Stylish Indian in Minutes
Monisha Bharadwaj has a talent (in fact she has many, she is also a classical Indian dancer and an educator) for writing books that are little works of art. There are over 140 recipes in Stylish Indian in Minutes and all of them are mouth-watering and yet simple to make.
This volume just oozes class. Gus Filgate is one of the best photographers around and his stunning pictures are contrasted marvellously by black and white shots of striking Indian ladies and gentlemen at cocktail parties and dinners.
Monisha had found the preparation of authentic Indian food in the UK to be something of a challenge for her British friends. Her professional training had equipped her to produce classic dishes which were popular with everyone, but she wanted to develop recipes that gave the sense of smart home cooking to the British audience. The Indian cookbooks Monisha found in the UK presented Indian food as complicated, over-exotic and only to be tackled by those with endless time and the support of several assistants!
Her skill allowed Monisha to ditch the European-targeted Indian cookbooks and devise her own techniques to provide truly authentic dishes, the sort that are made by truly authentic Indians! All of the ingredients used in Stylish Indian in Minutes are true to the traditional concept but they are all readily available in the UK.
Obviously there are dishes from all over India that have lists of ingredients as long as your arm, but Stylish Indian offers delicious recipes that will not fill you with terror. You won’t need to attend culinary school in Mumbai to achieve lovely results.
The recipes are, as ever, superb and easy to follow and it’s difficult to pick my favourites. There is so much here that would be ideal for both vegetarians and certified carnivores. Kali Mirch Murg (Chicken Curry with Black Pepper) uses spices that you will already have in your larder to produce a succulent and flavourful dish in no time at all (don’t you just love that?). Maach Paturi (Bengali Fish in Mustard Sauce) is equally simple and would be a smashing dinner party dish or even, in my case, a nice little meal on Wednesday!
Stylish Indian in Minutes is well up to the standard of Monisha’s other books. The food is exceptional but accessible with fresh healthy flavours. It’s an ideal book for entertaining but you won’t want to wait for your friends to pay a visit, you’ll buy the ingredients on the way home from the bookshop!
Stylish Indian in Minutes
Author: Monisha Bharadwaj www.cookingwithmonisha.com
Published by: Kyle Cathie
Price: £14.99
ISBN 1-85626-458-0
Easy Japanese Cookbook
Easy Japanese Cookbook is not only seriously large it’s seriously beautiful, with huge colour pictures by William Lingwood. The text is clear and the recipes easy to follow. Each one has preparation time and cooking time clearly marked. It’s a wire-bound cookbook which gives the advantage of staying open on the counter. No need for bottles of Sake balanced at the corners.
The author, Emi Kazuko, has penned several cookbooks (her book Street Cafe Japan was made into a TV series for UK Style) and is no stranger to BBC radio. It’s obvious that she appreciates that Japanese cuisine is new to many of us in the UK. Emi leads us through every aspect from ingredients, cooking methods, equipment and basic recipes to appetizers, main courses, etc. The menu section will tell you all you need to know about putting together an authentic Japanese meal.
Japanese food might not be as familiar to us as, say, Indian or even Thai but just a quick flick through the pages and you’ll see that it is easy. Nothing here takes much hands-on effort. There are a few recipes that demand a few hours marinade time but you don’t have to sit and watch the food as it soaks, do you?
Ginger Pork with Rocket Salad is an old-established and popular dish in Japan. It couldn’t be simpler. It takes 15 minutes to prepare, 10 minutes marinade time and 10 minutes to cook. It won’t break the bank, it’s authentic and it’s a lovely family meal.
Most of us will know the name Sukiyaki. No, not the Japanese pop song released in Japan in 1961 and in the US and UK in 1963 and sung by Kyu Sakamoto, killed in a plane crash in 1985 (Impressed aren’t you?). No, this is the classic dish cooked in a cast iron pan at the table. It’s a delicious combination of beef and vegetables. It couldn’t be easier...your guests will be doing the cooking.
Anyone who wants to try Japanese food at home will find all they need in Easy Japanese Cookbook. It will take away the terror for beginners and supply the more practised with lovely recipes... and some nice music as well.
Easy Japanese Cookbook
Author: Emi Kazuko
Published by: Duncan Baird
Price: £16.99
ISBN 978-1-84483-656-7
Quick and Easy – Eating for One
This well-illustrated book is a must for anyone who is just about to leave home (and mum’s cooking) and start a life alone, or anyone who now
finds themselves
cooking for one. It’s a cookbook full of, as it says, quick and easy recipes but
on closer inspection it’s rather more than that, it’s the “desert island”
cookbook, the one any sole survivor would take if they wanted to eat well on
their own (with the use of a good supermarket!) but also, using the same book,
be able to make a lovely meal for the band of rescuers. Turkey
SkewersThe author, Catherine Atkinson, has chosen easy, healthy but also quite exotic recipes. She has sections on sweets, snacks, meats, fish and vegetables. Yes, as you would expect, there are several pastas but not your “it’s Wednesday night so its spag bol night” but Linguine with Chicken and Asparagus or Oriental Prawn, Pepper and Pineapple Noodles. These probably take less time than your usual mid-week pasta, they are a lot healthier and they would make excellent meals when you have company.
All the recipes could easily be increased and this is very encouraging for a novice cook. You can practise these dishes when you have just yourself to feed, become more confident and then produce volumes appropriate for entertaining when mum comes over to see how much weight you’ve lost. She will be impressed!
Catherine has included a Planning Ahead section with menus for a month. Each day has a recipe as well as shopping lists for both fresh and larder ingredients, so there will be no need to resort to baked beans from the tin.
The Vegetables and Vegetarian section has some lovely Mediterranean recipes like Feta and Pine Nut Stuffed Peppers. The Spiced Coconut Rice with Cashew Nuts only takes 20 minutes and makes enough for two, so invite a friend. The Fish section offers, amongst other dishes, Lime and Ginger Salmon with Fruit Salsa steamed in a foil parcel which would be great for a smart dinner party.
These are not reworks of the usual “cooking for one” recipes but interesting dishes that just happen to be portioned for the single diner. They are truly simple recipes that would convert any take-away enthusiast but would be equally useful for anyone new to the single life.
Quick and Easy – Eating for One
Author: Catherine Atkinson
Price: £7.99
Published by Foulsham
ISBN 978-0-572-03420-7