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Paneer pasanda is an exotic dish of cottage cheese prepared in mouth watering tomato and onion gravy. Paneer is the preferred choice in cheese for both dry and gravy based recipes in India, as it is not runny and does not melt unlike other varieties. Paneer pasanda is a great dish for Sunday lunch when the whole family is in a mood for sumptuous meal.

Ingredients

500gm paneer? cubed (small)
6 finely chopped onions (pyaz)
400 gm tomatoes (tamatar)
1 inch piece ginger (adrak)
2 green chillies (1 if you want less hot)
1 cup cream (malai)
1 cup curd (dahi)
100 gm butter (makhan)
1 tbsp red chilli powder (lal mirch)
¼ turmeric powder (haldi)
1 tbsp dried mint leaves (pudina)
½ tbsp garam masala
½ cup milk
Salt to taste

Cooking Method

1.Make a paste of tomato, ginger and green chilly.
2.Heat butter in a pan.
3.Add onion and sauté it till it becomes soft and pink.
4.Add the paste prepared earlier.
5.Cook it on medium flame till butter starts separating from the paste.
6.Take the pan off the burner and add paneer, cream, curd, chilli powder, turmeric powder, dried mint leaves, garam masala and salt.
7.Mix the ingredients well and keep it aside for an hour.
8.Put the pan again on fire and add milk.
9.Let it simmer for 5 minutes in medium heat.
10.Put the fire off and paneer pasanda is ready to be served.

Biryani is one of the most sumptuous, mouth-watering dishes that ever came out of the Mughal kitchens. In its original form, Biryani descends from the old Arab world. Biryani is prepared by cooking rice in spice, yogurt and meat gravy.

In India, the terms Pullao, tehri and biryani are sometimes, used interchangeably. The main difference is that while making pullao, the vegetable (s) and rice are cooked together. But in Biryani, meat is cooked separately and then rice is added. Another version of Biryani, tehri, is cooked in north Indian households. It is actually a vegetable & rice meal; generally cooked when a meal has to be prepared in a short time.

A Biryani connoisseur?s blood will surely boil by this comparison. Biryani is too sophisticated a dish to be compared to tehri, which in its best form is rice with spices and vegetables made to taste better with accompaniments such as raita, aalu bharta, achar and papad. In India itself, there are many versions of Biryani; most popular being Hyderabadi and Awadhi Biryani. Saffron is used in Awadhi Biryani to impart it a unique flavour and colour. Hyderabadi Biryani is spicier than its Awadhi counterpart.

The Asian sub-continent relishes Biryani in one form of the other. Pakistani & Bangladeshi Biryani is similar to what is cooked in India. In Bangladesh, it is a compulsory dish in a wedding celebration. Bangladeshi cooks have played a great role in making Biryani a very popular dish in the Great Britain. In Myanmar, Biryani is known as danpauk. Locally grown rice is used for the preparation. Thai Muslims prepare it with local ingredients.

The legacy of the Mughal Empire in the Indian context can be debated forever. But had it not been for them, food connoisseurs would have been deprived of one great dish.

There are many words that make up the Indian cuisine but since adding the exhaustive or endless list can be quite nerve wracking, here?s three of them:

Tikka Masala

Tikka refers to small pieces or chunks. Tikka masala can both be vegetarian and non vegetarian. Big square pieces of paneer or chicken is marinated and grilled. In its Indian form, the dish is dry but the English version of Tikka masala is cooked in tomato gravy. Dry Tikka masala is served with salads and is an excellent snack with alcoholic drinks.

Thali

Thali is a platter with several bowls. Traditionally, Indian food was served in a Thali with vegetables, pickles, lentils, salad, dessert in small bowls, accompanied with roti and rice. It is a very popular eating system in restaurants where the whole Thali comes at a fixed price. It is a total meal for small eaters but no extras are allowed, in case one is hungry for more.

Vindaloo

Vindaloo originates from Goa, a state on the western coast. The dish is not for the faint hearted as its major spice is chilli. The spice mix for vindaloo is prepared by grinding together dry red chillies, cinnamon, cumin and cloves, adding little vinegar. The dominant flavour of the dish is of cloves and cinnamon. Vindaloo is a gravy dish and is locally prepared with pork. But beef, meat, chicken can also be used to suit one?s taste. Vindaloo is normally eaten with rice.

Palak paneer is essentially a north Indian dish. It is easy to cook and is packed with health benefits of spinach and cottage cheese. The dish tastes as good if potato, cauliflower or tofu is used in place of cottage cheese.

