a bowl of plain basmati rice

essentials

Some basic recipes and ingredients. Things you need to be able to do regularly and consistently.

chapatis

chapatis

The easiest of the Indian breads, chapatis are a simple unleavened flatbread.

how to cool your palate

how to cool your palate

Your mouth burns, perspiration breaks out on your scalp, and you must have something to reset your mouth. What should you reach for to cool your palate?

kheer

kheer

Not your common rice pudding. Cardamom and saffron flavour this dish and is not meant to be stodgy. Kheer is one of the most common desserts across all of India.

masala chai

masala chai

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

potato and peas

potato and peas

This sukha aloo matar is a dry vegetable curry, featuring potato and peas This is a simple and popular family dish from New Delhi.

simple basmati rice

simple basmati rice

How to cook simple, plain basmati rice or chawal. This recipe will give you light, dry and fluffy rice.

what is a masala dabba?

what is a masala dabba?

This article is about the tin that sits beside the stove in every Indian household around the world - the spice tin, or masala dabba.

yellow dal

yellow dal

A very simple and basic recipe for cooking dal. In this recipe, split pigeon peas are cooked with split red lentils to produce a simple dal. This dal uppu paruppu or dhandar can be used as the basis of other dishes, such as tarka dal, or dal with eggs. It also makes a great side dish. Another comfort food recipe.