Main Courses: Fish, Shell-fish, Lamb, and Chicken

The waters of the Arabian Sea, the Indian Ocean, and the Bay of Bengal lap at the coastline of India. The country also has a large network of waterways that teem with fish and shellfish that are quick and easy to cook. My favorite seafood dishes here are karimeen pollichattu and the famous Goan shrimp balchao.

Indian cooks have perfected the art of tenderizing meat with marinades and slow cooking. Lamb and goat have been essential ingredients in the cooking of most regions in the country since the early days of Mughal rule. While royalty in Hyderabad feasted on burrah masaledaar, the average family slowly cooked dal gosht and then stretched it with lentils. You can make the elaborate lagan ka kheema as it would be served at a Parsi wedding or the simple tariwala meat as it is made in the roadside eateries along the highways of Punjab.