Ingredients

500 gms paneer (recipe given for home-made paneer *)2 medium sized bunches of fresh spinach leaves½ bunch of fresh fenugreek leaves4 tbsp cooking oil1 finely chopped onion1 finely chopped large tomato2 tbsp garlic paste1 tbsp ginger paste2 tbsp coriander powder1 tbsp cumin powder½ tbsp turmeric powder1 tbsp garam masalaSalt to tasteButter for garnishing (optional)

Cooking method

1. Cut the paneer in square pieces of an inch. 2. Stir fry the paneer pieces in a shallow pan using 2 tbsp oil. 3. Keep the paneer pieces in paper napkin to drain out excessive oil. If you are health conscious, you can skip shallow frying the paneer.4. Add remaining oil in the pan and fry onions till soft. 5. Add garlic and ginger paste, fry till the paste starts giving out aroma. 6. Add all the other ingredients and mix well. 7. Finally, add salt. 8. When spinach and fenugreek leaves become pulpy and soft, it is time to mash the sauce. For even consistency, you can also blend the sauce in food processor. 9. Add previously fried paneer and mix it well. 10. Palak paneer goes very well with Indian chapatti, parathas or makke ki roti.

Kashmir, the crown of India, has a unique culinary culture. During the middle ages, its central position in the Asian sub-continent made it an important hub on the spice route. It borrows heavily from central Asian, Persian and Afghan cuisines. If Kashmir is known as ?heaven on earth?, the food here is nothing less than ?ambrosia on earth?.

The most eminent Kashmiri food tradition is the Wazwan. It is an elaborate 36 course meal in which every dish is mouth-watering. Wazwan is a celebratory meal, generally prepared during wedding or any significant occasion. Preparing Wazwan is an elaborate process and requires a great deal of culinary skills. Knowledge of spices and timing of cooking is absolutely essential. The head Wazwan chef is known as the Vasta Waza and is assisted by a team of Waza.

Seating for Wazwan is also an elaborate affair. Guests sit in a group of 4. After washing their hands, a serving dish is placed in the centre laden with food. Use of knife or fork is an absolute no-no. Certain lip-smacking dishes of Wazwan are Kashmiri chicken, rista, aab gosht and Gushtaba. The last course is a heavenly dessert phirni, prepared with ground rice and milk. To wash down the banquet, Kahwa is offered. Kahwa is a green tea made with infusion of saffron, spices and is the best known drink from Kashmir.

Kashmir has three distinctive ways of cooking; the Kashmiri pundit style, Muslim and Rajput style. The cuisine of the original settlers of the state, the Kashmiri pundits, is very similar to that of their Muslim counterparts. Goat and chicken meats form an integral part of their diet but they refrain from using onion and garlic. They use turmeric and yoghurt in their preparation. Trademark Kashmiri pundits? dishes are chamani qaliya, veth chaman, dama olav, to name a few.

Kashmiri cuisine has gained a lot from the composite culture of its inhabitants. But even in its homogeneity, Kashmiri cuisine has successfully managed to maintain a unique identity in each of its cooking styles.

Indian cuisine is as diverse and vibrant as the country itself. The cuisine keeps on changing with every state and sometimes even different cities within the same state. For instance, eastern Indian cuisine and western Indian cuisine is as different as chalk and cheese. North Indian cuisine is predominantly wheat based whereas south Indian cuisine makes use of rice extensively. However, the commonality emerges with the use of spices which are very specific to Indian sub-continent.

Food is a serious business in India. From dawn to dusk, Indian housewives spend hours planning meals one after the other. Little girls are initiated early in the kitchen. Recipes are passed on from one generation to another as family heirlooms.

Majority of Indians are essentially vegetarians; it goes with their religious beliefs. But more and more people are discovering the succulent taste of non-vegetarian food. It is actually a strange paradox, for a Brahmin from north India non-vegetarian food and certain vegetables like onion and garlic may be a taboo, but for their Kashmiri counterparts, onion and garlic is a taboo but non-vegetarian is an essential part of their diet.

Indian cuisine has been a melting pot of various cultures which over the years have left an indelible mark on it. Indians start their day with a hot cup of tea. That is a legacy left behind by the British. The biggest influence on Indian cuisine has been of Mughals who brought the richness of dry fruits in their non-vegetarian preparations. On the west coast, Portuguese influence on the local cuisine cannot be ignored.

What we really call an Indian cuisine is an imprint of people who came and spent time in this colourful country. The great thing is that Indian food has gained a lot from such cultural intermingling.

