Masala Valley Indian Restaurant

A samosa , sambusa, sambuus or samboksa is a fried or baked dish with a savoury filling, such as spiced potatoes, onions, peas, or lentils. Its size and consistency may vary, but typically it is distinctly triangular or tetrahedral in shape. Central Asian samsa were introduced to the Indian subcontinent in the 13th or 14th century by traders from Central Asia. Amir Khusro (1253–1325), a scholar and the royal poet of the Delhi Sultanate, wrote in around 1300 CE that the princes and nobles enjoyed the "samosa prepared from meat, ghee, onion, and so on".Ibn Battuta, a 14th-century traveler and explorer, describes a meal at the court of Muhammad bin Tughluq, where the samushak or sambusak, a small pie stuffed with minced meat, almonds, pistachios, walnuts, and spices, was served before the third course, of pulao. The Ain-i-Akbari, a 16th-century Mughal document, mentions the recipe for qutab, which it says, “the people of Hindustan call sanbúsah”.

Tikka is a type of food from the Indian subcontinent, found predominantly in Punjabi cuisine, and usually served as an appetizer. It is also known as teeka or teekka. "Tikka" refers to a piece of meat, such as a cutlet. The popular dish chicken tikka is made of chicken cutlets in a marinade. Vegetarian varieties are also popular. A westernised version, chicken tikka masala, a curry, is a widely popular dish in the United Kingdom. The marinade used in the preparation of chicken tikka is also sometimes called tikka; it is made from a mixture of aromatic spices and dahi (yogurt). Paneer prepared in a tandoor is also known as paneer tikka.

Pakora also called pakoda, pakodi, fakkura, bhajiya, bhajji or ponako, is a fried snack (fritter). Originating from the Indian subcontinent, it is a popular snack across the Indian subcontinent, especially in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal.

Kebabs are various cooked meat dishes, with their origins in Middle Eastern cuisine. Many variants are popular throughout Asia, and around the world. In Indian English and in the languages of the Middle East, other parts of Asia, and the Muslim world, kebab is a broad term covering a wide variety of grilled meat dishes. Although kebabs are often cooked on a skewer, many types of kebab are not. Kebab dishes can consist of cut up or ground meat or seafood, sometimes with fruits and vegetables; cooked on a skewer over a fire, or like a hamburger on a grill, baked in a pan in an oven, or as a stew; and served with various accompaniments according to each recipe. The traditional meat for kebabs is most often mutton or lamb, but regional recipes may include beef, goat, chicken, fish, or more rarely due to religious prohibitions, pork.

The chaat variants are all based on fried dough, with various other ingredients. The original chaat is a mixture of potato pieces, crisp fried bread dahi vada or dahi bhalla, gram or chickpeas and tangysalty spices, with sour Indian chili and saunth (dried ginger and tamarind sauce), fresh green coriander leaves and yogurt for garnish, but other popular variants included aloo tikkis or samosa (garnished with onion, coriander, hot spices and a dash of curd), bhel puri, dahi puri, panipuri, dahi vada, papri chaat, and sev puri. There are common elements among these variants including dahi (yogurt); chopped onions and coriander; Sev (thin dried yellow salty noodles); and chaat masala, typically consisting of amchoor (dried mango powder), cumin, Kala Namak (rock salt), coriander, dried ginger, salt, black pepper, and red pepper. The ingredients are combined and served on a small metal plate or a banana leaf, dried and formed into a bowl.

Korma has its roots in the Mughlai cuisine of the Indian subcontinent. A characteristic Mughal dish, it can be traced back to the 16th century and to the Mughal incursions into the region. Kormas were often prepared in the Mughal court kitchens, such as the famous white korma, perhaps garnished with vark, said to have been served to Shah Jahan and his guests at the inauguration of the Taj Mahal. Classically, a korma is defined as a dish where meat or vegetables are braised with yogurt, cream or stock added. The technique covers many different styles of korma. The flavour of a korma is based on a mixture of spices, including ground coriander and cumin, combined with yogurt kept below curdling temperature and incorporated slowly and carefully with the meat juices. Traditionally, this would have been carried out in a pot set over a very low fire, with charcoal on the lid to provide all-round heat. A korma can be mildly spiced or fiery and may use lamb, goat meat, chicken, beef or game.

Rogan josh is a staple of Kashmiri cuisine and is one of the main dishes of the Kashmiri multi-course meal (the "Wazwan"). The dish was originally brought to Kashmir by the Mughals, whose cuisine was in turn influenced by Persian cuisine. The unrelenting summer heat of the Indian plains took the Mughals frequently to Kashmir, which has a cooler climate because of its elevation and latitude. Rogan josh consists of pieces of lamb or mutton braised with a gravy flavoured with garlic, ginger and aromatic spices (cloves, bay leaves, cardamom, and cinnamon), and in some versions incorporating onions or yogurt. After initial braising, the dish may be finished using the dampokhtak slow cooking technique. Its characteristic deep red colour traditionally comes from dried flowers or root of Alkanna tinctoria (ratan jot) and from liberal amounts of dried, deseeded Kashmiri chilies (lal mirch). These chilies, whose flavor approximates that of paprika, are considerably milder than the typical dried cayenne pepper of Indian cuisine. The recipe's spice emphasises aroma rather than heat. Saffron is also part of some traditional recipes.

A "vindaloo", a standard element of Goan cuisine derived from the Portuguese carne de vinha d'alhos (literally "meat in garlic wine marinade"), is a dish of meat (usually pork) marinated in wine and garlic. The basic structure of the Portuguese dish was the Portuguese sailor's "preserved" raw ingredients, packed in wooden barrels of alternate layers of pork and garlic, and soaked in wine. This was "Indianized" by the local Goan cooks with the substitution of palm vinegar for the red wine, and the addition of dried red chili peppers with additional spices. It evolved into the localized and easy-to-pronounce dish "vindaloo". Nowadays, the British Asian version of vindaloo calls for the meat to be marinated in vinegar, sugar, fresh ginger and spices overnight, then cooked with the addition of more spices.

Makhni (pronounced muck-nee) also know as Makkhani, comes from the word Makkhan which means butter. Typically in North Indian cuisine, dishes are cooked in butter and have substantial creamy gravy in which tomatoes play a predominant role. Makhni dishes are usually mild to medium hot and made with chicken, Paneer or lentils. Though they taste nice with rice dishes, Makhnis are best had with North Indian breads like Chapatis (flatbread) and Naans (leavened flatbread made baked in a tandoor or oven) you could add a green salad and you're in business!

Saag (pronounced [sa?g]) (Punjabi: ???) sag is a leaf-based dish eaten in the Indian subcontinent with bread such as roti or naan, or rice. Saag can be made from spinach, mustard leaves, finely chopped broccoli, or other greens, along with added spices and sometimes other ingredients such as paneer / chicken / lamb etc.

A handi is a deep, wide-mouthed cooking vessel used in north Indian, Pakistani and Bengali cooking. Because there are many specific Indian and Pakistani dishes cooked in this vessel, their names reflect its use, such as handi biryani, handi chicken etc. A handi is also known as a tasla or tasli in many provinces of India. These names are given on the basis of its size and design. Tasla/tasli have a less wide mouth than handi and are much deeper; they resemble a pot with a wider mouth. Handis resemble American beanpots, French soupières, and Mexican and Spanish ollas. They are used similarly.