to ensure your search is simplified including top Indian chicken recipes, Vegetable recipes and kids recipes are available in different pages indexed under easy Indian recipes.

Don't let the list of spices and spicy Indian Food used hold you back from trying out one of the world's greatest cuisines. The essence of good Indian cooking revolves around the appropriate use of aromatic Indian spices. Explore and discover the truth about Indian food for yourself. This website is dedicated exclusively for many ethnic foods of India & World Famous Indian food videos are listed in most viewed list .

Bhajiya or Pakora - Slices of onion spiced & coated with chick pea flour batter, deep fried to a golden brown, served with mint/yogurt chutney.

Chicken or Paneer tikka - Succulent boneless breast chicken pieces or paneer, marinated in yogurt

Lamb Kebab- Lamb chops sprinkled with ginger/garlic extract, mildly seasoned, marinated & cooked over charcoals, served with mint/yogurt chutney

Chicken or Paneer tikka - Succulent boneless breast chicken pieces or paneer, marinated in yogurt & spices, cooked in the tandoor oven until tender, served with mint/yogurt chutney Seek Kebab - Minced lamb, marinated with garlic/ginger & exotic spices, skewered & cooked in the tandoori oven, served with mint/yogurt chutney.

Paneer Kofta - Koftas of homemade creamy cheese ground with vegetables, mixed with nuts & raisins, deep-fried, served in a creamy sauce.

Palak Paneer - Homemade cottage cheese, deep-fried & cooked in fresh pureed spinach, mildly spiced. A speciality from North India.

Dum Aloo - Small potatoes, exotically flavored with fresh herbs & fresh ground spices, sauteed & cooked in yogurt sauce garnished with chopped coriander leaves Dal Makhani - Lentils cooked on slow fire with butter until tender, mildly spiced & complimented with fresh herbs.

Tikka - Succulent pieces of chicken marinated in exotic spices, cooked in the Tandoori oven, finished with tomato, cream and butter sauce.

Lamb Vmdaloo - An authentic spicy, hot, sharp & tangy, lamb dish.

Korma - A northern delicacy. The most popular dish to entertain guests with. Cooked with lots of yogurt, cream, coconut, rose-water and garnished with raisins, almonds and fried onions.

Tandoori Chicken - Whole Chicken baked in clay-oven

Vegetable pilau - with mixed vegetables
Tandoori breads: Plain naan Garlic naan Roti
Cheese and Onion Kulcha Alu Paratha - potato and herb Paratha Lacchader - "Flaky"
Side Condiments and Raitas: Tomato and onion 'kachumber' salad Cucumber and yogurt raita' Sweet mango 'Chutney' Mango, lime and chili pickles

Vegetable Cutlet - served with salad
Rasa Vada / Medu Vada - lentil doughnut in spicy gravy / plain
Dahi Vada - Lentil doughnut in yogurt
Upma - cream-of-wheat cooked with nuts and seasoned.

Dosa - paper thin rice/lentil pancake
Paper Masala Dosa - paper thin rice/lentil pancake filled with potato masala
Mysore Masala Dosa - rice/lentil pancakes cooked with spicy chutney and filled with potato Masala
Onion Uthappam - lentil pizza topped with onions
Mixed Uthappam - rice-lentil pizza topped with tomatoes, onion, green peas, capsicum and Chilies.

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THE VEDIC OR HINDU INFLUENCE ON INDIAN CUISINE

The various goals of Ayurvedic Nutrition according to the individual needs:

a) Physical Body - A well balanced meal and regular exercise results in a healthy physical body

Ayurvedic Dietary Ideals for the physical being:

1.Adequate amount of water and salt

2.Adequate amount of food at intervals with lunch being the biggest meal.

3.Balance and regular meal times

4.High in complex carbohydrates, vegetables and fruits.

5.Moderation in fat and quantity consumed

b) Mind - What you eat becomes your mind; as is the food, so is your mind.

Ayurvedic Dietary ideals for the purity of mind:

1.To eat in a relaxed mental state.

2.To have foods that feed the mind like almonds, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, cucumber, green vegetables, carrots, beets, sweet potato, turnips, pumpkins and squash. Fresh milk, buttermilk and yogurt. Barley, rice and wheat. Moong beans. Apples, banana, dates, grapes, honey dew melon, mangoes, oranges, plums, pomegranate and water melon. All fruits should be firm and ripe and sweet.

c) Spirit - By the purity of food follows the purity of the inner nature.

