Indian Food

It's that time of year again and the outdoors is the place to be. So fire up the barbecue and practice your tong-wielding skills. I have a whole heap of yummy barbecue food recipes for you to try.

Thanks to world-famous Tandoori Chicken, Tandoor (clay oven) foods have come to prominence. There is nothing to beat the lovely smokey flavor cooking in a Tandoor creates in foods. From breads to Kababs and curries, there's a lot you can cook Tandoori style.

Most people, even in India, don't have a Tandoor in their backyard! This doesn't mean you still can't enjoy the delights of Tandoori style cooking. It is because very few of us have access to a Tandoor, that all my recipes have been written with instructions for cooking in an oven or on the grill or barbecue. Unless you cook over coals you may not get the legendary smokey flavor but all these foods will still taste just as delicious. Here are some recipes...

• Naan
• Chicken Tikka
• Chicken Tikka Masala
• Tandoori Paneer Tikka
• Seekh Kabab (pictured)
• Reshmi Kabab
• Bihari Kabab

_{Image © Photographer: Juriah Mosin; Agency: Dreamstime.com}

If you're anything like me, the mere mention of sweets and desserts is enough to make you drool!

In India, besides traditional ingredients like flour and sugar, lentils, grated vegetables, fruits and even spices make up a mouth-watering variety of sweet treats good enough to satisfy even the most voracious (or discerning) appetite.

Here are the recipes of a few of my favorites for you to try...

• Moong Daal Halwa
• Caramel Custard (pictured)
• Ras Malai
• Doodhi Ka Halwa
• Sitaphal Ice Cream

_{Image © Photographer: Carlos Soler Martinez; Agency: Dreamstime.com}

A lot of people think that because I write about food, I love to cook it ALL the time! Can't be further from the truth. While stirring up a delicious meal for my family and friends and then watching them devour it gives me great pleasure most of the time, I too have my off days when the sight of the kitchen makes me want to turn and run!

Sadly we still have to eat - especially when the 'we' involves an always-hungry pre-teen boy and an equally hungry 6-year-old boy! Then there's their Daddy... I won't even talk about him :-) He loves his food! So what to do? The answer is eat out!

The trick to always having a good experience when you eat out, is to know how to tell a good restaurant from a bad one. Since I cook Indian and write about it for a living, I have this one down :-)... at least when it comes to Indian restaurants. I'm happy to share, so here's my guide on How to Find a Good Indian Restaurant. Hope it helps.

If like me you have more jobs to do than hours in your day, you know what I mean by the words 'meal in one'. You've got to eat, you don't have all day to cook, so what do you do? Cook something that is yummy enough to stand alone but is wholesome and satisfying and not too hard to prepare!

Enter my list of yummy one-dish meals! Try them, you and your busy schedule will love them....

• Green Chicken Pulao
• Yakhni Pulao (pictured)
• Junglee Pulao
• Goa Sausage Pulao
• Tava Pulao

_{Image © 2013 Petrina Verma Sarkar licensed to About.com}

Chickpeas or Chana is a well-loved vegetarian food in India and is made into tasty curries, snacks, raitas (yogurt-based dishes) and salads. Chana forms an important source of protein for those whose diet is predominantly vegetarian.

There's a lot you can do with Chana! One of my favorite vegetarian meals is North Indian Pindi Chana served with hot Bhaturas or Pooris (fried Indian flatbreads)! Yummy!

Sookha Kala Chana (pictured above) is a dry chickpea curry from Punjab in North India that tastes really nice as a snack or side dish in a main meal. Then there's Chatpata Chana Raita which is a terrifc on-a-diet dish! Eat a large bowl of it and you'll be filled up, in your stomach and your mind! Want to snack on Chana? Try Chatpata Chana Dip with your favorite crispies.

_{Sookha Kala Chana Image © 2013 Petrina Verma Sarkar licensed to About.com}

They ruled India for over 300 years and left behind a rich legacy of art, architecture, literature, poetry and food. As evidenced by Mughlai cuisine, the Mughals sure knew how to enjoy their food.

Rich yet delicately flavored sauces made with aromatic spices and nuts, moist, meat-filled Biryanis and desserts to die for are all hallmarks of this style of cooking. Want to make someone feel special? Cook them some Mughlai food and you have a sure shot winner!

• Malai Kofta
• Navratan Korma
• Mughlai Biryani (pictured)
• Murg Musallam
• Malpua
• Shahi Tukra

_{Image © 2013 Petrina Verma Sarkar licensed to About.com}

With the weather and seasons changing, the flu, coughs and colds are inevitable. It seems like the sniffles do the rounds and nobody escapes their clutches... all three of my kids have been sick in turns, for the last two weeks!

I am of the firm opinion that when you're feeling down and a bit sorry for yourself, nothing cheers the spirit like some good old comfort food. What's your comfort food? Here are some of mine...

• Rasam
• Lehsuni Daal
• Palak Ki Khichdi
• Sooji Ka Halwa

_{Image © 2013 Petrina Verma Sarkar licensed to About.com}

That Indian food is popular the world over, comes as no surprise. Having said that, I was pleased as punch when my colleague Sharell Cook, About.com Guide for India Travel, reported on three Indian restaurants making it to the World Top 100 restaurants! One of these, Bukhara, is probably my favorite Indian restaurant too! I have fond memories of eating there in my 'Delhi days'. In honour of its recognition, I thought I would share my recipes for some foods I loved eating at Bukhara....

• Daal Bukhara
• Seekh Kabab
• Tandoori Paneer Tikka
• Gulab Jamun (pictured)

_{Image © 2013 Petrina Verma Sarkar licensed to About.com}

Know how that song on the radio immediately reminds you of when you were nine-years-old or that smell of freshly mown grass brings back vivid images of happy childhood weekends with family? Food is like that too.

I cannot look at mangoes without thinking of sweltering North Indian summers and my little brother and I sitting on our back porch in our shorts, eating them by the dozen, juice streaming down our wrists to our elbows! Steamed Momos and Mango Lassi (pictured) will always take my mind flying back to many a happy holiday spent with him in Delhi, gleefully eating at road side food stalls! And Masala Chai, well that ALWAYS reminds me of Daddy teaching me how to make tea the very first time. When I first got married and moved to a city far, far away from where my parents lived, my heart would ache from missing them, everytime I thought of Mum's Anglo-Indian Beef Stew.

What are your food memories? I would love to hear about them so feel free to share by clicking on the comments link below this post. Have a lovely weekend!

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The English version of the Indian word Chatni, Chutneys must not be treated casually! They may seem like humble side dishes or condiments but they can add seroius wow-factor to a meal. Think about it - what would Idlis (steamed South Indian rice cakes) or Dosas (crispy savory South Indian rice pancakes) be without South Indian Coconut Chutney, or Steamed Momos (wontons) be without Sikkimese Tomato Chutney? You get my drift?

The best thing about Chutneys though, is they can be used as dips, spreads, pasta or salad dressings (bet you didn't think of that one!), marinades or well, just themselves.

Convinced you need to race off and make your own batch of the tasty stuff? Here are some recipes ranging from the harmless and mild to the seriously fiery!

• Mint-Coriander Chutney
• Tamarind Chutney
• Hell's Flame
• South Indian Gunpowder Chutney (pictured)
• Shengdaana Lehsun Chutney and
• Spicy Peanut Chutney

_{Image © 2013 Petrina Verma Sarkar licensed to About.com}