~ FOOD ~

[MysteRy]

Bread




Bread is a staple food prepared by cooking a dough of flour and water and often additional ingredients. Doughs are usually baked, but in some cuisines breads are steamed (e.g., mantou), fried (e.g., puri), or baked on an unoiled frying pan (e.g., tortillas).

It may be leavened or unleavened (e.g. matzo). Salt, fat and leavening agents such as yeast and baking soda are common ingredients, though bread may contain other ingredients, such as milk, egg, sugar, spice, fruit (such as raisins), vegetables (such as onion), nuts (such as walnuts) or seeds (such as poppy).

Referred to colloquially as the “staff of life”, bread has been prepared for at least 30,000 years. The development of leavened bread can probably also be traced to prehistoric times.

Sometimes, the word bread refers to a sweetened loaf cake, often containing appealing ingredients like dried fruit, chocolate chips, nuts or spices, such as pumpkin bread, banana bread or gingerbread.

Fresh bread is prized for its taste, aroma, quality, appearance and texture. Retaining its freshness is important to keep it appetizing.

Bread that has stiffened or dried past its prime is said to be stale. Modern bread is sometimes wrapped in paper or plastic film or stored in a container such as a breadbox to reduce drying.

Bread that is kept in warm, moist environments is prone to the growth of mold. Bread kept at low temperatures, in a refrigerator for example, will develop mold growth more slowly than bread kept at room temperature, but will turn stale quickly due to retrogradation.

The soft, inner part of bread is known to bakers and other culinary professionals as the crumb, which is not to be confused with small bits of bread that often fall off, called crumbs. The outer hard portion of bread is called the crust.

[MysteRy]

Rice




Rice is an excellent source of energy, especially energy-giving carbohydrates, which are used in the body for brain performance, physical activity, bodily functions and everyday growth and repair.

After carbohydrate, protein is the second most abundant constituent of rice. When compared to that of other grains, rice protein is considered one of the highest quality proteins.

Rice is low in fat and cholesterol free.

Rice contains negligible amounts of sodium, with less than 5mg sodium per 100g serve. It is therefore a super food for those who need to watch their salt intake.

Both white and brown varieties of rice contain essential vitamins and minerals, including B-group vitamins (e.g. thiamin, niacin) zinc and phosphorus. Brown rice contains more nutrients and fibre than white rice since it retains the bran and germ, where many of the vitamins and minerals are found.

The bran layer of brown rice provides valuable dietary fibre. One cup (160g) of cooked brown rice contains around 2.4g of dietary fibre, which equates to 8% of an average man’s daily fibre needs and 9.6% of an average woman’s daily fibre needs.

Rice is gluten free and the most non-allergenic of all grains.

To retain nutrients, do not rinse rice under water before or after cooking.

Brown rice contains natural oils in the bran, so it has a shorter shelf life than white rice.  It’s best to refrigerate or freeze brown rice to extend its shelf life.

[MysteRy]

Sevai




Sevai or Santhakai is a type of rice noodles popular in Southern India, particularly Tamil Nadu (Kongunadu region) and Karnataka. Santhakai is made out of other food grains like wheat, ragi, etc. also are increasingly becoming popular.

Sevai/Santhakai is distinctly different from its cousin idiappam in the sense of input material, making process, and post-extrusion recipes. Sevai is popular as a breakfast/dinner food and is considered easily digestible as it can be made with less or no oil, and it is steamed.

Making of Sevai
Sevai/Santhakai is mostly made fresh starting from rice grains. It is also prepared from a dried Sevai packs (or rice sticks) like the instant ones in the Asian grocery stores. Traditionally, making of sevai at home consists of the following steps (with minor variations based on location and family customs):

- Soaking of parboiled rice in cold water for about 3 hours

- Grinding of soaked rice using a wet grinder into a fine paste

- Making of dumplings from the rice paste and steaming the chunks (at least three variations are known in this step as follows)

- Sautéeing the paste into dough, make dumplings (also called kozhukkottais, steam the same on a idli vessel

- Pour the paste into moulds of the idli vessel and steam the same

- Sautéeing the paste into dough, make dumplings, drop the same into boiling water and through cook

- Pressing of cooked dumplings into fine strands using a type of Sevai press

Composition of Sevai
Home made Sevai is often made from 100% rice (with water and salt, of course) whereas dry rice sticks may often have some additives like tapioca, corn starch, etc.

