Recipes from an Indian Kitchen : Review

You know when you find a new cookbook, one that you know you will turn to, time after time.  There is almost something familiar about it, and it quickly finds a place on you cookbook shelf.  Well this is just such a book.  I absolutely love it, I’ve tried a couple of recipes in it so far and there are so many more I can’t wait to try.

Recipes from an Indian Kitchen, is a book of 100 recipes from across the whole of India.  Each dish, is illustrated, some with the cooking stages photographed. Clear instructions and other beautiful bold images of India, a real delight for the eyes.

I made Tandoori Mushroom Curry, a north Indian dish.  You may notice the lack of mushrooms, as I *ahem* forgot to buy them, so substituted the mushrooms for peppers. I served it with basmati rice and wait for it…my very own homemade chapattis.

The taste, of the curry was well-rounded, fresh and just the right level of heat for me.  The chapattis, were delicious, much nicer than shop bought, I would definitely cook both of them again.

I also made a batch of tandoori masala (recipe also in the book) to keep for other recipes I’m going to try.  This is a spice mix with things such as cardamom and fenugreek.  Because of the amount of ingredients (especially spices) involved in many of the recipes, what I loved is that the ingredients were listed in order of use.  A small thing, but makes the recipes so much easier to follow.

The book also has information about Indian cuisine, explaining the differences of the regions.  I though it was fascinating to learn that dishes usually, are served all together in India, rather than starter and main courses as in the UK, and samosas and onion bhajis are commonly served with tea, and are snacks.

On the whole, I really recommend this book, it’s priced at £16, and would make a great Christmas present for a curry lover, and cook.

For more books from Parragon Books see HERE.