, India is a true paradise. One of the most popular local fermented milk products, dahi (dahi) or curd (curd), resembles something between yogurt and curdled milk.
In the north of the country, condensed milk is prepared from it - rabri (rabri), and in the central states - basandi (basandi). Sugar, spices and nuts are added to both Dahi/Kurd based dishes. And already from condensed milk they make local ice cream - kulfi (culfi).
MUST DRINK
India is famous for its "Elephant Tea" all over the world! But it is immediately exported, and the Indians are forced to drink the remaining black powder, as we have in tea bags. When brewed, it turns out to be very strong and completely tasteless. Perhaps that is why tea (chai) in India is always and everywhere drunk with milk. If you want regular black tea, don't forget to ask for "black tea" before ordering. Unfortunately, street vendors, food vendors on trains and stations, as well as inexpensive cafes often will not have such an opportunity and will have to be content with ready-made tea with milk.
Masala chai is a national Indian drink made from the same powdered black tea with milk, to which the Indians have not forgotten to add their favorite spices: cardamom, cloves, ginger, pepper and much more.
You can order it on a par with ordinary tea in cafes, restaurants and even in street tea shops.
India's second national drink is lassi. This fermented milk product in the north of the country is thick, sour and resembles our kefir, and in central and southern India it is more like drinking yogurt served with salt, sugar or fruit. Lassi can be ordered at any eatery and even special lassie cafes across the country. The main thing to remember is that on street stalls and in small cafes, crushed ice is added to lassi to make it cold.
Among the street drinks in India, freshly squeezed sugarcane juice is also common. Bamboo-like stalks are pressed in special press machines, and the greenish cane drink is sweet and thick, like baby food. In some especially advanced cafes, spices or fruits can be added to the juice. But beware, sugarcane juice has a laxative effect!
"For those who cannot live without kefir for a day, India is a real paradise"
But with strong drinks in India, it's tight.
Hindus and Muslims are forbidden to drink alcohol, so local bars and restaurants have an extremely poor choice. However, this does not prevent the production of its own alcoholic beverages, among which inexpensive Kingfisher beer from Bangalore and Old Monk Goan rum are especially popular. Alcohol has received the maximum distribution, of course, in tourist areas, and outside of them it is extremely difficult to find a strong drink.
REGIONAL CUISINES
India has 22 official state languages and even more dialects and local languages! Often, residents of different parts of the country, in order to understand each other, are forced to communicate in English. Of course, such cultural and linguistic diversity has also led to gastronomic differences. True, now dishes characteristic of certain regions can be found in any corner of the country, and delicacies typical of the whole of India in each state often have their own special recipe.
Northwest India and Hyderabad
Mughlai cuisine stands out from the rest of India, spread in the northwest of the country in the states of Uttar Pradesh, Delhi and Madhya Pradesh. It originates from the Muslim Mughal Empire. It is customary to add a large amount of spices to Mughlai dishes, including expensive saffron, nuts and dried fruits. Kebabs and pilaf (pulao) are just as popular here as curry, and eating pork is discouraged.
Food in the northwestern Indian states is usually cooked in a clay tandoor oven, in which we bake lavash. By the way, bread here is also cooked in the oven, but the resulting lush cakes are called “naan”. Although the taste and appearance of pita bread is pita bread! The most famous dish of the region is tandoori chicken. Everyone cooks it in the same tandoor, pre-marinated with a mixture of spices - tandoori-masala.
Another popular Indian dish with a “Muslim touch” is biryani. Although you can find it in cafes and restaurants across the country, it is believed that for the best biryani you need to go to Hyderabad.
Hyderabad is a real Muslim city, as if descended from the pages of a fairy tale about Aladdin, and concurrently the capital of the state of Telangana in Central India. The legendary biryani itself is very similar to our pilaf: meat, rice, vegetables and a huge amount of the best spices! Its main difference from pilaf is that the meat is cooked separately from rice and marinated in a mixture of biryani-masala. As a rule, along with the main course, lying on a huge mountain on a plate, they serve a bowl of local yogurt - Kurd or the Indian analogue of okroshka with vegetables, herbs and yogurt - raita, which help not to burn alive from the sharpness of the delicious biryani.