Other names of Sevai
Sevai is called Santhakai in the western parts of Tamil Nadu. it is called ‘Shavige’ in Kannada. People also loosely use the terms idiappam and semiya (vermicelli) for Sevai, even though these foods are different from Sevai in several aspects.

[MysteRy]

Panta Bhat




Panta bhat is a lightly fermented rice-based dish consumed in Assam, Bangladesh and West Bengal. Panta means “soaked in water” and bhat means “boiled rice“. This dish of leftover rice soaked in water to prevent spoiling, is generally served with salt, onion and chili.

It is especially popular in rural areas served as a breakfast. A similar dish consumed in the Indian state of Orissa and Chattisgarh is known as Pakhal, Pakhala or Pakhal Bhat. In Assam, where it is sometimes called Poitabhat, offering Dudh Panta (milk with stale water-soaked rice) is a part of the marital ritual.

Among Hindu Bengalis, it is consumed during the Ranna-Puja (Bengali cooking festival). In Bangladesh, it is a part of the Pohela Boishakh (Bengali new year festival) festivities. On that day it is consumed as breakfast by urban people. Panta is also served at high-end eateries in Bangladesh and West Bengal.

Recipe
There are many variations of the dish but a common one is made by soaking cooked rice in water overnight. Care must be taken to cover the dish during the long soaking to avoid contamination. In the morning, the soaked rice is usually eaten with salt, lime and chili.

Other curries or fish preparations may also be consumed along with panta bhat. Curd is also often consumed with the dish. Pokhalo often differs from panta bhat in that seasonings and yoghurt are sometimes added prior to the fermentation process. This cold and wet food, is suitable for summer mornings, but in winter dry foods, such as Chira (flattened rice) and Muri (puffed rice) are more preferred.

[MysteRy]

Idli – இட்லி




Idli is a south Indian savory cake popular throughout India. The cakes are usually two to three inches in diameter and are  made by steaming a batter consisting of fermented black lentils and rice. The fermentation process breaks down the starches  so that they are more readily metabolized by the body. The earliest mention of idli in India occurs in Tamil sangam literature.  It is also found in Kannada writing of Shivakotiacharya.

Most often eaten at breakfast or as a snack, idlis are usually served in pairs with chutney, sambar, or other accompaniments.  Mixtures of crushed dry spices such as milagai podi are the preferred condiment for idlis eaten on the go.

History
Idli was known in India by as early as 700 CE. The process of steaming was influenced from Indonesia subsequently between  800-1200 CE, giving rise to the modern day Idli. Earliest mention of the term ‘Idli’ occurs in the Kannada writing of  Shivakotiacharya in 920 AD, and it seems to have started as a dish made only of fermented black lentil. Chavundaraya II, the  author of the earliest available Kannada encyclopaedia, Lokopakara, describes the preparation of idli by soaking urad dal  (black gram) in butter milk, ground to a fine paste and mixed with the clear water of curd, and spices. The Kannada king and  scholar Someshwara III, reigning in the area now called Karnataka, included an idli recipe in his encyclopedia, The  Manasollasa, written in Sanskrit ca. 1130 A.D.

Varities of Idli:
A variety of nontraditional idlis exist these days, namely, standard idli, mini idlis soaked in sambar, rava idli, Kancheepuram  idli, stuffed idli with a filling of potato, beans, carrot and masala, ragi idli, pudi idli, malli idli and curd idli.

Tamilnadu Idli:
South Indian temple town Madurai in Tamilnadu is famous for its overnight idli shops where one can have hot and soft idlis  even at 2 AM. These idlies are served with sambar and also with more than three varieties of chutne. The softness of these idlis lie in the selection of rice and black gram (black lentil). Other temple towns in Tamilnadu like Kancheepuram and Tanjore are also famous for the tasty idlis. Idli with vadai curry combination is most popular in Chennai.

Karnataka idli
Apart from many other variations of Idlis in Karnataka, the people of Karnataka can be found continuing the 1100-year-old way  of making the idli as mentioned in the works of Shivakotiacharya or Chavundaraya. The finished product is called Uddina idli,  with the main ingredient remaining Urad dal (black lentil).

Ramasseri idli
Ramasseri, an offbeat village in Palakkad is known all over Kerala for the idlis it makes—the delicious Ramasseri Idli. Spongy  and soft, Ramasseri Idli is slightly different in shape from the conventional idlis. It is a little flat and round. Ramasseri Idli is  eaten with Podi mixed in coconut oil.

