Indian Cooking can now be done in your own home and for entertaining...the aim of my recipe section is to introduce Indian dishes with authentic tastes, flavors and seasonings.

INDIAN RECIPES
The secret of the masterly art of Indian cooking requires a thorough knowledge of the properties of each spice and its blend with other  spices. So one can say that the characteristic of each curry relies entirely on the balance of herbs and spices that go into its creations. Local influence distinguishes curries from one region to another.

Indian food is not just curry. The variety of Indian food reflects the cultures and traditions of the various peoples that have settled in India. While other cuisine's use spices strictly as aromatics, in Indian cooking they're used for coloring, cooling, heating, souring, thickening, and texture.

Today, one can buy all the basic ingredients like basmati rice, lentils, Tandoori marinades, pickles, curry pastes, clarified butter (ghee) and lentil crackers (Pappadums), spices like cumin and mustard seeds, coriander, cayenne, turmeric, cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, bay leaves and whole red chilies.

Secret of mastering the art of Indian cooking requires a thorough knowledge of the properties of each spice and its blend with other spices. So one can say that the characteristic of each curry relies entirely on the balance of herbs and spices that go into its creations. Local influence distinguishes curries from one region to another.

Masala is a word that is often used in an Indian kitchen. It literally means a blend of several spices. Garam (hot) masala is the most important blend masala and an absolute essential to north Indian preparations, added just before serving the dish to enhance its flavour. The rational garam masala is a blend of cardamom, cinnamon, cloves and black pepper. Masala may be in dry, rosted ground or paste form.

Basic or essential Indian spices- When doing Indian cooking there are the basic spices which go into most dishes - Take a pot - add ghee in it then add cumin seeds or mustard seeds, (at this time one may add some complementary basic spices given below) then add red chili powder, coriander seeds and turmeric powder.

Cumin seeds (jeera)
- A basic Indian spice. Used mainly in North India.  Used for its strong but very pleasing flavor.  Used for digesting foods. 
- They can be fried whole in oil, or ground, or roasted and ground, or ground and then roasted, all with different results.

Turmeric (haldi)
- A basic Indian spice.
- Used mainly for its medicinal properties, and lovely color that it gives to the dishes.

Coriander seeds (dhaniya)
- A basic Indian spice.
- Used mainly for its fresh, cooling and soothing taste

Chili Powder -
- Now a basic Indian spice.
- Used mainly for its pungent and fiery taste - one may use fresh green chilies instead.

Mustard seeds (black)
- A basic Indian spice.