Indian Recipes Rich in Spice and Flavour
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Spice Cuisine

Indian Recipes Rich in Spice and Flavour

Build layers of flavour with onions, ginger, garlic and carefully cooked spices. From creamy curries to lentil dal and fragrant rice dishes, the methods are broken down for confident home cooking.

Recipes

Matching recipes

1-20 of 20 recipes

Gulab Jamun as golden brown milk balls in cardamom-rose syrup with pistachios
2 hr 30 min Indian

Gulab Jamun with milk powder

Gulab Jamun are slowly fried milk balls, which are placed warm in a sugar syrup scented with cardamom, rose and lemon.

Goan pork vindaloo with tender pieces of meat in red vinegar-chilli sauce and coriander
10 hr 15 min Indian

Goan pork vindaloo

Goan pork vindaloo braises meat in a sour-hot paste of vinegar, garlic, ginger, red chilies and roasted spices.

Malai Kofta with golden brown potato-paneer balls in creamy tomato-cashew sauce
1 hr 30 min Indian

Malai Kofta

Malai Kofta combines soft potato-paneer balls with a mild, creamy sauce of tomatoes, onions, cashews, spices and cream.

Baingan Bharta of roasted eggplant with tomatoes, onions, chilli and fresh coriander
1 hr 5 min Indian

Baingan Bharta

Baingan Bharta is a smoky roasted eggplant braised with onions, tomatoes, garlic, ginger, chilli and a few spices.

Pav Bhaji with spicy crushed vegetable pan, butter, toasted bread roll, onion and lemon
1 hr 5 min Indian

Pav Bhaji

Pav Bhaji is Mumbai's spicy vegetable pan made from potatoes, cauliflower, peas, peppers and tomatoes, served with butter-roasted rolls.

South Indian Sambar with Toor Dal, vegetables, curry leaves and mustard seed in a bowl
1 hr 10 min Indian

Sambar with vegetables

Sambar is a South Indian lentil and vegetable stew with Toor Dal, tamarind, Sambar powder and a fragrant tadka made from mustard seed and curry leaves.

Crunchy rolled masala dosa with yellow potato filling, coconut butter and sambar
18 hr Indian

Masala dosa with potato filling

Masala dosa are crispy South Indian rice-lentil crepes with a spicy potato filling made from mustard seed, curry leaves, ginger and turmeric.

Paneer butter masala with paneer cubes in creamy tomato-cashew sauce, cream and cilantro
55 min Indian

Paneer Butter Masala

Paneer Butter Masala combines soft paneer with a mild, smooth sauce of tomatoes, cashew seeds, butter, cream and kasuri methi.

Rajma Masala with red kidney beans in creamy tomato sauce, fresh coriander and basmati rice
10 hr Indian

Rajma Masala

Rajma Masala is a North Indian bean curry made from red kidney beans, tomatoes, onions, ginger, garlic and warm spices.

Oven-baked tandoori chicken with roasted spice crust, lemon wedges, red onion and mint chutney
7 hr Indian

Oven-baked tandoori chicken

Tandoori chicken gets a spicy crust from yoghurt, lemon, ginger, garlic and spices, while chicken legs cook juicy in the oven.

Samosas with crispy dough, potato and pea filling and chutney
1 hr 10 min Indian

Samosas

Samosas are crispy pastry bags with spicy potato-pea filling, cumin, coriander, ginger and garam masala. The filling must cool before forming.

Naan bread from the pan with butter, garlic and coriander
1 hr 35 min Indian

Naan

Naan is a soft Indian flatbread made from yeast dough with yoghurt, baked in a very hot pan and spread with butter or ghee.

Rogan Josh with tender lamb, red spice sauce, yoghurt and coriander
1 hr 55 min Indian

Rogan Josh

Rogan Josh is an aromatic braised dish made from cashmere, classic with lamb, yoghurt, Kashmiri chilli, cardamom, cloves, cinnamon and fennel.

