Little information about Indian cuisine: Indian cuisine has been influenced by a 5000 year history of various groups and cultures interacting with the subcontinent, leading to diversity of flavors and regional cuisines found in modern-day India. Indian cuisine was greatly influenced by the Aryans, who migrated and settled in India around 6000 BC. The Aryans influenced the cuisine from North India giving them the use of dairy products since they were primarily nomadic herdsmen. Later Moguls, British, Turks and Portuguese influence also made inroads into Indian Cuisine^] resulting in its present variety and diversity.
Antiquity
Many recipes first emerged during the initial Vedic period, when India was still heavily forested and agriculture was complemented with game hunting and forest produce. In Vedic times, a normal diet consisted of fruit, vegetables, grain, dairy products, honey and meat  especially poultry. Over time, some segments of the population embraced vegetarianism. Initially, the caste system also dictated the diet of the people. The Brahmins were allowed dairy and vegetarian fare, the warriors or Kshatriya clan were permitted meat from the hunt, the traders or Vaishnavas were predominantly vegetarian and consumed a lot of grains or lentils and the Sudra who were the lowliest class were permitted to eat boar or other animals that were shunned by the higher castes. The advent of Buddhism  affected this shift, as well as an equitable climate permitting a variety of fruits, vegetables, and grains to be grown throughout the year.  The Bhagavad Gita prescribes certain dietary practices (Chapter 17, Verses 8–10)  In this period, consumption of BEEF became taboo, due to cattle being considered sacred in Hinduism. Many Indians continue to abide by this belief, making the use of beef in Indian cuisine rather rare. Beef is eaten predominantly by the Muslims and Christians and in India, beef is normally buffalo meat.


Here is some interesting tips for cooking;

Cooking Tips

Experience is the best teacher...

