North Indian Food Culture

 

North India has experiences extreme climates where summers are very hot and winters are very cold. The region includes the following states : Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Uttaranchal, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Bihar, Jharkhand, Chattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh. The region is blessed with abundance of fresh seasonal fruits and vegetables. It has a strong influence in its culture and its food. Mughlai and Kashmiri style of cooking are not just prevalent, they are also popular. 

Style of North Indian Food

North Indian curries usually have thick moderately spicy and creamy gravies. The use of dried fruits and nuts is fairly common even in everyday foods. Dairy products like milk, cream, cottage cheese, ghee (clarified butter) and curd play an important role in the cooking of both savory and sweet dishes. Thanks to the fact that such a rich variety of fruit abd vegetable is available at all times of the year, the region produces a dazzling array of vegetarian dishes.

Staple Food of North Indians

North India has given a wide variety of breads to India, hence it called as the home to tandoor roti, naans, stuffed parathas and kulchas. People here will always prefer eating such breads as it is their staple diet. They have these bread along with the traditional preparation of thick vegetarian or non vegetarian gravies. Rice is also a popular staple food of north India. They usually eat rice in the from of biryanis and pulaos. 

Some Recipes of North Indian Cuisine 

Tandoori Roti

Ingredients:

• 2 cup wheat flour
• Half cup refined flour
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• Salt as per taste
• Half cup Curd 
• Water ( for kneading) 
• 2 tbsp oil

Recipe

• Firstly add all the dry ingredients together in a mixing bowl, make sure you sieve them.
• Now add curd and start kneading the dough.
• Add water as required and keep kneading for 5 more minutes.
• Cover the dough with a moist cloth for 1 hour.
• After resting the dough for 1 hour, knead it again and make sure that the dough is soft.
• Pinch a ball sized dough and dust with flour.
• Using a rolling pin, roll the dough gently, making sure that the roti is slightly thick.
• Apply some water on one side and spread evenly.
• Heat the tawa on medium flame, and once the tawa is hot transfer the roti onto the tawa.
• Make sure the water side is facing down, press it gently.
• Cook for a minute until is partially puffs and the base is cooked properly.
• Now flip the tawa onto the flame and cook the roti until its uniformly cooked.
• Once it is cooked, apply some butter and serve along with a thick gravy or curry.

Butter Chicken

Ingredients:

For chicken marination

• 800g boneless chicken cut into bigger pieces
• 1/2 cup curd
• 3 tbsp ginger garlic paste
• 2 tsp garam masala
• 1/2 tsp turmeric 
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• 1 tsp red chilly powder
• Salt as per taste

For the gravy

• 2 to 3 tbsp oil
• 2 to 3 tbsp butter
• 1 roughly chopped onions
• 1 tsp ginger garlic paste
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• 1 tsp red chilly powder
• Finely chopped coriander
• 2 to 3 roughly chopped tomatoes
• 1 cup fresh cream 
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp kasoori methi

For smoked butter

• Butter 
• Charcoal

Recipe

• Marinate the chicken with all the ingredients and keep in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 hours.
• In a pan take oil and butter, add onions, saute the onions till translucent. 
• Then add tomatoes, make sure you don't cook the tomatoes much.
• Then cool the mixture and then grind it into a fine paste.
• Take the same pan add oil and butter, let it get hot, then add the paste of onion and tomato.
• Cook the paste nicely until the oil ouse outs.
• Then add all the dry masala and cook well.
• Then add the cream and make sure that the gravy is semi thick.
• Keep the gravy aside once it is cooked.
• Then take a pan, add oil and butter in it and shallow fry the chicken nicely.
• After that let the chicken cool down, the shred the chicken and keep aside.
• Heat the gravy again and then add the shreded chicken into it and give it a good mix.
• While the chicken is getting mixed with the flavours of the gravy, take a small bowl, heat the charcoal, keep it in the bowl, immediately add good amount of butter in it, keep the bowl in the butter chicken and keep a lead on it. 
• Once the entire smoky flavour is combined with the butter chicken, remove that bowl from the gravy and strain that butter and add into the gravy, also add kasoori methi and give a nice mix.
• Garnish with chopped coriander and serve hot with tandoori roti.