This document is a beginner's guide to Indian cuisine, featuring simple and flavorful recipes that encourage new cooks to try their hand at Indian cooking. It includes a variety of dishes such as chicken pulao, mutter paneer, chicken saagwala, and badam milk, along with detailed ingredients and preparation steps. The guide emphasizes the use of common spices and offers tips to make the cooking process enjoyable and approachable for all.

1. A Beginners Guide To
INDIANcuisine

2. 3
- Madhur Jaffrey
If you have decided to take the plunge and try
Indian cooking, do not feel intimidated. Get started
with some easier recipes that will not scare you
away. These recipes contain simple ingredients,
taste delicious, and make you want to give yourself
a pat on the back once you’re done making them.
There are a basic 20 to 30 spices that are used in
many dishes—cumin, coriander, turmeric, and ginger,
to name a few—and there are an infinite number of
ways of using them. Every spice has a reason for
being there. They have health benefits, and they
make the food more exciting and flavorful.
“With all its exotic ingredients, unfamiliar dishes, and
tongue-tingling flavors, Indian cuisine can be both
exciting and intimidating.
It’s such a complete world of taste. You combine all
the techniques from other cuisines and add magical
spices to get a titillating food experience”.
Introduction
Table of Contents
01 Introduction
03 Chicken Pulao
05 Mutter Paneer (Peas and Cheese)
07 Chicken Saagwala (Spinach chicken)
09 Paneer Kebab (Cottage Cheese Kebab)
11 Badam Milk (Almond Milk)
13 Kheema Paratha (Spicy Meat- Stuffed Bread)
15 Jeera Rice (Cumin Rice)

3. 1 2
Chicken Pulao
Ingredients
For the Marinade:
1 tablespoon garlic paste
1 tablespoon ginger paste
1/2 teaspoon red chili powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
For the Spices and
Cooking:
3 tablespoons neutral oil (like
vegetable, canola or sunflower)
3/4 teaspoon cumin seeds
6 to 8 whole cloves
6 to 8 black peppercorns
1-inch stick cinnamon
4 to 5 green cardamom pods
1 large or 2 small bay leaves
2 large onions (chopped finely)
1 tablespoon garlic paste
1 tablespoon ginger paste
3 large tomatoes
(chopped finely)
1 1/2 teaspoons coriander
1 teaspoon ground ​cumin
1/2 teaspoon​garam masala
1 cup unsweetened yogurt
2 cups rice
4 cups chicken stock
1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)
3 to 4 tablespoons fresh green
coriander (finely chopped)
For the Chicken:
2 pounds/1 kg boneless skinless
chicken thighs (or breasts, cut
into 1 1/2-inch chunks)
Make the Marinade
1. In a large, nonmetallic bowl, whisk together 1 tablespoon each
garlic paste and ginger paste, red chili powder, 3/4 teaspoon salt
and lemon juice.
2. Place chicken in the marinade, turning to coat the chicken well.
Cling wrap or cover the bowl and keep in the refrigerator for the
chicken to marinate for 15 to 20 minutes while you prepare the
remainder of the ingredients.
Prepare the Dish
Put a large, deep, heavy-bottomed pan on medium heat. When it is
hot, add the cooking oil. When the oil is hot, add the cumin seeds,
cloves, peppercorns, cinnamon, cardamom, and bay leaves, and fry
till aromatic.
1. Now add the onions and
fry till they just begin to turn
golden.
2. Add 1 tablespoon each of
the garlic and ginger pastes and
sauté for 1 to 2 minutes.
3. Add the tomatoes, coriander,
cumin and garam masala and
sauté until the cooking oil
appears to start separating from
the spice mix. This is a sign that
the spices are well browned.
4. Now add the marinated
chicken cubes and brown well.
Stir often while browning to
prevent burning.
5. When the chicken is browned,
add the yogurt and stir to mix
well. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes.
6. Add the rice and stir.
7. Add the chicken stock and stir
well. Bring to a boil, reduce the
heat, cover and simmer till the
rice and chicken are done and
the water has almost fully dried
up.
8. Turn off the heat and let the
dish rest for 7 to 10 minutes with
the cover on.
9. Adjust the salt if necessary.
Garnish with finely chopped
fresh green coriander and serve
chicken pulao with a green
salad, yogurt or a raita and
pickle.
Indian chicken pulao, or pilaf, includes ingredients like
vegetables, meat, or both. Long-grained rice like basmati
is often used to prepare pulao.
You can use any cut of chicken for this recipe but
boneless, skinless thighs or breasts are the best. The
meat is marinated for only 15 minutes while you prepare
the other ingredients.

