Three senses down, two to go. Now I've got the job of a Food Network host: conveying taste through media.
So many people have had "curry" (at some ethnic food fair), "chai" (at Starbucks) and "naan" (reheated from a package at Publix). Some even LOVE this country's food. They've tried butter chicken....and uh, "some other saucy thing" with rice. I'm not looking down from my elitist foodie knowledge here. I'm trying to say what we taste of a culture may not be authentic or even the best sampling of what a place as diverse as this has to offer. And it's certainly not comprehensive.
Neither is this blog post...because neither is my knowledge, my palette or even my food-adventure-spirit. Mine is more of a don't-get-sick, it's-probably-too-spicy, but-i'll-try-a-bite-if-you-offer-it mentality. I know you can tell so much about a culture by its food; and maybe so much about a food by its culture. I'm still a very early student of both here. Yet, a girl's gotta eat. So, here are my elementary culinary findings.
The trinity seems to be onion, tomato and coriander (cilantro). Add in cardamom and cinnamon and ginger-garlic paste for the next level of flavor. Mustard seed joins most parties, though I don't think I notice. Of course curry leaf...not curry powder, mind you, but fresh green leaves. Mint is there for savory dishes, but not delicately...and giving chutney a green color. I love when coconut milk is used, and I won't say I mind generous portions of ghee and salt. So much is fried. Vegetables are cooked to an unrecognizable orange-ish gravy. Potatoes are usually yellowed with turmeric. Rice is always (ALWAYS!) better than any rice I have ever made, eaten or seen in any other non-Asian country. And, by the way, it's always there. So much rice. Coffee is instant and sweet (yuck!) and chai is nothing like that mix you get at Christmas....no vanilla, no cinnamon...spiced with ginger and cardamom.
This place is full of good food, complex with levels of flavor. There is something about fresh ingredients, local specialties and people that just know how to cook! Yes, a lot is spicy. Some has made me sick. And I don't venture out too much. But even this limited category added to my menu has probably made me a food snob (in this category!) forever.
So many people have had "curry" (at some ethnic food fair), "chai" (at Starbucks) and "naan" (reheated from a package at Publix). Some even LOVE this country's food. They've tried butter chicken....and uh, "some other saucy thing" with rice. I'm not looking down from my elitist foodie knowledge here. I'm trying to say what we taste of a culture may not be authentic or even the best sampling of what a place as diverse as this has to offer. And it's certainly not comprehensive.
The trinity seems to be onion, tomato and coriander (cilantro). Add in cardamom and cinnamon and ginger-garlic paste for the next level of flavor. Mustard seed joins most parties, though I don't think I notice. Of course curry leaf...not curry powder, mind you, but fresh green leaves. Mint is there for savory dishes, but not delicately...and giving chutney a green color. I love when coconut milk is used, and I won't say I mind generous portions of ghee and salt. So much is fried. Vegetables are cooked to an unrecognizable orange-ish gravy. Potatoes are usually yellowed with turmeric. Rice is always (ALWAYS!) better than any rice I have ever made, eaten or seen in any other non-Asian country. And, by the way, it's always there. So much rice. Coffee is instant and sweet (yuck!) and chai is nothing like that mix you get at Christmas....no vanilla, no cinnamon...spiced with ginger and cardamom.
This place is full of good food, complex with levels of flavor. There is something about fresh ingredients, local specialties and people that just know how to cook! Yes, a lot is spicy. Some has made me sick. And I don't venture out too much. But even this limited category added to my menu has probably made me a food snob (in this category!) forever.
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