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Journalism of Courage
A recent ranking by Taste Atlas, a popular food guide, has Indian cuisine reigning supreme in the stew category. As of April 2024, a whopping nine Indian dishes made the list — the most from any single country.
Leading the pack is Keema, a beloved minced meat dish, taking the spotlight to land at the impressive 6th position. Taste Atlas casts a wide net when defining “stews,” including dishes beyond the typical Western interpretation, which likely plays a role in Keema’s high ranking.
Quoting Mirza Jafar Husain from his book Lucknow ka Dastarkhwan, chef and food historian Sadaf Hussain shared why he thinks Keema got the first spot out of all the Indian dishes, “It’s easier to make a keema than say, any korma. You just need a flavourful cut of meat and you’ll have a good keema ready in no time.”
Further down the list, we find Chingri Malai Curry (a prawn malai curry dish from Bengal) at the 18th spot, Korma at the 22nd, and Vindaloo (Goan curry) surprisingly low at the 26th. Hussain was just as surprised to see the Goan curry almost towards the end, while the Bengali Chingri malai curry even being on the list at all, especially considering its niche popularity.
“Locally, we may not be giving enough value to Vindaloo but globally, it is on the top of the list for many,” he said in an interaction with indianexpress.com, adding that Korma on the list denotes any style of Indian korma — whether that is the Mughali korma of North India made with yoghurt or Kerala’s kurma made with coconut milk.
The Indian representation continues with Dal Tadka (30th), Saag Paneer (32nd), Shahi Paneer (34th), Misal (38th), and finally, “Dal” (all lentil dishes collectively) rounding out the list at 40th.
Notably, dishes from all corners of India – North, South, East, and West – are represented on the list. This showcases the incredible variety within Indian cuisine.
According to Abhishek Singh, Chief Culinary Officer, Ghost Kitchens, this is how stews came into being in India. “Traditionally stew is cooked with starch, especially potatoes. It has subtle meaty and lingering flavours with a hint of a herb or spices. Keema can be used to skip the longer cooking of big joints and it fits well in fast paced life. Stew is a native British dish. In India, the same dish got reinvented during British Raj resulting in Mutton Ishtoo from Awadh region and stew in Kerala.”
This list is just one example of how Taste Atlas is raising awareness of Indian culinary delights. Various Indian dishes and drinks consistently rank high across different categories, attracting global interest and sparking social media buzz.
