Northern India

"Water taxis like this elegant yellow shikara are used to ferry tourists and Kashmiris around Dal and Naki lakes." -World Food Cafe


"The far north of India has more in common with Tibet than it does with the rest of the subcontinent. The Himalayan peaks and snowfields of Ladakh form a backdrop to Buddhist monasteries and shrines; most people are Tibetan rather than Indian in origin...The lake district of Kashmir is distinctive in a different way, owing more to the Islamic traditions of Central Asia than to the plains of India." 
-World Food Cafe


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"Nilgai, also known as Blue Bull, is one of the most commonly found wild animals of northern India as well as eastern Pakistan." -source
"The dawn and dusk elephant rides through the forest, the sightings of deer, monkeys and other wildlife, the great natural beauty...were all very enjoyable. ...The bus to the park gates had to stop to wait for a fine, full-grown tigress and her cubs to stroll across the road and off into the jungle." -World Food Cafe



...at dusk on Dal Lake, World Food Cafe
 For this week's recipes, we chose Nalagarh Brinjal made of eggplant in a yogurt sauce, Narangi Pulao, a complex dish with many flavors, including seasoned rice, potatoes in a spicy yogurt sauce and orange rice. The boys helped chop and stir, while I did the more complex parts of the recipes. These are much more difficult recipes than American dishes, and take an experienced cook. The boys are watching and learning.


On the left, Narangi Pulao and on the right, Nalagarh Brinjal.

The traditional way to serve it is with a layer of fried potatoes and yogurt sauce sandwiched between two layers of orange rice. 

"This dish is similar to the rice we ate in Oman, cooked in an essentially Persian style; the similarity... reflects the historical family connections with lands farther to the west in the days before the partition of India." -World Food Cafe


The boys found it too spicy to enjoy, but Steven and I enjoyed both dishes very much. We all could see, even the boys who had only taken a bite or two, how this area's foods were an interesting combination of the dishes from the Middle East we had eaten and the traditional dishes of India. 



To cool the heat of these dishes, we served a Mango Lassi, a refreshing yogurt drink, which is also served in Southern India.


Sources and Resources:
  • World Food Cafe, Chris and Carolyn Caldicott

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