[MysteRy]

Panipuri




The golgappa also known as panipuri is a popular street snack in India. It is a round, hollow puri, fried crisp and filled with a mixture of water, tamarind, chili, chaat masala, potato, onion and chickpeas. It is small enough to fit completely in one’s mouth.

The name gol gappa refers to the fact that crisp sphere (gol) is placed in the mouth and eaten (gappa) at one time, without biting. Pani comes from the Hindi word for water and puri (or poori) is the name of an Indian bread made by frying dough in oil. It is known as bataasha in the western region of Uttar Pradesh. Bataasha means something which gets smashed with application of a slight pressure; the bataasha gets smashed as soon as it is placed inside the mouth.

History
The puritan originated from the Magadh region of India, present day South Bihar. The English meaning of golgappa is “watery indian bread” or “crisp sphere eaten.” Literary mentions suggest that it may have originated from Banares.
The Pani Ke Pataashe in Lucknow are hot favourite among the top-level politicians of India across the political parties. Hathras in Western Uttar Pradesh (India) is world famous for its Padake. The streets of this famous literary town are lined with scores of vendors selling Padake on small pushcarts.
In West Bengal and specifically Calcutta,Phuchka is considered to be The king of this variety of snacks, compared to it’s cousins like golgappas or panipuris.

Names
Its popular names and the area where it is known by this name are:

Gol gappa, Water balls — New Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, Jharkhand, Bihar
Pani ke pataashe, Padake — Uttar Pradesh
Pani ke pataashe — Rajasthan
Panipuri — Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra
Phuchka — Bangladesh, West Bengal (India)
Gup chup — Orrisa
Pakodi – Gujarat

[MysteRy]

Momo (Dumpling)




Momo is a type of dumpling native to Nepal as well as among the Tibetans. It is similar to the Mongolian buuz or the Chinese jiaozi.

The Tibetan word momo is a loanword from the Chinese mómo.

Newars of Kathmandu called it MOMO-Cha where is became famous all over Nepal. Today MOMO-cha is also consider the most consumed food in Nepal made of buff, chicken or pork.

History
Momos are a traditional delicacy in Tibet, Bhutan, Nepal, Uttarakhand, Sikkim, Darjeeling district and Ladakh. They are one of the most popular fast food in Nepal and many other South Asian region populated with people of Nepali origin and people of hilly origin. They are also common in places with noticeable Nepalese and Tibetan diaspora, such as Assam, Delhi, Mizoram, Manipur, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Himachal Pradesh and West Bengal. Nepalese and Bhutanese medical students in Bangladesh have made it popular among their university mates, especially in the city of Chittagong.

Varieties
There are different varieties of momos, such as fried and steamed momos. Momos are usually served with a dipping sauce normally consisting of tomatoes as the base ingredient, from which numerous variations can be made. Momo soup is a dish that has steamed momos immersed in a meat broth. Momos that are pan fried after steaming first are known as kothey momos. Momo can also be prepared by directly deep frying without steaming first. Steamed momos served in hot sauce is called C-Momo. These are some of the most common items served in Tibetan and Nepalese restaurants.

[MysteRy]

Tandoori chicken




Tandoori chicken is highly popular Indian and South Asian dish consisting of roasted chicken, yogurt, and spices.

History
The story of its origins lies with Kundan Lal Gujral, a Hindu Punjabi, who ran a restaurant called Moti Mahal in Peshawar in the 1920s. Following the partition in 1947, Gujral found himself one of many Hindu refugees fleeing to India to escape the rioting and upheaval. He moved his restaurant to Delhi in a place called Daryaganj. Using new recipes to keep his patrons interested, Gujral tried cooking chicken in tandoors which were until then only used to cook naan. Tandoors are bell-shaped ovens set into the earth and fired with wood or charcoal; they can reach temperatures of about 485°C.
 
The tandoori chicken at Moti Mahal so impressed the first Prime Minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru, that he made it a regular at official banquets. Visiting dignitaries who enjoyed tandoori chicken included American Presidents Richard Nixon and John F. Kennedy, Soviet leaders Nikolai Bulganin and Nikita Khrushchev, the King of Nepal, and the Shah of Iran.

The fame of tandoori chicken led to many derivatives, such as chicken tikka (and eventually the Indian dish popularized in Britain, chicken tikka masala), commonly found in menus in Indian restaurants all over the world.

