The perfect myth

Nothing is perfect. Have you read a perfect story, heard a perfect song or watched a perfect movie ? But we like to believe that perfection exists in the culinary world populated by perfect pizzas , perfect roasts and other perfect dishes. A 'perfect' recipe does not exist. Perfection is a myth. Perfection signifies an end and would actually become boring. It is the constant quest for better taste that is enthralling about cooking.

Perfection is always user defined. What is perfect to you will not be so to me. If something like the 'perfect food' existed, why eat anything else ? In the quest for 'perfect' dishes take care not to miss out on the simple joy of cooking.

1001 Naans (Leavened Asian Flatbread)

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The first recorded history of Naan can be found in the works of the genius Amir Khusrau (1300 AD) as naan-e-tunuk (Persian: نان تنک) (light bread) and naan-e-tanuri (Persian: نان تنوری) (cooked in a tandoor oven).

Naan ( meaning bread) is the one of the most popular breads in Central Asia. It was the breakfast food of the Moghul royalty and is still a popular breakfast food in Burma. Naan is chiefly made from all purpose flour (maida) and uses a leavening agent ( yogurt, yeast, eggs or baking powder) to puff it up from the inside while being baked. This is what makes a naan light and fluffy.

Any thick bread needs a leavening agent. Without it, all you get on baking is a hard brick. All the numerous holes you see in white bread were made by gas generated by leavening agents. Yeast and baking soda are the most popular leavening agents in bread and cakes. It is the humble Yeast that gives us delicious breads and all our alcohol. It is no wonder we have been using it for over 6000 years.

Yeast breaks up sugar into carbon di oxide and alcohol. It is for this Carbon-di oxide yeast is used in bakeries and it is for alcohol it is used in breweries. Without Yeast, we lose both bread and wine ! 
Naans come in various shapes and sizes. They may be round, rectangular or triangular, palm sized or table sized, plain or stuffed. They are generally sprinkled with herbs / seeds and brushed with butter / ghee.

The first recorded mention of Naan is in 1300 AD by Amir Khusarau, the Sufi poet, a pillar of Hindustani music, originator of Qawali and famous for his tongue in cheek lines like

My beloved speaks Turkish, and Turkish I do not know;
How I wish if her tongue would have been in my mouth.

It was Khusarau who wrote the immortal
Agar firdaus bar roo-e zameen ast,
Hameen ast-o hameen ast-o hameen ast.
If there is a paradise on earth,
It is this, it is this, it is this (India).

Making Stuffed Naans :
Anything which can be shaped into a tight ball can be used to stuff a naan. Pinch off a tomato sized ball of dough, roll out into a disc, place a ball of stuffing in the center and gather the edges of the dough, completely enclosing the filling. Now roll it up again into a thick disc and cook.

Kheema Naan is stuffed with mincemeat, Peshawari naan is a dessert naan filled with nuts, dates and raisins, aloo naan is stuffed with potatoes & gobi naan with cauliflower. The various possible stuffings are listed in column 3.

Before cooking, the naan can be sprinkled with sesame seeds /poppy seeds / nigella ( black onion seeds : kalonji ), cumin or herbs like cilantro.

Though the master recipe calls for baking powder, you can use a pinch of active dry yeast instead. Yeast takes a 4-5 hours to work its magic and so the dough needs to be rested that long. You can also knead in milk / eggs / oil into the dough along with water. This makes naan a complete meal by itself. Naan's are usually baked in clay tandoors - which are highly impractical to use at home. The tabletop electric tandoor does a good job and is very easy to use. First time cooks can try cooking Naan with just a skillet.

Model Recipes
Mango Power Girl's Naan
Aparna's Tava Naan
Naan Video

International 'Naan'
All purpose flour is used across the world and many cuisines have their version of our Naan. All these flatbreads are baked in an oven ( or an electric tandoor) at the highest heat setting till brown spots appear on the surface.

Roll the Naan dough into a round, dimple all over the surface with fingers, drizzle it with olive oil, sprinkle sea salt and rosemary and what you get on baking is the Italian Focaccia.

Roll the naan dough to a round, drizzle surface with olive oil, spread a couple of spoons of tomato sauce and cover with grated mozarella. Bake and you get  pizza. Use other toppings and you can cookup a range of pizzas.

Make makki naan dough, roll into thick rectangles, scour a few parallel lines with a knife , sprinkle sesame seeds on top and bake. You now have the Persian  barbari bread.

