Dining Out: Indian Food
Indian cuisine offers tremendous regional diversity.
 Every region of India has its own style of cooking. In northern India, spices are usually ground before being added to dishes; in the south, they are added whole, then ground into a paste with other ingredients. In the north you'll find wheat, basmati and jasmine rice and other grains. Dishes native to the south often rely on coconut milk. India's Persian influence turns up in lamb and mutton dishes that often feature dried fruit and nuts. The Portuguese influence in the southwest regions puts pork, goat and duck on the menu. From India's Hindu population come dozens of delicious vegetarian choices based on lentils, peas and beans mixed with vegetables and dairy products.
Almost any Indian dish is bound to include blends of several fragrant ingredients, including cumin, coriander, cardamom, mustard, saffron, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, chilies, turmeric, tamarind, curry leaves, fenugreek seeds, pomegranates and dozens more. Also used in Indian dishes are a variety of nuts, different types of rice and plenty of dairy products, including yogurt, buttermilk, homemade cheeses, cream and sour cream.
The most popular Indian dishes are the ones called tandoori, which refers to both the dish itself and the kind of oven in which it is cooked. The tandoori oven is made of clay and fueled with charcoal. It reaches extremely high temperatures, meaning foods can be cooked very fast. Other popular choices include a variety of curries, which is basically any dish seasoned with curry powder (a mix of spices), kebabs (skewered, grilled meats) and dals, or lentil, chickpea and bean options. Sweet-and-sour chutneys are traditional accompaniments to many dishes, as are papads, the crispy, wafer-thin slices of lentil-flour dough.
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