Recipes

North Indian · Punjab / North India — Basmati tempered with cumin seeds — the weeknight rice that shows why whole jeera beats dusty powder.

Indian · Hyderabad / Deccan — Layered rice with whole garam spices; household recipes vary by region — this is a culinary overview.

Karnataka · Karnataka — One-pot rice-dal with Byadgi colour and tamarind.

South Indian · Tamil Nadu / Andhra — Tempered leftover rice with mustard, curry leaf and turmeric.

South Indian · Tamil Nadu — Temple-style sour rice paste with mustard and sesame.

North Indian · North India — Yellow lentils finished with a hot cumin, chilli and hing tempering.

South Indian · Tamil Nadu / Karnataka — Lentil-vegetable stew with tamarind and mustard tempering.

Maharashtrian · Maharashtra — Slightly sweet-sour Maharashtrian dal with goda masala.

Indian · North Indian home kitchens — Cumin, coriander, turmeric and Kashmiri chilli as a starting masala for vegetables or chicken.

North Indian · Punjab — Chickpeas in a sour-spiced gravy — amchur and chole masala do the work.

North Indian · Punjab / Jammu — Kidney beans in a slow tomato-onion gravy.

North Indian · Punjab — Spinach gravy finished with kasuri methi and garam masala.

North Indian · Delhi / Punjab — Tomato-cream gravy; Kashmiri chilli for colour, kasuri methi at the end.

British-Indian · UK / Punjab-inspired — The UK classic — tikka-spiced chicken in a tomato-cream sauce.

Mughlai · North India — Nut-and-yoghurt style gravy; korma masala plus cardamom, not a blast of chilli.

Goan · Goa — Vinegar-chilli curry — hotter than a korma; adjust chilli to taste.

Tamil · Chettinad / Tamil Nadu — Pepper-fennel Chettinad heat with curry leaf.

Kerala · Kerala — Coconut or tamarind fish gravy with mustard and curry leaf.

Rajasthani · Rajasthan — Rajasthani red-meat curry — Mathania or Kashmiri for colour; heat is the cook’s choice.

Kerala · Kerala — Crushed Malabar pepper, curry leaf and fennel — heat from pepper, not only chilli.

Kashmiri · Kashmir — Kashmiri-style red gravy — colour from Kashmiri chilli, aroma from fennel and saunth.

North Indian · North India / Pakistan-influenced — Minced meat with meat masala — good with pav or rice.

Indian · Pan-Indian — Boiled eggs in an everyday onion-tomato masala.

Indian · Pan-Indian — Tea spices crushed to order; recipes vary by household.

South Indian · Tamil Nadu — Pepper-cumin rasam — thin, sour, and meant to be sipped with rice.

North Indian · Punjab — Dry potato-cauliflower with cumin and turmeric.

North Indian · Punjab — Smoky mashed aubergine with cumin and garam masala.

Bengali · Bengal / East India — Five-seed tempering (panch phoron) on seasonal vegetables.

Gujarati · Gujarat — Winter Gujarati mixed vegetables with coriander-cumin (dhana jeeru).

Gujarati · Gujarat — Everyday Gujarati potatoes with coriander-cumin.

North Indian · North India — Cumin potatoes — the dish that explains whole jeera.

Maharashtrian · Mumbai — Mashed vegetable street snack — pav bhaji masala and butter.

Maharashtrian · Maharashtra — Sprouted-bean usal with a spicy rassa — Kolhapuri heat if you want it.

North Indian · North India / UK takeaway — Dry potato masala — cumin, amchur and garam masala, not a wet curry.

Indian · Pan-Indian — Gram-flour fritters with ajwain — the spice that makes batter savoury.

North Indian · Delhi / UP — Chickpeas, potato, yoghurt and chaat masala — sour, salty, not a health tonic.

Maharashtrian · Maharashtra — Flattened rice with mustard-cumin tadka.

South Indian · South India — Semolina breakfast with mustard and curry leaf.

North Indian · North India — Yoghurt with roasted cumin — cools a chilli-forward plate.

South Indian · South India — Blended coconut with a mustard-curry leaf tadka.

Indian · Pan-Indian — Mustard oil tadka for a small jar of mango pickle — follow hygiene for home preserves.

North Indian · North India / Kashmir-inspired — Ground-rice pudding with genuine saffron threads — a pinch, not a health tonic.

Punjabi · Punjab / UK grill — Yoghurt marinade for oven or grill — Kashmiri chilli for red colour.

Gujarati · Gujarat — Fenugreek flatbreads — fresh methi or a little kasuri methi in the dough.