In this episode of Madhur Jaffrey's Taste of India, we visit Kerala. The "land of coconuts," spices and seafood, this region offers exciting gastronomic variety and flavorful dining.
Here in Gujarat, lentils and sweetmeats are the order of the day. We explore the culinary delights, as well as the history and traditions, of this Southern state of India.
Madhur Jaffrey visits the state of Goa, where the marriage of Portuguese and Indian food is one of the happiest in the world, as the authentic vindaloo demonstrates. Fishing is Goa's most important industry, and seafood is central to the cuisine
Bengali cuisine is a style of food preparation originating in Bengal, a region in the eastern South Asia which is now divided between the Indian states of Tripura and West Bengal and the independent country of Bangladesh. With an emphasis on fish and lentils served with rice as a staple diet, Bengali cuisine is known for its subtle flavours, its confectioneries and desserts, and has perhaps the only multi-course tradition from India that is analogous with the likes of French and Italian cuisine in structure.
The superb foods of South India are little known in the Western world; likewise its true seasonings, which are quite different from those used in northern India. The highly aromatic mixture of roasted coriander seeds, roasted red chiles, and roasted fenugreek; the startling use of urad dal (split peas) as a spice, and its combination with fresh curry leaves and mustard seeds to perk up the simplest of vegetables; the use of fennel seeds in the cooking of meats; the use of fresh coconut to give body and a slight sweetness to sauces; and the use of yogurt, almost as a dressing, for steamed vegetable and rice salads—all these are very, very southern. So are crisp pancakes (dosas), sometimes as large as two feet in diameter, rolled up like precious parchment; fluffy idlis, steamed rice cakes whose delicacy has been compared to that of jasmine flowers and whose name can be expressed in the elegant hand gestures of classical South Indian dance; spicy semolina "polenta" dotted with cut vegetables; young shark's meat that is shredded, sautéed with ginger, shallots, and green chiles, and offered to nursing mothers as a pick-me-up; soupy rasams made with crab; lamb cooked with fennel seeds and coconut; chicken sautéed with poppy seeds and peppercorns; split peas cooked with caramelized shallots.
Punjab is home of the famous tandoori clay ovens. Cooked in these famous ovens, breads, meats and vegetables gain a favorable and unique flavoring. This is just one of the reasons Indian food is so highly regarded enjoyed.