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Northern vs. Southern Indian Cuisine
Like any country’s cuisine, Indian food varies in flavour and preparation from region to region. Northern and Southern India have food differences as obvious to Indians as the difference between food from the Northwest and the Deep South is to China. At Moti Palace Restaurant, we specialize in traditional Northern Indian cuisine and also the South Indian. Experience the exotic spices, flavours, and cultural atmosphere of India in Hong Kong! Our restaurant offers authentic, homemade dishes prepared traditionally and always fresh.
India is an extremely diverse country, home to many different cultures, languages and traditions that extend into regional food. The most notable differences between Northern and Southern Indian cuisine are:
Starches.
The staple crop in the temperate climate of the North is wheat, so most dishes are based around this ingredient for foods such as naan and roti. The tropical and semi-tropical Southern region yields rice more efficiently, which is a prominent food in the majority of dishes.
Spice.
Southern Indian foods are much spicier than Northern foods.
Texture.
North India has heavier, creamier dishes than the South, which cooks with a higher water content
Sauces.
Sauce is thicker in the North, thinner in the South. Bread-eating Northerners need thicker sauces to scoop up with their bread, which would become soggy with wetter sauce. Southerners use a thinner sauce over rice, which stays relatively firm when absorbing liquid
Influences.
Northern cuisine is heavily influenced by Arabs and Persians, while Southern food is influenced by Dravidians.
Prominent ingredients.
The North uses a lot of yogurt, onion, tomatoes and garlic. The south uses a lot of coconut, native fruits, curry leaves and coconut oils/milk.
Come taste the traditional flavours of Indian food in your very own backyard! Our delicious dishes are authentic and made from scratch, so you will experience the full Indian taste. Contact us at Moti Palace restaurant to make a reservation, or simply walk on in.