Aloo Gobi with potatoes, cauliflower, turmeric, tomatoes and coriander
45 min Indian

Aloo Gobi

Aloo Gobi is a dry Indian potato and cauliflower dish with turmeric, cumin, ginger, tomatoes and garam masala. It should not become mushy.

Biryani with basmati rice, chicken, roasted onions, saffron, mint and coriander
1 hr 50 min Indian

Biryani

Biryani is layered with basmati rice, marinated meat or vegetables, spices, roasted onions and saffron. It is only pre-cooked and steamed.

Chana Masala with chickpeas, tomatoes, spices, coriander and rice
45 min Indian

Chana Masala

Chana Masala is a strong chickpea curry with onions, tomatoes, ginger, garlic, garam masala, cumin and amchur or lime.

Dal Tadka with red lentils, spice tadka, coriander and rice
40 min Indian

Dal Tadka

Dal Tadka is made of soft boiled lentils and a hot spice taka made from ghee, cumin, garlic, chilli and spices. The taka brings the main flavour.

Palak Paneer with green spinach sauce, fried paneer and spices
45 min Indian

Palak Paneer

Palak Paneer is an Indian spinach dish with paneer, ginger, garlic, onion and spices. The spinach is blanched briefly and not boiled to death.

Chicken tikka masala with chicken pieces in tomato spice sauce and cilantro
1 hr 35 min Indian

Chicken tikka masala

Chicken tikka masala combines grilled or spicy fried marinated chicken with a strong tomato spice sauce and some cream or yoghurt.

Butter chicken with creamy tomato-butter sauce, cream, cilantro and rice
1 hr 30 min Indian

Butter Chicken

Butter chicken is cooked with marinated chicken, tomatoes, butter, cream, garam masala and kasuri methi. The sauce is supposed to be mild, creamy and spicy.

Guide

Indian recipes with spice base

Indian dishes often start with spices, onions, garlic and ginger. When this base is fragrant in fat, curries, dal, rice dishes and vegetable pans get depth without the need for too much salt later.

Spiciness should be gradually built up. Coconut milk, yoghurt, tomatoes, lentils or rice can balance out, but they do not replace a clean flavour at the end.

This makes the seasoning more round

  • Roast spices: Heat briefly in oil or ghee, but do not burn.
  • Let the sauce simmer: Curries get better when the base simmer for a few minutes.
  • Thinking of the side dish: Rice, naan or raita balance out strong sauces.

Indian recipes taste aromatic and warm without being pungent.

Combine curries, dal and rice dishes

A complete plate does not require many individual dishes. A curry or dal, rice or bread and a fresh side dish such as raita or cucumber salad are usually sufficient. Lentils and chickpeas result in satisfying vegetarian main courses.

Curry powder is not a uniform mixture. Cumin, coriander, turmeric, garam masala, mustard seed, chilli or fenugreek have different emphasis depending on the dish. Therefore, check the mixture and do not automatically dose additional spices.

When an Indian dish gets out of balance

  • Too sharp: Add yoghurt, coconut milk or more unseasoned base to temper.
  • Too flat: Check salt, acidity and roasted spices separately.
  • Too thin: Reduce without lid or mash some of the lentils or sauce.

Hot alone does not make any Indian flavour. The balance of spice base, sauce, salt and a fresh finish is decisive.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions about Indian Recipes recipes

Dal, Chana Masala, Rajma, Aloo Gobi, Palak Paneer and many vegetable curries are vegetarian or easy to prepare vegetarian. Lentils, beans, chickpeas and paneer provide substance.

Reduce the chillies and add extra spice to the table. yoghurt, coconut milk or more unseasoned sauce can soften; sugar alone does not usually compensate for the spiciness.

Common use are cumin, coriander, turmeric, garam masala, mustard seed, chilli, cardamom and fenugreek. Which of these is needed depends on the specific dish.