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Last week I happened to attend my husband’s office get together in a restaurant. They were actually to entertain a team of Japanese visitors (they were four of them) with Indian food. Initially I was quite surprised and began thinking of how the Japanese visitors would like the Indian food. Contrary to the popular Indian cuisine, their cuisine is usually bland with not much of spices and is also light on the stomach. I was getting more and more curious of what they would order and how would it be received by them. After the initial rounds of champagne, mojitos and fruit punches with many varieties of starters, they confidently ordered some exotic, rich and creamy gravies with rice. I asked them how did they know about these gravies and they said they have tasted in an Indian restaurant in Japan and hence they wanted to taste the authentic version in India. For a moment I felt very proud. Guys, it’s just not Rajinikant entertainer movies which have reached the Japanese but also the diverse and tastiest Indian cuisine which is loved by the Japanese.
Most of the Indian gravies in general are thicker than the other gravies in the world. This is due to the addition of one or more of the items like ground onions, tomatoes, green chillies, whole red chillies, coriander seeds etc.
There are also many types of gravy are also made by adding ground almond, cashew nut, malai (cream), yoghurt, coconut etc to make the gravy more thick and rich. Paneer butter masala, the most easiest and sought out gravy is made by grinding of these ingredients. Dishes like Malai kofta, shahi paneer, Matar methi malai are made using the ground mixture of one or more of these ingredients which make them flavorful and mouthwatering. Gravies like Dal makhni, mixed vegetable kurma and yellow squash curry are made using these spices as the base. The choice of spices for making the dish is influenced by region, tradition, even religious practices and sometimes family or individual preferences. This gives rise to many different varieties of gravies with varied taste and appeal. These creamy gravies are served along with Phulka, roti, naan and even biryani and pulaos. These make a complete and a satiating meal for the taste buds and irrespective of the country your guests belong, everyone will relish the same. Cheers!! And happy cooking.
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