Posted by Kunthra
Hope you’re not too hungry because we’re going to preview some delicious Indian varieties of bread!
चपाती is a thin type of bread made from flour, water and salt. Very little if not any yeast is used in चपाती. The dough is flattened until it is very thin and heated on a skillet. Then some ghii (घी) or butter is spread over the bread. The चपाती is usually used to scoop up some of the meat and vegetables of a dish. Sometimes it is used as a sponge to absorb some of the liquid of the dish. रोटी is a little different in that रोटी tends to be a bread that is thicker than चपाती. रोटी and चपाती are virtually identical in appearance.
पराँठा is a type of bread filled with vegetables and cheese. The dough is created first and then the fillings are placed inside. Then the ends are closed and the पराँठा is fried with cooking oil. पराँठा breads are thick and several layers can be found when you open the bread. Sometimes पराँठा is prepared without anything inside. The पराँठा is served plain and lathered with buter and sometimes consumed with some tea or milk.
नान is a bread that contains yeast. The dough is made up of milk, yogurt, cumin and nigella seeds, white flour and salth. After the dough has been kneaded, the dough is left to rise. When it rises the dough is divided into balls that are flatened. Then they are baked in an oven. Sometimes नान is dipped in soup and sometimes it is consumed with the toppings layered on top of the नान.
पूरी is a bread prepared with some salt and whole wheat flour. When पूरी is fried with some butter, the bread starts to rise. After the bread turns golden brown it is left to cool. The final product of the bread will have a bulky shape to it. पूरी is served with some lentil soup for breakfast or as a snack. Sometimes पूरी is also served as a ceremonial offering to the gods.
Posted by Kunthra
Chicken Tikka Masala (चिकन टिक्का मसाला) is a curry dish with chicken tikka. Chicken tikkas (मुर्ग़ टिक्का) are roasted chicken chunks. The chicken is prepared by separating it from the bone and cutting it into chuncks on skewers. Then the chicken is marinated in spices like turmeric powder and yogurt. Then the chicken is baked in a tandoor (तन्दूर) oven. A tandoor oven is cylinder-like in shape and made out of clay. Traditionally the tandoor was heated by burning charcoal or wood, but nowadays, restaurants use electricity or gas to heat the tandoor oven.
The curry itself is made from a tomato soup base. The tomato is what gives the curry its orange color. The curry is also thick and creamy because of the coconut cream. Some people like to eat the chicken tikka masala with some Indian bread such as tandoori naan (नान) and tandoori roti (रोटी) . Naan and roti can be baked in tandoor ovens as well. These breads are usually made from flour and water and may be painted with ghii (घी), an Indian butter. Instead of bread, the curry may be consumed with rice. There really is no one way to consume chicken tikka masala. The recipe varies from region to region and family to famiy.
The true origins of chicken tikka masala are unknown. Some say the dish was made in the 1970s in the United Kingdom. In fact, the local Glasgow community is petitioning the European Union to make Chicken Tikka Masala a Protected Designation of Origin dish. The Protected Designation of Origin would make Glasgow the recognized home of Chicken Tikka Masala. However, a number of Indian chefs are claiming that the dish is being wrongfully claimed as its own. These chefs claim that although the ingredients may have been different, the original idea came from the recipes made for Mughal emperors.
Putting politics aside, it’s obvious that any place lucky enough to claim the chicken tikka masala will reap financial benefits and universal fame. The taste of chicken tikka masala is undeniably liked by all over the world, a fact that is not surpring.
Posted by Kunthra
It’s common for people to eat pakora (पकोड़ा) during the Holi (होली) festival. A pakora (पकोड़ा) is a fried snack sometimes eaten as starters in restaurants. Pakora (पकोड़ा) is made by taking some vegetables, dipping them in a flour batter and frying them. There are different varieties of pakora (पकोड़ा). Some of the most common ingredients are listed below:
chicken : (चूज़ा)
spinach: (पालक)
eggplant: (बैंगन)
onion: (प्याज)
chili peppers: (मिर्च)
tomato: (टमाटर)
cheese: (पनीर)
cauliflower (गोभी)