Indian sweets are called "Mithai" and are usually made from milk and sugar. Some are made from vegetables, others from flour and some others from lentils. However, Indian sweets are rich, varied, colorful, and served in various shapes and sizes. Some of the most favorite Indian sweets include jalebi, milk pedas, gulab jamums, kulfi, kaju barfis, rasgullas, ladoos and many others.

Usually consumed after meals, every Indian household keeps at least 2 types of sweets at home. The sweets are also significant in Indian culture and festivals. Sweets are also offered to various deities during weddings, birthday celebrations, and other prime festivals such as Diwali or the Festival of Lights.

Every region in India has several unique mithais that are savored by one and all. While North-Indian and Bengali sweets such as Sandesh, Rasgullas, Jalebis, Pedas, Barfis, Ladoos are packed and exported abroad, South Indian sweets are also popular for their unique flavor and textures.

Every street, every marketplace in India has sweet shops or mithai shops selling over 20-50 different types of sweets to cater to every taste, requirement, and budget. From coconut to peanut, from jaggery to khoya, from lentils to vegetables, Indian sweets are delicious, aromatic, rich in sugar, and not for the faint hearted!

Indian spices transport you in a wonderfully fragrant and enticing world of aromas, and smells. Spices not only enhance the flavor of food but also have medicinal qualities that help in treating many diseases right from common cold to more serious ones such as arthritis, acne and heart diseases.

Have spices whole, fried, dry roasted or add them in powder form to flavor your food in the beginning or at the end, spices are simply wonderful. Increasingly, even the West is realizing the benefits of spices and has started using them to season their foods.

Indian spices are used in small amounts as they are used to add a subtle flavor and aroma to the meal and not assault the sense of the people who eat the meal. The types of spices and their amount depend on the particular region the dish belongs to. However, some of the most commonly used everyday spices are ? Turmeric, cumin seeds, red chili powder, black mustard seeds, garam masala, anise, mace, nutmeg, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, garlic, ginger, coriander seeds etc.

Increasingly, common mixtures of common and exotic spices are now available in various Indian spice shops across the world. These pre-packaged spices are a good way to familiarize yourself with these hard to resist ingredients.

In India, spices are the mainstay of any dish in any region countrywide. Just like Western cuisine can't do without sauces, herbs, and dressings Indian cuisine can't do without spices. Whether the spices are common or exotic, they impart a pungent, hot, and aromatic flavor to every dish they touch.

Chefs' expertise is judged on their skills in blending these spices to from exotic, unique, and perfect tasting powders and pastes. While many chefs may use as many as a dozen or more common and exotic spices to power a single dish, but most Indian homes use only the six essential spices to add extra flavor and taste to their dishes.

Six Essential Spices:

1. Cardamom pods, small
2. Red Chilli powder
3. Cumin seeds
4. Garam masala
5. Mustard seeds
6. Turmeric powder

Additional Spices:

1. Black peppercorns
2. Cinnamon or cassia sticks
3. Cloves
4. Coriander seeds
5. Fennel seeds
6. Fenugreek seeds
7. Nigella seeds
8. Nutmeg
9. Mace
10. Dried red chillies

How to buying and store spices

Spices are best bought fresh and used within 3-months of purchase. It's important that you buy whole rather than powdered spices. You can dry roast and grind them as per requirement. All spices should be stored in air-tight containers in a dark and cool area.

If you are new to cooking Indian food, then our five simple pointers will help you make a mean Indian meal that will win you accolades, rewards, and a resounding chorus of finger-licking noises that?s bound to make you beam with pride!

Remember, patience is the key to good cooking. Ensure your pastes are smooth, onions are deep brown in color, and spices used are freshly ground. All set? Let?s go:

- Flour is not used as a thickening agent in Indian cuisine. Rather pastes such as cashew nut paste or onion or coconut pastes are used as thickening agents.
- You must learn the art of toasting (Dry roasting) spices before grinding them into fine powder. Ensure that the spices are not burnt (acrid aroma) nor semi-cooked. Properly roasted spices give out a full-bodied aroma that is hard to forget but difficult to master!
- Remember, to get a smooth and lump less onion, ginger, garlic paste add a dash of water to the ingredients in the grinder and zip away.
- To make low-calorie curries, substitute fresh cream for whipped Greek yogurt/Indian curds or crème fraîche and for cooking use groundnut oil instead of ghee.
- If a smooth-textured dal has grabbed your fancy, then blend the plain-pressure cooked lentils in a blender before currying.