Indian cuisine guide
Where it comes from
India is not one cuisine and a menu that presents it as one loses the guests who know better. Wheat and dairy dominate the north; rice, coconut and tamarind the south; mustard oil and freshwater fish the east. Cooking technique varies as much as ingredients — tandoor, dum, tempering whole spices in hot fat.
Spice blends are regional and often household-specific. Garam masala is not a fixed formula, and describing a dish as “curry” tells a guest almost nothing.
Allergens and dietary needs
Dairy is the allergen most likely to be underestimated: ghee, cream, paneer and yoghurt appear in dishes that read as plant-based. Cashew and almond are used to thicken gravies. Asafoetida, common in vegetarian cooking, is usually compounded with wheat flour.
Vegetarian and vegan distinctions deserve real precision here, because a substantial share of guests will be selecting on exactly that basis and “vegetarian” in Indian usage often includes dairy.
Naming it on an English-language menu
Name the dish and the region rather than reaching for “curry”, which describes nothing. Rogan josh, dosa and dhansak carry more information to a curious guest than any English paraphrase.
Distinguish vegetarian from vegan explicitly. Indian vegetarian cooking commonly includes ghee, cream and paneer, and guests selecting on that basis need the difference stated rather than implied.
Staple ingredients
- spices
- rice
- lentils
- wheat