Roll out naan dough and top it with sour cream and onions before baking it and you’ll end up withFlammkuchen - the Germanic 'Naan'. This is also called as tarte flambée or Alsatian pizza.

The Turkish 'Naan' is cooked on a tava. Roll the naan dough into thick rounds and cook both sides on a skillet. What you get is Bazlama.

Off this goes to Bricole's Novel food.

10 Simple Indian recipes using Carrots

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This cookbook lists 10 simple Indian recipes using carrots. The following recipes are listed in this cookbook:

1.:    Carrot Thayir Pachadi ( Tamilnadu’s Raw Yogurt curry) 

2.:    Carrot Tambli ( Karnataka’s coconut-  yogurt blended curry)

3.:    Carrot – onion raita ( North Indian raw yogurt curry) 

4.:    Kosambari ( Udupi’s Soaked lentil salad)

5.:    Carrot Pickle ( Tamilnadu ) 

6.:    Carrot Poriyal  (Tamilnadu’s dry vegetable curry)

7.:    Carrot Kootu  (Tamilnadu’s coconut- cumin blended curry)

8.:.   Carrot More Kulambu (Tamilnadu’s Buttermilk curry). 

9.:    Carrot Pudina Chutney  

10.:  Carrot Payasam  

And this is for The cooker's JFI- Carrots.

1001 Cocktails

"There is something about a Martini,

A tingle remarkably pleasant;

A yellow, a mellow Martini;

I wish I had one at present.

There is something about a Martini,

Ere the dining and dancing begin,

And to tell you the truth,

It is not the vermouth--

I think that perhaps it's the gin." 

Ogden Nash's irreverent lines are among my favourite poems. Here's my toast to Ogden Nash - 1000 more cocktails he'd want to sing about !

Mixing cocktails in India can be a pain. With no cocktail culture, most of the ingredients needed are just not available. So I've designed these cocktails around stuff available at most Indian stores.

Dressing up a cocktail is an art. The best way to learn cocktail dressing is to see them gloriously presented in one of my favourite blogs - Ideas in Food by chefs Aki and Alex.

And that goes to Jukebox - Cooking challenge from Sunshine Mom.

1001 Easy Mocktails

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This one page cookbook lists 1001 mocktails. Mocktails are cocktails without alcohol. They look like cocktails, are mixed, garnished and served exactly like cocktails, but omit the alcohol. All recipes listed here are designed to be mixed from stuff easily available in most neighborhoods, Indian or western. Like cocktails, mocktails can be grouped into the major classes listed below.

0.: COBBLER is mixed with soda and sugar

1.: FIX has water, sugar and lemon juice.

2.: FIZZ is mixed with soda and lemon

3.: TOM COLLINS has sugar syrup, lemon and soda.

4.: DAISY is made from Lemon Juice, sugar and pomegranate syrup ( grenadine).

5.: FLIP is an acquired taste as it has raw eggs and sugar.

6.: MINT JULEP has both sugar and crushed mint.

7.: SOUR has powdered sugar, soda and lemon

8.: PUNCH is made from mixed fruit juices.

Creativity is the most important element in a mocktail. Play around with these recipes and shake up your own recipes ! 

10 Coloured Indian flatbreads

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This cookbook lists 10 coloured chapattis. Natural colouring agents are mixed in with the flour. The following coloured breads are listed in this cookbook: 

1.: Pale brown chapatti  does not use any colouring. The natural colour of all purpose flour gives a pale brown flatbread.

2.:  Golden yellow chapatti uses saffron soaked in warm milk to get its golden hue.

3.:  Yellow chapatti uses turmeric.

4.:  Pink chapatti  gets its colour from beetroot.

5.: Pale orange chapatti uses mashed carrots.

6.:  Green chapatti gets its colour from spinach puree.

7.: Speckled chapatti uses crushed black pepper.

8.:  Pale red chapatti uses tomato puree.  

9.:  Brown chapatti gets its colour from coriander - cumin powder and garam masala.

10.:   Speckled Red chapatti uses the bright red Kashmiri chili powder for its colour.

10 Simple Salsas

Click the image on the left to view the cookbook. This cookbook lists 10 simplified Mexican Salsas designed to be cooked in an Indian kitchen. The following Salsas are listed in this cookbook: 

1.: Salsa fresca (Fresh Sauce) / Salsa picada : (Chopped sauce)

2.: Basic Salsa 

3.: Mint Salsa

4.: Pineapple Salsa

5.: Mango Salsa 

6.: Cucumber Salsa

7.: Cilantro Salsa  

8.:  Watermelon Salsa  

9.:  Salsa de cocina (Koh – see – na) (Cooked Sauce)

10.:  Guacamole salsa (Gwak – ah – molay)

For more Salsas, see 100 simple Salsas and 1001 Simple salsas.

