Foodies, have you tried these 5 authentic Indian Christmas delicacies?

Christmas won’t be scintillating without exquisite food. Let us go through the Christmas delicacies which are exclusively made in some Indian states. This December, try out these scrumptious dishes to make Christmas even merrier! 

1. Kerala

Dish: Kallappam

Being an Indian version of pancake, the Kallappam is a common Christmas breakfast, traditionally prepared by grinding fermented rice, grated coconut, cumin, shallots, a few cloves of garlic and sugar. These are ground along with the traditional toddy (“kallu” in Malayalam) which is the raising agent, and the batter is put aside for fermenting before it is cooked. 

There are also other variants of Kallappam, namely “vellappam” and “vattayappam”, all with slight variations in the making.

2. Arunachal Pradesh

Dish: Zan

The Christians of Arunachal Pradesh celebrate Christmas with their special dish named “Zan”. Zan is a popular porridge recipe of Arunachal that is prepared using fresh herbs, vegetables, ghee, smoked meat, spices and the millets, which is the state’s famous produce. This nutritious and spicy porridge is generally served with a glass of Cantaloupe juice. 

3. Nagaland

Dish: Smoked pork curry and Naga Doughnuts

The people of Nagaland have the tradition of including the smoked pork curry made with smoked pork, potatoes, tomatoes, green chillies and the locally available spice called “Mongmong jang” in their Christmas feast. This finger-licking curry is served along with plain rice as the main course followed by the dessert, “Naga doughnuts”. 

The Naga doughnuts, paired with a hot cup of tea, are different from other doughnuts as these are not as soft and fluffy as the regular ones. Cooked over the wood fire, this dessert has a charred appearance and a smoky flavour. 

4. Mizoram

 Dish: Kaukswe with mini chicken bites.

It is an elegant treat for the noodle lovers this Christmas. The kaukswe is the savoury Christmas meal of the beautiful and hilly state of Mizoram with a Christian population of almost 87%. While most of their Christmas dishes consist of beef and pork, the kaukswe with chicken bites is a much-loved dish that stands out. 

A kaukswe refers to the traditional Burmese dish of mound egg noodles onto which a rich, coconut milk curry is poured over. The main difference that comes in kaukswe is in the preparation of the rich coconut milk curry. The mini chicken bites gravy is made by frying sliced garlic and shallots and adding them on to the sautéed chicken along with chickpea flour, red chillies and turmeric onto which the coconut milk is poured. Once the gravy is prepared it is then served by placing some noodles and a sliced egg in a bowl and pouring the curried chicken over it.

5. Goa

Dish: Bebinca 

For the bonne bouche, one can include the Goan Bebinca this Christmas. The Bebinca is a Goan dessert made primarily with eggs, coconut milk, butter, flour and sugar. A fluffy cake or pudding, it conventionally has 7-16 layers and is especially popular in Goa during the Christmas season. This sugar delight is made by making a batter with coconut milk, flour, sugar, nutmeg and egg yolks and by baking them into layers.