Sensory and Sensuous Ayurvedic Cuisine
- Through our sensory aspects of taste, smell, visuals, music Ayurvedic cuisine delivers a sensuous (tantric) experience.

-The Ayurvedic tradition is at least 5,000 years old in India. It is an integrated and comprehensive system of health, diet, wellness and balance for the mind, body and spirit.

-When Ayurvedic principles are applied to health and diet, our world of food and nutrition can be perceived anew. Many Indian traditional menus are based on these time tested theories about nutrition, natural law and holistic balance. - The menu creatively use six tastes (or rasas) of Ayurvedic diet: sweet, sour, salty, bitter, pungent and astringent.

-A balanced diet in the Ayurvedic tradition does not revolve around fats, carbohydrates, proteins, calories, vitamins and minerals. Ayurvedic Nutrition takes into account body tissues, water levels, salt levels, electrolytes in the body, gunas or properties of food, dosha or properties of the individual, tastes, qualities present in the food and food sadhana or assimilation by our body.

Food and Digestion:
Food digestion is as important as paying attention to vitamins because it is important that the body absorb the nutrition that is taken in. The greatest time to digest the food is at 12 noon when the sun is the highest in the sky. Digestion needs heat and at that time the stomach is naturally

the hottest in the day. Also ice water or very cold water is not encouraged with meals as it puts of the digestive fires out in the stomach. This compromises the immune system and energy levels in the individual and opens the individual to fatigue and disease. Cold water with meals is especially not given to the Vataa individual and also for the Kapha. Also cold water is not encouraged in winter when the digestive fire is not as hot as in summer. It is an Ayurvedic cooks responsibility along with the Ayurvedic physician to educate the individual about the uniqueness of his/her digestive system.

Food and Taste:
Taste has an effect on the body systems. Each of the tastes has a specific effect on the body. Therefore a balanced diet involves having six tastes - salty, sour, sweet, astringent, bitter present in every meal or at least have them once everyday. An Ayurvedic cook will know how important it is to include the six tastes when preparing an Ayurvedic meal. It is an Ayurvedic cooks responsibility along with the Ayurvedic physician to educate the individual about the uniqueness of their Doshas which can be tweaked with taste to create wellness.

The difference between biryani and pullao is that while pullao may be made by cooking the items together, biryani is used to denote a dish where the rice is cooked on separate or many layers from the other ingredients.

We have many varieties of rice's and biryani videos to choose from and will amaze your creative taste buds

Besides spices we use lots of herbs and other natural seasonings to make our foods sweet, sour, salty, bitter, pungent and astringent.

Vahrehvah.com has Over 20000 recipe collection (most are Home Foods) and more receipes are added every day by vah-admin and by users who are encouraged to share their great Home Cooking recipes. So you can always find recipes and suit them and modify to the taste buds of your family members, Home food alone guarantees best ingredients and proper method of cooking and balanced diet.

In Vedic times, a normal diet consisted of fruit, vegetables, grain, meat, fish, dairy products and honey. Over time, the priestly Brahmin caste embraced vegetarianism, which is facilitated by a cooperative climate where a variety of fruits and vegetables can easily be grown throughout the year.

According to the traditional Indian medical system Ayurveda, food is either satvic. rajasic or tamasic depending on its character and effect upon the body and the mind.

India's cuisine is as rich and diverse as her people. The spectrum of Indian cuisine can be said to lie between two dietary extremes: vegetarianism and meat-eating.

India is well-known for its tradition of vegetarianism which has a history spanning more than two millenia. However, this was not always the case. During the Vedic period (1500-500 BC), the priestly castes sacrificed animals to appease and gain boons from the gods, after which the flesh was consumed. But the trend of meat-eating shifted with the times.

In the Atharvaveda. beef-eating was prohibited as it was likened to committing a sin against one's ancestors. But at the beginning of the Epic period (c.1000- 800 BC). -this meat was said to be common food that added vigour hot only to the body but also to the mind. The tables were turned in the 5th century BC in favour of the cow. When it was discovered at this time that the cattle population was decreasing at an alarming rate, people began to realise that a live cow was a greater asset than its carcass.

