Indian Food

I am a self-certified foodie. I love eating different kinds of food and am always game to try new things.

I grew up in a vegetarian household. Although I do not mind tasting a little bit of meat, my upbringing has steered me towards all things vegetarian. The notable exception to being termed a pure vegetarian, is my fondness for eggs and eggs-based preparations.

Being born in a Tamil Brahmin family in the state of Gujarat, my food preferences have been a mix of what would be termed as South Indian and Gujarati cuisine.

It is tough for me to list any one particular cuisine as my favourite. 

The word Punjabi food would invoke the imagery of a variety of breads like Naans, Parathas and Kulchas accompanies by a gravy-based preparations including seasonal vegetables and Paneer. 

Rice was supposed to be a South Indian thing, while Punjabi food was supposed to star wheat, in the form of breads.

Punjabi food was supposed to include a whole lot meat, in the form of chicken. Onions and Garlic were supposed to be a must in the preparation of gravies.

Boy Oh Boy! Was I mistaken! I was pleasantly surprised to know that the percentage of population that was vegetarian, was way higher in the Northern parts of India, than in the Southern regions.

It was only after I grew up and was exposed to Punjabi home style food, that I understood that the (Gujarat based) restaurant versions of Punjabi food (full of Paneer, cream, gravies and spices) did not do justice to the rich and wholesome world of Punjabi food.

Today, for me, Punjabi food is all about fresh vegetables, lentils (especially Rajma, Chhole and Chana), dairy products (Paneer, Milk, Curds, Cream), Rice and of course breads (Naans, Kulchas, Parathas) and more.

I have grown to live a good Rajma Chawal, Kadhi Chawal, Chhole Chawal, Dal Makhani, Tadke wala Dal and more.

Naans and Kulchas can have various stuffing. The Gujarat version of Kulcha is closer to a Naan, while an Amritsari Kulcha is more of what I would expect from a Bakery Bread. A lachcha paratha or a roomali roti (are Roomali rotis, even Punjabi?) are an entirely new avenue of culinary delight. And I could compose odes to the beauty of a fluffy, hot bhatura with a scrumptious bowl of Chhole.

Gujarati cuisine is not sweet. Let’s get that part straight. While the typical Gujarati dal does have sweetness, it is not the underlying theme of every Gujarati food preparation.

One of my pet peeves about Gujarati food, is the tendency of non-Gujaratis to use the term “Khaman Dhokla” for a single food item. A Khaman is way different than a Dhokla! And you haven’t even heard about the Idada.

Kathiyawadi food (from the region of Kathiyawad, in Gujarat) is an entirely different ball game. The predominance of spice (through chillies and garlic) clearly negates the concept of “Gujarati food is too sweet!”

Coming to South Indian food, it is not all about Idli, Dosa and Vada. Not all South Indian eat rice and fish in all their meals. 

Gujarati would typically assume that all South Indians would typically eat fish and rice, all day, on banana leaves!

While non vegetarian food is indeed prevalent to a much larger extent among the Southern Population than other regions of India, my family was Pure Veg!

In fact, in recent times, Gujarati and Punjabis would probably be consuming more rice in a week, than I do.

Although, I must confess, my dad’s preference (As is common with a lot of older men from South) for a satisfying bowl of curd rice on a regular basis, does give some credence to the stereotype that Indian have for Madrasis and Rice.

A typical Tam-Brahm plate is remarkable different from a Kerala Sadhya. Mangalorean cuisine is different from Chettinad food, which in turn is distinct from Andhra food.

My limited interaction with other cuisines have been positive enough to motivate me to try more.

Be it that plate of Siddu that I enjoyed with a bunch of school group during our reunion trip to Manali, or the delicious Aloo Tikkis and Momo that I wolfed down on the street of Delhi; India has a lot to offer to cater to all kinds of food preferences.