4. 3 4
Ingredients
2 large onions (cut into quarters)
3 medium-sized tomatoes
(cut into quarters)
6 tablespoons vegetable oil (or
canola or sunflower cooking oil,
divided)
1 pound paneer (cubed)
1 tablespoon ginger paste
2 tablespoons garlic paste
2 teaspoons coriander powder
1 teaspoon cumin powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
2 teaspoons garam masala
2 green chillies (finely chopped)
1/2 pound shelled peas
1 1/2 cups water (hot)
Salt (to taste)
3 tablespoons heavy cream
Garnish: 1/3 cup fresh coriander
leaves (finely chopped)
Steps to Make It
1. Gather the ingredients.
2. Grind the onions into a fine
paste in a food processor. Keep
aside.
3. Next grind tomatoes into a
fine paste and keep aside.
4. Heat 2 to 3 tablespoons of
the vegetable oil in a deep pan
and gently stir-fry the cubes of
paneer till golden.
5. When golden, remove onto a
paper towel and keep aside.
6. In the same vessel, heat the
remaining 2 to 3 tablespoons
of the vegetable oil and add
the onion paste. Fry till it turns
light brown. You will need to stir
frequently to avoid the paste
burning. Also, do not over-fry
as it will turn bitter and ruin the
curry. Another hassle-free way to
do this is to chop the onions fine
and then sauté till pale golden,
then grind in the food processor.
7. When the onion paste is
fried, add tomato paste, ginger
and garlic paste, and sauté for
another 2 minutes.
8. Next, add the coriander,
cumin, turmeric, and garam
masala powders, and the finely
chopped green chilies and sauté,
stirring continuously, till the
cooking oil begins to separate
from the masala (spice mixture).
9. Now add the peas to the
masala and fry for 2 to 3 minutes.
10. Then add the previously
fried paneer, hot water, and salt,
to taste, reduce the heat to a
simmer and cook till the gravy
thickens.
11. When the gravy is as thick as
you would like, turn off the heat
and stir in the cream.
12. Garnish with coriander
leaves and serve with chapati,
paratha, naan, or jeera rice.
This vegetarian, tomato-based mutter paneer curry
dish takes 45 minutes to make from beginning to end.
This dish uses fresh, farmer’s cheese, peas, and tons
of spices like ginger, cumin, garam masala, coriander,
turmeric, and chilies for an intense flavor. It is usually
served with bread or on top of a bed of basmati rice.
Mutter Paneer
(Peas and Cheese)

