Incredible India!

Okay so you’ve tried your breads, pastas, sushi, fish, and cheeses. Still seeking a kick to your taste buds? Well you’re in luck, we’ve reached India. Get ready to barrage your taste buds with flavors and spices that will tickle your senses to new levels. If you’ve been following us along in our journey for exquisite flavors and experience then you should be able to handle this one. Indian food can be described as exotic, adventurous, daring, and spicy. Let us start you off with a brief history breakdown. Hindu beliefs and culture have played an influential role in the evolution of Indian cuisine. However, cuisine across India also evolved as a result of the subcontinent's large-scale cultural interactions with Mongols and Britain making it a unique blend of some various cuisines.  The staples of Indian cuisine are rice, Atta (whole wheat flour), and a variety of pulses, the most important of which are masoor (red lentil), channa (bengal gram), toor (pigeon pea or yellow gram), urad (black gram), and mung (green gram). Some pulses, like channa and mung, are also processed into flour.

Most Indian curries are cooked in vegetable oil. In northern and western India, peanut oil is most popular for cooking, while in eastern India, mustard oil is more commonly used. Coconut oil is used widely along the western coast especially in Kerala; gingelly (sesame) oil is common in the south as well. The most important or frequently used spices in Indian cuisine are chili pepper, black mustard seed, cumin, turmeric, fenugreek, ginger, coriander, and garlic. Popular spice mixes are garam masala, a powder that typically includes five or more dried spices, especially cardamom, cinnamon, and clove. Each region, and sometimes each individual chef, has a distinctive blend of garam masala. Goda masala is a similar sweet spice mix. Sweet dishes are seasoned with cardamom, saffron, nutmeg, and rose petal essences.


Now that you have a broad understanding of what is consisted of in Indian cooking, now is the fun part. Listed below are some of the most favorable dishes you will ever encounter in your life; with the essence of ancient and pungent spices, to euphoric aromas to fill your senses.  To start off butter chicken is popular in countries all over the world. The cuisine is strongly influenced by Persian and Turkic cuisines of Central Asia. Butter chicken is usually served with naan (an oven baked flat bread infused with garlic and herbs), roti, parathas or steamed rice.

 

Next popular dish is Chicken Tikka Masala. A curry dish of roasted chicken chunks served in a rich-tasting red or orange-colored sauce. The sauce is usually creamy, lightly spiced and contains tomatoes. Now don’t be afraid of these spices. Curry has been notorious to ward off peoples senses and motivation to indulge in its mysterious spicy characteristics. Most dishes that are cooked with curry are not cooked with it alone. There will be a handful of other spices and herbs to accompany the dish in its delivery of bold taste. Which in the end will and can weaken the strength of the curry to ease your nasal and taste buds. But if you can overcome this fear I can guarantee you it’s a rush you will crave again.  For a quick reference on eating etiquette, you do not eat with your left hand, as that is considered your washroom hand. 

Next playful but mysterious little dish is Panta Ilish.  A traditional platter of Panta bhat (a lightly fermented rice based dish consumed in Bangladesh and West Bengal) with fried Hilsa slice, supplemented with dried fish, pickles, green chilies and onion.

 In summers, the meals tend to end with fruits such as mangoes, melons and watermelons, custard apples, bananas, papayas and guavas. The beverages in the region include lassi (buttermilk), sugarcane juice, a beer and fine rum which are produced from the cane. There also is the local liquor which is distilled from the flowers of the mahua tree called sulfi and date palm toddy.
We could talk all day about the variety of dishes and combinations of foods, spices, and flavors. This is a solid synopsis on what to expect when challenging your curiosity in to the wonderful world of Indian cuisine. Now that you’ve been blown away, let’s talk about where you can get your watering mouths on these dishes. Across the downtown core in Toronto there is Lahore Tikka House, rated top 10 in Toronto’s guide of fine dining. They are located at 1365 Gerrard Street East. With incredibly clean surroundings and beautiful presented dishes you can’t go wrong here on a date or a mid afternoon stop by. Next is Babur located at 273 Queen Street West. Located in the shopping district of Toronto, stop in after pampering yourself for a cozy environment with excellent service and warm dishes. If you happen to have a late night craving and don’t know where to go when everything is closed, then you’ll go to Kings Palace located uptown at Yonge and Church (which turns in to Davenport as it wraps around). Open until 6am, this is a quick grab or sit down spot. Nothing special but fine aromas filling the room, traditional Indian TV and music lingering in the background to top that experience as you feed your drive.

This is a lot to take in but try little places here and there, pick and nab as you go along. You will discover what you like and what you don’t like but don’t be afraid to try! We only live once on this earth, capitalize on these moments to try what is so far away yet is so close to us in the heart of our city.

आमोद-प्रमोद! (Enjoy!)