And this is reposted for  Tasty Palettes Vegan Ventures 2

10 Easy Mexican Breads

Click the image on the left to view the cookbook. This cookbook lists 10 simplified Mexican breads designed to be cooked in an Indian kitchen. The following breads are listed in this cookbook:

 1.: Tortilla (Tor – tea – ya) : is nothing but a chappati

2.:  Taco  (Ta- koh) is a chappati topped with a filling and folded in half.

 3.:  Burrito (Ba- Ree –toh ) is a chappati roll with filling.

4.:  Enchilada (Yen- chi –lada)  is a chappati roll drizzled with  chili sauce.

5.: Quesadilla  (K- say –di - ya)  is  two chappatis stuck together with melted cheese.

6.:  Pupusa  (Pooh- pooh - sah)  is a stuffed paratha.

7.: Sopapilla (Soap- ah – pee - ya) is a poori cut into wedges and dusted with sugar.

8.: Taquito (Ta- key – toe) is similar to a Chinese spring roll.

9.: Tlayuda (Tlay - uda)  is a Gujarati khakra, topped with refried beans and other filling.

10.: Nacho (Naa – cho)  is a khakra cut into wedges, and served with a cheese dip / salsa.

Reposted for  Tasty Palettes Vegan Ventures 2

10 Easy Indian Chikkis ( Brittles)

Click the image on the left to see the cookbook. This cookbook lists 10 Indian Chikkis ( Brittles) . The following chikkis are listed in this cookbook:

1.:   Peanut Chikki   

2.:   Cashew nut Chikki  

3.:  Almond Chikki   

4.:   Pumpkin seed  Chikki     

5.:  Copra  Chikki    

6.:  Walnut  Chikki    

7.:  Poha  Chikki    

8.:. Til  Chikki  

9.:   Rajgira  Chikki 
10.: Dry fruit  Chikki  

Reposted for Susan's All that glitters,    Jennifer's Sugar High Fridays, Vaishali's Sweet Vegan event and to All thingz Yummy's Festival feast.

Leave poetry to poets

I believe cooking is a basic life skill, like  language. Unlike language, basic cooking can be learnt by anyone, in under an hour. To gain confidence though, it takes time and there is no better way to gain it than to keep cooking. 

Each cuisine can be thought of as a language and I like to think of one page cookbooks as primers teaching the alphabet and the ways they can be  put together. A lucky few among you, dear reader, may later become poets, turning out food poetry. But for the others, just learning to communicate (cook edible food) would be a worthy goal.

This is the reason you won't find poetry in one page cookbooks. There is no place for it in a primer. You are unlikely to bump into lines like " this heavenly sauce with a tantalising undertone of garlic, a whiff of fennel subtly juxtaposed with just a breath of ginger and a kiss of vine ripened tomatoes". I'll leave poetry to poets.

1001 Bajjis ( Batter-fried chewy Indian fritters)

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Any edible flour can be made into a batter, into which a variety of goodies can be dipped in and deep fried. This is the logic behind all the fritters,  North Indian pakoras, Japanese tempuras, American hush puppies, South Indian bajji, North Indian bhajias, South Indian bondas, Japanese kakiage, South Indian pakodas, French beignets., Italian frittas and all such recipes, which exist in virtually every cuisine. 

Understanding the principle behind deep frying is the only way to cook a light and crispy fritter every time. 

Bajjis are no different from Bondas, except for their shape and goodies used. Bondas are usually ball shaped, whereas Bajjis are flat. Edibles that can be shaped into a ball are dipped into a batter and fried into a bonda, whereas strips of vegetables are dipped in the same batter and fried into bajjis. 

The batter:
Though gram flour is commonly used for most bajjis, different flours can be used to make a variety of bajjis with a different flavour and texture. Column 1 lists some of them. Wheat flour gives a chewy bajji, rice flour gives a crispy bajji, rava gives a gritty bajji and so on. By changing the base, the following bajjis can be cooked up.

0.: Gram flour is used for the basic bajji.

1.: All purpose flour ( maida) and whole wheat flour give a chewy maida and godhi bajji.

