I made a delicious chana masala a few weeks ago. recipe from smittenkitchen.com

If at all possible, once you've planned your menu, see if you can find a natural-foods store that sells bulk spices, or an Indian grocery. What you get there will be fresher, better, and cheaper than the stuff in the spice aisle at your average grocery store. And good fresh spices are one of the most important ingredients when making Indian food.

An easy side-dish/condiment to make is raita (which is basically yogurt with mix-ins such as cucumber). It makes a nice cool counterpoint to warmer, spicier dishes, and always impresses.

You could probably also whip up some kind of simple flatbread, like chapatis, and keep them warm in the oven in foil while you get the rest of the meal together. They don't have to be beautiful to taste good!

You can find tons of restaurant style curries, simple easy sides, daals and more and all are vegan! on my blog http://hobbyandmore.blogspot.com/

First you will need what they call Maize or corn. Just kidding!

Good luck! Ethnic foods, you are not used to cooking, are quite a challenge the first few times.

Raita (yogurt dip with cucumber) is tasty and very refreshing as well. Good with pappadums etc.

Second the chana masala from smitten kitchen, it's great!

The nice thing about indian food is that everything goes together :) I'm assuming you want to make a typical North Indian meal--naan, rice, vegetables, etc? In that case, usually you need one legume dish (channa, dal, or some other bean or lentil), one vegetable dish (palak paneer, potatoes, etc), bread (naan, chapati, roti), a yogurt item (raita or even just plain yogurt) and rice.

That sounds terribly intimidating, but they're actually all really simple components. I recommend buying the naan unless you've dealt with it or other types of breads before. And the raita can be as simple as yogurt with cucumber and salt mixed in. Channa is super simple (I like the version on Herbivoracious, and he has a couple other good dishes). And palak paneer (or tofu) is pretty simple too! Good luck! What a sweet thing you're doing!

For a vegetarian meal, I would recommend a legume dish as the main entree, though there is a type of Indian cheese (paneer) that makes yummy main dishes as well. Chana masala (a chickpea curry) is great and a breeze with canned chickpeas. See http://smittenkitchen.com/2010/02/chana-masala/ . You're probably going to need to buy some spices, most likely the ones you don't have are coriander seeds and cumin, as well as gram masala (a blend of warm spices), maybe turmeric, but you should be able to get these at better grocery stores.

For sides, aloo gobi (cauliflower with potatoes) is easy, delicious and substantial. See http://www.food.com/recipe/aloo-gobi-84324 . It has similar spicing to the first recipe, which is a good thing, but it should have enough contrast in other ways.

Or, if you want more difference you could do saag aloo (potatoes and spinach): http://www.theperfectpantry.com/2009/11/turmeric-recipe-saag-aloopotatoes-with-spiced-spinach.html . Also easy, uses similar spices, nothing too hard to find.

In addition, some plain yogurt, maybe some store-bought chutney would go well on the side. Basic steamed white basmati rice is nice and easy for the starch. If you can find them, papadums (crunchy lentil wafers, you can usually make them in the microwave, or toast them over a burner) make a nice thing to munch on before the meal with some beer, better grocery stores sometimes have them (Whole Foods usually does).

For drinks, you could make something like lasso (a yogurty smoothie), but I tend to think that beer goes extremely well with indian food.

I haven't made Indian deserts, so I can't help you there. The only one I really know is Gulab Jamun, sweet dumplings in spiced syrup, which you can sometimes find already prepared in cans at Indian markets (and Whole Foods!), but I don't know if this type is any good.

There aren't too many tricky techniques in the recipes I linked to, most importantly be aware that you don't burn spices when frying them before adding other ingredients (this is a very quick process), or burn onions/garlic when browning them.

Good luck! Indian vegetarian food is delicious, nutritious, comforting, filling, and thrifty. I hope it becomes a habit, especially if you make an initial investment in spices.

Cooks Illustrated has a great vegetarian Indian menu-- it's a four course if I recall correctly. You can find it here (Vegetarian / Indian). You can probably do a free 14 day trial or google the recipes. We made all of the dishes in my cooking club and it was delicious. You could also pick and choose to suit her tastes.

Without doubt, one of my favorites, and a super easy dish, is Arti Sequeira's Everyday Red Lentils: http://www.foodnetwork.com. In fact, she's Indian, and she makes Indian cooking very un-intimidating. Her recipe for homemade paneer (Indian "cheese") is a snap, and the saag paneer with spinach is as good as any I've ever had in a restaurant, and not hard at all to make. In fact, I'm going to make some for supper!!

The vegetarian part will actually make this easier because many Indian dishes are veggie. Try Penzeys.com for spices. Great quality and you can buy small jars. They have mixtures and individual spices. Better yet, if you are close to a Penzey's store, go and smell. Incredible!

Have seen Nigella Lawson do some Indian that looked wonderful.

