North India's beloved chickpea curry, simmered in a rich sauce of browned onion, tomato and toasted spices.
A Delhi classic of yogurt-marinated, seared chicken in a buttery, creamy, gently spiced tomato sauce.
A cool, velvety Indian drink of ripe mango, yogurt and a pinch of cardamom.
Soft cubes of fresh cheese simmered in a smooth, vivid green spinach sauce, one of North India's best-loved vegetarian dishes.
Soft, comforting lentils finished with spices sizzled in hot ghee, a cornerstone of everyday Indian cooking.
Spiced yogurt-marinated chicken layered with saffron basmati rice and steamed in a sealed pot, the festive rice dish of Indian cuisine.
Potatoes and cauliflower pan-fried and tossed with turmeric, cumin and coriander, a dry-style Punjabi vegetarian classic.
Soft yogurt dough cooked in a hot pan until puffed and blistered, then brushed with garlic butter: homemade naan with no tandoor needed.
A Kashmiri curry of lamb slowly braised with yogurt, Kashmiri chilli and whole spices into a deep red, fragrant sauce.
India's beloved street snack: spiced potato and pea filling wrapped in flaky pastry, shaped into triangles and fried until crisp.
Onion, potato and spinach coated in a spiced chickpea-flour batter and fried until crisp — India's favourite rainy-day snack.
A cooling Indian yogurt side of grated cucumber, toasted cumin and mint that balances spicy curries.
Soft milk-dough balls fried slowly until deep brown and soaked in cardamom and rose-water syrup — India's festive sweet.
Indian cooking traces its roots to the Indus Valley civilisation, where cereals and pulses were cultivated thousands of years ago. Over time the Ayurvedic tradition developed ideas about how foods affect the body, and faiths such as Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism did much to spread vegetarian eating. That is why dishes built on lentils, chickpeas and vegetables sit at the heart of Indian cuisine.
Sitting at the centre of the spice trade, India interacted with many cultures over the centuries. The Mughal Empire, founded in the 16th century, brought Central Asian and Persian influences and established rich court dishes such as biryani, korma and kebabs in the north. Portuguese traders introduced chillies, tomatoes and potatoes from the Americas; many people are surprised to learn that the chilli, now so closely tied to Indian food, arrived this way.
India is the size of a subcontinent, so it is hard to speak of one "Indian cuisine". The north favours wheat breads (roti, naan), butter, yogurt and tandoor cooking. The south centres on rice, coconut, curry leaves, and dosa and idli made from a fermented rice-and-lentil batter. Bengal in the east loves fish and mustard oil, while Gujarat in the west is known for largely vegetarian, often slightly sweet dishes.
Turmeric, cumin, coriander seed, cardamom, cloves, mustard seed and blends such as garam masala are the soul of the cuisine. One of the most important techniques is "tadka" (or tarka): spices are briefly fried in hot oil or ghee to release their aromas, then poured into the dish. A base of onion, garlic and ginger cooked down patiently underpins many curries.
Dal tadka (spiced lentils) is a perfect first dish: its ingredients are easy to find and it teaches the tadka technique. Then try chana masala