Preparation
The chicken is marinated in Yoghurt and seasoned with tandoori masala. It is moderately piquant in India, but the heat is reduced in most Western nations. Cayenne pepper, red chili powder or kashmiri red chili powder is used to give it a fiery red hue in the original version. A higher amount of turmeric produces an orange color. In milder versions, both red and yellow food coloring are used to achieve the color. It is traditionally cooked at high temperatures in a tandoor (clay oven), but can also be prepared on a traditional barbecue grill.

[MysteRy]

Mie goreng




Origin
Alternative name: Mee Goreng or Mi Goreng
Place of origin: Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore
Region or state: Nationwide
Creator: Chinese Indonesian and Peranakan

Dish details
Course served: Main course
Serving temperature: Hot
Main ingredient: Fried noodles with chicken, meat or prawn

Mie goreng (Indonesian: mie goreng or mi goreng; Malay: mee goreng or mi goreng; both meaning “fried noodles”) is a dish famous in Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore.

It is made with thin yellow noodles fried with garlic, onion or shallots, fried prawn, chicken, or beef, sliced bakso (meatballs), chili, vegetables, tomatoes, egg, and acar (pickles).

Ubiquitous in Indonesia, you can find it everywhere in the country, sold by street-hawkers to high-end restaurants. It is commonly available at mamak stalls in Singapore & Malaysia and is often spicy.

The instant version of mie goreng, Indomie Mi goreng, is also popular in Indonesia and other countries, notably Australia and New Zealand.

The dish is derived from Chinese chow mein and believed to have been introduced by Chinese immigrants in Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore. Mie goreng is also similar to Japanese yakisoba.

However mie goreng has been more heavily integrated into Indonesian cuisine. For example the application of popular sweet soy sauce and the absence of pork and lard in favour for shrimp, chicken, or beef; to cater for the Muslim majority.

[MysteRy]

Rogan josh




Rogan josh is an aromatic lamb dish hailing from Kashmir. Rogan means “oil” in Persian, while josh means “heat, hot, boiling, or passionate“. Rogan josh thus means cooked in oil at intense heat.

Another interpretation of the name rogan josh is derived from the word rogan meaning color and josh meaning passion, hot or red. So this is a meat dish which is red in color.

The red color is characteristic to this dish and to achieve this end kashmiri mirch, which means “pepper from Kashmir” is used. This ground pepper is red in color but not as hot as other Indian peppers.

So a lot of it could be used to impart the red color and yet still keep the food mildly hot. In addition to this chilli, dried alkanet root has also been used traditionally; this root is also known as “Ratan Jot“.

Rogan josh was brought to Kashmir by the Mughals. The unrelenting heat of the Indian plains took the Mughals frequently to Kashmir, which is where the first Kashmir adoption of Rogan josh occurred.

[MysteRy]

Nasi goreng




Nasi goreng, literally meaning “fried rice” in Indonesian, can refer simply to fried pre-cooked rice, a meal including stir fried rice in small amount of cooking oil or margarine, typically spiced with kecap manis (sweet soy sauce), shallot, garlic, tamarind and chilli and accompanied with other ingredients, particularly egg, chicken and prawns.

There is also another kind of nasi goreng which is made with ikan asin (salted dried fish) which is also popular across the country.

Nasi goreng is considered the national dish of Indonesia. There are many Indonesian cuisines but few national dishes. Indonesia’s national dish knows no social barriers.

It can be enjoyed in its simplest manifestation from a tin plate at a roadside warung, travelling night hawker’s cart; eaten on porcelain in restaurants, or constructed at the buffet tables of Jakarta dinner parties.

In 2011 an online poll by 35,000 people held by CNN International chose Nasi Goreng as the number two of their ‘World’s 50 Most Delicious Foods‘ list after rendang.

[MysteRy]

Pesarattu




Pesarattu is a crepe-like bread unique to Telugu cuisine that is similar to dosa. It is made with batter of green gram (moong dal), but unlike a dosa, it does not contain rice.

Pesarattu is eaten both in breakfast and as snack that popular in Andhra Pradesh state in India. It is typically served with ginger or tamarind chutney. Green chillies, ginger, or onions may be used in different variants of this snack.

A special form of pesarattu served with upma is known as MLA pesarattu, which is popular in MLA quarters restaurants in Hyderabad.

Upma pesarattu is a favourite in coastal Andhra region especially the East Godavari and West Godavari districts.

