Indian Continental Food

 Indian Continental Food and Recipes

 The flavours of Indian cuisine are potent, varied, and even overflowing, so when Indian spices intertwine with global cooking methods, the result is some unbelievable dishes. And the product is Indian Continental food! It is a beautiful amalgamation whereby the delicacy of European cuisine is combined with Indian ingredients, making dishes that have won the adulation of culinary chefs in hotels, cafes, and even households.

In this blog post, we will explore the essence of Indian Continental cuisine and discover how to create mouth-watering dishes in your kitchen.

What is Indian Continental Food?

Continental food can be simply defined as the cuisine found in European nations such as Italy, France, and Spain. These foods are generally less spicy, often contain herbs like thyme, parsley, and rosemary, and regularly feature ingredients like cheese, butter, and olive oil.

Adding their own touch, Indian chefs started experimenting with these recipes and began adding spices to them, such as garam masala, cumin, coriander and chilli. The result? Dinners are international but do not lack the Indian palate.

The Indian Continental food is also widely available in restaurants, and is served in various kinds of starters as well as main courses and even Indianised pastas and soups. You can have grilled chicken and Indian-style sauce, steak made of paneer, masala mashed potatoes, or even spicy curry sauce with herb rice!

Famous Indian Continental Recipes

Here are a few of what could be termed as most popular favourite Indian Continental dishes and served in cafes, hotels and buffets of India.

1. Herb Sauce Chicken Grilled

It is an ideal combination of European grilling and Indian marination of spices. After marinating with yoghurt, ginger, garlic and Indian spices, the chicken is then grilled until it is juicy. It is accompanied by a continental style of herb sauce that includes parsley, mint, olive oil and lemon juice.

Ingredients:

• 500g chicken without bones
• 2 tbsp. heavy yogurt
• 1 tsp ginger-garlic paste
• 1 tsp red chilli powder
• 1/2 tsp cumin powder
• To taste of salt and pepper
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

 Herb Sauce:1/2 cup leaves of parsley

• A 1/4 cup of mint leaves
• 1 green chilli
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• To taste salt

Method:

• Garnish: Soak the yoghurt and spices in the chicken and leave it to marinate for at least one hour.
• Put the pan or oven until completely cooked.
• Combine all the ingredients of the herb sauce and make into a paste. That is grilled chicken and sautéed vegetables with sauce.

2. Veg Au Gratin (of an Indian Flavour)

A French recipe, Veg Au Gratin, has been largely Indianised. It is a creamy vegetable curry with cheese and slight hints of Indian seasoning.

Ingredients:

• One cup of chopped carrots, beans, capsicum, and corn
• 2 ts butter
• 2 tsp maida (all-purpose flour)
•  2 cups milk
• 1/2 tsp of black pepper
• A 1/4 tsp nutmeg powder
• pinch garam masala (optional)
• shredded topping cheese

Method:

• Cook the vegetables until they are tender and not mushy.
• In a pan, melt butter and then add flour and stir 1-2 minutes.
• Add milk slowly and continue stirring to remove lumpiness.
• Season with salt, pepper, nutmeg and garam masala.
• Blend the vegetables.
• Add it to a baking dish, sprinkle with cheese, and bake at 180 o C, 15-20 minutes.
• Are you hot with garlic bread or herbed rice?

3. Indian Style Cream of Mushroom Soup

Continental food is dominated by cream soups. When Indian seasoned, they are tastier and great, especially when it is a cold day.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup pieces of mushrooms
• 1 onion (small) chopped
• 1 clove of garlic, chopped
• 1 tbs butter
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 1 c milk
• 1/2 cup of water or stock
• Salt and pepper, and a pinch of chilli flakes

Method:

• Mix onion, garlic, and mushrooms in butter until they are soft.
• Add flour and simmer one minute.
• Pour milk and water, stirring constantly.
• Simmer it till thick.
• Puree the soup to be creamy and taste.

4. Masala Pasta with Indian Herbs

Pasta is a worldwide favourite, and in Indian houses, it is reinvented with onions, tomatoes, and masalas.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup pasta ( Fusilli )
• 1 chopped onion
• 1 tomato diced
• 1 tsp of ginger-garlic paste
• 1/2 tsp garam masala
• And 1/2 tsp of chilli flakes
• To taste salt
• Garnish with fresh coriander

Method:

• Boil the pasta and keep aside.
• In a pan, sauté the onion and ginger-garlic paste.
• Add tomato and cook until soft.
• Add chilli flakes and garam masala.
• Mix in the pasta and stir well.
• Garnish with fresh coriander.

5. Herb Rice with Paneer Steak Spiced

Herb rice of the continental type is fluffy and tasty. It is a complete fusion dish when it is complemented with pan-fried paneer steak sprinkled with Indian spices.

Homemade Suggestions of Indian Continental Food

• To be authentic, use olive oil or butter.
• No need to miss the herbs-thyme, rosemary, parsley, and basil are wonderfully flavoursome.
• Spice is also something that can be modified to Indian according to taste.
• Serve along with garlic bread, mashed potatoes or light soups.

Final Thoughts

The Indian Continental cuisine is out of this world and will suit almost anyone who wishes to taste new world flavours without necessarily losing the warm Indian spices. They are also delicious and can be prepared quickly, and can easily be shared at lunchboxes, family meals, and even parties. Whether you are a meat lover, a vegetarian, everyone has something tasting good in this fusion section.

If you are satisfied with these recipes, please post your comments.