Goa and coastal states There are probably dozens of recipes for a popular dish called ilish along the coast of the country - it can be fish curry, as well as any kind of fried, boiled or baked fish with rice, vegetables and various seasonings.
But the gastronomic traditions of the most touristic state of India, Goa, were greatly influenced by the Portuguese colonizers.
Firstly, they brought seafood and pork dishes to the vegetarian cuisine of Goa, and secondly, they brought recipes of their traditional sweets here. And although you have to look for pashtaishi (pastel de nata) here, but the Indo-European dishes prawn balchao and pork vindaloo, which are shrimp or pieces of pork stewed in a fiery red and equally spicy chili sauce, can be found in most Goan eateries .
Northeast India
Neighboring Nepal, Tibet and China have had a significant influence on the gastronomic traditions of the northeast territories. The main dish of the state of Sikkim and the very north of West Bengal is momo. In fact, this is an analogue of the Asian manti, poses, buuz and, finally, dumplings known to us. In the mountainous regions of northern India, momos are stuffed with chicken, pork, goat and buffalo meat. And in the cold season, even Indian brahmins do not disdain meat dishes here.
Another typical East Indian dish is Kalkata rolls (kati roll).
They come, as the name suggests, from Calcutta, the capital of the easternmost Indian state of West Bengal. This type of local street food is the familiar chicken or lamb kebab with vegetables, wrapped in an Indian flatbread - paratha (paratha). Traditional paratha is made when mashed potatoes (aloo paratha), cheese or vegetables are added inside the chapati.
Mumbai and Maharashtra
Another popular regional street food, vada pav baked potato burgers, originated in Mumbai. In the preparation of the “Mumbai burger”, everything is standard: lush square pav buns are cut into 2 parts in the middle, and instead of a patty they put a huge baked potato generously seasoned with hot spices instead of a patty.
The cuisine of the state of Maharashtra, whose capital is Mumbai, is also characterized by a group of dishes called bhaji, which in Hindi means “fried vegetables”. Pav Bhaji, Chapati/Roti Bhaji and Puri Bhaji are the flatbreads mentioned in the name of the dishes stuffed with stewed vegetables.
The bhaji vegetables themselves are served on a separate plate and eaten with bread.
South India
In addition to the fact that in the very south of India, in Kerala, you can eat beef and cafes with restaurants are full of inviting signs to try beef curry, in South Indian cuisine it is customary to serve dishes not on brass trays, but on banana leaves. Moreover, the farther from the tourist trails, the more often the usual dishes are replaced by palm leaves and the less often you can find cutlery.
Coconut is widely used in cooking in the south of the country, and spicy coconut chutney sauce is usually served with boiled rice. But best of all, this sauce goes well with local idli flatbreads, steamed rice with lentils and often eaten for breakfast by Tamils and Keralas. The cakes themselves are as tasteless as possible, the dish is saved by dal or the same coconut chutney.
"Indian McDonald's has a lot more Indian than McDonald's"
In the south of India, the well-known dosa is also being transformed.
For breakfast, they traditionally prepare hearty masala dosa (masala dosa), that is, the same thin pancake made from rice or lentil flour, but stuffed with mashed potatoes and spices.
Indian McDonald's
When Indian food burns more than one hole in your stomach, and the smell of curry starts to beat off your appetite, when you get tired of crying over each dish, you want something simple and native and there will be the last hope for the familiar McDonald's - take heart!
Indian McDonald's has a lot more Indian than McDonald's! Here you will not find native hamburgers or cheeseburgers, and among the rather meager menu they will offer a choice of three types of burger: with chicken, potatoes or eggs. At the same time, regardless of your choice, the food will be generously seasoned with the same hot spices and familiar curry. Beware of the veggie burger - the patty in it is made from peas.
Photo - foodfashionparty.
