Indian cuisine
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Regional Indian cooking is as vibrant as it is varied - from pavement snacks to palace feasts, it's one of the world's great cuisines.
Regional flavours
Indian cooking styles reflect the country's diverse landscape and local produce. The south coast's spice gardens and tropical climate is great for soupy tamarind and coconut curries. Travel further north to Punjab, and you'll be treated to robust meaty curries, tartly spiced chickpeas and an array of flat-breads.
Every state has its classics - check out vegetarian sweet-sour Gujarati dishes from the west coast, Bengali mustard-spiced curries, and rich biryanis from Hyderabad - to name but a few culinary gems.
British-inspired Chicken tikka masala, baltis, and Madras curry take-aways, are a world away from traditional styles of cooking. Daily meals in India are a triumph of simple spicing and perfectly balanced dishes. Home-style cooking isn't about using formula pastes and ready-made sauces, but it does call for a simple understanding of making spices work for you.
Vegetarian cooking
There's literally thousands of imaginative vegetable preparations to suit every palate. Despite dietary restrictions (some people don't even eat garlic and onion), cooking styles are anything but plain. Even in Rajasthan, where nature hasn't been bountiful, clever use of chillies, grains, local greens and yogurt make for a tastefully memorable meal. Vegetarian Hindus are also renowned for an array of perky pickles and relishes to go with everyday meals.
Expect more rice-based dishes in the south, where this grain is a staple. In the north, wheat is the preferred choice, where most homes will sit down to a stack of chappatis rather than boiled rice.
Meats
Most classic meat preparations have been influenced by the Moghuls who came across to the subcontinent from the Middle East. They brought the tandoor with them for cooking kebabs, delicate kormas, fragrant biryanis and rich meaty curries.
If cooking for friends, it's worth bearing in mind that most Hindus don't eat beef, and Muslims stay clear of pork.
Indian cooking styles reflect the country's diverse landscape and local produce. The south coast's spice gardens and tropical climate is great for soupy tamarind and coconut curries. Travel further north to Punjab, and you'll be treated to robust meaty curries, tartly spiced chickpeas and an array of flat-breads.
Every state has its classics - check out vegetarian sweet-sour Gujarati dishes from the west coast, Bengali mustard-spiced curries, and rich biryanis from Hyderabad - to name but a few culinary gems.
British-inspired Chicken tikka masala, baltis, and Madras curry take-aways, are a world away from traditional styles of cooking. Daily meals in India are a triumph of simple spicing and perfectly balanced dishes. Home-style cooking isn't about using formula pastes and ready-made sauces, but it does call for a simple understanding of making spices work for you.
Vegetarian cooking
There's literally thousands of imaginative vegetable preparations to suit every palate. Despite dietary restrictions (some people don't even eat garlic and onion), cooking styles are anything but plain. Even in Rajasthan, where nature hasn't been bountiful, clever use of chillies, grains, local greens and yogurt make for a tastefully memorable meal. Vegetarian Hindus are also renowned for an array of perky pickles and relishes to go with everyday meals.
Expect more rice-based dishes in the south, where this grain is a staple. In the north, wheat is the preferred choice, where most homes will sit down to a stack of chappatis rather than boiled rice.
Meats
Most classic meat preparations have been influenced by the Moghuls who came across to the subcontinent from the Middle East. They brought the tandoor with them for cooking kebabs, delicate kormas, fragrant biryanis and rich meaty curries.
If cooking for friends, it's worth bearing in mind that most Hindus don't eat beef, and Muslims stay clear of pork.
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Where is the chicken recipie thats being used as advertisign - the whole chicken with the coating on the outside - i want to make that tomorrow
Most of the recipes that have been shown on TV under the banner of Indian cooking relate mostly to cuisine from the north. It would be great if the british could be introduced to cuisine from South India. Tamil nadu boasts of several regional variations - Chettinad being one such. Karnataka state is home to Udipi cuisine which is full of subtle flavours and not as fiery as the Tamilnadu and Andhra cuisine. Kerala - cocoanut and seafood comes to mind when mentioning this western state in South India. I would love to see some shows focussing on South Indian cuisine. Best Wishes Sana