Garam masala

The crown jewel of Punjabi cooking. Black lentils slow-cooked overnight with butter, cream, and tomatoes. Do not rush this.

Silky spinach sauce, golden-fried paneer cubes. The green is preserved by the ice-bath trick. My mother's version, not the restaurant version.

Charred marinated chicken in a silky, spiced tomato cream sauce. The tikka and the masala are two separate operations — don't skip the char.

Swap chicken for homemade paneer. Better charring on the tikka, richer sauce that absorbs into the cheese.

Coconut cream replaces the heavy cream, vegan butter for the tadka. Casein-free. The lentils are the star anyway.

Add a separate tadka (tempering) of whole spices and dried chiles fried in ghee, poured at the table. Drama and flavor.

Chicken thighs braised directly in the spinach sauce. Not traditional but absolutely delicious. Better macros than the paneer version.

Cubed lamb shoulder marinated and grilled. The same masala sauce but richer. Better the next day.

Extra-firm tofu pressed and pan-fried replaces paneer. Vegan. The spinach sauce is so good you will not miss anything.

For those who think the original isn't spicy enough. Green chilies in the tempering plus extra kashmiri chili. Not for the faint-hearted.