to look decorative.
In the world of cooking, Indian cuisines are generally given the title of being exotic food.They are cooked in rich spices, garnished to look decorative.
The essential ingredient that distinguishes Indian cooking is the use of spices. Yes, India was plundered for its jewels and spices, and even today Indian spices have an important place in all international markets. It is even one of the commodities traded on the stock market.
When indulging in Indian cooking there is no such thing as the right or wrong. If one follows the recipe books, it all seems so simple. Yet, I have not seemed to master it.
Indian dishes are cooked in three stages. The first being preparing the base, or the gravy. This requires warming the oil with the spices and salt. Then adding the vegetables and stirring it into the gravy base, and finally letting it simmer, till completely cooked.
While, this is the basic technique, the difference is in the blend of spices, which are broadly divided into two categories being the powdered spices and the whole spices such as clove, cardamom, mustard seeds, nutmeg, etc.
Any Indian dish is complete along with a serving of rice, or then the Indian bread, also known as roti. However, a complete Indian meal would comprise of appetizers, which are usually the fried or baked snacks. This leads into the main course that comprises of one or two vegetable dishes, along with pulses or a curry, curds blended with salad vegetables, or simply sprinkled with some spices, rice and roti. Then it is wound up with a dessert in the form of sweetmeats.