3.: Nut flour (cashew / almond flour) gives a delicately flavoured bajji.

4.: Yellow Corn flour & Finger millet flour cook into differently coloured and flavoured chola bajji and ragi bajji.                                 

6.: Rice flour   gives a crispy bajji

7.: Cream of wheat is used for a gritty textured Rava bajji.

8.:  Almost all edible flours like water chestnut flour, soya flour, buckwheat flour etc. can be used for bajjis. It is easier to use them mixed with gram flour / wheat flour as some of them can't be made into a clingy batter. 

The flavouring                   
A range of flavouring agents listed in column 2 can be mixed in with the batter to cook up scores of variations. There are no rules here. Choose your favourite flavouring combination.

The goodies:
Anything that can be sliced into a thin strip can be fried into a bajji. A variety of goodies listed in column 3 can be dipped into the batter and deep fried. There are no fixed rules about the goodies & batter combination. Experiment with your favourite goodies!

 0.: Carrot gives us the carrot bajji

1.: Potato gives the urulai kizhangu bajji. 

2.: Banana ( raw / ripe- especially Nendram pazham, the Kerala plantain) is fried into the vazakkai bajji / Pazha bajji).

3.: Eggplant is fried into the Kathirikkai bajji.

4.: Capsicum gives us the koda molaga bajji.

5.: Paneer is fried into the paneer bhajji.

6.: Bread  is used to make the Bread bajji.

7.: Onion is fried into the vengaya bajji.

8.: Slit, deseeded and stuffed green chilies  give the spicy molaga bajji.

 You can experiment with chicken breasts,  sausages, prawns, fish slices etc, to cook a variety of bhajjis. 

Fry safe! 

1001 Bondas ( Battered and fried Indian dumplings)

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Any edible flour can be made into a batter, into which a variety of goodies can be dipped in and deep fried. This is the logic behind all the fritters,  North Indian pakoras, Japanese tempuras, American hush puppies, South Indian bajji, North Indian bhajias, South Indian bondas, Japanese kakiage, South Indian pakodas, French beignets., Italian frittas and all such recipes, which exist in virtually every cuisine. 

Understanding the principle behind deep frying is the only way to cook a light and crispy deep fried snack every time. 

The base:
Though gram flour is commonly used for most bondas, different flours can be used to make a variety of bondas with a different flavours and textures. Column 1 lists some of them. By changing the base, the following bondas can be cooked up.

0.: Gram flour is used for the basic bonda.

1.: All purpose flour ( maida) and whole wheat flour give a chewy maida and godhi bonda.

3.: Nut flour (cashew / almond flour) give a delicately flavoured bonda.

4.: Yellow Corn flour & Finger millet flour cook into differently coloured and flavoured chola bonda and ragi bonda.                                

6.: Rice flour   gives a crispy Arisi bonda

7.: Cream of wheat is used for a gritty textured Rava bonda.

8.:  Almost all edible flours like water chestnut flour, soya flour, buckwheat flour etc. can be used for bondas. It is easier to use them mixed with gram flour / wheat flour as some of them can't be made into a clingy batter.

 The flavouring :
A range of flavouring agents listed in column 2 can be mixed in with the batter to cook up scores of variations. There are no rules here. Choose your favourite flavouring combination.

The goodies:
Anything that can be shaped into a ball can be used to make a bonda. A variety of goodies listed in column 3 can be dipped into the batter and deep fried. There are no fixed rules about the goodies & batter combination. Experiment with your favourite goodies! 

1.: Bread  is used to make the Bread Bonda.

2.: Hard boiled egg gives the Muttai Bonda.

3.: Paneer is fried into the Paneer Bonda.

4.: Kheema  ( minced mutton / chicken) gives the Kheema Bonda)

5.: Potato , the most commonly used additive gives the Batata Vada / Potato Bonda.

6.: Mixed veggies  give the Masala Bonda.

7.: Mushroom is cooked into the Kaalan Bonda.

You can experiment with grated tofu,  mozzarella, olives, sausages or use your favourite goodies shaped into tight, lemon sized balls to cook up an array of novel bondas. 

Fry safe! 

10 No cook pasta Soups

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This cookbook lists 10 simple pasta soups. The recipes are greatly simplified so that a first time cook can easily cook them.A variety of ingredients are blended together into a cold soup, boiled pasta is mixed in & the soup is garnished with grated / powdered parmesan and served. That's it !

The following recipes are listed in this cookbook. 

