Chicken marinated in chilli powder, yoghurt and spices like garam masala before being cooked in an earthen oven called a tandoor, hence its name. Best eaten with hot chapati or naan bread and a touch of mint sauce.

Even those of you who dislike the very thought of vegetables may succumb to this simple combination of fresh spinach and ricotta cheese in a creamy mild curry.

Naan is a round flat bread made from flour and baked in a tandoor oven. It is served as an accompaniment to many Northern Indian dishes or  stuffed with different fillings in a manner similar to the Mexican pita. Keema naan (minced meat naan), cheese naan and garlic naan are some popular variations.

Chapati is another popular accompaniment made from wheat flour. They resemble flat discs and are cooked on a 'tava' (Indian griddle) or frying pan. It is best eaten with dhal or vegetable curries.

This is a steaming dish of white or briyani rice served with vegetables, curries, papadums and pickles on fresh banana leaves. Try eating with your fingers like the locals to enjoy a whole new eating experience.

Vadei is dhal beans softened, crushed and mixed with onions, chillies and curry leaves. It is shaped and deep-fried to a rich golden brown colour and eaten as a snack or as an appetizer.

Literally, puffed or kneaded bread, it is plain flour that is flattened into a paper-thin spread, folded and shaped into a pancake and then sauteed. Eggs, sardines, bananas, cheese and other fillings are among the variations of this 'roti' treat.

Lentil, rice and wheat flour pancake served with sambar (lentil and mixed vegetable curry) and coconut chutney. Thosai is often eaten as a light breakfast treat.

Teh tarik is tea sweetened with condensed milk and pulled to give it that special froth. Malaysia's unofficial national drink and no other place does it better than your regular 'Mamak' stall.

Kurma is the definitive mild curry on the Indian restaurant menu. It is typically prepared with butter and thickened with single cream and coconut milk to give a very mild creamy sauce.

Is a dish where the head of an Ikan Merah (‘Red fish’) is semi-stewed in a thick curry with ‘santan’ (coconut milk). Often fresh spices, tamarind juice and tomatoes are added to the gravy to give it a sweet-sour and hot taste.