Another newbie questions, what, in a recipe, will indicate the level of heat.  I'm more into the fragrance of the spices, but my husband likes heat, so it's important for me to know what will produce the heat, as well as the flavour.

Hey,
Thanks razor, just the kind of info I'm in need of.  So what you are saying is that it's the quantity of each spice that makes the dishes different?
By the way, I'm here to learn so BIR is fine by me.

Hi curryhell,
thanks for the quick reply.  The book is ancient, it was left in this house by the last owner and just called A Taste of India.  Admittedly, there are various veg etc in the recipes, but I was concerned that the same spices seem to keep appearing in most of the recipes. 
I'm not a connoisseur, but the few Indian meals I have had, I've really enjoyed, and I would like to try my hand at making my own.  I must be honest, I'm a bit scared, because I don't know the degree of heat with any of the recipes I have.  Some advice on that subject would be most welcome.

Hi folks,

I've just joined today, mainly because I'm confused.  Stupid, I know, but here goes.
I have and Indian cookbook, and although i haven't used it yet, what confuses me is that almost all the recipes use the same spices.  So, what makes these curries different from each other, apart from the meat content?  I have no idea what to make!  Will the taste, heat etc be the same in all of them?

I'm sure someone here can explain this to me so I can be guided in the right direction, so thanks in advance.