1.:  Macaroni Gazpacho

2.:  Green Gazpacho with Cappelletti

3.:  White Gazpacho with Rotini

4.:  Oriental Spaghetti Gazpacho

5.:  Farfalline Pineapple Gazpacho

6.:  Ditalini Tarator

7.:  Rotelle Salmorejo

8.:  Anellini Ajoblanco 

9.:. Water melon Conchiclie Soup

10.: Coconut milk Tripolini Soup 

And off this goes to Holler's No Croutons required event.

1001 Simple Pappu ( Andhra's Lentil stew )

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This cookbook lists 1000 simplified lentil stews, the Pappu, cooked in Andhra. Ten bases are combined with ten different additives and ten different flavouring to create a thousand different pappu varieties.  The building blocks are listed below: 

The bases:

The following dals as listed in column 1 are used in most pappu.

0.: Kandi pappu : Tuvar dal is used to cook most pappus

1.: Pesara pappu or mung dal  is the next most commonly used dal.

2.: Misore Pappu : Called Mysore pappu / Masoor dal, this pink lentil is not very commonly used.

3.: Senaga pappu : Bengal gram / chana dal takes longer to cook and is usually presoaked before cooking. This is generally paired with sour spinach ( gongura) to cook the gongura pappu.

4.: Mukkula pappu : A combination of dals can also be used for pappu.

5.: Ulava pappu : Though more famous for Ulava Charu, this earthy dal can also be cooked into a great pappu.

6.: Roast pappu : Roasting dals before cooking imparts a nutty flavour.

7.: Stir fried lentils : Stir frying dals before cooking imparts a nuttier flavour.

8.: Global Pappu A variety of quick cooking lentils are found around the world and all these can be turned into delicious pappu

9.: Combo : Any combination of the above lentils can be used for pappu.

The additives:
A variety of additives are simmered in a sour base to cook up various pappu. Column 2 lists the most commonly used additives in Andhra.

0.:  Plain boiled dal tastes delicious without any additives. Eaten as Mudda Pappu , it is mixed with cooked rice, drizzled with ghee and is accompanied by a pickle.

1.: Raw Mango gives us the famous Mamdikkaya pappu

2.: Tomato is cooked into the Tomato pappu

3.: Spinach : A variety of spinach varieties are cooked into delicious pappu like  Aakukoora  Pappu/ Thota koora pappu  / Gongura pappu  .

4.: Dosakka. The much loved vegetable in Andhra gives us the  Dosakka Pappu.

5.: Tamarind leaves . It is in Andhra we see the use of tender tamarind leaves being cooked into the  Chinta chiguru pappu   

6.:  Red Pumpkin is boiled with dal into the Gummadikaya Pappu

7.:  Ridge gourd  with mung dal gives us Beerakkaya pesaru pappu 

8.: Bottle gourd is cooked into the Sorakkaya Pappu

9.: Fusion. A variety of fresh vegetables / spinach / herbs can all be cooked into delicious pappu. A combination of the above additives can also be used. 

The flavouring:
Pappu is a simple stew and does not need elaborate flavouring. Usually a simple garnish of fried mustard, red chili and curry leaves is sufficient. But a variety of different flavouring techniques are used as listed in Column 2 .

And this is reposted for Suganya's Vegan Ventures and My legume love affair, an event started by Susan.

Separate logic from content

One insight that has greatly helped me to cook a variety of dishes is this - The logic is separate from the content. This principle is widely used in many fields, including software programming, where it is a cornerstone of good design.

What this means in culinary terms is this - all recipes are built on a core logic.  For example, all Indian rotis are built around the logic that flour becomes edible when kneaded into a dough, shaped and heated on a skillet / tandoor. This core logic never changes - however the content does. That is, the types of flour used, the kind of shapes they assume, the kind of additives/ flavouring/ stuffing - all can be changed.

I believe it is a cook's job to isolate this core logic, which then can be converted into innumerable recipes. One page cookbooks are built on this concept. Each book is built on a piece of core logic and showcases how different 'content' can be hung on this frame, creating innumerable recipes.

Understanding this principle has changed the way I cook.

1001 Samosas ( Stuffed & Fried Indian pastries)

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This cookbook lists 1000 simplified samosas (deep fried Indian stuffed pastries).Ten different bases are paired with ten different additives and ten stuffings to create a thousand different samosas. These recipes are graded from easy to tough, with 000 being the easiest and 999 being the toughest. 