Similar variations are found in the north indian cuisine; namely moong daal ka cheela, or besan ka cheela.

[MysteRy]

Puttu




Puttu is a South Indian and Sri Lankan breakfast dish of steamed cylinders of ground rice layered with coconut. It is popular in the Indian states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu as well as in areas of Sri Lanka, where it is also known as pittu. Puttu is served with side dishes such as chickpea curry or banana.

Origin
Puttu means ‘portioned’ in Tamil and as the dish is prevalent in Tamil-speaking areas in South India and Sri Lanka this is the likely origin of its name.

Puttu has been mentioned in works of Tamil literature, including:
Tiruppugazh, a 15th century anthology of Tamil religious songs. The poet Arunagirinathar recounts puttu being offered to Vinayagar (Lord Ganesh).
Thiruvilaiyadal Puranam, a 16th century Tamil epic. This was written by Paramjyoti Munivar and describes 64 divine acts of Somasundara Peruman (Lord Shiva of Madurai).

[MysteRy]

Rasgulla




Rasgulla is a very popular cheese based, syrupy sweet dish originally from the Indian state of Orissa. It is popular throughout India and other parts of South Asia. The dish is made from balls of chhena and semolina dough, cooked in sugar syrup.

History
The rasgulla originated in Orissa, where it is also known by its original name, Khira mōhana. It has been a traditional Oriya dish for centuries. People throughout the state consider the rasgullas prepared by the Kar brothers, the descendants of a local confectioner, Bikalananda Kar, in the town of Salepur, near Cuttack to be the best.

Today this rasgulla famously named Bikali Kar Rasgulla is sold all over Orissa.Another variant of this dish that is made in the town of Pahal, located between the cities of Bhubaneswar and Cuttack, is also very popular locally.

In the middle of the nineteenth century, the popularity of rasgulla spread to neighboring West Bengal. This was during a period when Bengali cuisine borrowed heavily from Oriya culinary traditions.

Eventually the rasgulla gained popularity all across India and the rest of South Asia. Although traditionally sold inside clay pots called handis in Orissa and sometimes in Bengal, sponge rasgullas in cans have become popular nowadays.

Such canned rasgullas are available throughout India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, as well as in South Asian grocery stores in Britain and North America.

They are marketed not only by K. C. Das and other confectioners, but also by several other Indian sweet makers from places such as Bikaner and Delhi as well as manufacturers such as Haldiram’s. In Nepal, the rasgulla is popular under the name Rasbari.

Variations
Rasgullas are usually served at room temperature or colder. Modern Indian households also tend to serve them chilled.A popular variant in Orissa and Bengal is freshly prepared hot rasgullas.

In Orissa, it is not uncommon to embed a single raisin or cashew inside each rasgulla. Cardamom seeds may also be embedded to create a fragrant version.

In northern India, the dish comes flavored in saffron, rosewater, and sometimes garnished with chopped pistachios.

[MysteRy]

Kulfi




Kulfi or Qulfi is a popular frozen dairy dessert from the Indian Subcontinent. It is often described as “traditional Indian Subcontinent ice-cream”.It is popular throughout countries such as India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Burma (Myanmar), and even the Middle East. Kulfi is also widely available in Indian restaurants in Europe, East Asia and North America.

Kulfi has similarities to ice cream in appearance and taste, but is denser and creamier. It comes in various flavours, including cream (malai), raspberry, rose, mango, cardamom, saffron, and pistachio, the more traditional flavours, as well as newer variations like apple, orange, strawberry, peanut, and avocado. Unlike Western ice creams, kulfi is not whipped, resulting in a solid, dense frozen dessert similar to traditional custard based ice-cream.

Thus, it is sometimes considered a distinct category of frozen dairy-based dessert. Due to its density, kulfi takes a longer time to melt than Western ice-cream.

History
Just like any other culture exposed to snow and ice, some people living in the Indian Subcontinent, especially those living high in the Himalayas, would have stumbled upon the technique of freezing various sweetened liquids, thus turning them into frozen desserts. These privileges were limited to the aristocracy until modern day refrigeration technology reached the Subcontinent.

Preparation
Kulfi was traditionally prepared by evaporating sweetened and flavored milk by slow cooking, with almost continuous stirring to keep milk from sticking to the bottom of the vessel where it might burn, until its volume was reduced by a half, thus thickening it, increasing its fat, protein and lactose density.