DATE : 21 APRIL 2015

NAME : PAAVAN BHANVADIYA

COURSE : FOOD PRODUCTION AND FOOD SAFETY

SUBJECT : CUISINE OF EASTERN INDIA

FACULTY : MR. DENNIS

JINDAL SCHOOL OF HOTEL

MANAGEMENT

A TOUR TO EAST INDIA

Consisting of the Indian states of West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha and also the union territory Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

The region lies in the humid-subtropical zone.

Durga, Jagannath and Shiva are particularly popular Hindu deities in this region.

CUISINES

• East Zone of India is a hot mix of vegetarian and non-vegetarian food.

• West Bengal and Orissa also share the love for fish because of long coastline.

• Bihar and Jharkhand love their platter with all the colours of seasonal vegetable.

• Momos of Sikkim are loved by people all over the country.

DEMOGRAPHIC INFLUENCES

• Its food bears the strong influence of Chinese cuisine.

• People though are a balanced mix of Vegetarians and Non Vegetarian lovers.

• Home to beaches and mountains.

• Cherrapunji, Eastern India grows a lot of rice.

• Green vegetables and fruit are also abundant and so are the foods cooked using them.

Religious and Dietary Considerations

People of mixed religious sects live in India.

Possessing their own philosophies and dietary laws.

Muslims do not eat pork.

Hindus consider the cow a sacred animal, so they consume no beef.

Jains, members of another eastern religion that developed from Hinduism, believe strongly in reincarnation.

BENGALI CUISINE

• Bengali cuisine is known for its subtle flavours.

• Huge spread of confectioneries and desserts.

• Influenced from both foreign and pan-Indian.

ORIYA CUISINE

• Foods from Orissa relying heavily on local ingredients.

• Only 6% of the population of Odisha is vegetarian.

• Fish and other seafood such as crab and shrimp are very popular.

• Only 6% of the population of Odisha is vegetarian, and this is reflected in its cuisine.

• Oriyas are very fond of sweets and no Oriya repast is considered complete without some dessert.

BIHAR CUISINE

• Bihari cuisine is wholesome and simple.

• Dalpuri is dish in Bihar.

• Malpua is a popular sweet dish of Bihar, prepared by a mixture of maida, milk, bananas, cashew nuts, peanuts, raisins, sugar, water and green cardamom.

SPICES AND INGREDIENTS

• Mustard seeds and paste, chillies (both green and red).

• Milk and dairy products play a huge role in the preparation of sweets in Eastern India.

• Mustard oil is very popular and used for both deep frying and cooking.

• Ghee is used for cooking special occasion foods.

STYLE OF COOKING

• Simple is the key word for food of this region.

• Steaming and frying are popular methods.

• Love for sweets and desserts.

• Fish in Coastal Regions.

• Pork in Mountainous regions.

STYLE OF EATING

• The usage of spoons and forks is prevalent in the urban areas.

• Sweet dish is served and consumed in matka especially.

• In Eastern India, eaten only with the tip of the fingers.

POPULAR DISHES

Momos

Tomato Achaar (tomato pickle)

Machcher Jhol (fish curry)

Jhaal-Muri (a spicy snack made with puffed rice)

EAST INDIA LIQUOR

• Liquor plays an important role socially.

• Beetroot wine, ginger wine, rice wine.

• Toddy is a mild sweet liquor.

RECIPE OF MOMOSINGREDIENTS (measuring cup used, 1 cup = 250 ml) for outer cover

1 cup all purpose flour/maida

½ tsp oil

¼ tsp salt or as required

2 to 3 tbsp water for kneading or as required for the stuffing

1.5 to 1.75 cups finely chopped vegetables (i added ½ cup chopped cabbage, ½ cup chopped carrots, ⅓ cup chopped french beans and ¼ cup chopped capsicum)

2 small sized spring onions, finely chopped - reserve the greens to be added later

3 to 4 small garlic/lahsun finely chopped

1.5 tsp light soy sauce 1 tsp soy sauce. add as required

½ tsp black pepper or as required

1 tbsp oil, salt as required

HOW TO PREPARE

• Mix the maida, salt and baking powder and knead to a stiff dough with water.

• Heat oil and add the onion and garlic.

• Saute over high heat and add the carrot and cabbage. Turn around over high heat till glossy.

• Take it off the heat and mix in the Soya sauce, salt, vinegar and black pepper.

• Roll the dough thin (translucent) and cut into 4"-5" rounds.

• Take a round, wet edges and place some filling in the center.

• Bring edges together to cover the filling. Twist to seal and fill the rest in the same way.

• Steam for about 10 minutes and serve with soya sauce and chilli sauce.

RECIPE OF RASGULLAS

• 1 litre whole milk

• ½ cup curd / whisked yogurt (you can use lemon juice or vinegar too, but with yogurt they smell and taste perfect)

• 1 litre ice cold water or 1 cup of ice cubes

• 1½ cups sugar (you could increase by another half to quarter cup, if you have a sweet tooth)

• 2¼ cups water

• ¼ tsp. cardamom powder

• ½ tsp. rose water (optional)

• Few saffron stands (optional) for garnishing

HOW TO PREPARE• Bring the milk to a boil, pour the yogurt and mix.

• Let the milk curdle. Switch off the stove and leave it for 2 mins. If the milk doesn’t curdle in 2 to 3 mins, add some more yogurt while the milk is still boiling.

• Add ice cubes or chilled water to the curdled milk. Leave it aside for 2 to 3 minutes

• Filter and collect the cheese in a cheese cloth or muslin cloth.

• Rinse the cheese under running water if you have used lemon juice or vinegar to curdle.

• Tie up the cloth and hang it for 45 mins and drain excess water. Chenna should not have any whey in it.

• Add sugar and water to a wide pan or pot, bring it to a boil

• Knead the cheese well to make it a smooth dough. Take small portions of this and roll to tiny balls. They should be tiny and not big

• To the boiling sugar syrup, add cardamom powder and rose water.

• Let the sugar syrup boil, add the balls one after the other gently.

• Cover the pot with a lid and cook for 10 mins on a medium high flame. Gently stir every 3 minutes to ensure even cooking and puffing. They double in size when done.

REFERENCE LINKS

http://www.surfindia.com/recipes/east-india-cuisine.html

http://www.east-indians.com/fooddrink.htm

http://indianfood.about.com/od/thebasics/p/eastindia.htm

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