5. 5 6
Chicken Saagwala
(Spinach Chicken)
Ingredients
2.2pounds skinless chicken
pieces (legs or breasts
preferable)
3 large bunches spinach
3 tablespoons vegetable
cooking oil
5 peppercorns
4 cloves
4 pods ​cardamom
2 large onions
(chopped very fine)
2 tablespoons garlic paste
1 tablespoon ginger paste
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/2 ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon coriander powder
1 teaspoon cumin powder
1 tablespoon garam masala
powder2 medium t omatoes
(chopped fine)
Garnish: 1 dollop of butter
Optional: Salt to taste
Steps to Make It
1. Wash the spinach well and
chop. Put into a pot with half a
cup of water, salt to taste, and
boil till cooked.
2. Grind the spinach into a paste
in a food processor. Keep aside.
3. Heat the oil in a pan on a
medium flame and fry the
chicken pieces until well
browned. Remove and keep
aside.
4. Again heat the same oil, then
add the
whole spices.
5. As the spices turn slightly
darker, add the onion, ginger
and garlic pastes and fry till the
onions are pale golden in color.
6. Add all the other spices:
coriander, cumin, and garam
masala. Fry for 5 minutes.
7. Add the tomatoes and fry till
the oil begins to separate from
the masala.
8. Add the chicken to this
masala, mix well, and add half
a cup of water. Cook till the
chicken is almost done.
9. Add the spinach and mix well.
Cook until most of the water
dries up. Remove from the fire
and garnish with a dollop of
fresh butter.
10. Serve with hot chapatis
(Indian flatbread) or parathas
(pan-fried Indian flatbread).
If you’relookingforahealthierIndianmeal,youmightwanttoconsider
chicken saagwala, a light chicken curry dish common in northern
Indian cooking, made with turmeric, cinnamon, garam masala, and
fresh spinach.
Tips
Use fresh baby spinach: A key to maintaining a fresh and light
flavor in chicken saagwala is by using fresh baby leaf spinach.
While some may use canned or frozen spinach to make this dish,
it does not pair as well with ginger and garlic as fresh spinach.

6. 7 8
Ingredients
30 cubes of paneer
(cottage cheese)
18 cherry tomatoes
3 green bell peppers
(cut into 2-inch squares)
1 cup yogurt
2 tsp garlic paste
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
2 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp cumin seeds
(roasted and coarsely ground)
Salt to taste
Paneer Kebab
(Cottage Cheese Kebab) Steps to Make It
1. Gather the ingredients.
2. Mix the yogurt with the
coriander, cumin, chili and
turmeric powders and garlic
paste. Add salt to taste. Whisk to
get a smooth paste.
3. Add the cubes of paneer to
this paste and coat well. Allow to
marinate for several hours.
4. On wooden barbecue
skewers, alternate cubes of
paneer with the cherry tomatoes
and green bell peppers squares.
5. Grill on a barbecue or in the
oven until the vegetables are soft
as per your liking.
6. Garnish with a squeeze of
lemon and serve.
Tips
This simple dish of kabobs can be made ahead of time and
grilled quickly when you're ready to eat. It also makes a great
appetizer.
These fresh,paneer kebabs are quick to make; they take no
longer than 10 minutes to cook. You will want to marinate
the cheese in a refreshing yogurt-based paste for a few
hours, so plan ahead for this dish.

7. 9 10
Badam Milk
(Almond Milk)
Ingredients
1 cup almonds
1 cup pistachios
3 cups almond milk
(chilled or warm)
2 teaspoons sugar (or to taste)
2/3 teaspoon cardamom powder
Optional: 2 tablespoons
kewra essence
(available at Indian groceries)
2 teaspoons rose water
Optional: saffron strands
Optional: chopped pistachio
Steps to Make It
1. Grind together the almonds,
pistachios, and 1/4 cup almond
milk to a smooth paste in a food
processor.
2. Add the remaining 2 3/4 cups
almond milk, sugar, cardamom
powder, optional kewra essence,
and rose water. Blend well.
3. Serve chilled in a tall glass.
4. If you prefer to serve it warm,
heat it gently in a saucepan and
pour into a heatproof glass or
mug to serve.
5. For added color, the finished
drink can be garnished with
optional saffron strands and
chopped pistachios.
Tips
If you prefer to remove the almond skins, soak the almonds in hot
water for 5 minutes. Then slide the almonds between your thumb
and index finger and the skin should slip off easily.
If you are serving badam milk to a child, be sure to skip the added
sugar, use a filter to remove the coarse granules of the almond and
pistachio paste, and also skip the saffron and pistachio garnish.
Almond milk is suitable for children older than 1 year.
This recipe for Indian badam makes delicious spiced almond
milk.Badam is the Hindi word for “almond.” This drink is popular
as a summer cooler, but if you warm it up, you can serve it to
warm you up.
Badam milk is delicately flavored with cardamom and made of almonds and
pistachios. As an option, you can add kewra, a popular spice found in Indian
markets. This drink is sometimes called badam pal. The drink is not only tasty
but, thanks to the mix of nuts, it packs a mighty nutritious punch as well.

