Indian

Round this out with warm pita bread, rice and carrot pilaf, and some plain yogurt. Mint tea and pistachio baklava are a great finish. Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Serve this Indian condiment with grilled chicken, curries or sliced tomatoes.

This recipe is an accompaniment for Summer Vegetable Curry.

Kalmi Shaak Following Bengali tradition, Chitrita Banerji's mother presented this vegetable dish as a first course — delicate yet spicy, it gets the appetite going. But you could serve it as a side dish with the mung beans and the eggplant fritters. The original recipe called for mustard oil, but because it's so hard to find an FDA-approved brand — many bottles are labeled "for massage only," though Indians find that they're fine to cook with — we have substituted vegetable oil.

Chapati or Roti This is the basic bread of India—it is made every day in North Indian homes. Its smooth, soft, and very pliable texture comes from the finely ground whole wheat flour. Only water is added to make the dough. It is then rolled into thin rounds ranging in size from four to eight inches (the size varies from state to state) and baked on a griddle. It takes a bit of practice to learn to roll the dough properly. Don't worry if your first few batches are not perfectly round, or if they don't roll out to the full size indicated. With practice you will soon master this technique. In the meantime, the bread will still taste good, even if doesn't look perfect.

"An Indian friend of my mother's gave her this recipe for beef curry back in 1936," writes Bill Goodhue of Chino, California. "The recipe has been passed on to me, so I can still enjoy the sweet-spicy flavors of this stew more than 60 years later."

Vellarikkai Thakkali Vengaya Pachadi Pachadi is the southern version of North Indian raita. You can substitute plain low-fat yogurt for the whole-milk yogurt here, but drain it in a sieve overnight first.

Indian Spice Mix This recipe makes more garam masala than you'll need for the baked rice. You can use what's left over for other Indian dishes or to give everyday meals a flavor boost. It's great stirred into ground beef for burgers or rubbed onto skinless boneless chicken breasts. Active time: 10 min Start to finish: 10 min

Active time: 15 min Start to finish: 35 min

Active time: 15 min Start to finish: 1 1/4 hr

In Indian restaurants, lassi is served with the meal, but we frequently find this exotic "smoothie" too filling to accompany a main course and prefer it in place of dessert. Look for the smaller, yellow-skinned mangoes, which have a more pronounced flavor than the larger, red and green ones.

This spicy curry is wonderful spooned over basmati rice and paired with green beans. For dessert, dust sliced bananas with cinnamon sugar, then broil and serve with a scoop of butter pecan ice cream.

Here's a hot Indian meal interpreted as an exotic and refreshing meatless salad.

In India, chicken is one of the most popular foods cooked in the tandoor, the ubiquitous clay oven. The secret to the bird's distinctive taste and tender texture is a yogurt marinade enhanced with spices. Here we pour one over chicken breasts, which are cooked on a grill. The chicken is served on toasted bread spread with a mayonnaise spiked with mint, cilantro and chili, flavors common in Indian relishes. Try to find Indian beer such as Taj Mahal or Kingfisher to go along with the meal. Offer fresh mangoes for dessert.

From India's restaurant in Denver, this side dish has whole peppercorns, cardamom and cloves. They are not meant to be eaten, so discard them when serving the rice.

Start marinating the fish at least four hours ahead so that the spice flavor comes through.

Active time: 1 hr Start to finish: 1 hr