One of my non Indian friends once said to me " I have always eaten out when I have a hankering for Indian food." I asked him why he did not try preparing some at home? His reply was obvious... dishes seem mysterious, things taste so different by just altering what seems like a spice or two. Well, to all my fellow Indian cooks and beginners, Indian food is as simple to cook as simple it is to eat it... most of the time. The whole trick is to know what goes where. Start out by using familiar spices of Indian cooking like turmeric, coriander, chilli powder, jerra, mustard and fenugreek. Then there are onion, tomato, garlic and ginger used differently at various places. Then come the tricky spices like cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, black pepper, bay leaves, and dry mango powder. They are the exotic spices of the cuisine. You use them for make same old food special, or some recipes and dishes cannot be complete without them. One thing is certain, with a little bit of caution and basic knowledge transfer by an Indian you will certainly come up with something worth eating. Once you start experimenting you will be able to decide which spice to add there. So get going and Happy Indian cooking.

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