I love making "chicken" tikka masala with a marinated and baked tofu instead. Cube firm tofu and marinate overnight in Indian spices and some sort of neutral oil, then bake for 15 minutes or so at 450. The spices don't really matter that much since the tikka masala sauce is so flavorful, but it adds a nice touch. Just substitute tofu for any chicken tikka masala recipe!

I also love Deborah Madison's tofu and spinach "paneer" (doesn't actually have any paneer cheese in it). I have a slight adaptation on my site (an early post - forgive the photos!), and my friends and I love it: http://bowenappetit.com/2011/04/22/spinach-and-tofu-paneer/.

Quick recipe: Puree a couple cloves garlic with a half inch of ginger and some canola oil/touch of water in a blender. Warm up the ginger paste in a frying pan. Add: 1 can coconut milk, 1 can drained diced tomato, curry powder to taste.
Then add roasted veggies (cubed veggies cooked in the oven at 350-400 for half an hour/until golden): sweet potato, onion, carrot, and corn are my favorites. I don't roast the corn, just toss still-frozen corn into the hot curry sauce a few minutes before serving.
Serve with basmati rice (rice cooker is the easiest) cooked with a pinch of whole cumin seeds.
For dessert just get some Trader Joe's Mango Lassi - it's really good!

Go out and buy the book "5 spices 50 dishes." It is incredible! The recipes are super easy and pretty much everything in it is amazing. We literally use that book every week!

I lived in India for a year and also worked as personal cook to an Indian woman here in the States for a year. So I am far, far from an expert, but my main advice is: cook it low and slow. When it comes to veg Indian food, textures are typically pretty soft. The woman who taught me how to cook Indian food used to freak out if I increased the temp of the stove burner above a 1 or 2 (out of 10). That was the hardest thing to learn for me, as I am accustomed to a lot of sauteeing, stir-frying, and ''tender crisp'' vegetables.

5 spices/50 dishes is nice as are the madhur jaffrey books. Balbir Singhs Indian Cooking is next level and way more authentic once you've built up the skills.

Indian food is highly regional and seasonal…pick an area you would like to play in. Punjabi and Gujurati veg cuisine can be handled more easily than sound indian veg (but I’m north indian, veg and biased :-))

Have a grill? I’m cooking a few things this weekend for some family from some choices below. Since its summer, I would try to keep the dishes on the lighter side (sort of).

1. Corn on the cob – roasted, served with melted butter, salt, hot ground red pepper and lime juice

2. Paneer tikka – make marinade of a tandoori curry and yogurt, marinate paneer chunks and skewer with red onions and red peppers – cook on grill, turn until all sides are nice and roasty. You can do this under a broiler or in a toaster oven.

3. Chana masala – the SK recipe is nice. I would suggest that after you add the tomatoes, cook on low until the oil separates from the curry and the mix looks “glistening”. Takes 20-30 minutes but its important. This is hearty, but a winter recipe.

4. Yellow dal – do the SK one. If you want to add a bit of a south indian twist, do the tadka with oil, mustard seeds, chopped hot pepper (Serrano or jalapeno in the US), curry leaves (optional); add this mix to the dal and squeeze a LOT of lemon juice on top.

5. Roasted aloo gobi in a pan on closed grill (or oven at 425 x 45min): marinade of yogurt, oil, hot ground pepper, roasted and crushed cumin, salt (a lot, marinade should taste salty), ground coriander, crushed garlic cloves, black pepper, turmeric; mix this with florets of cauliflower, peeled chunks of russets, large slices of red onion – the marinade should not drown the veg…almost a light coat. Serve with chopped cilantro and lemon squeeze

6. I'm planning a braised broccolini with indian spices to serve with the paneer...have never done this.

7. Raita

8. Pataks hot lime chutney….love this….a lot.

9. Buy frozen Deep brand naan or garlic kulcha.

Email if you have any questions or specifics are needed. Be patient…you’ll do great.

My husband is from India and we cook a lot of Indian food. You can't go wrong with a simple dal with tadka on top (ghee with cumin seeds, red chile, and asafetida toasted in it, poured on top of cooked dal). Some rice and a veggie dish like palak paneer or baingan ka bharta. My favorite Indian dessert is gajjar ka halwa (carrot pudding) or you could make kulfi (ice cream with cardamom and pistachios). I like the recipes at www.manjulaskitchen.com, plus she has videos that are helpful if you're a beginner. Good luck!

