Indian [antikvár]

''''y. '6 INTRODUCTIONIntroductionThe vast sub-continent of India offers a range of culinary delights as rich and diverse as its people and history. Each region has its own unique cooking style: cream, yogurt, ghee and nuts feature in dishes in the north, white the south favours chillies, coconut and coconut oil. Fish and mustard oil predominate in the east while the west has incorporated the greatest number of foreign ingredients. One element unites these diverse styles the use of spices to create the flavours and aromas distinctive of Indian cuisine.The flavours of Indian food are appreciated all over the world and although delicious, the nutritional content of some traditional Indian dishes has been at odds with our modem view of healthy eating. Liberal use of ghee, which is clarified butter, adds an unwelcome quantity of saturated fat to Indian dishes.In Western society, the healthy eating message is clear. Eat less fat, in particular saturated fat, less sugar andsalt and more fibre. This means stepping up our intake of complex carbohydrates, fruit and vegetables and eating more fish and leaner meats. However, healthy ingredients such as fresh vegetables, lenrils and pulses, and seafood are widely used in Indian cuisine. Poultry is usually cooked without the skin which is where most of the fat resides and good Indian cooks will always use lean meat or meat trimmed of excess fat. So if you want to reduce your fat intake, there is no need to forego tasty Indian food. Among the recipes in this book, you will find a selection of low-fat recipes, which have been carefully designed to give an optimum nutritional profile without sacrificing flavour.Balti cooking is a fairly new experience in the West, but the craze has spread like wildfire, with Balti restaurants springing up overnight and becoming instantly popular. The essence of Balti cuisine is the speed of cooking - it's almost as fast as Chinese stir-frying. The equipment needed is a wok shaped pan, known as a "karahi". The type of food cooked in the karahi iseclectic, drawing Its influences from many different countries such as Iran and Afghanistan, and now the West is contributing its own style.When made at home, Balti cooking is fast, fun and simply delicious. Once you have tried the basic recipes, make up your own dishes using different combinations of ingredients.Although the original karahi was made of cast iron, modern varieties come in a selection of metals. The essential quality is that they must be sturdy enough to withstand high cooking temperatures and sizzling oils. They are fun to use but it is not absolutely essential to use the authentic Balti pan; a fairly thick Chinese wok or deep round-based frying pan are good substitutes. Balti pans also come in small sizes for individual servings complete with wooden stands so that you can bring them to the table for serving.Below left and below: Beef with green beans and Balti baby vegetables provide traditionalflavours without sacrificing today's requirements for healthy eating.