When it's time to make dinner, Manisha Bhamre tucks the edge of her sari into her waistband and plunges right into her work, energetically turning and mixing the pieces of chicken that have been marinating in a spicy tikka sauce.

	Tony Tye, Post-Gazette Manisha Bhamre garnishes a bowl of Mutter Paneer with sliced fresh vegetables. Click photo for larger image.

Long before the age of make-ahead meals, the Indian home cooking that Ms. Bhamre now makes for her husband, Vilas, and their two children relied on ingredients that could be prepared in advance, from the cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, coriander, chile powder and garam masala mix tucked into spice boxes throughout India, to the onion and garlic ground in a blender and kept cool until needed, to the marinades made ahead for chicken, lamb, fish and vegetables.

And yet the flavors of dishes that contain remarkably similar ingredients can vary dramatically in Ms. Bhamre's kitchen, from the subtly spiced, fresh taste of Mutter Paneer, with its peas, pressed paneer cheese and cilantro, to savory Chicken Lollipops (the best hot chicken wings you might ever eat), to the richly layered spices, herbs and vegetables of Chicken Tikka Masala.

Before coming to Pittsburgh and settling in Green Tree with her husband last year, Manisha Bhamre taught cooking classes at home in Mumbai. Teaching about seven to eight women at a time in her kitchen, Ms. Bhamre demonstrated a range of India's regional dishes, ultimately teaching more than 800 students the finer points of Indian culinary techniques. (For more tips on Indian cooking, call Manisha Bhamre at 412-921-6122 or write to her at 359 Mansfield Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15220.)

After making the gravy for the chicken tikka, dropping gravy (also known as masala) ingredients into the same nonstick wok in which she cooked the chicken pieces, Ms. Bhamre sets to work on the phulka -- puffed-up, unleavened bread she makes from a simple combination of wheat flour, water and oil.

Tony Tye, Post-Gazette Chicken Lollipops, made by Manisha Bhamre, are chicken wings spiced with Indian flavors. Click photo for larger image.

First, she drops neat balls of dough, about an inch in diameter, onto a small, circular pedestal on the kitchen counter, then quickly passes a miniature rolling pin over the dough. She flattens it in just a few motions, then drops the flattened dough into a hot skillet for a few seconds, until brown spots begin to appear on the dough. Then she holds it over an open flame on second burner for a few seconds. The sudden, intense heat makes the dough puff up, and then Ms. Bhamre tosses it onto a plate and begins to make the next piece of bread. (The bread is called chapati if left flat, and phulka if puffed over open flame.)

While some Americans might feel a little intimidated by cooking Indian dishes if the cuisine is new to them, they might find they love it if they give it a try, said Vilas Bhamre, who works as a purchasing agent for Sherman International, exporting steel plant equipment and spare parts.

"The test of the pudding is in the eating," Mr. Bhamre said, his wife laughing a little as she stirred the masala. "If you eat Indian food, you'll come to know how good it is."

Chicken Tikka Masala

To make chicken:

• 1/2 cup yogurt
  
• 1 teaspoon ginger paste (fresh ginger ground in blender)
  
• 1 teaspoon garlic paste (fresh, ground in blender)
  
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  
• 1/4 teaspoon ground clove
  
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
  
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander seed
  
• 1 teaspoon red chile powder
  
• Salt to taste
  
• 1/4 teaspoon orange-red food color (orange-red can be purchased at Indian grocery stores)
  
• 2 pounds boneless chicken, cut into 1-inch pieces
  
• About 1 cup cooking oil, for frying
  

To make marinade:

mix all ingredients except for chicken and cooking oil. Add the boneless chicken pieces to marinade. Marinate for 30 minutes at room temperature, then marinate in refrigerator for an additionial 30 minutes. Then, deep fry in oil in a high-sided pan over medium-high heat until browned on the outside and cooked through on the inside. Set aside.

To make gravy:

• ¹/₂ cup cooking oil
  
• 1 cup onion paste (fresh onion pureed in a blender)
  
• 1/2 cup tomato paste (fresh tomato pureed in a blender)
  
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
  
• 2 teaspoon ground coriander
  
• 2 teaspoons red chile powder
  
• 4 teaspoons poppy seeds
  
• 1 teaspoon ginger paste (pureed in blender)
  
• 1 teaspoon garlic paste (pureed in blender)
  
• Salt to taste
  
• Fresh cilantro leaves for garnish
  

Heat cooking oil in a pan. Add onion paste and fry over medium heat until golden-brown. Add remaining ingredients except for fresh cilantro, mix well and fry for 3 minutes. Add enough water to make a thick gravy. Bring gravy to boil.

Add reserved fried chicken pieces to gravy, stir well and cook on medium heat for 4 to 5 minutes. Garnish with chopped green cilantro leaves and serve hot with roti or rice.

Manisha Bhamre

Chicken Lollipops

• 1 egg
  
• 1 tablespoon and 2 teaspoons corn starch
  
• 1 tablespoon and 2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
  
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  
• 1/4 teaspoon clove powder
  
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
  
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
  
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
  
• 1/2 teaspoon red chile powder
  
• 1/4 teaspoon orange-red food coloring
  
• 2 teaspoon lemon
  
• 1 teaspoon ginger paste (ground in blender)
  
• 1 teaspoon garlic paste
  
• Salt to taste
  
• 6 chicken wings (the chicken leg-shaped meaty portion from nearest the breast)
  
• About 1 cup oil for frying
  

Beat one egg well in the bowl. Add all above ingredients except for chicken wings and oil for frying and make a fine mixture. Separate meat from bone at wingtip end of chicken wings so that meat can pull free as it cooks. Marinate the mixture for 60 minutes.

Then, deep fry in a pan for 7 to 8 minutes on medium heat until chicken turns dark brown. Serve hot.

Manisha Bhamre

Mutter Paneer

• 1 onion
  
• 1 inch ginger, peeled
  
• 4 cloves garlic
  
• 4 small green chiles
  
• 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
  
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
  
• 3 tablespoons cooking oil
  
• 1 bay leaf
  
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch
  
• 1/8 teaspoon ground turmeric
  
• 2 cups green peas
  
• 2 cups boiling water
  
• 1/4 teaspoon garam masala
  
• 1 tablespoon fresh cilantro, chopped, plus more for garnish
  
• Salt to taste
  
• 2 to 3 tablespoons oil for frying
  
• 1/2 cup paneer (Indian cheese similar to pressed ricotta, but without salt) cut into 1-inch pieces
  

Grind onion, ginger, garlic, green chile, coriander seeds and cumin seeds to make a paste and set aside. Heat cooking oil in a pan.

Add bay leaf and onion-spice paste mixed earlier to oil, and fry mixture on medium heat until golden brown. Add corn starch and stir for 2 minutes. Add ground turmeric and green peas. Stir for 30 seconds. Add 2 cups of boiling water and garam masala powder and stir. Add cilantro leaves and salt to the gravy.

In a separate frying pan, heat oil over medium-high heat, add paneer in the frying pan and deep fry it. Add these fried paneer pieces to the gravy and heat over medium heat for 2 minutes. Garnish with chopped green coriander leaves and serve hot with roti or rice.

Manisha Bhamre