The word “shahi” is associated with dry fruits in any cuisine. Here it’s the addition of apricots which in rice gain a new flavour when layered with spicy curds gravy. Green peas added to the rice make this dish a treat for your eyes. This dish is a little time consuming but is a great option for serving at parties and treat your loved ones if you have time on hand.

Spinach and carrot layered with rice. . . . . This recipe is doing wonders for eyes and hair with its high vitamin a, calcium and iron content.

You are sure to have tried cashew pulao, but how about Almond Biryani? An innovative rice preparation rich with the aroma of spices, the Almond Biryani combines French beans and green peas with sliced almonds adding a dash of crunchy fun to each mouthful. Using cooked rice and readily available biryani masala, this dish can be prepared within minutes. The garnish of fried onions and almonds adds to the appeal of this biryani.

An exquisite vegetarian variant of the famous hyderabadi shikampuri kebabs, these have been prepared with a fine blend of mashed vegetables, khoya and aromatic spices. Enticingly topped with makhani gravy, this kebab roll will make you feel like royalty.

Here is an interesting subzi from rajasthani cuisine that combines white pumpkin with other vegetables like carrot, cauliflower and french beans. It uses common spices, is very easy to prepare and is also rather light on the stomach, so you can make it any day for lunch or for dinner.

This is a unique dish, wherein rice and curry are packed in a warm banana leaf, which lends the dish a special fragrance. The rice is cooked with caraway seeds to make it all the more aromatic, while the combination of cream, tomato puree and a masala paste makes the curry a tangy, creamy and flavour-packed treat. Relish the Rice and Curry in Banana Leaves immediately on preparation. Rice and Curry in Banana Leaves is a Party - perfect recipe and will have your guests reaching for more.

Navaratna “nine gems”, and this curry is made with nine different vegetables, fruits and nuts this recipe can be best described as a princess… swet, dainty and royal. Paneer mingles well with the mélange of vegetables and fruits in this mild yet luscious curry. The silver varq gives it a fitting finishing touch.

A richly-flavoured potato dish from the Mughlai repertoire, Aloo Lajawab is prepared in the typical opulent style of the Nawabs, with lots of dairy products and cashews too. Cashews are used not just in the paste but also halved and added along with the potatoes to add a lovely crunch to the dish. While the milk, curds and cashew paste contribute a creamy mouth-feel and luscious texture to the Aloo Lajawab, the caraway seeds and spice powders give it an enchanting aroma and tongue-tickling flavour, which will surely make you lick your fingers clean, and yearn for one more helping of this delicious Main Course .

Potatoes stuffed with potatoes! Well, yes, this scrumptious Bhojpuri Aloo features boiled potatoes packed with a mixture of mashed potatoes, lemon juice and spice powders, cooked with an intense mixture of milk, curds and besan perked up with an assortment of spices. The combination of dairy products gives this semi-dry subzi a rich and luscious flavour, which is complemented very well by the whole spices. You will love this flavourful and sumptuous preparation, served immediately with rotis and dal.

Caraway flavoured brown rice, layered with an assortment of colourful vegetables cooked in a subtly spiced gravy, the White Gravy Biryani is a mouth-watering and sumptuous dish – almost a one-pot meal! It has lots of garlic and ginger, which help to counterbalance the effects of sodium and make this dish suitable for those with hypertension. The use of brown rice instead of polished varieties adds to the fibre content of this dish, making it all the more heart-friendly.

Subz Shahjahani uses a wide range of spices. Its uniqueness lies in the fact that the prepared paste is precooked and then added to the gravy thus giving it a distinct flavour. This gravy tastes best with boiled mixed vegetables though you can add almost any other vegetable to it. It is advisable to remove the whole spices before serving.

Caraway seeds, originally grown predominantly in holland, add a distinctive flavour to any recipe that it is added to. These bread slices toasted with caraway seeds sprinkled on them pair very well with a hot soup. Sprinkle some seasoning on the toast or just plain salt and pepper-the taste won’t let you down!

Tendli bhaat, nutritious tendli comes together with spicy rice for a delicious change from the usual rice and dal. I have reduced the quantity of coconut to retain the flavour of the original while keeping the dish low-cal. Serve it with low-fat curds to mellow the spices and make for a wholesome meal.

The moong sprouts rice is what you could call a ‘one-kadhai meal’! of course, it takes a little help from the handy microwave oven. Rice tossed with a wonderful assortment of spices and paneer, is layered with a toothsome curry of nutritious moong sprouts cooked with a semi-spicy masala paste, and baked in an oven to enhance and lock in the myriad flavours and aromas contributed by the ingredients.