Indian cuisine is incredibly rich in variety, and it comprises of culinary influences from all across the Asian continent. Indian dinner recipes are built on the same foundation of flavor – sautéed onions, ginger, garlic, and a blend of spices. An important thing to note is that North Indian and South Indian dishes have a stark difference between them.
Read below to find out about different Indian dinner recipes and how they are made.
Mutton Biryani
Mutton biryani is a rice dish that is packed with flavor and heat. The mutton (lamb meat) is braised to perfection, and the meat is rich and succulent. You begin by washing 2 pounds of chopped mutton pieces and prick holes in the meat for the marinade to seep in. You make your marinade by using 1 cup of yogurt, 1/2 cup mustard oil, and a teaspoon of turmeric, cumin powder, coriander powder, red chili powder, salt to taste, and 1/4 teaspoon of powdered star anise. Once all the ingredients are mixed together, add the mutton pieces and cover them with the marinade. It is ideal if you leave the mutton in the refrigerator overnight, but if you are on a time crunch, make sure to marinate the meat for at least 2 hours. To prepare the rice, take 2 cups of Basmati rice and boil them in water with a pinch of salt. While the rice cooks, prepare the mutton gravy by heating ghee in a pan and sauté onions.
Once the onions are translucent, begin adding your spices: cardamom, ginger paste, garam masala powder, cumin, garlic paste, and one cinnamon stick. Stir the spices in the ghee, and then add your mutton pieces. Cook the meat till the water evaporates. Once the rice is cooked, strain it from the water and set it aside. Remove the cooked mutton from the pan, add a layer of rice, top it up with a bit of mutton gravy, and keep alternating between the two until all the layers are done.
Cover the layered rice with a lid and let it cook for 10 to 12 minutes on low flame. Garnish the mutton biryani with fried onions, mint, or coriander.
Brain Masala
Brain masala is considered a delicacy in Indian cuisine – made out of either beef or mutton brain, this Indian Dinner Recipe requires minimal spices, and it is packed with health benefits. The brain contains Omega-3 fatty acids, phosphatidylcholine, and phosphatidylserine that are good for your nervous system. This delicious and easy-to-make recipe is extremely simple to make and even more tasty to eat. You require 2 beef brains, slices of a medium-sized onion, two medium-sized chopped tomatoes, chopped green chilies, 1/2 tablespoons of garlic powder, ginger powder, cumin seeds, crushed black pepper, coriander leaves, salt to taste, and cooking oil. You begin by washing and cleaning the brain with lukewarm water.
Next, take a pan and add the cooking oil. You start by frying the onions, and then you add the brains. Add green chilies, salt, and other spice powders. Then you add the chopped tomatoes and cumin seeds. Cover the pan with a lid and cook the brains for 15 minutes on low flame. After 15 minutes, mash all the contents of the pan together, and lastly, add a tablespoon of black pepper and green coriander.
Your delicious brain masala is ready to be served! You have it with naan bread and a yogurt and mint dipping sauce.