Indian food is quickly becoming popular all over the world, no doubt because it's known for being very spicy and flavorful. You can create your own Indian-inspired dishes by using some of the most common spices and other foods used in Indian cooking, and preparing those spices how they are prepared in India. Note a few tips on how to make your kitchen more Indian-friendly, either to accommodate friends from India or to simply add some flavor to all your favorite meals.

Spices

Turmeric, cumin and paprika are favorite spices from India and three standard spices you can try for creating Indian-inspired cuisine from your current favorite recipes. Paprika is a good spice to add to chicken dishes; you can mix it into your flour mixture when you're ready to cook fried chicken along with simple salt and pepper, or sprinkle it generously over the chicken with some salt before putting it on the rotisserie.

Cumin is good for pork dishes; rub the pork or even the bottom of a skillet with cumin before making fried pork chops. Turmeric might be used for vegetables; toss some turmeric with vegetables before roasting them and add just a bit of salt and pepper. You can also add turmeric to rice dishes or your eggs. Ginger and garlic area also used in Indian dishes; add some fresh ginger to fruit smoothies and garlic to your chicken along with the paprika for a great dish.

Rice

Rice is a staple with Indian food but you may notice Indian recipes calling for basmati rice. This type of rice is different than your standard white rice; it has an earthy smell and, when cooked, it will become very long and stretched out. It may hold the spices of Indian food better than standard white rice, so that your dishes are more flavorful. Use basmati rice anywhere you would use white rice; it works as a side dish with your chicken or pork, or you can eat it on its own without any spices added.

Grinding spices

To really bring out the flavor of Indian spices, consider grinding them yourself rather than buying them dry. Opt for a mortar and pestle, or you might even use a clean coffee grinder. Grinding up ginger root or fresh garlic cloves can mean a deeper and more pungent taste and one that holds up no matter how you cook your Indian-inspired dishes. It can also mean filling your kitchen with the aroma of these spices so that your kitchen truly is Indian food friendly.