Marinated roast leg of lamb (raan) served with seasoned yoghurt (tadka raita)

Kakori kababs are soft versions of seekh kababs, made with finely ground mince and often a combination of over 50 different spices. Legend has it that Kakori, a small hamlet near Lucknow, is the holy site where millions of pilgrims were fed this offering. A more romantic story associates the kabab with the nobility of Avadh, especially th

This dish of yogurt-marinated and roasted leg of lamb comes from the border of northern India and Pakistan. It is a common delicacy in North-West Frontier cuisine, where mutton us often used instead of lamb. Its also one way of spicing up the festivities and keeping warm with the spices in the recipe.

Hyderabadi Biryani.

The cuisine of Hyderabad, the capital city of Andhra Pradesh, ranges from the Hyderabadi style, with its strong Islamic influence, to a pure Andhra hot and spicy style. The cooking of Hyderabad is rich and aromatic and uses many exotic spices, as well as ghee, nuts, dried fruit and lamb. Hyderabad is also famous for i

Rich Lamb Curry or Mutton Nihari is a dish from Lucknow in northern India eaten mainly amongst Muslim communities at breakfast. It originally hails from Pakistan and though widely known to be prepared with beef shank, many variations use lamb or mutton. This is taken from my latest cookbook Classic Indian Recipes.

Recently, I visited a place called Khari Bauli in Old Delhi to purchase fresh spices at the bustling market. It's well worth a visit if you want to get a taste of the spice lives of the people in India's spice trade. I created a dish similar to the style of a famous eatery called Karims using just a few basic spices.

With the Bay of Bengal to the east of the state of West Bengal, it is not surprising that fish is central to the region's cooking. Each morning people can be seen haggling at the open fish markets in search of the best catch of the day.

This is a simple dish which only requires the chopping of the garlic and the coriander leaves. It might be a nice way to introducing oneself to a couple of culinary techniques which are marinating - the method of soaking food in a seasoned liquid mixture before cooking and chopping or crushing garlic.

Tomato puree is a concentrated thick paste with a very strong tomato flavour. Tomato sauce is a condiment enhanced with various other ingredients. The piquancy of the tomato puree compliments the prawns and the heat of the chilli powder.

This is a traditional fish curry from Kerala in Southern India. It is cooked in an earthernware vessel known as a chatti which adds to the flavour. It is usually made with coconut oil, but I have used groundnut oil. I have also reduced the amount of chilli powder considerably.

Maacher Jhol

A typical Bengali fish curry, maacher jhol is a light fish stew, seasoned with ground spices: ginger, cumin, coriander, chilli and turmeric. The sauce is thin yet packed with flavour. Whole green chillies are usually added at the end of the cooking. Hoki is a succulent, white fish with a meaty texture that is perfect for thi

This recipe combines the flavours of Indian spices with olives. Black Olives can handle the intensity of certain Indian spices and do work well together from time to time.
Cod, haddock or pollack are good white fish but an oily fish such as mackerel can also be used which would give a deeper and richer flavour.

Maharashtrian Fish Curry - Kaalvan
This is a fish dish from my mum's mum who loved cooking for friends and family. Her generosity knew no bounds and she would help or even feed a stranger on a street. The spice blend can be replaced with 1/2 tsp of garam masala and a 1/4 tsp of chilli powder.

Generally prawns have already been shelled and deveined. However, if you need to devein them, you can do this with a thin, sharp knife. Make a cut along the back of one of the prawns, without cutting all the way through.

Traditionally, made with seer fish in Kerala, in southern India, this is a versatile
recipe that can be made with any white fish. The combination of the coconut and tamarind gives this dish a distinctive sweet-and-sour flavour.

I’ve used uncooked prawns from Thailand for this dish but you can used pre-cooked prawns.

Bombay in western India is now called Mumbai but this Indian restaurant perennial served predominantly in the UK can be made quite easily at home in place of jackets or chips.

Okra in Hindi is known as bhindi. It’s a vegetable that is prepared throughout India. When cut, okra releases a sticky substance that has thickening properties,

Dosa is a popular South Indian pancake that is made from a fermented batter of rice and skinned split black lentils.

Of all the tropical veggies, Indians love onions the best. A friend of mine, who was used to eating spicy okra in a curry sauce, was amazed to discover its real taste when he tried this recipe.

Here's a special quick curry dish I have prepared to celebrate National Curry Week. It takes about 15 minutes. You can parboil the potatoes in advance for an even speedier treat.

Mustard seeds are to southern, south-western and eastern India what cumin seeds are to the north. Used to season just about every savoury preparation,

Paneer is a rich source of protein for many Indians who are vegetarian and is the most common form of Indian cheese which unlike western cheeses, contains no rennet.

This is a meat substitute product that can be used in making spicy dishes. Dry soya protein absorbs almost 4 times its weight in liquid and has become increasingly popular due to its health benefits.

Dunk your naans into this magical medley of spicy vegetables infused with cumin and chilli. A recipe that's full of flavour with a hint of creamy sweetness courtesy of the coconut milk.

A dhansak is a spiced dish of pureed lentils and vegetables. They are cooked in a tangy sauce. This is a Parsi recipe that comes from western India and is taken from my Easy Indian Cookbook.

Taken from Easy Indian Cookbook by Manju Malhi published by Duncan Baird Publishers, this popular vegetarian dish known as Saag Aloo, served in Indian restaurants

As we know, Asians love to cook with aubergines and although the brinjal is believed to be of Indian origin, according to the Oxford Companion to Food by Alan Davidson, the first surviving mention of it is in a Chinese work on agriculture of the 5th century AD.

This recipe can be prepared a day in advance and eaten with shop bought naans.It’s a delicious dish fit for a royal occasion and can be truly traditional with British ingredients including the paneer.