Throughout India's history, there are occurrences of vegetarianism being practiced. For example, there is evidence that in 800 BC, people began to eat more vegetables, pulses, cereals and fruit As a consequence of the growing distaste for meat. Even the priestly castes of some areas that took to vegetarianism began to offer vegetarian foods to the gods. That kings such as Ashoka (c. 322-183 13C) forbade the killing of animals further contributed to the development of vegetarianism.

Muslim infiltration into the subcontinent caused a gastronomic revolution. In fact, it created a marriage between the non-vegetarian fare of the Middle East and the rich gravies that were indigenous to India, creating what is known as Mughlai cuisine. Spices were added to cream and butter, rice was cooked with meat, and dishes were garnished with almonds, pistachios, cashews and raisins. India was also introduced to kebabs and pilafs (or pulaos).

The Mughal Emperors were of course great patrons of this style of cooking. Lavish dishes were prepared especially during the reigns of Jahangir (1605-27) and Shah Jahan (1627-58). In miniature paintings of this period it can be seen that the vessels used in court banquets included ones of jade, silver and Chinese porcelain.

Relations between Muslims and Hindus were cordial especially during the early Mughal period Converts to Islam changed their diet but the majority of the Hindus tended to be vegetarian excepting the Kshatriya castes and royal families who relished meat. Besides being vegetarian, the Hindus also prepared their foods differently. •

Styles of eating differed between the Hindus and the Muslims. In contrast to the Muslims, the ' Hindus usually took their meals individually, a feature that may have developed as a result of rules regulating eating practices across castes.

Although the Mughals did not sustain power for long, their food habits have continued to this day." Mughlai cuisine, although emphasising meat, co-exists with vegetarianism. Like all other facets of life, India's culinary tradition is constantly changing in relation to vegetarianism and non vegetarianism whereby adherence to a specific food habit becomes a powerful symbol of caste, ethnic group and religious orientation.

Influences from subsequent conquests on the Indian sub-continent:

1.The Aryans - During the Aryan period the cuisine of the great Hindu Empires concentrated on the fine aspects of food and to understand its essence and how it contributed to the development of mind, body and spirit. After this period the cuisine was influenced by the following conquests from other cultures.

2.Mongolians (hot pot cooking)

3.Persians - The most notable was the influence of Persian rulers who established the Mughal Rule in India. The Muslims from western Asia brought their rich artistic and gastronomic culture to India. This influence lasted for more than 400 years and is now part of the fabric of Indian culinary culture. The two colliding cultures resulted in a magnificent cuisine called Muglai Cuisine.

At this time the tandoor was created'by the royal chefs. The Indian, rotis and the leavened breads were merged into Tandoori Naans. Meats were now marinated iri yogurt and spices and also cooked in tandoors. Both pork and beef were avoided to respect the traditions of both cultures. The idea of concluding a meal with sweetmeats was introduced as the Persian rulers loved sweets.

The great Muslim rulers brought their panache and elegance of living to India's culinary scene. ~The idea of community dinning and lavish and extravagant banquets were introduced to India. Dishes were served in jade, silver and Chinese porcelain. The splendor of the Mughal/Muslim cuisine is reflected in the Muglai Cuisine of India which is the richest and the most lavish in the country.

4.Tprks

5.Chinese (from trading and cultural and educational exchanges with them)

6.Arabs (traders)

7.Portuguese - which left its mark on parts of India in the form of dishes like the world-renowned Vindaloo and Xacuti.

8.British - which gave India its love of tea and put the European twist into Some dishes. Anglo-Indian cuisine was the delicious result (Indian Ketchup)

Indian Food such as Gujarati Thali and Punjabi Dishes are House hold names everywhere in the world. Celebrities all over the world insist on Indian Cooking recipes using spices of great medicinal value to good living. Even in White House during Diwali , Indian Food recipes are in great demand. Don't believe? Just try one of these Indian Food recipes mentioned above. Indian food preparation and taste vary with region and climate. From Dum Aloo in Kashmir to Idli Dosas in Tamil Nadu. And Dalbati of Rajasthan is equally mouth watering as Rosso Goollo and Misti Dohi of West Bengal. Not to forget Aloo Chat of Punjab and North India. Learn more of Indian food and its cooking techniques with small tips in Recepies and Videos by your Vahchef Sanjay Thumma yes its Indian Food Made Easy.