India Travel Notes

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Welcome to amazing India, where you can see several cultures and tradition magnificence enthralls and diversity delights. India has amazing landscapes, superb historical sites and royal cities, foggy mountain retreats, colorful people, wealthy cultures and festivities that are always attract tourist from the nook and corner of the world. If you wish to explore the abundant beauty of nature then there are also many other a number of Destinations in India such as Mysore, Karnataka, Agra, Kerala, Rajasthan, Jammu & Kashmir, Goa etc which are also the famous for the heritage and cultural beauty. All these destinations are the preferred destination of nature lovers, honeymooners, travelers, holidayers and many others. As you set about visiting each state by state, you would be amazed at the extent of diversity in culture, language, food pattern, lifestyle of each of them.

Each and every state of India are well-known tourism destinations, which have various history and Stories, Taj Mahal, one of the Seven Wonders of the World, Red Fort, Kutub Minar, ancient forts and fortress too, to get a glimpse of India history and India culture, Rajasthan, New Delhi – capital of India, Kerala, Goa, Chennai, Thiruvanthapuram, Khajuraho. Beach lover tourists must indulge themselves in the exotic beaches of Goa and breathtakingly beautiful beaches of Kerala. There are also many wildlife sanctuaries and national parks in India, which attract the attention of adventure and nature lover. These Cities are well connected by Indian railways, airlines – mainly Indian airlines and even roadways. Visit these places on tour to India and you will find the experience unique and offbeat to other naturally blessed places of the world.
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by SILVIA BLACH

Breakfast is said to be the most important meal of the day. And in countries like India, breakfast is another opportunity to showcase their colorful and flavorful cuisine. In India, there are various breakfast meals that are favored by people and are at the same time healthy and delectable. In some regions of India, these dishes are served in other meals besides breakfast. If you want deviations from your usual morning munchies, try out some of the Indian breakfast foods listed below.

Lamb Saag and Chicken Korma photo by avlxyz

Chapati – It is unleavened flat bread made of durum wheat. The dough is flattened into a large circle, and dry cooked on a tava or hot pan. Chapati is often served with soups, lentils, chutney, and curries.

Idli – This Indian breakfast is prepared from rice and black lentils baked together to form a savory cake. The white puffed cakes are served with chutney and other spices.
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by ROBIN MART

Indian recipes are diverse and extraordinary, according to it’s religious beliefs, different climate, culture and availability of ingredients in specific country parts. Indian food recipe provides a guide to the food of India and every Indian recipe will it’s speciality and inspire you.Different indian food have its variety, tastes and flavors. The strong flavors in Indian recipes are derived from spices,seasonings and leafy vegetables.That’s why indian recipes have become famous world wide and it is liked by non-Indians too.The perfect mixture of spices and Variety in flavors in Indian recipes and with cooking techniques, has made it a gastronomic delight and it also fulfills day to day requirement for healthy eating.

Mutton Curry with Rice photo by avlxyz

Every state in India has its own style of preparing recipes. The Indian food is renowned for its delicious gravies,Gravies are generally dairy-based and can include chilies, saffron, and nuts,which has it’s own attraction of taste . Indian food recipe include vegetarian recipes, non-vegetarian recipes, South Indian recipes, Gujarati recipes, Punjabi recipes and many more recipes.
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By Rohan Ravi

What does the term ethnic food mean to you? To me, I think of the different countries and the cuisines they have to offer. One such type of food that greatly prevails all others is Indian Food. Well what does Indian cuisine consist of you may ask? Indian food is derived from India and uses a blend of subtle herbs and spices. In this form of cooking, there is a great amount of variation in the meat, vegetables, and spices used. The majority of Indian cooking is made up of vegetables and yet there are several meat and poultry dishes as well. Within India, there are two main yet distinct methods of cooking seen in both North India and South India.

