Spice up your life - our top three spicy cuisines

Victoria King is a student currently doing work experience at Gecko’s Adventures. She talks about the wonderful cuisines and spices of India, Nepal and Asia.

India
Food and special cuisines are very important in the Indian lifestyle. Families pride themselves on serving the best food when they visit with friends and family.

Indian food comprises a wide variety of dishes and cooking techniques. The food is very flavoursome as different spices are often used. One of India’s most popular traditional dishes is Rogan Josh. Rogan Josh was brought to India by the Moghuls. The unrelenting heat of the Indian plains took the Moghuls frequently to Kashmir, where the first Indian adoption of Rogan Josh occurred. Rogan means clarified butter in Persian, while Josh means hot or passionate. So, Rogan Josh means meat cooked in clarified butter at intense heat. Recipes vary across different regions and traditions, but nevertheless all include lamb or goat, oil or ghee and of course a mixture of spices.

Some recipes can be quite complex, with lots of ingredients, depending on whether you make your own curry paste. Put your Indian cooking skills to the test and try this tasty dish.

Nepal

Get your tastes buds ready for a roller coaster ride and experience the cuisine of Nepal. Nepalese cuisine is quite simple, but certainly does not lack in flavour.

The cuisine varies according to ethnic groups and depends on ingredients which are affordable and available. A popular dish of Nepal is Alu Tama - a unique and classic curry. It is commonly enjoyed across Nepal by locals and tourists alike. Alu Tama means “Potato bamboo shoots”. The dish is unique in the sense that it's unlike any other Indian or South Asian curry since they rarely use bamboo shoots. The three main ingredients of the dish are black eye beans, bamboo shoots and potatoes.

Thai
There are so many wonderful cuisines to experience across Asia, however one that dominates is Thai. Thai people generally prefer hot and spicy food. Thai food is never bland, but it can be altered to suit most palates. No matter how often you indulge on Thai food, there is always some fresh, delicious discovery to be made.

Among the most popular dishes in Thailand is a Panang Curry. Panang curry takes its name from the city island off the West coast of peninsular Malaysia, Penang, or Pulau Pinang in Malay. This type of curry is richer, sweeter, and creamier then the more herbal Thai red curry or green curry, making it very popular with western tourists. Peanuts are a unique ingredient in this recipe and beef is the most famous type of Panang curry but chicken, pork, fish or even liver can also be delicious. Experiment with different variations.

What is your favourite spicy dish? Tell us about it in the comments section below, or head to Twitter and Facebook to tell the rest of the Gecko's community about it.

If you've been inspired to travel somewhere exotic, then take advantage of our Spice Up September sale. Get up to 15% OFF India, Nepal and Asia tours.  Sale finishes September 30, 2011 so be quick!

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