India covers 3.287 million km so there is no such thing as typical Indian food. The cuisine of Kerala in the South is as different from that of Kolkata as Cottage Pie is from Paella. There is a whole world of fabulous regional Indian cuisine beyond the familiar favourites of chicken tikka masala, rogan josh and butter naan, all of which can often be harder to find in India than in the UK. Perceptions of Indian food are clouded by myths: for a start, not all regional food is ?spicy?; combinations of fresh ground, roasted and whole spices are common but not obligatory; and the inclusion of chilli is by no means compulsory, either. Lovers of the endorphin-releasing pleasure of seriously ?hot? chilli-infused cooking will be able to find new levels of challenge, while taste buds prone to milder delights will find that plenty of Indians have a similar preference. Best Indian cooking of all is found in people?s homes, so any chance to experience this should be seized. Short of that, knowledge of what to look out for in each region of India ? and where to find it ? is imperative. Farah kitchenskill.co.uk