Indian Cuisine Quotes

I've been to India, and I never thought I'd go there.

Chicken Tikka Massala is now a true British national dish, not only because it is the most popular, but because it is a perfect illustration of the way Britain absorbs and adapts external influences.

My best friend, who I grew up with in Paris, is Indian. So, I've grown up listening to a lot of Bollywood songs and watching a lot of Bollywood movies, old and new.

India is gorgeous. There is no country in the world as stunning and versatile as India.

I loved having Indian take-aways on a Friday night in Liverpool, but it's so different in the real India.

I have time only for cricket, and when I am not playing, I love to be at home, chat with my family, do puja with them, call for some yummy paani puri, etc. Also I love to cook. I can make dal, sabji and chicken! But, at home everybody's a vegetarian, so I can't cook non-veg at home!

Making the 'An Idiot Abroad' series, I was really dreading going to India; I thought I'd hate it. It was a nightmare, and I was really ill - just like everyone says.

Once a week, I used to treat myself to three parottas with the pocket money I saved. It tasted so good, and I loved eating it soaked in salna.

Buttermilk's palate-cleansing tartness is one reason it's used a lot in southern India, where meals often end with a small bowl of the stuff served with plain rice and pickles.

Coming to Rajasthan had been my idea, my dream. In the weeks before we arrived, I had tried and failed on numerous occasions to enthuse my family with the joys of travel in India; reading bits from the guidebooks, telling the children about the history of the Mughals, insisting to my daughter that she really would enjoy curry if it was in India.

You can get samosas in any pub in England today, pretty much. So, "Gunga Din" has come back.

Regular readers will know that curries are my favourite thing, and I wanted to go back to the start and really research the history and philosophy of Indian cuisine, rather than just toasting spices, slow-cooking onions. I was hungry to understand this food that I love so much.

India brings out so many different feelings in me. I've been fascinated with India and Indian culture as long as I can remember - ever since the '60s with the Beatles and Maharishi Mahesh Yogi.

My husband and I grew up in India, so saag and tikka sauces are very nostalgic for us.

When I stopped eating meat, I fell in love with East Indian food - there's so much selection, and they use the most beautiful spices.

Everybody tries so hard to pair wines with Indian food, and it has never been a natural marriage.

Filming in India was one big adventure. For 'The Cheetah Girls', we were in Mumbai for two weeks, then Rajasthan for six weeks. Every day after shooting, I would hop into a rickshaw and start exploring the city. I even learned a bit of Hindi. It's such an amazing place to visit.

I won't say there's disrespect for the Indian home cook, but I was never exposed to that. Even in a semi-urban Indian family, you will find a maid. And once you meet these people, you realise they cook purely out of passion or love for the family.

I remember how difficult it was to resist the food served on the sets of a movie directed by Abbas and Mustan. They love food, and I could not resist digging into their dabba for some wonderful meals.

Everyone knows about hot dogs and the Big Apple. But for me, New York City street food is all about the Biryani Cart.

I think there is a real misconception about Indian food being super spicy. And I know that's because when you go into an Indian restaurant, it is pretty spicy. But it doesn't have to be. In fact, my husband can't handle a lot of heat. I've had to temper my cooking so that he can eat with me.

I cook a very exotic Hyderabadi rice dish called Hyderabadi biryani, which takes an entire day to cook, and the last time I cooked it was multiple years ago, but someday I'll cook it again.

My 22-minute film, which I called 'The Sword and the Flute', turned out to be a romantic film about India made by someone who had never been to India, but who already had very romantic feelings about everything Indian.

Lentil dhal is the only thing I can cook.

I'm always cooking big veggie curries for friends with tons of spices, coconut milk, chilli - I'll saute potatoes in the spices, then cook them with all the flavours and stir in some chickpeas and spinach at the end before serving it on a bed of sesame brown rice. It's easy to do and tastes amazing!