For example, Indian cooking almost never (never?) caramelizes onions. The Rogan gosht recipe is almost certainly looking for fried onions.
Just consider how differently each culture prepares rice, then imagine using an American, Persian, or Indian method to prepare it for a Japanese dish.
Also, I didn't feel successful cooking dhal until I bought a traditional pressure cooker and learned what a "whistle" was.
For example, Indian cooking almost never (never?) caramelizes onions. The Rogan gosht recipe is almost certainly looking for fried onions.