To wit, we have the biryani of spiced rice layered with nuts, raisins, and marinated chunks of cooked meat. From the cooler climes of Kashmir at the foot of the Himalayas come myriad lamb dishes, while the soup mulligatawny is a legacy of English rule. Portuguese influence is felt in the south, where tomatoes and chili peppers, the gifts of New World explorers, joined with the indigenous coconut, ginger, tellicherry pepper, curry leaf, cinnamon, and nutmeg to spice one of the world's great vegetarian cuisines. And from the southwestern coastal states come spiced seafood dishes like crab Malabar. A certain individuality, too, is fundamental to Indian cooking.
Recipes are loose outlines rather than strict formulas.
One chef's lamb korma is definitely not another's. And that's because the masterful blending of spices, the heart and soul of Indian cooking, is more art than science.