02- The Indian Philosophy of Food and Menu Planning


Serves: 5

Ingredients

Directions:

I have lived (and have enjoyed living) in the United States for 30 years, but I will always be connected to India, Memories of the natural beauty of the mountains and shores, the tranquility and comforts of family and spiritual rituals, and the sensory joys of preparing and sharing food are indelibly etched in my mind, heart, and soul and inspire me to visit India as often as I can.

Welcoming and sharing with others is paramount to Indian culture and eating together helps develop and strengthen bonds with our family and friends. Indeed, the ancient Sanskrit saying is telling about India: "Atithi Devo Bhava." This literally means that your guest (Atithi) is your God (Devo), and God will treat you just like you treat your guests. And that is the guiding force of Indian philosophy and hospitality--from the way we receive guests and entertain them to the way we feed them.

Mealtimes in India are steeped in tradition. They are a time for closeness and catching up (and a time for complaining and for gossip, too). Children, husbands, and in-laws feel loved and cherished by the mother and wife of the house. The meals themselves are prepared fresh, with recipes passed from mothers to daughters through the generations--not on paper but in the kitchen, when you are side by side. With a memory of countless recipes, the cook's job then is to imagine and plan the menus carefully, keeping the family's preferences in mind.

A typical everyday meal includes a "wet" dish with a sauce, such as a curry a "dry" vegetable dish chapatis (whole-wheat griddle breads) and/or rice and plain yogurt, which serves as a soother, a palate cleanser, and a digestive aid. An array of pickled vegetables, chutneys, and chopped vegetable salads are standard accompaniments.

Meals for company tend to be more elaborate. Special drinks and appetizers are served, the number of the wet and dry dishes increases, paranthas (griddle-fried breads) and elaborate rice pullaos (pilafs or seasoned rice dishes) take the place of everyday chapatis, and plain yogurt transforms into a seasoned or enhanced raita or a pachadi. Desserts complete the meals with distinction.

Indian food is traditionally served "family style," meaning multiple dishes are brought to the table, from which each person takes her or his share. There is no one main dish rather, each dish complements the others, and no flavors collide. For example, you would not serve two dal (legumes) dishes together or two soupy vegetable curries together, rather, you would choose a dal and a vegetable curry.

For your own meals, before you plan a menu, think always of balance--balance of nutrition with flavor, of "wet" (with sauce) and "dry" (without sauce), and of aesthetics and color.

Make nutritionally balanced meals according to your eating preferences, vegetarian or non-vegetarian. It's important to note that vegetables play an important part of every Indian meal, even when the meals are primarily non-vegetarian.

So, to serve an Indian meal, consider or plan a menu with foods from all the major food groups, buy and use them as fresh as possible, and for the most part, even if varied eating preferences surface, make a few vegetarian dishes--it will follow tradition and usually be better for everyone's health.

For flavor elements, the natural flavors of ingredients are important as well as the results when ingredients are combined. Determine whether you want to serve simple, light flavors or rich, complex tastes. Will spicy or mild dishes satisfy, and how much chili pepper heat will be bearable for all?

The "wet" and the "dry" factor is particular to Indian cuisine. The "wet" curries or saucy dishes give necessary moisture to the meal. Though there is no set standard, the full-bodied, thicker curries pair well with breads, and the soupy, thinner ones are good served over rice, which soaks up all the juices.

Equally important to a meal are the aesthetics and color. Nothing stimulates the senses and appetite as vibrant colors and a beautifully presented meal. We savor the perceived flavors of foods first with our eyes and nose before actually tasting them. So make your meals as pleasantly fragrant as possible, and attractive too. Even for dull-colored dishes, try simple garnishes of contrasting colors--adding chopped cilantro on a few dishes and a sprinkle of garam masala or paprika on others.

Please remember (and gently remind your family from time to time), although it is far more fun to eat what captures the senses--and rich, golden-fried appetizers and desserts or creamy curries are often the most enticing--don't go overboard on high-fat and calorie-rich dishes. Indulge in moderation and give yourself a chance to eat well for the rest of your life.

This 02- The Indian Philosophy of Food and Menu Planning recipe is from the 1000 Indian Recipes Cookbook. Download this Cookbook today.


More Recipes from the 1000 Indian Recipes Cookbook:
01- Introduction
02- The Indian Philosophy of Food and Menu Planning
03- Menus
04- Helpful Hints
05- Spices and Herbs Guide
06- Types of Beans, Peas, and Lentils
07- Indian Cooking Glossary
08- Mail and Internet Sources
09- About the Author
__About Rabdi and Khoa
__Baati Rolls
__Basic Parantha Breads
__Boondi
__Buying Leg of Lamb
__Chicken
__Clarified Butter and Indian Clarified Butter
__Crepes and Pancakes
__Curry Powders
__Custards and Mouses
__Dry-Roasting Flours
__Dry-Roasting Nuts and Seeds
__Dry-Roasting Spices
__Eggplant
__Eggs
__Fish and Shellfish
__Flavored Deep-Fried Puffed Breads
__Fresh Chopped Salads
__Fritters
__Frying Fritters
__Green Salads
__Griddle-Fried Breads
__Grilling Marinades
__Halva
__Indian Ice Cream
__Indian Ice Cream Desserts
__Indian Pickles
__Kabaabs
__Layered Rice Dishes
__Masala Pastes
__Meat
__Milk Fudge
__Milk-Based Puddings
__Okra
__Paneer Substitutes
__Pastry Crackers and Puff Pastries
__Potato Patties
__Prasaad Offerings
__Puffed Deep-Fried Breads
__Rasams
__Roasting and Grilling Vegetables, Bell Peppers
__Roasting and Grilling Vegetables, Eggplant
__Roti
__Savory Bean and Rice Cakes
__Savory Croquettes and Dumplings
__Scrambled Eggs
__Sonth Chutneys
__South Indian Sambar
__Special Grain and Lentil Dishes
__Spice Blends
__Sprouted Beans vs. Bean Sprouts
__Steamed Fermented Rice Cakes
__Storing and Freezing Indian Breads
__Stuffed Fried Pastries
__Stuffings for Parantha Breads
__Teas
__To Cook Dried Beans, Lentils, and Peas
__To Make a Layered Circle
__To Make a Layered Square Paranthas
__To Make a Layered Triangle Paranthas
__Working with Whole Wheat Dough
__Yogurt Drinks




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