8. 11 12
Kheema Paratha
(Spicy Meat-Stuffed Bread)
Ingredients
3 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup water (approximately)
2 cups masala kheema
2 tablespoons ghee
(clarified butter,
approximately)
Prepare the Paratha
1. Adding just a little water at a
time, knead the whole-wheat flour
into a smooth, medium-soft dough.
It is likely that you will not need the
full cup of water.
2. Place the dough in a bowl, cover
with plastic wrap a clean towel, and
set aside for one hour.
3. In the meantime, prepare the
masala kheema according to the
recipe or allow your leftovers to
reach room temperature.
5. Lightly flour a clean surface and
roll each ball out into a circle that is
about 3 inches in diameter.
6. Place approximately 1 1/2
tablespoons of the masala kheema
in the center of the dough and fold
the edges over to cover the filling
completely. Gently press to seal.
7. Roll the dough out into a circle
of 7 to 8 inches in diameter. For
convenience sake, roll out as many
parathas as you like. Stack them
with a layer of cling film between
each paratha so they’re ready to
cook.
4. Divide the dough into equally
sized balls, about the size of a golf
ball.
Fry the Paratha
1. Heat a griddle and place one
paratha on it.
2. When you see tiny bubbles rise
to the surface, flip it over.
3. Immediately after the first flip,
about 3/4 teaspoon ghee on the
top of the paratha and spread it all
over the surface.
4. Fry for 30 seconds and flip again.
Drizzle ghee on this side as well.
5. Flip once again to fry the other
side. The paratha is done when
both sides are crispy and golden
brown.
6. Continue these steps until all of
your kheema parathas are cooked.
If you have ever had naan bread, then imagine filling that bread with
meats, vegetables, or just about anything. A stuffed bread is called
paratha. Kheema paratha is filled with spicy minced meat made from
a ​mixture of masala spices, vegetables, and ground beef.
Tips
This stuffed bread recipe is perfect if you have leftover masala
kheema. It is very easy to make and requires just four ingredients,
including the prepared masala. However, you will need to prepare
the dough and let it rest for about an hour, so be sure to plan ahead.

9. 13 14
Jeera Rice
(Cumin Rice)
Ingredients
1 cup Basmati rice
(a long grain Indian rice)
3 cups water
Salt to taste
2 tablespoons vegetable,
sunflower or canola oil/ghee
1 large onion (finely chopped)
2 teaspoons cumin seeds
1/2 cup water
Coriander leaves to garnish
Steps to Make It
1. Wash the Basmati rice well in
running water.
2. Add the 3 cups of water and
salt to taste to the rice and set it
up to boil.
3. Once the rice is almost cooked
(test a few grains often to check—
they will feel soft on the outside
but very slightly hard on the
inside), remove from fire and
drain the water by straining the
rice through a sieve or colander.
Set aside.
4. In another pan, heat the oil/
ghee till hot and add onions.
5. Fry till light brown and then
add the cumin seeds. The seeds
will splutter and sizzle to show
they are done.
6. Now add the rice and stir well.
7. Add 1/2 a cup of water to the
rice and cover.
8. Simmer till all the water dries
up.
9. Allow the rice to stand for
another 2 to 3 minutes and then
serve garnished with coriander
leaves.
Jeera rice is a dish consisting of basmati rice and cumin seeds. It is
a popular dish in North India and Pakistan as an everyday rice dish.
Jeera is the Hindi/Urdu word for “cumin.”
A tasty variation on plain
boiled rice, this can be made
two ways—by total absorption
of water by the rice or by
draining the water from it. The
latter gets rid of all the starch
and is therefore preferred for
obvious reasons.
Tips
Use very good quality long grain Basmati Rice to make jeera rice.
Long grain and aged rice is the best.
Add cumin in the ghee, when it is really hot. The cumins will crackle
immediately releasing all their flavour in the ghee. This simple trick
makes a huge difference in the taste of this rice dish, so do not
ignore it.
Slightly crushing the whole spices before adding them in hot ghee
makes the jeera rice even more flavourful.

10. 15