Common Food Found in Northern India:

- roti: a traditional Indian flat bread eaten with Indian curries or cooked vegetables
- naan: resembles the western “pita” bread and is eaten with Indian curries or cooked vegetables as well
- kulcha: another form of tasty flat bread, usually found from Punjab
- tandoori chicken: form of chicken that is marinated in yogurt and tandoori spices, it is cooked in a large clay oven
- palak paneer: cooked spinach with minor cheese cubes and marinated with curry powder
- channa masala: chickpeas smothered in zesty sauce and marinated with curry powders and masalas
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By Manasi Gandhi

We recently moved into a new house. Our neighbour Mark is a vegetarian, and lives with his wife and four children. During one of our over the fence conversations he mentioned the monotony of eating vegetarian food. Being Indian, we were quite surprised to hear this. Though we are not vegetarian ourselves, we do eat a lot of vegetarian Indian food regularly. I invited him over for dinner and he happily accepted.

In the few years that I have lived in the UK, I have discovered the love of the Britons for Indian food. When I was training as a teacher at the University of Cambridge, I had the opportunity of visiting schools in the very English Boroughs of Britain. One thing which was common to all these places was that as soon as one stepped out of the railway station the first thing to be seen was an Indian Restaurant. My students had hardly ever seen an Indian, but had tasted a variety of Indian foods.
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By David Urmann

Cooking utensils are the basic things needed in a kitchen. Some of cooking utensils needed are as follows:
• Pans
• Pots
• Spoons
• Ladles
• Spatulas
• Spoons
• Bowls
• Plates
• Stove

Other utensils necessary inside the kitchen would include a food processor. It is used for chopping, slicing, grinding and mincing. Another would be a so-called “state-of-the-art microwave” which can cook, heat, bake and grill food. Then, there are the blenders and misers that can make up interesting concoctions; plus, of course, a fridge.

It is really important to choose cookware with utmost care. You can go for pans that are non-stick. Aside from being the latest kitchen innovation, it can help you cook foods without further hassle.

Other utensils are as follows:
• Stainless steel ladles
• Wooden spatulas
• Ceramic and colorful tableware
• Elegantly styles tea cups
• Bright coffee mugs

In India, cooking utensils were considered sophisticated many years ago. Even so, the foods prepared from these traditional kitchens were aromatic, flavorful and delicious. These traditional kitchens even have very distinct yet simple kitchenware.

Hence, a lot of these traditional utensils are still a part of Indian kitchens. This would include the following:
• Kadhai or the wok – The round one is used for stir-frying, sautéing and for cooking curries that has lots of gravy.
• Degchi – An essential Indian utensil that is deep, broad-rimmed, and round pan used for cooking lentils or Daals, rice pudding or Kheer, and other delicacies tha has a liquidized base.
• Haandi – A type of vessel that has a round bottom having a broad rimmed opening used for cooking pilafas as well as meats that are under pressure or Dum Phukt. Due to this, the Haandi’s mouth is being covered w/ a plate; plus, the edges are actually sealed with a thick and single layer of dough.
• Ghara and Kalash – These are vessels that are broad and round bottomed. These are used for storing grains and water.
• Lota – This is a miniature version of the Kalash. It is used as a tumbler when you drink water as well as wash your hands.
• Karchi – This is type of ladle that has a long handle. It is also used for actually “doling out” curries, lentils and gravies.
• Palta or the Khunti – This is a teal type of spatula that has either a triangular or square headpiece as well as a long handle. It is very convenient for turning fish meat and vegetables, as well as for stir frying in an open pan.
• Bonti – This is crescent shaped, sharp edged blade that is being screwed onto a rectangular and solid piece of wood. This is common not only along the coastal areas but also in the eastern parts of India as well. It can be used for chopping, peeling, slicing vegetables, deveining prawns and making fillets.
• Thalis – These are large platters that go hand in hand with bowls or “Katoris”, particularly used in serving food. In Indian culture, the bowls and plates of the rich are made out of silver, while it is either clay or brass for the commoners. There are also those who use the Banana plant’s leaves or the Saal trees’. These serve as disposable, hygienic and bio-degradable plates. It is still being used during community meals.

Other cooking utensils in India are either made from:
1. Metals
• Iron
• Alloys (Brass and Bronze)

2. Earthenware

For more information on Traditional Indian cookware and Indian Pickles and Chutneys please visit our website.

More about Indian Food:
Discover even more about Indian Food and find out what your fellow travellers think recommend to try while in India here:
http://www.indiatravelnotes.com/category/indian-food/