A chutney is a spread typically associated with cuisines of the Indian subcontinent. Chutneys are made in a wide variety of forms, such as a tomato relish, a ground peanut garnish, yogurt or curd, cucumber, spicy coconut, spicy onion or mint dipping sauce.
Jaggery is a traditional non-centrifugal cane sugar consumed in the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia, Central America, Brazil and Africa. It is a concentrated product of cane juice and often date or palm sap without separation of the molasses and crystals, and can vary from golden brown to dark brown in colour. It contains up to 50% sucrose, up to 20% invert sugars, and up to 20% moisture, with the remainder made up of other insoluble matter, such as wood ash, proteins, and bagasse fibres. Jaggery is very similar to muscovado, an important sweetener in Portuguese, British and French cuisine. The Kenyan Sukari ngutu/nguru has no fibre; it is dark and is made from sugar cane and also sometimes extracted from palm tree.
Laddu or laddoo is a spherical sweet from the Indian subcontinent made of various ingredients and sugar syrup or jaggery. It has been described as "perhaps the most universal and ancient of Indian sweets."
Tamil cuisine is a culinary style of Tamil people originating in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu and neighboring Sri Lanka. Meats, along with rice, legumes, and lentils, are also popular. Dairy products and tamarind are used to provide sour flavors. On special occasions, traditional Tamil dishes are served in a traditional manner, using banana leaves in place of utensils. After eating, the banana leaves are then used as a secondary food for cattle. A typical breakfast meal consists of idli or dosa with chutney. Lunch includes rice, sambar, curd, kuzhambu, and rasam.
Rajasthani cuisine is the cuisine of the Rajasthan state in North West India. It was influenced by various factors like the warlike lifestyles of its inhabitants, the availability of ingredients in an arid region and by Hindu temple traditions of sampradayas like Pushtimarg and Ramanandi. Food that could last for several days and could be eaten without heating was preferred. Scarcity of water and fresh green vegetables have all had their effect on the cooking. Signature Rajasthani dishes include Dal Baati Churma, Panchratna Dal, Papad ro Saag, Ker Sangri, Gatte ro Saag. It is also known for its snacks like Bikaneri bhujia, Mirchi bada and Kanda kachauri. Other famous dishes include Dal Baati, malaidar special lassi (lassi) and Lashun ki chutney, Mawa lassi from Jodhpur, Alwar ka mawa, Malpauas from Pushkar and rasgulla from Bikaner, "paniya"and "gheriya" from Mewar. Originating for the Marwar region of the state is the concept Marwari Bhojnalaya, or vegetarian restaurants, today found in many parts of India, which offer vegetarian food of the Marwari people. The history also has its effect on the diet as the Rajputs preferred majorly a non-vegetarian diet while the Brahmin, Jains, and others preferred a vegetarian diet. So, the state has a myriad of both types of delicacies.
Rasam is a spicy South Indian soup-like dish. It is usually served as a side dish with rice. In a traditional South Indian meal, it is part of a course that includes sambar rice. Rasam has a distinct taste in comparison to sambar due to its own seasoning ingredients and is fluid in consistency. Chilled prepared versions are marketed commercially as well as rasam paste in bottles.
Puran poli, Puran puri, Holige (ಹೋಳಿಗೆ), Obbattu (ಒಬ್ಬಟ್ಟು), or Bobbattlu (బొబ్బట్లు), Poley (పోళె), Bakshamulu (బక్ష్యములు), Boli (ബോളി), Boli (போளி) is an Indian sweet flatbread that originates from South India and Maharashtra.
Mithai (sweets) are the confectionery and desserts of the Indian subcontinent. Thousands of dedicated shops in India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka sell nothing but sweets.
Pulihora, also known as Pulisoru, Pulinchoru, Puliyogare, Puliyodarai, Ambad Baath, Kokum Rice, or simply Tamarind Rice, is a common and traditional rice preparation in the South Indian states of Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Puli means 'tangy' or 'sour' in South Indian languages, referring to the characterizing use of kokum or tamarind as one of the main ingredients.
Chikki is a traditional Indian sweet (brittle) generally made from nuts and jaggery/sugar. There are several different varieties of chikki in addition to the most common groundnut (peanut) chikki. Each variety of chikki is named after the ingredients used, which include puffed or roasted Bengal gram, sesame, puffed rice, beaten rice, or khobra, and other nuts such as almonds, cashews and pistachios.
Sevai, shavige, saemia and santhakai is a type of rice vermicelli popular in India. While typically made from rice, varieties made out of other food grains like wheat, ragi, and others can also be found.
Jiandui or sesame balls are a type of fried Chinese pastry made from glutinous rice flour. The pastry is coated with sesame seeds on the outside and is crisp and chewy after immediately being cooked. Inside the pastry is a large hollow, caused by the expansion of the dough. The hollow of the pastry is filled with a filling usually consisting of lotus paste, or alternatively, sweet black bean paste, or red bean paste.
Ragi mudde, ragi sangati or kali, colloquially simply referred to as either mudde or hittu which means 'lump' or 'dough' is a finger millet swallow dish of India in the state of Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. In Tamil Nadu, especially in western Tamil Nadu, it is called ragi kali. Ragi mudde is the main food in Kolar, Mandya, Hassan, Mysore, Tumkur districts in Karnataka and Rayalaseema Region in Andhra Pradesh. A similar variation known as Dhindo is also eaten in Northeast India, Nepal and Bhutan. In Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh in northern India a similar variation is known as Baadi and Baari respectively.
Mangalorean bangude masala is a dish made of cooked mackerel fish served in households and eateries along the Karavalli coastline, in south-western India. This dish is popular in the coastal districts of Dakshina Kannada and Udupi. Mackerel is common along the Arabian Sea coastline, and is widely consumed in the states of Kerala, Karnataka, Goa and Maharashtra. Bangude (ಬಂಗುಡೆ), in Tulu, Konkani, Kannada and in the various dialects spoken along the Konkan/Karavalli coast, means mackerel.
Adhirasam, kajjaya or athrasa in Kannada, ariselu in Telugu, anarasa in Marathi, sirsa in Chhattisgarhi or Arisa pitha in Odia) is a type of Indian sweet made out of rice, jaggery, ghee and sometimes coconut and with spices like cardamom, sesame, pepper and ginger powder from Tamil cuisine, Karnataka cuisine, Telugu cuisine, Marathi cuisine and Odia cuisine. The doughnut-like fried dough has a long history of popularity in Kannada, Telugu, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, and Tamil civilization. They are similar in shape to vada, but are not savoury and are eaten as a sweet.
Andhra cuisine, culturally known as Telugu cuisine, is a cuisine of India native to the state of Andhra Pradesh. It is generally known for its tangy, hot, and spicy taste.
Chicken ghee roast is a popular Tuluva Mangalorean Chicken recipe whose origins go back to the town, Kundapur, close to Udupi. Chicken ghee roast is fiery red in colour, and has a tangy and spicy flavor with ghee and roasted spices.
Thala Guli also known as thala bola, gingelly or gingili balls or rolls, are traditional Sri Lankan sweetmeats, made with sesame seeds, salt and jaggery. Thala means sesame in Sinhala and guli or boli refers to whether they are made in the shape of a roll/cylinder or a ball/sphere. In northeast Sri Lanka, they are known as ellu urundai or ellurundai which in Tamil translates as sesame balls.
