The overall term “Indian cuisine” unites the culinary cultures across the entire Indian continent. That's why the diversity is really great and goes back to numerous cultural influences. A large part of the Indian population are Buddhists who abstain from meat and eat an exclusively vegetarian diet. Hindus, on the other hand, eat meat, but not beef, while Muslims do not consume pork. Over the last 30 years, India has developed into a tourist destination and many travelers have brought exotic spices home with them as holiday memories. This is how Indian recipes have become established in Western Europe.
Indian recipes: What is typical?
Many healthy foods such as rice, wholemeal flour, legumes, fresh vegetables and so on are typical of Indian cuisinecolorful spices. In general, meat appears rarely in Indian recipes and usually in the form of a small side dish. Chicken is preferred. However, Indians do not give up dairy products and like to use pure butterfat, also called ghee. In India, dishes are usually very spicy, which Europeans have to slowly get used to. Curry, chili powder, turmeric, ginger, cardamom, saffron andGaram Masalaare among the most popular spices. The staple foods include legumes, rice and wheat. Traditionally in India, food is served on a large metal tray - Thali. All side dishes and dishes are placed on top in small bowls. Separately there is rice and the traditional flatbread. Drinking options include tea, wine, juice, coffee, yoghurt drinks and sweet and savory lassis.
Indian cuisine covers many regions from the Himalayas to the southern tip of India. Not only cultural history and religion are involved, but also economics. That's why it's relatively difficult to encompass the diversity of Indian cuisine in a few recipes. However, basic recipes are half the battle for a delicious meal and we present 6 Indian recipes to you below.
Curry recipe
Basically, there are no hard and fast rules as to how a curry should be prepared. It's basically just a stew with a creamy sauce based on the curry spice. It mainly contains garlic, onions, ginger, peppers, turmeric and cumin. Chicken, but also other meat or seafood, is traditionally prepared with curry. The meat becomes particularly tender and delicious if it has been marinated in a yogurt-curry marinade for a few hours. The curry is also wonderful for vegetarian dishes. Cauliflower, spinach, potatoes, eggplant and okra are particularly popular.
Coconut chickenCurry mit Spinat
Ingredients for 4 servings:
- 500 g chicken fillet
- 250 g Spinat
- 1 can of unsweetened coconut milk
- 3 large tomatoes, peeled and diced
- 1 clove of garlic
- 1 onion
- 1 EL Mehl
- 1 – 2 EL Curry
- 2 EL Kill
- Salt and pepper
preparation:
1. Wash the chicken fillet and cut into bite-sized cubes. Put some oil in a pan and fry the meat vigorously all over.
2. Clean the onion and garlic and dice finely. Add the chicken to the pan and sauté briefly. Dust with curry and flour on top.
3. Pour in 200 ml water and the coconut milk and bring to the boil.
4. Add diced tomatoes to the pan and let everything simmer for about 10 minutes.
5. In the meantime, wash and clean the spinach thoroughly, then drain.
6. Add the spinach to the chicken curry and let it wilt.
7. Season with salt and pepper and serve with Indian flatbread.
VegetablesSambar
Ingredients for 6 servings:
- 900 g potatoes, diced
- 450 g sweet potatoes, diced
- 1 eggplant, diced
- 2 zucchini, diced
- 2 carrots, sliced
- 1 kg peeled tomatoes
- 2 onions, cut into rings
- 200 g root lentils
- 1 TL Turmeric
- 2 tsp cumin
- 6 pcs. Curry leaves
- 4 pcs. cardamom pods
- 1 tbsp yellow mustard seeds
- 2 tbsp oil or ghee
- 40g brown sugar
- 2 THE Kokosraspeln
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- Salt
preparation:
1. Puree tomatoes, desiccated coconut, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, mustard seeds and sugar in a blender.
2. Heat the ghee or oil in a large pot and sauté the onion until translucent. Add cardamom, turmeric, ginger, cumin, coriander, curry leaves, stir well and sauté for 1 – 2 minutes.
