India

• Jeera rice - Fried rice with cumin

  Cooking time: 5 min. / 3 min.Difficulty: easy

  Jeera rice is one of the most popular rice side dishes in India. It is a very nice combination of aromatic jeera (cumin), sweet raisins and crunchy cashews. All smoothened by quite loads of ghee. It is served with various kinds of North Indian curries, dhals and other dishes.

  

• Dhal fry - Red lentils Northern India style

  Cooking time: 10 min. / 20 min.Difficulty: easyvideo

  I love dhal. Probably all variations I have ever tried. (Not only) in every state of India it is done different way. They use ingredients, which appear naturally in the region. In the South they would hardly do without curry leaves and a coconut milk. In the North it is the very opposite way. And this is where the recipe I learnt from two cool local guys in a hostel is coming from.

  

• Egg curry

  Cooking time: 15 min. / 15 min.Difficulty: easyvideo

  Egg curry was my very first dish in India. I recall the picture with all the details. The food was delicious, 10 locals where looking at me like at a sacred picture, they were nodding their heads from side to side, smiling and the room was filled with the amazing smell of masala tea.

  

• Green and red chilies fry

  Cooking time: 5 min. / 5 min.Difficulty: easy

  When I was invited for dinner by Ram in Rajasthan, I wanted to refuse with thanks. As fry, where the main ingredients are red and green chilies sounded like a bit too much for me. I didn`t resist though eventually. It was a really nice surprise. The chilies lost loads of their spiciness by frying and the taste became really fine thanks to ghee and yoghurt. So if you like spicy food, go for it. Sorry for quality of the photo, it was too dark everywhere around and we ate it directly from the pan :)

  

• Chana chaat - Indian chickpea salad

  Cooking time: 10 min. / 30 min.Difficulty: easy

  I don`t know exactly where I learnt this recipe. I know only, that it was somewhere on the way from Rajasthan to Gujarat. This both refreshing and filling salad, which you can eat warm or cold, I bought via a train window at the train station. And a very helpful local guy sitting next to me explained to me how to make this amazing traditional Indian street food. Easy and tasty.

  

• Chapati

  Cooking time: 10 min. / 3 min.Difficulty: easyvideo

  Probably the most famous Indian bread. Available nearly everywhere. But it differs from a place to a place. The best ones are from open fire. In tandoori oven or hot plate on open fire. The key to success is well processed dough and rolled into a really smooth disk. In traditional Indian kitchens they usually process the dough with a fist.

  

• Baingan bharta - Minced roasted eggplant

  Cooking time: 10 min. / 25 min.Difficulty: easy

  I fell in love with this vegetarian dish from Punjab instantly. Especially in its smoky flavor. Which is the most important point of the recipe. You simply roast it directly on open fire till it is black from all sides. And thats the magic.

  

• Gajar ka halwa - Carrot halva

  Cooking time: 10 min. / 1 hod. 10 min.Difficulty: easy

  Thanks to regular visits of Czech vegetarian restaurants my idea of halva was, that it is loads of soft bits in a pudding. How surprised I was in India, when I found it in so many textures, shapes, flavors ...... Then I learnt, that halva means a sweet stuff. The truth is, all of them were really very sweet, except the carrot one. Of course, in case you love it sweet, you can add as much sugar as you like ;)

  

• Paneer and cashew nuts in a white gravy

  Cooking time: 30 min. / 10 min.Difficulty: easy

  This was simply a balsam for my soul. So fine, creamy and delicate .... And it is quite easy to make home made paneer too. Or substitute it with tofu for instance.