Indian
Butter chicken
Tandoori chicken folded into a velvety tomato-butter sauce — Delhi’s gift to the world.
India
Indian Cuisine
Indian cuisine is less a single tradition than a subcontinent of them — north and south, coastal and desert, each with its own spice logic. What unites it is a profound understanding of spice: toasted, ground, and layered so that every bite carries warmth, depth, and balance rather than mere heat.
Introduction
About Indian Cuisine
Indian cooking’s foundations are ancient — Ayurvedic texts from thousands of years ago already described balancing flavors and heating and cooling foods. Trade routes brought new ingredients: chilies and tomatoes from the Americas (via Portuguese traders), which arrived so long ago they now feel inseparable from the cuisine.
The Mughal empire left its mark in rich, slow-cooked curries, biryanis, and breads baked in tandoors. Regional court kitchens developed the complex spice blends — garam masala, panch phoron — that home cooks still rely on.
The pantry
Key Ingredients
Ghee
Cumin
Coriander
Turmeric
Garam masala
Chilies
Ginger and garlic
Lentils
The classics
Popular Indian Dishes
Indian
Biryani
Layered rice and meat or vegetables, perfumed with saffron, mint, and whole spices, steamed sealed.
Indian
Dal
Simmered lentils tempered with sizzling spices — the daily protein of countless Indian homes.
Indian
Dosa
A crisp, fermented rice-and-lentil crepe from the south, served with chutneys and sambar.
Indian
Tandoori chicken
Yogurt-and-spice-marinated chicken roasted in a clay tandoor until charred and juicy.
One country, many tables
Regional Indian Cuisine
North India
Creamy curries, breads, and tandoor cooking; richer and dairy-forward.
South India
Rice-based: dosas, idlis, sambar, and coconut-heavy curries.
West India
Coastal Goa’s Portuguese-influenced vindaloo; Gujarat’s sweet-and-savory vegetarian cooking.
East India
Mustard oil, panch phoron, and fish — Bengal’s celebrated seafood tradition.
How it is cooked
Cooking Techniques
- Tempering (tadka)
- Toasting whole spices
- Slow onion browning
- Tandoor cooking
- Yogurt marination
Cook the classics
Indian Recipes
Coconut Chickpea Curry
35 minEasy
Beyond the plate
Food Culture
Food in India is deeply regional and deeply social. The thali — a platter of small dishes — is a way of life, and hospitality means feeding people well, often vegetarian by tradition. Spices are treated with respect bordering on reverence, and the home cook’s spice box is a personal signature.
Learn the staples
Related Ingredients
Level up
Related Cooking Guides
Good to know
Common Questions
Is all Indian food spicy-hot?
No. Indian food is spiced — layered with flavor — but heat is optional and easily adjusted. Many dishes, like dal or korma, are gentle.
What is garam masala?
A blend of warm, aromatic spices — typically cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, cumin, and coriander — added toward the end of cooking for fragrance.
How is Indian vegetarian cooking so varied?
India has the world’s oldest and largest vegetarian tradition, driven by religion and economics. That produced an extraordinary repertoire of legume, vegetable, and dairy cooking.