Flavors and Tastes of India
Indian food, and especially vegetarian recipes are at the height of popularity. Although meat is considered and desired as a quintessential ingredient amongst non-vegetarians, It is renounced and rejected by the vegetarian population globally, and especially by vegetarians in India who follow a strict vegetarian diet for centuries. Now there is a branch which calls itself vegans. Though the difference between the vegetarians and vegans seem a little murky, vegetarians don’t eat animal meat, but they eat animal products such as milk, dairy, and eggs. Whereas vegans stringently stay away from both animals and animal products, because of their health concerns, and moral concerns of harming animals.
At one time vegetarian dishes in India were for everyone, whereas meat, poultry, fish, milk, cream and butter was enjoyed by non-vegetarians. But with the shrinking of the globe through international travel and advances in communications, foodies have developed an appetite for a variety in food, and vegetarian dishes claimed a large share of that. There is a delicious, and amazing array of vegetarian dishes that have gained popularity world over.
Lot of vegetarian dishes are flavored with herbs and spices. Herbs are used for their green parts, leaves and stalks, and are used freshly chopped either as one of the ingredients, or as fresh garnish which is inviting and appetizing with their vibrant colors and texture. Some of the commonly used herbs in Indian cooking are cilantro (both cilantro and coriander seeds come from the same plant. Cilantro is the name for leaves and stems, and coriander is the name for dried seeds), mint, and dill to name a few. Most commonly used spices are coriander, cumin, mustard, nigella seeds, sesame seeds, poppy seeds and many more.
As you see, there is a whole spectrum of spices to choose from to make immense variety of dishes from all different regions of India. Indian cuisine also has a flavor base like the French mirepoix, Spanish sofrito, and Cajun trinity. mirepoix is a French flavor base made with onion, celery, and carrots diced and cooked in oil and butter until it turns to mush which imparts deliciousness to the planned dish. When it is ready, vegetables for the final dish are added and cooked with needed seasoning and garnishing. The same principle is applied to Cajun, and Spanish flavor bases only with some differences in combinations of aromatic vegetables.
Indian flavor base works on the same principle but I am not sure if there is a name for it but all my life I have heard it referred to it as a handi. which meant that diced onions, ginger and garlic paste, red chili powder, turmeric powder, salt, and oil or ghee are slow cooked in a covered pot until very soft. This base is then used to make a variety of vegetarian dishes such as curried potatoes, beans, eggplant, okra and many other desired side dishes. You can also add tomatoes to the base ingredients to make it more saucy and tangy. As in any kitchen, in my kitchen, I use a lot of twists by adding and removing ingredients to develop recipes and turning cooking from a chore to a passion. This way my food is more appealing, interesting, and exciting for me, and I get more ahhh’s than meh’s for my effort.
A wise chef once surmised that only a few handful of recipes exist in the world-all else is simply a derivative of a “mother” recipe.
Many use this same base to create recipes with meat and vegetable combinations, mixture of different vegetables, lentils and vegetables, and the possibilities are endless. My next post curried potato recipe which is created with this mother of all recipes, a simple, balanced flavor base and is hugely popular with young and old alike.
