FOOD AND TRAVEL

The Unforgettable Flavors of Northern India

« Previous | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Next Page »

Indian woman sweeper

Sweeper

Healthy Indian Recipes

As we drove along, the fragrance wafting from simmering pots of legumes with turmeric awoke my hunger. We stopped at a dhaba, a roadside truck-stop restaurant common throughout the state of Haryana. For a snack we had a plateful of garlic-kissed, pureed mustard greens dotted with home-churned white butter and griddle-cooked, flaky corn bread. I quenched my thirst and soothed the pungency of cayenne chiles that accompanied my greens with a tall glass of frothy, sweet-salty buttermilk lassi. My sister, always nutritionally vigilant, nodded her approval of the antioxidant-rich greens and the buttermilk drink full of protein.

Drawing closer to Agra, I couldn’t help but notice the influence of the Moghuls—emperors who came from Kabul, Afghanistan—in the area’s architecture, arts, religion and especially the food. At the hotel that night the biryani, a typical regional dish of layered rice and vegetables or meat perfumed with spices, brought home the Moghuls’ penchant for all things opulent—sweet golden raisins, roasted almonds, regal saffron and fragrant basmati rice—all served under a crispy dome of wheat bread dough that sealed in the haunting, spicy aromas.

« Previous | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Next Page »

Add a Comment

dotted line