Vegetarian Kebabs or Hara Bhara Kebabs. Kebabs are usually made with meat, fish or chicken. These have evolved from the Mogul-style kebabs and been adapted for the vegetarian market. 'Hara Bhara' means 'laden with greens or vegetables'

Smoked Aubergine is a North Indian vegetable dish served as an accompaniment to a main meal. The Indian name for this vegetable is brinjal.

During the summer months, you don't always have to have a bowl of cereal or an English breakfast every morning to kickstart the day. This recipe felt like an all round breakfast with the croutons replacing my toast plus some lightly sauteed mushrooms surrounded by crunchy lettuce.

Go to any home in the north of India during the winter months and the proverbial aloo gobhi will be served at least once a week, either as an accompaniment to a curry or as the main dish with chapatis. Aloo Gobhi is also one of the most popular side dishes served in restaurants in Britain.

Okra or ladies fingers are an acquired taste but they are an extremely versatile vegetable, used in predominantly dry savoury Indian dishes. This dish is a popular teatime snack and can also be eaten as an accompaniment to a meat curry.

A touch of turmeric, cumin and coriander adds a warm golden glow to a quick and colourful dish. This can be prepared in a matter of minutes. You can omit the potatoes if you feel that the rice or chapatis provide ample carbs.

Boondis are pearl drops of gram flour deep-fried in oil. They are readily available from any Asian store or can be obtained by mail order or online.

A member of the lily family, asparagus are lovely and delicate when simmered on a low heat for 4-5 minutes, then drained when tender and smothered in butter or olive oil, with a dash of salt and pepper and perhaps chilli flakes. Be careful not to overcook.

Avial is a thick, mixed vegetable dish in which the vegetables are chopped and parboiled, flavoured with yogurt, and then cooked in coconut milk (you can use any combination of vegetables). The avial also forms part of a vegetarian feast in Kerala known as the “sadya”.

When buying aubergines make sure they have a smooth surface
and are light - the heavier ones contain too many seeds. Apparently salting aubergines, which isn't really necessary anymore, makes them absorb less oil when cooked. This recipe is taken from my latest easy peasy cookbook Classic Indian Recipes

Would you believe that in some shops, tofu is sold as soya paneer.
This is to encourage many Asian consumers to try it out in place of the milk based Indian cheese product. Tofu has a lovely and soft texture not dissimilar to paneer and it's a great way of adding chunkiness to a salad such as this simple yet colourful idea.

Bengal gram is also known as chana dal or gram lentils. It is the most widely grown lentil in India. Matt yellow, with a rich nutty taste, gram lentils are used for making desserts, as well as being cooked with vegetables, or with meat to make dal gosht.

In rural Punjab, al fresco eating mainly occurs in self service, roadside food joints called dhabas, frequented by truck drivers and travellers. It's cooked on a slow fire, often simmering for hours until the lentils turn creamy.

This spicy and tangy Punjabi recipe from Northern India where my father comes from uses brewed tea to darken the gravy. If you’re not keen on doing that, just use water.

Theplas are Gujarati baked flatbreads, and are similar to chapatis. The dough is made with wheat flour, often mixed with gram flour or besan, and fresh fenugreek leaves.

This is a great way to spice up leftover rice by seasoning with a few spices. The whole spice cassia can be left at the side of the plate. It is only there for the flavouring.

Breakfast in the north of India wouldn’t be complete without a couple of aloo parathas to start the day. Many northerners eat the plainer variety minus the potato stuffing, simply called parathas.

These days you can buy naan in the supermarket, but why not make it fresh for a dinner party? Like most Indian breads, it is best eaten warm from the oven.

These are quite tricky to make and many people simply can’t be bothered with all the hassle – including me! Similar to the Mexican tortilla, it’s a round pan-roasted flat bread made from wholewheat flour.

Basmati is a small but long-grain aromatic rice with a nut-like flavour and aroma. It is always prepared on special occasions. ‘Basmati’ means fragrant and it is the most expensive rice in the world. Originating in South-East Asia, basmati has been cultivated in India and Pakistan for more than 8,000 years.

Poori is fried bread that can be found in Indian fast food restaurants. It is so versatile that it can be served with practically anything, sweet or savoury.

Rice absorbs the flavours of any ingredient that you throw in with it so Indians make all kinds of sweet and savoury dishes with it. This vegetable pulao is served on special occasions and at dinner parties.

Nuts and dried fruits appear to be very popular ingredients in the cuisines of Northern India. Close to the mountainous regions of the Himalayas, Kashmiris create saffron infused rice dishes as part of their main meals.

While researching one of my cookbooks India with Passion, I discovered that almost every region uses turmeric either for cooking or for its medicinal properties.

This is an Indian relish made with fresh mint leaves. It's the Indian version of mint sauce with a chilli kick.

Guacamole is a gorgeously green dip that comes from Mexico. The word guacamole is derived from the Aztec words for avocado and sauce. This is a refreshing dip that can be eaten with crackers or nachos chips.

Although salsa is a Mexican sauce that is used as a relish, Indians are now open to new flavours and tastes and love this dish which can be served as a fresh chutney on the side.

This is an unusual dressing which adds a bitter note to the flavour of the salad. If you feel that it's quite strong, add more honey.

East Indian Tomato Chutney Chutneys add flavour to every Bengali lunch: they are incredibly versatile. Tamatar chatni is a good dip for savoury snacks such as pakoras or bhajis.

Chutney or ‘chatni’ is a Sanskrit word meaning ‘for licking’ or savouring which is precisely its purpose at the dinner table together with the other dishes at a meal.

This is a sticky chilli hot relish which can also be served with poppadoms or naan breads. Pleasingly crunchy, it can also be used in sandwiches and on top of jacket potatoes.