The English Raj Tandori Restaurant - About Indian Food

About Indian Food

Descriptions of Curry styles & strengths

Regional Indian Cooking

Map of India

CENTRAL

Central India consists of the states of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. Rajasthan is especially known for its fried snacks and samosa is very popular indeed here. In Madhya Pradesh we find the Islamic influences in the many stuffed dishes, especially aubergine. In Uttar Pradesh the kebabs and creamy koftas reflect this influence too, but this time the richness is tempered with the age old use of dhals, chutneys and interesting breads such as parathas.

SOUTH

With no one is sure where the word 'curry' comes from, the city of Madras in Tamil Nadu is world famous for its range of dishes based on a very special blend of spices known as Madras curry powder.

In Karnataka they enrich their curry sauces with lentils and in Andra Pradesh they use a little more meat or poultry in their dishes, while in Kerala they make an especially light sauce called a Sambhar in which familiar vegetables such as marrow, tomatoes and cauliflower are lightly cooked. The whole of the South is known for its obsession with the special crispy fried wafers known as puppodums, pappadoms or poppadoms.

NORTH

The Kashmiris use a great deal of butter, ghee and cream in their dishes. These robust flavourings suit the abundance of meat and poultry found in the region. The cuisines of Himachal Pradesh, Haryana and the Punjab all feature dishes cooked in the egg shaped Tandoor. Meat and poultry is first marinated in a rich cocktail of spices, yoghurt and lemon. The Tandoor then rapidly cooks the food with its combination of convection, conduction, steaming and smoking. Breads such as Naan and Chapatis are thrown against the oven walls where they cook to perfection in this special fragrant heat.

EAST

Here we group together the states of Orissa, Bihar and Bengal. The Bengalis are especially known for their love of fish and the fish dishes reflect the style of cooking and the nature of spicing used in this area.

Assam is a major world tea grower and it may be no coincidence that many of the Indian sweetmeats we enjoy as desserts come from this area.

WEST

Gujarat, Maharashtra and Goa are all coastal states and their menus naturally feature a wide range of delicious fish dishes. The Bombay Duck famed as a dried condiment throughout the Indian subcontinent is in fact a sun dried fish called Bummaloe.

Vindaloo comes from Goa, where early European settlers created a meat dish (viande) characterised by vinegar and the addition of potatoes (aloo) hence 'viande et aloo' - meat and potatoes.