1. To add more flavour to gravies and curries, add in coconut milk. For healtheir option, substitute half the amount of coconut milk with low-fat milk. 2. To add more flavour to the dishes, add in chicken or vegetable powder/cubes. But do watch out for the MSG and sodium content. 3. To make the panner (cheese) / bean curd crispy in texture, shallow-fry them. 4. To make dishes spicier add in chilli powder or chilli padi (red birds eye chilli). 5. Using chilli oil (oil used to fry chilli) instead of plain vegetable oil while cooking will make the dish much spicier. 6. To get more intensed flavour from the spices, it is better to use ground spices rather than using the whole ones. Substitute 3 g of fresh spices/herbs with 1 g of dried ones. 7. Spices, esp black/white pepper add flavours to food and are good alternatives to salt and other chemical food flavours like monosodium glutamate (MSG). 8. To make the meat tender, marinate with lemon juice or raw papaya paste/liquid for short while or as long as possible. 9. If dish is salty or extra salt is added to curries / gravies accidentally, add in more chopped tomatoes or whipped cream or potatoes.    10. To add more flavour to the meat, marinate it with the ingredients (esp spices) for 12 hours or more in the refrigerator, for seafood/kebab marinate it with the ingredients for 4 hours. 11. To give the tandoori/kebab a crispy texture bake it in a lower temperate but for a longer time. 12. To give the tandoori dish a dark blue burnt texture, increase the heat. 13. To remove the fishy smell, soak it for a while in salted water or add acid (lemon juice) and wash it with running water. 14. Use only fresh fish for steaming. Fish cooks very fast and should not be over-steamed. The flesh of a well-steamed fish should be moist and soft.     15. Proving the dough gives the bread a better texture. The dough should double its size. 16. Be careful not to sputter the hot oil when put the cutlet in to fry. You may slide it into the oil using a banana leaf. 17. When shaping cutlet, press cutlet well to prevent from crumbling. 18. Cutlet must be firmly pressed into shape and evenly coated with egg or breadcrumbs to avoid the cutlets crumbing during frying .The oil for frying must be well heated otherwise the cutlet will be soggy. 19. Do not put eggs with their shells to cook in a microwave oven. They will explode. 20. A masala curry paste for meat, obtainable from local market, may also be used instead of masala curry powder. 21. Pulses cook faster when they are soaked before cooking. 22. Remove the scum as it forms when the soup is boiling. It makes the soup, oil unsightly. For a clear soup, avoid using too much seasoning, so as to enjoy the natural flavours of the ingredients. 23. A thick soup should be smooth and free from lumps. The consistency of the soup should not be too starchy. 24. Add little rice flour to the fritter’s batter, so it will be crisper and less fattening (oil content absorbed). 25. Rice used for frying should be left in the fridge before frying in order for it not to be mushy. 26. Use the whey drained from curdled milk to knead chapatti dough. They will turn out softer and more nutritious. 27. Before cooking cauliflower florets soak them in warm salted water for a while, in order to get rid of any tiny insects that may be present deep inside the florets. 28. If the vegetables are not fresh, add a little lemon juice to a pot of cold water and soak them for an hour. They will become fresh again. 29. To remove bitterness from spices, add a teaspoon of sugar when the vegetable is almost cooked. 30. To marinate meat, do not use metallic bowls, as the acids (vinegar or lemon) can react with the metal bowls. and some more: General Tip Sprig: means a single stem of a plant with leaves on it. Beware of the flame, different stoves have different degree of control. Tip A To make it spicier, add in chilli padi/ red birds eye chilli. To give more flavour add in vegetable stock or aromat powder. Tip B To make it spicier, add in chilli padi/ red birds eye chilli. To get more flavour, add in coconut milk. Tip C To give more flavour add in vegetable stock or aromat powder. To get more spiciness add in chilli padi/ red birds eye chilli. To get more flavour add in coconut milk. Tip D To make it spicier, add in chilli padi / red birds eye chilli. To get more flavour from the spices, it is better to use a pinch of ground spices like cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, rather than using the whole ones. If more salt is added to the curry accidentally, add in more chopped tomatoes or whipped cream. Tip E To get more flavour from the spices, it is better to use a pinch of ground spices like cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, rather than using the whole ones. To make it spicier, add in chilli padi/ red birds eye chilli. Tip F To make the meat tender, add in raw papaya paste or liquid. To give more flavour add in chicken powder. To add flavours to the lamb soak it with the ingredients for 12 or more hours in the refrigerator. Tip G To give more flavour add in chicken powder. To add more flavour to the meat soak it with the ingredients for 12 hours or more in the refrigerator, for seafood soak it with the ingredients for 4 hours. If you want it to be spicier add in more chilli powder or pepper powder. To give the tandoori a crispy texture, bake it in a lower temperate but for a longer time. To give a dark blue burnt texture, increase the heat. Tip H To give more flavour add in chicken powder. To make it spicier, add in chilli padi/ red birds eye chilli. To get more flavour, add in coconut milk. Tip I  To make it spicier, add in chilli padi/ red birds eye chilli. To make the panner/beancurd crispy, fry them.   Tip J To give more flavour add in chicken powder. To add more flavour to the meat soak it with the ingredients for 4 hours or more in the refrigerator. To give the seehk kebab a crispy texture, bake it in a lower temperate but for a longer time. To give a dark blue burnt texture, increase the heat. Tip K If you want it to be spicier add in more chilli powder or chilli padi/ red birds eye chilli. For a cheesy a flavour, add in Cheddar cheese which will provide a crispy taste. Tip L The cooking pot must be large enough to cook the rice. This recipe can be cooked using a rice cooker too. If your rice is not cooked well due to the flame of the stove, sprinkle water and stir it gently, till cooked. Tip M You also can use canned chopped tomatoes. If you want it to be spicier add in more chilli powder or chilli padi/ red birds eye chilli. Tip N If you want it to be spicier add in more chilli powder or chilli padi/ red birds eye chilli. Tip O To make it spicier, add in chilli padi/ red birds eye chilli. If you are using the normal dark soya sauce, do not add salt. <><> <> <><>