moderate

Recipes that require care and attention to detail in preparation and cooking.

They may require some specialist ingredients and some extended preparation times.

Most recipes in this book are of this difficulty.

lamb kofta curry

Aromatic lamb meatballs in a spicy tomato, tamarind and coconut milk gravy. Kari kola urundai kuzhambu is a specialty from Chettinad.

This Hyderabadi dish of lamb, cooked with leafy green vegetables, saag gosht, is a restaurant and home-cooked favourite. Spiced lamb, covered with clinging silverbeet. It could be cooked with almost any leafy vegetable.

lamb shanks

Rich and luscious lamb shanks, slowly braised in spices and yoghurt. This dish, naili gosht, is a great winter recipe from the Mughal cuisine.

Madras fish curry

A family dish from Chennai. Meen kuzhambu gets its flavour from the shallots, tamarind, and tomatoes. It features the taste of the lightly poached fish to perfection. Simple to prepare and cook, this is another dish that must go straight from the pan to the plate.

Malabar prawns in tomato and tamarind

This is a great prawn curry. Hot and tangy, malabari jinga masala is from the Malabar coast and highlights the sweet flavour of the prawns in a tamarind and tomato gravy.

masala chai

Masala chai is spiced tea, made with black tea, a mixture of milk and water and slightly sweetened to make the flavours of the spices stand out.

masala dosa

Masala dosa - spiced potato in rice and lentil crepes - are one of life's great joys. Simple, easy and fast, they can be served as a starter, snack, lunch or as a light dinner.

masala lemonade

Nimbu pani is the famous, traditional and enormously refreshing lemonade from North India and Pakistan.

medu vada

These are savoury fried snacks, originating from the south of India. They can be described variously as fritters, cutlets, doughnuts, or dumplings. This recipe for medu vada is our family recipe for a simple lentil-based vada.

mulligatawny

Mulligatawny is a filling, lightly spiced soup. It is a feature of Anglo-Indian cuisine, with influences from both the British and the Indian cuisines.

mushroom and mint pulao

Kukurmutta pulao is a delicate and mildly spiced pulao from Jodhpur, with mint and mushrooms highlighted by the gentle spices.

naan

Leavened bread, cooked on a griddle, in a tandoor or even a barbecue. Naan is one of India's favourite breads.