Indian cooking runs on two techniques most Western kitchens don't practice: a pressure cooker for dal and legumes (what takes 3 hours on the stovetop takes 20 minutes), and a tarka — whole spices bloomed in hot ghee until they pop. Get both right and the flavor foundation is there.
The rest is spice management. Whole spices ground fresh outperform pre-ground by a wide margin. A good spice grinder and an organized cabinet matter here more than in almost any other cuisine.
What we'd buy
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