Usually made with lamb meat, these highly seasoned kebabs are usually fried in butter, however, in this recipe, they are baked in the oven and are just as delicious and not quite as heavy.

Khatti simply means sour, in this case with the addition of tamarind or lemon. Khatti dal is a preparation from the Hyderabad region of India and is usually made with toor or masoor lentils. It can be soupy to be eaten with rice, just as a soup or thick and stew like, to be eaten alongside kebabs or roti.

The stew is aromatic, slightly hot and spicy – if wanting milder flavors, cut back on chili powder and warm spices at the end.

Potatoes cooked in fenugreek aka Aloo Methi, is a traditional North Indian preparation and can be eaten along anything from a steak to grilled fish. Or of course, enjoy it like an Indian with dal and roti. You won’t find fresh fenugreek in your usual grocery stores so take a trip to an Indian grocer to look for it and who knows, you may discover a whole new world to explore!

Eggplants grown by a farmer from Congo in a curry made with poppy seeds native to Bengal, India comes together here in Houston, Texas. They are ready to be cooked in an African stew or a Bengali curry.

While the state of Assam is well known for its tea plantations, the cuisine of Assam has an interesting combination of many indigenous flavors. Black sesame seeds are used abundantly. When Pondicheri was in New York for a few years, a young Assamese chef, Daisy, came to work for us. One day, I asked her to make us something traditional from her home and she made us a wonderful black sesame chicken curry. I still remember the unusual flavor of that curry, mostly from the black sesame seeds – this curry is an ode to Daisy and a delicious departure from the usual curries.

Laal maas simply means ‘red meat curry’ and can be made with beef, lamb, or goat.

Here is a decadent rendition of Matar Paneer, with cashews and raisins. Enjoy it with a warm roti or paratha or over plain rice.

Mattar paneer is a classic Punjabi dry dish, usually eaten with a roti or naan. Here, instead of the classic tomato masala, we do a green herb and yogurt masala to accompany to paneer and peas.

Biryani usually starts with marinated meat, chicken, vegetables, or beans slow cooked with warm spices, onions, garlic, and ginger to make a base masala. Tomatoes, yogurt, or coconut can be added next. On the lighter side, one can forego the onion masala and make a vibrant fragrant green herb masala, like a salsa verde or pesto (minus the cheese) for quick cooking seafood or vegetable biryanis. Rice is usually prepared separately, and can be cooked in stock or just plain water – saffron and/or warm spices like a large stick of cinnamon, mace flowers, or bay leaves can be added to the rice. I usually cook the rice with oil rather than ghee or butter as the oil facilitates the flakiness of the rice and prevents it from getting sticky. It is best to make the rice last as freshly cooked hot rice is placed over the base masala topped with nuts and dry fruits, tightly sealed, and allowed to rest for at least 20 to 30 minutes for all the flavors to meld. Here is a recipe for a simple garbanzo and vegetable biryani that can be easily adapted to the addition of meat.

Dum Aloo, a slow-cooked potato curry, is a traditional staple of the Kashmiri Hindu cuisine. Dum means cooked under steam; aloo means potato.

Not for the faint-hearted, this recipe is decadent and rich. It is the paneer version of butter chicken, just as tasty, creamy and delicious.

Bitter melons, whether using the Chinese or the Indian variety are an acquired taste. But when tempered with the right seasonings and spices, they can be absolutely delicious in flavor!

Organ meats have much more flavor than the muscle that most of us are used to eating. The best part about brains is that they have no odor and almost taste like a tremendously flavorful scrambled egg.

Sabzi is Farsi for "greens" and universally refers to any warm vegetable dish.