Flavor Combinations: Indian Cuisine

Because understanding flavors makes for everyday kitchen magic.

In January, I sent out a survey to all Hearthsiders asking what you were interested in seeing on the blog this year. There were more than a few of you who put down the response: “understanding how flavors work” and “more on flavor combinations, so I can cook without a recipe.” I’m all about cooking without a recipe, so let’s do this!

Knowing how flavor combinations work makes time in the kitchen both fun and tasty. And, when paired with a few essential techniques it makes everything even more fun and simple. There are so, so many flavors. We can enjoy a lifetime of trying new flavors and still not taste all the goodness there is in the World. But some flavors don’t mix well with others. Instead of talking about what doesn’t work together, we’re going to focus on what DOES.

As you explore flavors, remember that taste is not just what happens when you put food in your mouth. Taste is about sight, smell, even presentation. So when you use ingredients be sure to take them in. Smell them, taste them (excluding raw meat and eggs, of course) and become familiar with how the parts taste individually so you start to understand how they work together. Cooking and taste is sensual, so have fun with it. Embrace these senses. Designate your kitchen as a space for fun, adventure and mindfulness.

I can’t help but start this Flavor Essentials series with Indian cuisine. Learning how Indian flavor combinations work opened the door to so much fun and creativity in my kitchen. Below I share the essential ingredients (most of which are common and easy to find), classic combinations, common techniques, ways of serving and a few recipe ideas. If you have additional insights or recipes to share, I’d love to hear them; drop them in the comments!

Essential Ingredients: Indian Cuisine

Tomatoes
Garlic
Ginger
Turmeric
Coriander/Cilantro
Cumin
Chile Peppers
Cardamom (green and black pods)
Coconut (flakes and coconut milk)
Curry leaf
Curry Spice (this is a spice blend that varies greatly based on region)
Fenugreek
Mustard Seeds
Saffron
Ghee
Tamarind
Cinnamon
Garam Masala (this is a spice blend that varies greatly based on region; usually without turmeric)
Clove
Cashews
Golden Raisins (Sultanas)

Classic Combinations

Tikka Masala is a spiced curry sauce with tomatoes and cream. This is often made with chicken. Can be made with paneer or just veggies if you’re vegetarian. You can use coconut milk instead of cream to be dairy-free.
Lentils (dal) are often cooked low and slow with ground spices until they are broken down and can easily be scooped up with naan or server over rice.
Potatoes are often paired with peas. (Gobi Aloo)
Cauliflower is often paired with chickpeas.
Chicken, Fish/Shrimp, Lamb, and Goat are often cooked in a curry, see technique below.
Spinach is often paired with paneer, a cheese you can make easily at home.
Rice is often cooked with spices (cardamom, cinnamon, anise, etc.), cashews, and golden raisins.
You see beef and pork less often which may have to do with religious reasons.
Indian flavors vary greatly by region, for example coconut is used much more in Southern India as in the Goan Chicken Curry recipe featured below.
Flat breads, like naan are often served to soak up the delicious curry sauce.

The makings of Biryani Rice: ground spice blend, whole spices, cashews, sultanas (golden raisins), and basmati rice.

Common Techniques/Ideas

To create a curry sauce, start with a base of ginger, garlic, onions, peppers (commonly Indian chilies, serranos, or cayennes) and cook in ghee. When the base is softened, add a blend of spices and toast for a minute or two to allow the spices to bloom. Then add the rest of the sauce ingredients (i.e. tomatoes, coconut milk). Protein is added and simmered in the sauce until done. For more thoughts on curry, and some simple curry recipes, see recipes and notes below.
If you are vegetarian, curries are a great way to feature hearty vegetables like potatoes, butternut squash, cauliflower, and eggplant. Often you’ll start the same way as above, and then steam the vegetables in the curry just until done. Check out the Vegetarian Balti recipe below for some more on this technique. Dal is also a fantastic vegetarian staple that is both filling and super healthy.
Tandoori style, which is named after a clay oven that can get quite hot and makes for deliciously seared meat, is quite common but a little harder to do at home without a tandoori itself. You can get close by marinating meat in a yogurt and spices marinade overnight and then roast in a hot oven until cooked through marinade. Or, grill.
Vindaloo is a very, very spicy dish. Often meat is marinated in chilies and vinegar with other spices overnight before being roasted. It is a very bright and acidic dish but not for those who find even mild curries spicy.
Roast potatoes tossed lightly in oil and coated with chili powder (not Mexican chili powder; Kashmiri or Cayenne) and turmeric.
Mix yogurt with coriander and cumin or cumin and garlic for an easy sauce to drizzle over veggies or meat. You can thin with some lime or lemon juice.

Served

Topped with fresh chopped cilantro or mint. Sometimes a squeeze of lime/lemon for acidity.
Over Basmati Rice to soak up sauce
With Naan Bread to soak up sauce
With a side of Raita to cut through the heat of very spicy dishes
With a side of yogurt and fruit

Recipe Ideas

Here are some simple recipes to get you started:

Goan Chicken Curry* (Slow Cooker)

Curried Shepherd’s Pie*

Butter Chicken* as featured in the Simple Healthy Dinners Meal Plan (Slow Cooker)

Fish Curry with Cauliflower Rice ** (Instant Pot)

Vegetarian Balti Bowls***

If you enjoy Indian flavors you may want to make your own Ginger Garlic Paste so you can quickly whip up an easy curry.

*Mild

**Medium

***Spicy

A Note on Curry

Curry just means a sauce with a very rich spice blend; there are many variations. (Think of it as the salsa of Indian food.) You can buy pre-mixed curry marinades in the store and there’s nothing wrong with that. Trader Joe’s has a few that are absolutely delicious. But if you want to learn more about the spices, it is best to purchase the dry spices and mix the sauce yourself. When working with the spices, smell them. Taste a small pinch. In this way you’ll learn so much about taste and flavor combinations. (You’ll also save some money this way!)

Often you can buy a pre-mixed dry curry spice blend. If you do, check out the ingredients to start learning more about the flavors. Don’t buy too much. Spices don’t stay fresh forever and are best used when at their freshest. If you have spices over a year old in your spice drawer, it’s probably time to bid them adieu. Give them a good sniff. If they are tired and faint, it’s probably time to toss them.

If you’re looking for a recommendation, I love curry blends from Penzey’s. Both The Now Curry and the Maharajah Curry are delicious. I don’t often buy the Maharajah Curry due to how expensive it is, which in part is due to the number of ingredients (14 in total) and its inclusion of the oh so expensive saffron. (Saffron is very expensive due to the labor intensive way in which it is harvested.)