The base:
Though refined wheat flour (maida) account for most samosas cooked across India, we can make samosas from a variety of flours. As many of these flours cannot be kneaded easily into a dough, they are mixed with wheat flour to make kneading easier. Each flour will change the flavour and texture of the samosa. Rice flour would make it crispy, gram flour would make it chewy, semolina would make it gritty and so on. Try experimenting with various flours.

The additives:
A variety of spices or herbs as listed in column 2 can be kneaded into the dough.

The stuffing:
Anything without too much moisture can be used to stuff a samosa. Potatoes, paneer and dal make easy stuffing whereas cauliflower or radishes take time to master, because they have more moisture. Though non-veg stuffings are not as common, they can be cooked into delicious samosas.

Combining a variety of stuffing with a variety of bases and additives would give you an endless list of samosas. Experiment and fave fun !

10 simple Variety rice

This cookbook lists 10 simple variety rice cooked across South India. The recipes are greatly simplified so that a first time cook can easily cook them. For more variations, check out 1001 variety rice. The following recipes are listed in this cookbook.

1.: Curd Rice (Thayir Sadham) )

2.: Lemon rice (Elumichai Sadham)

3.: Mango rice (Manga Sadham)

4.: Mint rice ( Pudhina Sadham)

5.: Tomato Rice (Thakkali Sadham)

6.: Coconut Rice(Thenga Sadham)

7.: Sesame Rice ( Ellu Sadham)

8.: Pepper- cumin rice (Milagu Sadham)

9.:. Tamarind Rice (Puliodharai)

10.: Eggplant rice ( Vangi Bhat)

Off this goes to Srivalli's Rice Mela

1001 One pot mutton curries

Click the image on the left to view and print the cookbook.
This cookbook lists 1000 one pot mutton curries, greatly simplified, so that a first time cook can easily cook them. The principle is simple – 10 different bases are combined with ten different flavourings and 10 different additives to cook up a thousand different recipes.  The bases are listed below. 

0.: Onion - An extra dose of onions is used as a base in the famous Dopyaza ( Double onion curry)

1.: Nuts / Seeds - Using nut paste and milk as a base is another hallmark of  the Mogul cuisine. This is usually used to cook the Mutton Korma.

2.: Herbs -  A variety of herbs are used across India as a curry base. Mint mutton , coriander mutton and gongura mutton are regional delicacies.

3.: Coconut milk is widely used as a curry base in all the coastal cuisines, especially in Konkan, Goa and Kerala.

4.: Yogurt is cooked until dry and is used as a curry base in the Kashmiri cuisine.

5.:  Spinach is used as a base to cook up a greenish curry,  the Saag Mutton.

6.: Tamarind is used as a base in the southern states of Andhra, Tamilnadu and Karnataka to cook  Mutton Kulambu.

7.:  Onion – garlic - Tomato is a widely used curry base across the country.

8.: Boiled pulses are cooked along with mutton to cook up the Sindhi curry Mutton Dhansak and the Tamil curry, Mutton Salna.

Ten different flavouring combinations are listed in column2. You’ll note that each flavouring technique calls for a different type of oil. However, you can safely substitute refined vegetable oil in place of other oils.

0.: Mustard + Red chili  fried in coconut oil is chiefly used in Kerala cuisine       

1.:  Cumin + Ginger- Garlic  is a flavouring common in Muglai cuisine    

2.: Mustard + Asafetida  fried in sesame oil is commonly used in Tamil cuisine

3.:  Panchphoran  fried in mustard oil is the standard flavouring used in Bengali / Oriya cuisine    

4.: Mustard + Curry leaves + Fenugreek  is another south Indian flavouring combination.

5.: Cloves – Cinnamon  with ginger garlic paste and garam masala is commonly used in North Indian cuisine.     

6.:  Using readymade mutton masala is one of the easiest ways of flavouring.     

7.: Using ginger powder and cardamom is a Kashmiri flavouring technique.

8.: Chili garlic paste mixed with dhania and turmeric powder is used across India as a flavouring agent. 

Additives
A wide variety of goodies can be cooked along with mutton. They absorb the flavour from mutton and become extra delicious. Certain regions have their own preferred additive. Turnips are cooked with mutton in Kashmir, drumsticks are preferred in Andhra, coconut in Kerala and shallots in Tamilnadu. A mix of various vegetables are used to cook the Sindhi curry mutton Dhansak. There are no hard and fast rules here. You can safely use your preferred additive.