Reddit reviews Futura Anodised Heating Pan, 1 Cup, Black

It really depends on what type of Indian food you are cooking. Long cooked dishes only or do you also want to cook the quick vegetable dishes that are sauteed with spices?

I recommend:

1. A tadka pan for tempering spices and cooking small amounts of onions etc. They look more or less like this - mine is an ancient one I picked up from my Indian grocery. You only need 1 - it is easy to wipe out to use multiple times if you are cooking several dishes.
   
2. A kadhai, essential for quick stir fried type dishes eg thorans, and many quick curries, also sambar, kuzhambu etc Most vegetarian dishes can be cooked easily in kadhai. Mine looks like this one. They are also useful for deepfrying snacks like pakora and vadai. I find it useful to have 2.
   
3. A heavier pot or pressure cooker or both, for cooking lentils, rice, and long-cooked dishes etc. I have a set of 3 fairly light saucepans without handles, typical Indian style, in different sizes from my Indian grocery. You may want heavier ones if cooking long-cooked dishes.

Here's how we do it at home :

1. Don't use an egg frying pan - it's got the wrong shape for the job
   
2. What you need is a bowl shaped vessel - something like this Tadka Pan
   
   The point is to use the same amount of oil / ghee, but to get the mustard seeds to "drown" in it. Then, even if they pop, they need to get past a certain height of fat to jump at your face.
   
   Also, I would not advice getting your ghee super hot before adding the tempering. Personally, I let the ghee warm up just a bit (on a low / med-low flame) and toss in the mustard seeds. You don't want them to pop the moment they hit the fat. Once the ghee heats up and you've got them popping, add the cumin seeds.
   
   Finally, the folks here have it right - water in the pan or in the ghee will get you splattered in no time. Dry the vessel of choice and the spoon you use the in the ghee thoroughly.
   
   Happy tempering :)
   
   PS: Try using a pinch of Asafoetida as well before you add the mustard seeds.