Here's a recipe for paneer makhani that I make a lot for dinner parties. It's easy, hard to mess up and really delicious http://hungrydesi.com/2011/06/01/paneer-makhani-recipe/

Adaptation from the cookbook "Not Your Mother's Casseroles":

Baked Rice and Lentils (Mujadara)

Casserole dish: 9x13 (I used my large lasagna dish)
Bake time: 75 minutes

Ingredients:
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp butter
2 large onions, sliced into thin half-moons (you could probably 3x to 4x this and do it in a big stock pot)
Pinch salt
6 cups chicken broth (I used 3 tsp of chicken bouillon (half the normal amount) to cut back on the sodium)
1 cup lentils (color doesn’t really matter; I used brown)
1 cup brown rice
½-1 tsp black pepper
½ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp cumin

Prep:
Swirl olive oil in a large skillet to coat bottom and then melt the butter in the skillet over medium-high heat. When the butter foams, reduce heat to medium and add the onions. Sprinkle them with a little salt and toss a bit to coat with oil. Cook, stirring about every 10 minutes, until they are a deep mahogany brown (about 45 minutes).

Start heating the oven to 325-degrees and lightly grease the baking dish with olive oil.

Stir the lentils, rice and all the spices into the caramelized onions.

Bring the 6 cups of water to a boil and add the bouillon, stir into lentil/rice mixture, and then pour into prepared casserole dish. Cover dish tightly with double layer of foil and bake for 55 minutes. Then raise temperature to 375 and bake for an additional 20 minutes.

Remove from oven, remove foil, and let sit a few minutes before serving. Note that the small amount of residual broth (if any) will soak in while dish cools.

This is a very rich, filling dish.

Whatever you do test run the dishes before the big day! That way you won't get any nasty surprises on the day (like discovering you are missing a key ingredient or that the recipe underestimates the time taken to soften those damn chickpeas!)

Some curry dishes actually improve if you make them the day before (like dahl - just add any fresh herbs like coriander at the last minute). Kulfi ice cream you can also make in advance and freeze. If you are making samosas you can make the filling the day before and fold it into the pastry on the day. That way you get to enjoy her company on the day, as opposed to being stuck in the kitchen.

Paneer is great - cubed and marinated in some tikka masala paste over night and grilled, then served on a salad it's an easy starter.

Pappadams can also be cooked in the microwave - look it up online. The flavour isn't quite the same, but if you're new to cooking it might be less terrifying than deep frying them while also trying to cook a dozen other things. Good luck!

Ooh! Sounds like a lot of fun! I have quite a few things! You could start with ginger & parsnip pakoras. And veggie muligatawny soup with apples and carrots.

I have some slow-cooker dals - this is nice because they're cooking all day, and you don't have to fret over them. Here's one with urad dal. You can make it if you don't have a slow cooker, but you have to keep an eye on it.

And here are three curries, including one with homemade paneer in a cashew tomato sauce. Paneer is easy and very fun to make! And a very easy and quick red lentil cashew curry.

And for dessert! How about chikoo ice cream!

Or cardamom rabadi! (with champagne mango & salty pistachios)

Or a tart with champagne mango, cardamom pastry cream, and ginger shortbread crust.

Here's an easy recipe for naan bread with basil & black pepper in it.

Sorry - that's a lot of ideas. I'm a vegetarian and Indian food is my favorite! I'd also suggest getting Madhur Jaffrey's World of the East Vegetarian Cookbook. It's amazing!

I can eagerly recommend the Curried Chickpea, Sweet Potato & Cauliflower recipe from the Joy of Cooking's Vegetarian Cookbook, or the Baked Chickpeas with Fresh Cheese recipe with the Paneer & Cauliflower variation from Mark Bittman's "How to Cook Everything Vegetarian" cookbook. I've received lots of good feedback about both recipes when I've made them for friends. I don't think either are online, unfortunately. Bittman's book is available as a $5 iPhone app, though. I also recommend getting pappadam for the bread, which you just heat on a pan until it crisps up, very easy. Good luck!

you have so many amazing suggestions here.. here are my 2 cents

and ideal North Indian meal would have

- one entree with gravy ( like dal, chana or some paneer dish )
- one dry entree( like potato-cauliflower/ okra/ dry paneer to name a few)
- some form of basmati rice( maybe jeera/ matar pulao) and
- some bread ( roti/naan/ parantha, go ahead & pick some from the frozen section of the nearest Indian grocery store..am sure she would not mind)

..a side of cooling cucumber-mint raita never hurts ..would be heavenly in July!!

and look up kulfi or shahi tukra for desserts..easy as hell and super-duper delicious!!
good luck and hope you enjoy all the cooking coming your way!! :)

Homemade paneer is easy and really impressive. Just make it a day or two in advance. Also, if you do anything involving peppers, make sure to wear gloves while handling them.

I love aloo gobi (a potato and cauliflower dish.) Here's a recipe- http://norecipes.com/blog/aloo-gobi-recipe/ I like to add some tomato paste to it as well. Also, you could make a few different kinds of chutneys; mint, coriander or tamarind are all great ones.

I have a bunch of vegetarian Indian recipes here: http://abcdsofcooking.blogspot.com
And this is an example menu: http://abcdsofcooking.blogspot.com/2009/10/what-i-served-for-lunch-on-sunday.html

Enjoy!