South Indian Cuisine: An Important Part Of Indian Cuisine

Considered as one of the most diverse cuisines in the world, Indian cuisine is dominated by the use of spices, vegetable, grains and fruits that are grown in abundance all over the country. The cuisine of each region is different and unique; encompassing a wide range of cooking techniques and dishes of various flavors and taste. This diversity in cooking truly represents the ethnic and cultural diversity of the country. In addition, India's religious beliefs and culture has also impacted the nature and type of cuisine at every stage. For example as vegetarianism is popular among many Hinduism Buddhist and Jain communities, vegetarian dishes are immensely popular throughout the country as well. 

Today, Indian cuisines is considered as one of the most popular cuisine in the world. It is today enjoyed by not just Indian people but also by people across North America, Europe, Australia and Africa. Because of extensive immigration and intermingling of cultures, Indian cuisines has been influenced by various elements. Additionally, the diverse climate of India which ranges from tropical to alpine, has provided people with a wide range of ingredients to enhance and improve their cooking styles and techniques. Based on the region, Indian cuisine is divided into North, South, East and West. 

South Indian cuisines is based on dishes from Andra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka. Dishes from Tamil Nadu, particularly idlis, dosas, sambar and vada has today become immensely popular not just in India but in the entire world as well. Besides these immensely popular classic dishes, South Indian cuisines offers a number of other extravagant and popular dishes as well. Almost all the food items of this region is dominated by generous amount of spices and coconuts that are grown across all the four states. The final tempering with oil, mustard seeds, curry leaves, dried red chillies and urad dal is almost constant for all the dishes in this region. In Kerala, the Malabar coast has become synonymous with its use of spices that even lured many foreign invaders like the Dutch, french and English. Cardamom, black pepper, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg are just some of the few spices that are found in abundance in South India. The cuisine from Andra Pradesh on the other hand was deeply influenced by the Mughal rule and is known for their spiciness and hotness. The kebabs and biryanis of this region have today achieved cult status around the world.

The growing popularity of these South Indian dishes have led to the rise of many prominent South Indian Restaurant on both the national and global scale. These restaurants are based on the most authentic South Indian cuisines and are aimed at helping people taste and discover various dishes within this diverse cuisine. In addition, the menu of of these South Indian restaurants are diverse and they have a wide variety of meals and snacks for customers at almost any time of the day. This makes South Indian restaurant, the ideal place for family and friends to come together and share a meal in a modern and contemporary environment.

For more details about South Indian Cuisine Menu visit http://www.vaango.in/

Spices and South Indian Cuisines: An Unmatched Combination

                    

One word that perfectly describes India is diversity which is ideally reflected in its culture, traditions, festivals and cuisines. For a country that has the maximum population, second only to China, the food habits here vary from region to region. In fact, food from one part of the country may not be cooked in another part. That being said, food is one of the most important factor that binds the people of this country together as almost everyone here likes to taste food from other parts of the country. In addition, one common thread that runs through Indian food is the use of numerous spices that add a distinctive flavor and aroma to all the dishes. Though almost all the regions of India use spices, South Indian food is popular for its high spice content which provides a brilliant blend of flavors, colors, seasoning, nutritional balance, taste , fragrance and visual appeal to all its dishes.

Spices are defined as 'a strongly flavored or aromatic substance of vegetable origin, obtained from tropical plants and commonly used as a condiment.' During the Middle Ages, spices were considered as one of the most luxurious products available in Europe. The most popular spices that were traded with during this time period included black pepper, cinnamon, cumin, nutmeg, ginger and cloves. Trading of spices between the 8-15th century was very popular, with Venice having monopoly over the trade. This resulted in Venice growing very rich during this period. Most of the spices that were exported to these regions came from Asian plantations. Today, spice trade is just as successful with Indian traders exporting spices to various countries around the world. In other words, spice trade has impacted the lives of many people, especially in the manner that we eat food as meals taste so much better with the addition of a little spice.

                            

                             

Masala is a word that is commonly used in Indian cooking and is simply the Hindi word for spice. So, whenever spices are combined with herbs and other condiments, it is called masala. As there are so many spices in the market today, Indian spices can be categorized into three categories, namely basic spices, complimentary spices and aromatic/secondary spices. Further, while all regions of India use liberal amount of spices, Authentic South Indian cuisine is known for spices like cardamom, pepper, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg.

Additionally, spices also have a range of health benefits, which increases their popularity in South Indian cuisines. Spices like cardamom, black pepper, clove, cinnamon and turmeric are said to have benefits from aiding weight loss to improving digestion. Most of the South Indian dishes, both vegetarian and non-vegetarian have rich use of spices which not just aid in improving the taste but also have a lot of health benefits. Today, the popularity of South Indian food is not just restricted to India but has spread to countries all over the world. With many restaurants serving South Indian food on a global level, the popularity of these dishes is only set to rise in the future as well.

