Alliums

Gravy-style dishes give Indian cuisine its reputation for being heavily reliant on alliums (onions and garlic). However, some Hindu and Jain communities avoid them for a variety of reasons. As a result, many Gujarāti and South Indian dishes are allium-free by default, or at least may be optional, and this is reflected in the recipes in this book. Other people avoid alliums due to gastrointestinal upset (e.g., gastroesophageal reflux and inflammatory bowel syndrome). Gravy dishes and Indo-Chinese dishes, however, are reliant on these flavors, so I haven’t recommended omitting them in every recipe.