India is a nation that delights in having access to all of nature's bounty. With an affluent and multifarious cultural heritage, she is the world's earliest civilisation that holds onto her celebrated colourful history and great legacy. Indian cuisine today is famous across the world and reflects the diversity derived from a vibrant history dating back more than six thousand years. So where to begin when trying to write an introduction to the regional cuisines of India?

India has been home to many including, Aryans, Moguls, Arabs, Persians, Portuguese, French and the British. It is a true melting pot of the world's finest cultures - everything from the sciences, arts, dance, music religion, sculptures, and architecture. However it is India's food story that is the key differentiating factor, that that sets her apart from other melting pot cultures. 

World's Most Popular

Of the regional cuisines the Moghulai Indian cuisine of the North is the most popular Indian cuisine worldwide. Dominant in the northern part of India this cuisine is a reflection of the opulent legacy left by the nomadic Tartars of Persia who built up India's Moghul Empire in the 16th and 17th centuries.

Moghulai Indian cuisine has graced the banqueting tables of the Emperors for centuries and has strong Muslim influences. Affluent ingredients such as saffron, rose petals and pistachios speak of the cuisine's Persian origins, as well as the generous use of dried fruits, cinnamon, cloves, white and black cumin and green cardamoms.

The famous and intense flavours of tandoor, korma and biriyani are clear indications of Moghul seasonings with a generous use of aromatics such as garlic, ginger, paprika, cinnamon, cumin and fennel.

My Link to the Cuisine

My mother Veena Puri (author of India the Cuisine of the Kings) was born in Rawalpindi, Pakistan. After the partition between India and Pakistan her family moved to Rampur, which lays within the state of Uttar Pradesh Northern India. My grandfather was a great friend of the Nawaab (King) of Rampur (whose ancestry dates back to the Mogul empire).  Hence the family was invited to frequent the royal palace for many sumptuous banquets. This mouth watering traditional and exquisitely rich fragrant fare jewelled with affluent ingredients mentioned previously is what gave birth to my mum's love affair with Moghulai cuisine.

Her demanding curiosity, persistence and passion for this exotic and multifarious spread led her to persuade the great cooks of the royal kitchens to part with their "secrets" and "mysterious" culinary arts.

A Royal Recipe

As is tradition with most mums, recipes are handed down from mother to daughter. If there is one very special one that I would have to choose it would be mum's treasured Murgh Massalam - tender chunks of chicken cooked in a rich, rich sauce.

This recipe is an invitation to you to embark on a journey and experience Royal Indian cuisine at its finest. This is not to say that you will require the services of an army of master chefs in order to enjoy the true taste of India yourself! Just a little shopping in an Indian provision store and perhaps the addition of a pestle and mortar, you will find that this recipe is surprisingly easy and quick to prepare.

Murgh Massalam (The Perfect Chicken Curry)

500 grams boneless chicken

Oil (approximately 6 to 8 tablespoons)

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1 pod black cardamom

4 pods green cardamom

1 stick cinnamon

1 tej patta/malabar leaf (can be substituted with bay leaf)

2 medium onions, finely chopped or grated

2 tablespoons garlic paste

1 tablespoon ginger paste

1 can plum tomatoes (pureed)

1 tablespoon coriander powder

1 teaspoon cumin powder

1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder

1 teaspoon red chilli powder/cayenne pepper

2 to 3 green chilies finely chopped

1-1 1/2 cups warm water

Salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste

Garnish

1/2 cup coriander leaves to garnish

1 tablespoon finely chopped mint leaves (optional)

A generous pinch of garam masala

A handful of flaked almonds

Heat the oil on a medium flam in a saucepan. Add the cumin seeds and allow them to sizzle (be very careful they do not burn at this stage). Toss in all the dry spices (cloves, cardamoms, cinnamon and tej patta)and fry for just a few seconds. Add the onions and fry them up till they are just golden brown in colour. Add the ginger and garlic pastes and fry till you get a lovely bronzy gold colour. Toss in the pureed canned tomatoes working with a wooden spoon continuously allowing the oil to come up over to the side of the masala. We call this bhoonoing.

Add the cubed chicken pieces along with the coriander powder, cumin powder, green chilies, turmeric powder and red chilli powder and continue to gently stir till the chicken pieces turn white and are well coated with the spices and the masala.

Add 1-1/2 cups warm water and cover. Allow the chicken to gently simmer until it is soft and tender. (Should the gravy dry up too much you may have to add the other 1/2 cup of water).

Season with salt and black pepper Garnish with coriander and mint leaves along with a good sprinkle of garam masala powder and the flaked almonds.

Tip: This curry is great with the cardamom rice, pitta bread or naan.