India is a diverse region with a tremendous tradition for food. With its abundant variety of spices and location on the east-west trade routes, India has had a great many influences and products from which to develop its cooking tradition. And grilling and barbecue has been at the center of it. Until the influx of European and American cooking equipment most all Indian food was prepared over charcoal ovens called Chulas. A Chula is a brick cube with a hole in the front to feed the fire and holes on the top to act as burners. Chula construction is quite the art form, requiring careful plastering to provide the right draft to give a hot and even source of heat. Traditionally the brickwork was done by a manservant or a bricklayer, but the plastering and preparing of the oven was done by women, because it was considered an art form requiring great skill.

When cooking Indian food, remember that India is a primary producer and consumer of a tremendous variety of spices. For example Kerala Food incorporates a very wide diversity of spices in all its forms. Many of these spices are mixed together to form the mainstays of a Keralite’s diet. Things like Garam Masala (typically: cinnamon, cardamom pods, cloves, black peppercorns and cumin seeds) and Curry Powder (fenugreek, mustard, poppy seeds, cloves, cardamom pods, red chilies, black peppercorns, ginger, cumin, coriander and turmeric). Also important are yogurt, dhal (lentils and split peas) and coconut milk. On a final note, if you look through an Indian Cook book, you will find a great deal of recipes for poultry and lamb. The reason for this is that Hindus (the predominant religion) do not eat beef or pork and Muslims do not eat pork.

im a bit confused ..what exactly does any of this have to do with raw vegan foods?

we dont grill here .. or bbq .. or bake .. or use yogurt ..or poultry lamb or beef or pork ...lol

im a bit confused

...Jodi, the banana eating buddhist

its about diversity. its about ancient techniques that were probably better for cooking than anything these days. its for educating (must be well rounded raw foodies musint we?), and since it listed spices, it could help some people like me, who love indian food like no one else they know, get creative in the kitchen.

hehe yea i like indian food too ... and use said spices but i cant for the life of me see how the above post relates to raw cuisine as there is no mention of it ...

lol maybe im just being a cranky panties

...Jodi, the banana eating buddhist

yeah that was pretty funny

the jay gun has indeed spoketh

like .. hmmm... what's this all about?

interesting too if u think about it
like all the spices and whatnot from india

and when u loook at america, it just has ketchup and mustard LOL

purty pathetic oh yeah and salt and pepper

but even those "spices' are from different countries too

well... maybe this poster

wants us to go to their indian restaurant ( if u click on "kerala" then u get


jettisoned to the website of their restaurant



and if i were to go there i would probably just order their sumptuous salad LOL

or maybe it is a call for someone here to go ahead and make a

RAW indian food restaurant

i'm placing a bet of four celery stalks and a whole bunch of cilantro

that if anyone does it jgunn will heeee haaawwWWWWWw

that indian restaurateur