Resources

• Tandoori chicken: http://manojmusings.blogspot.com/2008/10/tandoori-chicken.html
• Kheema: http://manojmusings.blogspot.com/2008/11/basic-kheema.html
• Manjula's Kitchen: Lots of videos.

Day 7: Miscellaneous

• Basic stir-fried vegetables (green beans/ green peas/ broccoli)
• Make chapaatis or rotis! Here's a good clip on Youtube. You just have to make it a few times before you get good at it. There are no short-cuts that I know of!
• Meal: veggie stir-fry with chapaatis

Day 6: Deep Fry Day

• Deep fry: puri, bhaji (a.k.a. pakoda)
• Mango milkshake or lassi
• Meal: puri, bhaji and milkshake/lassi

Day 5: Khichadi

Variations of Khichadi (daal and rice cooked together with spices and/or vegetables) can be had across India. There is a whole entry on Wikipedia for Khichadi in fact! As that article puts it, "Khichdi is commonly considered to be South Asia's comfort food...", and I can personally relate to that.

• Khichadi
• Paapad
• Raita
• Meal: khichadi, raita, paapad, achaar (Indian pickles), yogurt.

Day 4: Sambar-Bhaat

South India continued.

• Basic sambar
• Meal: sambar-bhaat

Every household has their own recipe of making sambar powder. Here's one I am going to use: http://kadambam.wordpress.com/2007/03/31/iynegar-sambar-powder/.

Day 3: South India

• Basic flavors of South India: coriander, curry leaves, dries red chilies
• Make dosa (crepe) using batter bought from Indian grocery store
• Make "masala" to roll up inside the dosa
• Meal: "masala dosa"

Day 2: Chhole and Raita

Continue with North India.

• Basic chhole
• Basic raita
• Meal: chhole, rice, raita

Day 1: Basics and Chicken Curry

• Look at the map of India and understand the origins of regional cuisines and typical dishes.
• Garam masala: Loose garam masala.
• "Wet" spices: onion, garlic, ginger, chili, cilantro, curry leaves.
• Chicken curry: Make basic chicken curry.
• Meal: Chicken curry, rice, roti (store-bought).

Indian Cooking

There is no "Indian cooking", India being such a vast country. For my purposes I am going to divide Indian cooking into 4 parts:

• North: This is the cuisine that is the most common in restaurants. Typical dishes: tandoori chicken, chicken tikka masala, biryani, pulao, paneer.
• South: There have been a few South Indian resturants sprouting up in the US. Typical dishes: sambar, medu wada, idli, dosa.
• West: You will be hard-pressed to find a restaurant specializing in West Indian cuisine (not to be confused with the cuisine of the West Indies in the Caribbean!). You might find a few dishes here and there of Gujarati, Parsi or Marathi origin.
• East: East India is anchored by Bengal, and I have seen some restaurants that specialize in Bengali cuisine.