Menu Ideas

While many of the dishes in this book can be eaten on their own, they are often best alongside one or two other dishes. Typically in India, dishes are eaten in a sequence. A meal begins with dal and rice or flatbreads, followed by a few vegetable dishes. You may then be offered a fish or shellfish course, and this could even be followed by a meat course. To finish would be something sweet. You eat small portions of everything, much in the same way that Spanish tapas works. Together it all makes a very satisfying meal. Other than for special dinners, I don’t necessarily cook a meat and fish curry in the same sitting, instead opting for one or the other (or none) and then accompanying them with a couple of vegetable curries and always a dal. When I state that a recipe is for 4 people it is expected that you would select one or two other dishes to complement it. There are some recipes that amount to a standalone meal though, such as mussel molee or Himalayan chicken thukpa.