3. Add the tomato mixture and lentils to the pot, bring to the boil and simmer for 10 minutes.
4. Add potatoes, sweet potatoes and carrots and simmer covered for about 15 more minutes.
5. Add the eggplant, zucchini and the remaining lemon juice, season with salt and simmer for another 15 minutes until the vegetables are cooked.
TandooriChicken
A popular Indian dish is Tandoori Chicken. The chicken is marinated in a marinade made from yogurt and spices and then fried in the oven. Traditionally, this dish is prepared in a clay oven called a tandoor, which is where the name comes from. Anyone can prepare the spice mixture themselves and mix ginger, turmeric, cumin, onions and garlic with a little vinegar and oil to form a paste. This spice paste is mixed with yogurt and the meat is marinated in it for about 12 hours.
Ingredients for 4 servings:
- 200 g chicken fillets
- 500 g Sahnejoghurt
- Juice of ½ lime
- 3 cloves of garlic
- 20g fresh ginger
- 3 tsp garam masala (spice mix)
- 1 TL Turmeric
- 1 tsp Coriander seeds
- 2 cardamom pods
- 2 – 3 tsp chili powder
- Salt
preparation:
1. Roast the cardamom and coriander in a pan without fat until it starts to smell. Remove and grind finely. Then mix with garam masala, chili powder and turmeric.
2. Peel the garlic and ginger and chop finely. Mix the spice mixture, the garlic-ginger mix, the lime juice and 300 g of yoghurt to form a marinade.
3. Wash the meat and cut into wide strips. Place the yogurt marinade in a bowl or freezer bag, place the meat in it and chill for about 4 hours.
4. Preheat the oven to 200°C. Line a baking tray with baking paper and spread the chicken with the marinade on it. Fry for 10 – 12 minutes.
5. Salt the finished tandoori chicken and serve with the rest of the yoghurt and lime slices. Cucumbers go well with this.
Chapati
Ingredients for 4 servings:
- 250 g Flour
- 200g chickpeas
- 100 ml lukewarm water
- ½ tsp Coriander
- ½ tsp cumin
- 1 EL Kill
- 1 tsp salt
1. Grind chickpeas finely. Add the flour, spices and oil and mix with enough water to form a firm, smooth dough.
2. Let the dough rest for an hour or more. Flour the worktop, divide the dough into four portions and roll each one out very thinly.
3. Fry briefly on both sides in a pan without oil.
4. When baking, press lightly on the edges with the spatula. This will ultimately make the pastry fluffier.
5. Wrap the chapatis in a cloth until they are all done. If desired, brush with butter while they are still hot.
flatbreadLinsenmehlPapadam
Ingredients for 6 servings:
- 4 cups lentil flour (optionally chickpea flour)
- 0.5L water
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 cloves of garlic, pressed
- 2 TL Pfeffer
- 1 tsp salt
preparation:
1. Place the flour, pepper, ground cumin, salt and pressed garlic in a large bowl and mix well.
2. Gradually add water, stirring constantly as soon as a non-sticky dough forms. Knead for about 5 minutes until it becomes smooth. The dough should be firm and fairly dry so that it can be rolled out easily later.
3. Line or flour the worktop with baking paper and work on it. Now shape the dough into a roll about 5 cm thick and cut it into slices with a knife. A slice should be about 3.5 cm thick.
4. Drizzle each piece of dough with a little oil and roll it out very thinly with a rolling pin. Then remove it from the worktop with a metal spatula.
5. Line a baking tray with baking paper and carefully place the rolled out papadums on it. Bake in the oven at 150°C. Depending on how thick they are, it will take around 15 - 25 minutes until they become crispy.
MangoLassi
Ingredients for 4 servings:
- 120 ml milk
- 300 g Mango
- 1 yogurt, plain
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 4 tsp sugar
preparation:
1. Peel the mango and cut the flesh into small pieces.
2. Puree the mango, yogurt, milk, sugar and lemon juice in a blender or with a hand blender.
3. Allow the drink to cool and serve cold.
