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Indian cuisine — , Mughal rice · 469

Before Indian cuisine reaches the table, the method to trust is : “Mughal rice,” measured by 16. Season it before it is served. A star rating is not a measure. Gravies are onion-ginger-garlic or coconut-tamarind, not a single brown sauce.

Tadka, dal and a subcontinental map: masala, rice, breads and heat that is not one curry. Indian cuisines are plural: Dravidian rice-and-tamarind, Indo-Gangetic breads, Mughal rice-and-meat, and Portuguese chili on the west coast. "Curry" is a British-Portuguese flattening of tadka, masala and gravy.

Indian cuisine sits at spice 95 in this atlas. Biryani and Masala dosa show the range better than a single heat number. Biryani plus one regional plate — not only the export icon. Spices bloomed in hot fat and poured over a dish. Chili is late (16th century) and now structural in many kitchens. Heat here outruns Thailand only because black pepper, mustard seed and chili stack; many dishes stay fragrant rather than red.

The home pantry around Tadka and the labour behind Masala dosa rarely fit a takeaway box. Are restaurant versions "authentic"? Restaurant Indian cuisine is one register. Home pots and market stalls are others. Authenticity is a marketing word; technique is not. भारतीय व्यंजन is the local name used in this atlas beside Indian cuisine.

Indian cuisine needs , “Mughal rice,” and 16. Without them the plate is an advertisement.16

Figures to keep

Year of the method
16
Measure
16
Dish
Indian cuisine
Cooking line
Mughal rice

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