SOUTH ASIAN CUISINE - Ⅰ

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In our previous blog we have share some arresting  knowledge about the Northeast Asian cuisine, so our new blog is all about South Asian cuisine.

South Asia comprises of Countries like India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Afghanistan, Maldives and Sri Lanka. The South Asian cuisine is completely different than North Asian cuisine. The North Asian cuisine has more influence of fermented sauces and herbs, but on the other side, the South Asian cuisine relies on the usage of spices and rich gravies. This cuisine is diversify into various cultural and traditional belief. Food of Southern Asia changes from one border to another coast line. The cuisine in these regions has more influence of foreign invaders, who ruled the country once. When such invaders came here, they brought a lots of unknown  ingredients from the foreign terrine. When the foreign influenced ingredients and local grown ingredients came  together, what comes out is South Asian cuisine. The major foreign influenced cuisine countries in South Asia are India and Pakistan. Unlike the Northeastern cuisine, were meats such as beef and pork was consumed, such meats are not consumed here in South Asia because of many religious beliefs. This cuisine has a major influence, due to many different religions, culture and community, due to which the food here has many divergent variations.

The Foreign Influence

South Asian food still espies the foreign influence which gave a shape to the cuisine of many different countries. During the olden times the invaders bought spices, herbs, vegetables and the cooking techniques which were adapted and then followed by the people, because of such conversions many new food preparation and techniques were born. Portuguese, British, Mughals, Mongolians, Aryans and Greece were the major influence on the South Asian food. When Aryans came to India  they started with cultivating rice, then Greeks bought with them herbs, spices, nuts and oil. Similarly the major influence was the Mughals, Persians bought with them spices such as cardamom, nutmeg and almonds and preparation like Rogan josh, Murg Mussalam, Koftas, Nargisi, kebabs, Pasanda etcetera. Mughals preferred meat and pilaf, which is still an important attorney in the Indian and Pakistani food. Afghanistan food has majorly influenced by Iran which contributed herbs and spices and Afghanis’ food is also influence by Mongolian.  India also has Mongolian style form of cooking like hot pots and apart from that, in the eastern India the dumpling preparation is also from Mongolian dominance. The Portuguese scepter can be seen in goan and Konkani coast  of India, where the usage of tomatoes, cashews, pineapple, Guava ,pumpkin and sea food is a Portuguese dominance. Many Goan preparations has Portuguese appellation names of dishes. The English ascendance bought method of grilling and pan roasting technique and Tea was first introduced by Britishers in India.

Unique Ingredients Used

Ingredients play a very vital role in any cuisine all over the world, in some preparation the name of the dish is derived by the ingredient used in that preparation. Ingredients are backbone of all dishes, as these impart flavor and texture to the food.

Saffron

It is consider to be the most important ingredient in the South Asian cuisine, because many traditional preparation ask for usage of saffron , it imparts a beautiful aroma & elegant colour and its also comes under the premium varieties of spices.

Cardamom 

A spice which is widely used in many sweet & savoury preperations especially in South Asian cuisine. Cardamom imparts a very intense deep flavor and beautiful fragrance to the preparation.

Chilies 

Chilies from various region like Bhut Jolokia Northeast India, Byadgi from southern part of India and Kashmiri chilies from Kashmir act as a coloring ingredient used in any preparation, like Rogan Josh and Lal Maas.

Curry leaves 

Curry leaves are add as a medicinal ingredient in Sri-Lanka and India in Dishes like Fish ambul thiyal, Parippu to chicken Chettinad.

Coconut 

Since South Asia has many coastal regions, the usage of Coconut is also done on a vast scale all the way from grated coconut to coconut milk in many preparations.

Rice

The staple food of this cuisine, almost all regions in south Asia use different types of rice for preparation like, steam rice and Jeera rice to Handi biryani and Zafrani pulao.

Curd 

Curd is the major ingredient used in this cuisine, because curd is used in form of tenderising agent, as base of gravies and also used as creamy rich ingredient.

Fish 

A staple food of this cuisine, many different types of fishes are cooked, with various forms of methods like frying, steaming, cooking Fish in bamboo shoots, etcetera.

Classical Preparations

South Asian cuisine has a very elaborated style of cooking , the usage of herbs, spices and vegetables the complexity the accurate timing of cooking and the taste preference of the people makes its delectable. The below mention preparation are the most consumed and famous preparation of this Cuisine.

Biryani 

A rice and meat preparation indulge with aromatic spices and herbs to form a gravy which layered with rice, fried onions ( barista), Nuts , rose water, kewra water and garnished with mint and coriander

Tandoori chicken 

A a poultry preparation where hunged curd, herbs, spices are used and then roasted in the clay oven which is known as tandoor.

Kulhi Boakibaa

A tuna fish cake which is cooked especially on Maldives independence day, it is made using tuna, coconut, herbs and rice.

Afghan Chopan kebab 

Afghani preparation of lamb indulged with authentic spices which is roasted over a Mankal.

Haleem 

A Middle Eastern and Pakistani stew made with meat, barley and lentils slowly cooked to amalgamate all flavours.

Yomari 

Also known as, Yamari a traditional Newari Nepali sweet fish shaped dumpling. which is a made using rice flour mixture and are stuffed with coconut or molasses mixture.

Ema Datshi 

A Dish name is divided in to words “Ema” which means “chilies” and “datshi” means “cheese”. A classical dish from Bhutan. A type of curry based preparation made using cheese, chilies, tomatoes and onion.

Did you know?

  • The first Indian restaurant in the USA was opened in the mid 1960s. Today, there are around 80,000 Indian restaurants in America.

  • Nepali dishes are 76% of vegetarian dishes and do not use meat.

  • Cowry shells can be found by millions in Maldives. They were used as units of money during medieval times.
  • 89% of Sri Lankans consumes seafood everyday.
  • As per Indian Ayurveda classification, there are only 6 tastes which are sweet, salty, pungent, bitter, astringent and sour.
  • Even now a days, most of the people consume food directly with hands avoiding fork and spoon in south Asia.


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