A culinary insight into the heart of the country We’ve seen that Indian subcontinent houses a lot of mouth watering cuisines. We’re definitely privileged and spoilt for choice, at least with food. As hedonists in pursuit of nirvana, here’s another list of cuisines you should try. Khozi Melagu Chettinad@South Of Vindhyas – The Orchid, Vile Parle In a collection of cuisines that Tamil Nadu sees, Chettinad is the most well known. This is owing to the unrestricted use of spices and use of sun dried meat – a technique adapted very early in the culinary history. Interestingly, it is just one of the techniques they adopted whilst trading with merchants from across the south-east Asian countries.   Kosha Mangsho@Bhojohari Manna, Oshiwara What we usually interpret as a cuisine of desserts actually has some feisty curries to it too! Bengal has seen an influx of both the pre-independence Colonial and Chinese, yet the cuisine have been carefully retained. One such example is Kasho Mangsho, a lovely and robust mutton curry you’re supposed to polish off with rice. Kolhapuri Sukke@Diva Maharashtracha, Matunga West As a host to many tribes and communities, Maharashtrian cuisine is vast, in fact it is believed that food changes in every family with their best kept secrets. With dishes ranging from mildly spiced to fiery, the cuisine in itself is diverse. Kolhapuri Sukke is a dish relished by many for abundant use of spices. However, if you don’t have an appetite for spice, you can easily gorge onto some Sabudana khichdi, sago sautéed over clarified butter with green chilies and crushed peanuts. Coorgi Chicken Curry@South Of Vindhyas – The Orchid, Vile Parle Coorg is a nestled hill station not very far from Bangalore. This lush idyllic village is aptly nicknamed the Scotland of India and hosts a warrior tribe known as Kodava. These warm hospitable people have a cuisine that’s  delicious and sourced from the forests. Coorgi Chicken curry just like its other dishes is aromatic, piquant yet flavourful. Tangy and spicy, it teases the palate just as it pleases it. Patra@Thacker’s, Girgaon Chowpatty Even though Gujarat has a considerable coastline, it mostly, remains a vegetarian state. That’s not all, Gujarat is host to four cuisines hailing from the different regions such as Kathiawad, Kutch, Northern Gujarat and Surat. With distinct flavours and recipes in all cuisines some are relatively better known. Patra, a stack of colacasia leaves cemented with rice and lentil spice mix spiraled is steamed and then fried. Usually served as an appetizer it’s relished by everyone and it doubles up as a snack too! Dal Makhani@Pratap Da Dhaba, Andheri West What can you say about the food in a state known as the ‘Food bowl of India’? Punjab being a highly agrarian state has a robust yet rustic cuisine. The food is replete with butter and cream , Dal Makhani being an apt example. Slow cooked whole black lentils and cream which blends together seamlessly into a bowl (or two) of comforting almost life saving nirvana that you’d relish with a paratha. Paya Shorba@Gallops, Mahalaxmi Race Course Hyderabad, the city of Nizams, drenched in opulence still echoes the lovely culinary traditions in the Hyderabadi cuisine. Paya Shorbas is a comforting lamb trotter broth that warms you up just when you need it. A subtly spiced and delicately flavoured, this soup that also doubles as a remedy to the ones who need to heal. Thukpa@New Sernyaa, Andheri When someone usually speaks about Indian cuisine we probably think about curry and Tandoori chicken. Not very far, in the North East, the seven sisters such as Assam, Sikkim et al. These cuisines lay unexplored and Thukpa is one such dish from Sikkimese cuisine. A hearty broth made with noodles, vegetables and meat; simple nourishing and delicious it’s relished by all. Images for representational purposes only. Photo Credits: Cryselle D'souza 

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