Source:http://goarticles.com/article/Spices-and-South-Indian-Cuisines-An-Unmatched-Combination/9315352/

South Indian Food: A Vegetarian's Delight

                        

Many people around the world are adopting vegetarianism as a mode of life. While some people take up a vegetarian diet for spiritual reasons, others do it for an environmental cause. According to the United Nations, livestock is one of the biggest contributors to environmental problems in the world. But one of the main reasons why adopting a vegetarian diet is good is because it boosts and improves your health to a great extent. With various programmes and initiatives, a lot of people are being encouraged to give up meat at least for a few days in a week. Unique initiatives like Meatless Monday are thriving in many countries like Brazil, Croatia, USA and Canada. These are aimed at helping people reduce their meat intake in an effective and organized manner.

According to the American Dietetic Association, a vegetarian diet is extremely safe and healthy for all categories of people from pregnant mothers to children to athletes as long as they are planned in a proper way. A lot of research has proved that eating less meat reduces the risk of heart disease and perhaps even type 2 diabetes and some form of cancer. Vegetarians have lower blood pressure, lower cholesterol levels and tend to be much less prone to obesity, therefore putting them at a lower risk of chronic diseases. In other words, a vegetarian diet tends to be low in total fat, and vegetarians tend to eat proportionally more polyunsaturated fat to saturated fat compared with non-vegetarians. (Animal products are the major sources of dietary saturated fat).

                    

In this regard, South Indian food has a wide variety of vegetarian dishes that are high on taste, flavor and nutrition. They are immensely popular in many South Indian vegetarian dining houses as they truly depict the cuisine of the region. Some popular vegetarian South Indian dishes include the following:

Idli Sambar: A traditional breakfast dish in South Indian homes, idli sambar is extremely nutritious, healthy, tasty and delicious. Idli is generally made from a batter consisting of fermented black lentils (de-husked) and rice. The fermentation process breaks down the starches, ensuring that it is easily digested by the human body. There are many variations of idlis available in restaurants and they are generally served with sambar or chutney. Sambar and idli today is one of the best possible combination as they completely balance each other in terms of flavor and taste. 

Authentic Coconut Chutney: Another important dish of South India that enjoys immense popularity is authentic coconut chutney. This serves as a perfect accompaniment with many dishes like dosa, vada and idli. Besides every state and restaurant have their own unique recipe of creating authentic coconut chutney, thereby adding a unique twist to this ever popular dish. 

  

                       

Rasam: Prepared using tamarind juice as a base with addition of tomatoes, chilli pepper, cumin and various types of seasoning and spices, rasam is a form of South Indian soup. Nowadays, rasam powder is easily available in the market, so those fond of cooking can easily make this dish at home. Eaten either as spicy soup or with rice, it has a distinct flavor that is different from sambar though they both might look similar. Rasam has many health benefits as it provides the human body with a good dose of vitamin A and C due to the addition of tomatoes and acidic fruits. It is hence a very good vegetarian dish that provides the body with a lot of nutritional benefits. 

In conclusion, south Indian cuisines is extremely versatile in terms of flavor, taste, nutrition and variety. By properly integrating all aspects of culinary science and techniques in cooking, South Indian dishes have today gained immense popularity not just in India but on a global platform as well. 

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Experience Authentic Flavors of South Only at Vaango

South India comprises of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala as well as union territories of Pondicherry and Lakshadweep. This southern part is also like other regions of India where both vegetarian as well as non-vegetarian cuisines are available. Some parts with beaches and Muslim population prefer non-vegetarian dishes whereas other areas prefer to have purely vegetarian food because of the constituency of Tamilian Pandits. 

All dishes in South whether vegetarian or non-vegetarian have their own flavors and tastes. But even after this vegetarian and non-vegetarian distinction, one common thing available in all South Indian recipes is a range of spices. This variety of spices adds a unique aroma and flavor in all dishes. They are used in several forms such as chopped, whole, ground, roasted and fried. Some of the essential basic spices used in South Indian dishes are mustard seeds, black pepper, coriander, fenugreek, dried red chilies, asafoetida, cumin seeds, fenal seeds, curry leaves and several others. 

All spices available in Southern part of India are famous worldwide and they are even exported across the globe. All South Indian recipes are made by adding these basic spices, which bring an extraordinary tang. These recipes are characterized by a wide variety of spices and herbs. One can enjoy such authentic cuisines anywhere in South. 

But some of the prominent recipes of south that can be experienced anywhere in India are masala dosa, rava dosa, idli-sambar, upma, utthapam, payassam, Hyderabadi biryaani, vada sambhar, Malabar parantha, lemon rice, curd rice, rasam, tamarind rice and many others. All these original flavors of South India are available at Vaango, which is a premier South Indian Restaurant Delhi NCR. Vaango is considered as one of the most popular South Indian Vegetarian food restaurants. This chain restaurant is an outlet of Devyani International Ltd. (DIL), which is a fastest developing Indian retail in Food and Beverages sector. DIL currently has several other franchises as well such as Pizza Hut, KFC, Costa Coffee, Swensen’s, The Food Street, Foodies Bar and many other brands.

Vaango is a world class food restaurant that offers authentic South Indian food across India. Besides serving the healthiest and tastiest South Indian cuisines, it offers efficient, quick and customer friendly services. This food chain has open kitchen concept that is especially designed to deliver world class quality and hygiene to all its customers. Services and a perfect ambience with soothing music at Vaango enhance your overall eating experience and makes your visit fun. 

For more details about South Indian Recipes and South Indian Vegetarian Food Restaurant visit  http://www.vaango.in/