THE FLAVOURS OF INDIA: PART I

FLAVOURS OF INDIA

On January 26 of each year, we in India celebrate Republic Day. That was the day in 1950 when the Constitution of India came into effect.  My greetings to all on the joyous occasion of Republic Day. Jai Hind!

India is a vast country, the seventh largest in the world.  It stretches 3200 km from north to south and over 2900 kms from east to west. We have a population of over 133 million or 1.33 crores.

Since my blog is mainly about food, as a foodie did you know that India is the largest producer of milk and pulses in the world? It is also the second largest producer of rice, wheat, sugar cane, fruits, vegetables and groundnuts. This is something to be proud of!

We are home to many religions and communities, our people speak hundreds of languages, we have differing climates, and customs and consequently we offer an incredible variety of cuisine with innumerable dishes.

On this Republic Day, I got the idea of presenting dishes from my blog from some of the States of India.

Do join me in exploring "The Flavours of India" through these blog posts.

I shall begin with four States today, starting with my home state of Karnataka. As is obvious, each state again has a wide variety of dishes. I have chosen some of my favourites in this list. 

I have provided a link to the recipe for each of the dishes presented. 

1.  Karnataka: Nuchina Unde  can be described as Steamed Dumplings made with lentils. It is a nutritious and filling snack made of tur dal or chana dal or you could use both, as I have done. Traditionally had with Majjige Huli, made of buttermilk. 

2. Gujarat: People here eat a lot of snacks, popularly called farsan. Amongst these, one of the most enjoyable is Khandvi    an attractive looking savoury snack made of besan (Bengal Gram Flour), and curds.

3. West Bengal: This State is renowned for its sweets. Perhaps the best Indian desserts come from here. Mishti Doi is sweet curd made with full cream milk, yogurt and sugar. Best made and served in earthen pots.

4. Punjab: Mention cannot be made of Punjabi food without speaking of paranthas. There are so many varieties of these Indian flat breads made with wheat flour. The Aloo and Pudhina Parantha is one such made using potatoes and aromatic mint leaves.

NUCHINA UNDE

NUCHINA UNDE

This preparation which is famous in my home state of Karnataka can be loosely translated to mean Steamed Dal Dumplings.

This is a snack I remember from my childhood being born and bred in Bengaluru. Often the "Nuchina Unde" is used as a side dish to the meal when it is immersed in Majjige Huli, the Karnataka version of the Mor Kozhambu. However, I prefer to have the "Nuchina Unde" as a nutritious and filling snack which I serve with a chutney. One more advantage is that it is healthy being steamed as distinct from being fried.

This dish is made using either tur dal or chana dal or both as I have done. The addition of Dill Leaves, ("Sabsige Soppu" in Kannada, which we call "Shepu" in Marathi/Konkani) gives a nice aroma to the preparation. Alternatively, you can use chopped coriander in place of Dill Leaves. As usual, I used the Byadgi variety of red chillies.

Ingredients:

• Toor dal,  (Split Pigeon Peas), 1 cup
• Chana dal, ( Split Bengal Gram), 1/4 cup
• Dried Red Chillies, 6
• Hing (Asafoetida) a large pinch
• Coconut Gratings, 1 tbsp
• Onion, finely chopped, small-sized, 1
• Dill Leaves, (Sabsige Soppu), finely chopped, 1/4 cup
• Turmeric Powder, 1/4 tsp
• Salt, to taste
• Oil, for greasing the idli stand

Method:

Wash the toor dal and chana dal and soak them together for about 2-3 hours

Drain the water completely before the next step of grinding them together

In a mixer, grind the toor dal and chana dal along with the red chillies and asafoetida to a coarse paste without adding any water at all

I generally use the pulse mode in the mixer which helps to get a more coarse finish

Transfer the ground coarse paste to a vessel and steam this for about 10 minutes in a pressure cooker without using the weight

After the pressure cooker cools, transfer the steamed contents to a plate
Allow it to cool

Next, add the coconut gratings, chopped onions, chopped dill leaves, turmeric powder and salt

Mix well and using your fingers shape the mixture into oval "unde" or dumplings as seen in the accompanying picture

Grease the idli stand and steam the dumplings in the pressure cooker once again without using the weight for about 10 minutes

Remove and serve hot with chutney of your choice