The Magical World of Awadhi Cuisine

Awadhi Cuisine is one of the most famous Indian Cuisine originating in the city of Lucknow; capital of the state of Uttar Pradesh in India. Generally, all cuisines have a good deal of exciting history behind them. It also applies to Awadhi cuisine, and this is very captivating, not only in taste, but also in history.

The Awadhi cuisine or Lucknow cuisine has its own Nawabi style that is highly popular all over the world. The cuisine has its own distinctive characteristics in respect of taste, flavor and quality. Several kinds of Biryanis and kebabs are the principal dishes that are regarded as the typical Awadhi cuisines.

The chefs (bawarchis) of Awadh gave birth to the ‘Dum’ style of cooking (the art of cooking over the slow fire), which has become synonymous with Lucknow cuisine today. The complete spread consists of intricate dishes like Biryanis, zarda, nahari-kulchas, kebabs, kormas, kaliya, Roomali rotis, warqi paranthas and sheermal. The affluence and richness of Awadhi cuisine lie not only in the diverseness of cuisine but also in the constituents used like rich spices such as saffron and cardamom, mutton and Paneer.

The style of cooking Awadhi cuisine is altogether different from other types of Indian cuisines. The dishes are prepared by a special procedure which is called “Dum Pukht”. Most of the Awadhi dishes are cooked by this process. In this process of cooking, all the necessary ingredients are cooked in a large pot (handi). The most significant point of Dum Pukht process of cooking is that the ingredients ought to be cooked over a low and steady flame. This procedure allows the juices from very in ingredients to be soaked up well.

Some of the famous Awadhi cuisines are: Almond Kulfi, Fish Kebab, Almond Seera, Kanji Ke Vade, Badam Halwa, Murgh Musallam, Boondi Raita, Navratan Pulao, Carrot Halwa, Shammi Kebab, Chicken Korma, Vegetable Biryani, Dahi Vada, Duck Pancakes, Frozen Paneer Masala, Kachori, Egg Paratha, Lachcha Paratha, Malai Kofta, Yakhni Pulav, Methi Parathas, Gulab Jamun, Jalebi, Imarti, Malpua, Zafrani Kheer, Malai Kofta, Kurmura Ladoo, Rabdi and Kaddu Ki Kheer.

Monsoon Cuisine of India

Food is an essential part of Indian culture. The Indian cuisine is different in each region, community and state. The main features are its variety, spices, and individual cooking techniques. It is distinguished by its spiciness and delicate use of many herbs, spices, wide assortment of dishes and different cooking techniques. Indian cuisine is one of the most accepted cuisines across the world.

The monsoons in India have been associated with fertility, abundance, and celebrations of many festivals such as Teej, Rakshabandhan, Ganesh Chaturthai and Onam. With so many festivals falling during monsoons, there is an abundance of fine food. Many mouth watering dishes and special sweets are prepared on these festivals. During this period, the summer heat takes a back seat, and the weather gets more pleasant, and it is the time for festivities.

Every Indian is familiar with the pakoras which are eaten with sweet tea during the rains. Besides pakoras other seasonal foods are the khichuri, beguni, kosha mangcho and churma of Rajasthan.

During this period, some precautions should also be taken in the matter of food. Since the rains generally bring in their wake various water-borne diseases of the stomach, food such as chaat, and street snacks should be avoided. Home food should be eaten since it is more hygienic and safe. Deep fried food such as pakoras, bhujiya and Samosas are eaten with great relish. In homes, monsoon vegetables, like gourd, parmal and jack fruit is used instead of leafy green vegetables as they harbor worms and germs. Fish is generally not eaten during the monsoons.

Some common popular food items during this season are germinated seeds, jackfruit preparations and coconut dishes. Many famous Indian cuisines such as Lucknow cuisine, Rajasthani Cuisine and Punjabi Cuisine dish out special dishes during this season, which has to be tasted to be believed.

Coming of Indian Cuisine

Indian Cuisine is one of the most diverse cuisines in the world. All over the world, India’s Mughlai cuisine is famous for its mouth watering tangy flavour. Besides Mughlai, there are other classes of Indian cuisine from North, South, East and Western part of the country. Indian cuisine is a blend of many kinds of vegetables, spices, herbs, and many times fruits also. As compared to all other cuisines such as continental cuisine, Italian food, Mediterranean cuisine or even French food, Indian cuisine is well ahead in taste as well as diversity.

The evolution of Indian Cuisine can be traced to ancient times. India had various kinds of relations with other civilizations such as Egypt, Persia and Greece. Their influence can be seen in Indian cuisine and makes this cuisine a unique mixture of different cuisines from all over the world. The cuisine is different in different regions.

Gurgaon NCR offers an all-encompassing assortment to Gourmets. You can get any kind of food in Gurgaon. From Karnataka’s Davanagere Benne Dosa to Kashmiri Wazwan, you can get it all here. Moreover, the restaurant scene is up to the world standard. In Gurgaon, especially in the Malls, there are specialty eating places doling out dishes according to the various regions of the country. You can also enjoy traditional dishes at SagarRatna, Haldiram's, Karim's, Bengali Sweets, Nathu's and Bikanerwala.

Now, Culture Gully in Kingdom of Dreams has opened its door to the public, offering authentic Indian cuisine from all across the vast expense of India. Besides Indian cuisine, Culture Gully is also offering handicraft shopping, live performances and various other entertainments. Themed Restaurants, Street Bars, Live performers, Boutiques, handicraft shop, Mystical corner, Massage Centre are the main features.

Gurgaon: On the World’s Food Map

Gurgaon; the new millennium city of India is not new to the world of food. In times when Gurgaon was only Gurgaon…a small hamlet whose only claim to fame was Sheetla Mata Mandir, a new invention in cuisine by the name of ‘Dhoda Burfi’ took place in this small village. Mr. Om Jee Kathuria invented this item by the name of Dhoda Burfi, which is made of wheat gluten and dry fruits. Today this sweet preparation is famous the world over. People from all over the world come to Omjee Sweets in Gurgaon to taste this Burfi. Omjee Sweets claim to export it not only to all the states of India but also to different countries of the world.

Another name to mention is Shyam Sweets, whose “Samosas” won the gold medal in the category of best recipes in a food festival held in Netherlands a few years back. So I think it is wrong to say that Gurgaon is only famous for its MNCs and corporate world.

In the year 2000, when Gurgaon was declared “The Millennium City of India”, the Haryana government invited the corporate world to open their offices by offering them many incentives. As a result, thousands of MNCs and business houses opened their offices in the city. With it came a wave of professionals from all over the country who made Gurgaon their home. These people were big earners as well as big spenders on food. So thousands of eating outlets were opened and presently, we can proudly say that Gurgaon offers best restaurants and eating joints in the country. There is not a single big name in restaurants and eating joints, which doesn’t have a presence in this city.

Here in the city, you can enjoy all varieties of cuisines such as Indian, Mughlai, Italian, Lebanese, Thai, Mexican, Chinese, Brazilian, Tex-Max, American and Continental. Even people from Delhi have also started coming to Gurgaon to enjoy these varieties of cuisines.

So we can surely say that Gurgaon’s presence on the world’s food map is very prominent. Moreover, with the coming of ‘Kingdom of Dreams’ where in Culture Gully authentic Indian cuisine will be served, the name of Gurgaon will definitely be immortalized in the annals of Food history.