India’s Vegetarian Cooking
How does this
woman do it? Monisha Bharadwaj presents us with the most gorgeous books, each
one more sumptuous than the last. The photography of India by Jenner Zimmermann
is stunning and the food photography by Will Heap is almost
edible.
India’s Vegetarian Cooking is a regional guide to some of the
most traditional and delectable recipes from every corner of the subcontinent.
You will recognise some of them that have become popular restaurant fare but
there are many more that will be new to most of us. There are, in fact, over 130
dishes which typify so much that is fine about Indian vegetarian
cuisine.
India’s Vegetarian Cooking isn’t just a cookbook but it is
liberally laced with Monisha’s poetic prose which will add so much to your
understanding of the religious context, historic evolution and ayurvedic
perspective of food in India. The author has been lucky in her choice of parents
who encouraged their young daughter to try new foods and to appreciate them in
their unique regional setting.
Monisha Bharadwaj writes with passion and
evident pride about her love of all things culinary: “... my love of food and
cooking developed. It was almost like a bud opening into a flower, the myriad
taste sensations gradually becoming more and more distinct as I grew up.” Not
only is this lady a fabulous cook but her writing is rich, colourful and
evocative.... I think she models herself on me!
You’ll want to know a bit
more about the food and I can tell you it’s scrumptious. Whilst not being a
fully certified vegetarian, I don’t eat much meat and seldom eat red meat. These
recipes would, however, entice even the most committed meat-eater with their
flavourful ingredients and comforting textures. Each one is easy to follow and
not expensive to produce.
I am a big fan of lentils of all types and
Tangy Lentils with Crisp Bread (Dal Pakwan) is exceptional. But one of my all
time favourites is Potato and Garlic Balls Encased in Batter (Batata Vada). It’s
typical Mumbai street food with a lovely crisp outside and a soft tasty
interior. There are so many recipes here that deserve a mention...well, probably
130 of them!
India’s Vegetarian Cooking is a “must have” for any lover of
India and her food but also for the discerning collector of cookbooks. This is a
classy book from a classy writer.
India’s Vegetarian
Cooking
Author: Monisha Bharadwaj www.cookingwithmonisha.com
Published
by: Kyle Cathie
Price: £14.99
ISBN 978-1-85626-792-2
India Food and Cooking
Pat
Chapman is famous among Anglo curry enthusiasts as a passionate Indian food
lover and the man who started the Curry Club over 20 years ago. Its members now
number 15000 so there is evidently support for Pat’s take on food of the
subcontinent.
This is a hefty
volume with the first 60-odd pages devoted to the history of India and the
evolution of its food, tools and equipment, and basic preparation. He goes into
great detail about the spices before we reach the recipes. His research is
obviously thorough and adds a lot to the overall quality of the
book.
There are a great many “Modern Chef’s Recipes”, with Spiced Stuffed
Peppers being the offering from London chef Pital Gopal. Creamy Brown Lentils is
a dish based on a recipe from London restaurateur Camilia Panjabi. Beef Tomatoes
stuffed with gorgonzola is another chef recipe which is obviously a bit of a
fusion dish.
Most of the recipes are said to be authentic and Pat give
the region from where these originate. They are a delicious bunch and cover
everything from starters through meats and vegetables to drinks. There is even
an interesting item about the famous Bombay Duck, which I haven’t seen for
years. It’s not a duck at all but rather an eel-shaped fish that is filleted and
dried and used as a condiment.
My favourite recipe would have to be the
Raan, Aromatic Roast Lamb. This is succulent leg of lamb, and the meat just
falls from the bone. It’s savoury and delicious and easy to make. You can
marinate the lamb for up to 60 hours (be warned, your fridge will smell of spice
for all those 60 hours) and then just roast for 3 hours. It’s an ideal Sunday
meal for a crowd.
Kulfi, Indian ice cream, makes a welcome end to any
spicy meal and you don’t need to invest in an ice cream maker. Pat lists several
varieties all using the basic recipe but with the additions of either chocolate,
pistachio, mango or almonds. Yum!
The Chutney and Pickle chapter has
Pat’s wife’s Sweet and Hot Tomato Chutney. It’s a clear chutney that looks
attractive and bright. The traditional Lime Pickle would be the one for me and
you can also use the same recipe to create a lemon pickle.
India Food
and Cooking would be a good choice for anyone wanting to know a lot more about
Indian food and history. There is plenty of reading, marvellous pictures and
recipes to make your mouth water.
India Food and
Cooking
Author: Pat Chapman
Published by: New Holland
Price:
£19.99
ISBN 978-184537-619-2
Healthy Indian Cooking for
Diabetes
Now, don’t just scroll to the next review! Have a read and
understand that this isn’t a book for people with diabetes but a book for all of
us. We are all at risk from diet-related illness but there is no need to deprive
ourselves of good and flavourful food.
Azmina Govindji
is a registered dietitian and the first 45 pages of this book are packed with
dietary information, advice about complementary and alternative therapies,
weight management and healthy cooking tips. Even these introductory pages have
gorgeous pictures. This is, after all a recipe book and not a medical
encyclopaedia.
I didn’t know that just being South Indian can put you at
risk of diabetes, leading to further complications like heart disease. Whilst
it’s not nice to hear, it’s better to know and make a few changes to your
lifestyle to keep yourself well.
How often have I heard my Western
friends say that they don’t cook Indian food because it’s too oily or too rich?
Well, this is the book for you - launch yourself on a new and healthy culinary
experience. Stock up on a few Indian spices and dry goods and have a go. It’s
easy.
Indian food is a big part of my diet so I am very happy to find
some lighter alternatives to some traditional favourites. Sanjeev Kapoor is
India’s leading chef and winner of culinary awards so his recipes are bound to
be delicious.
Dehi Methi Murgh (yogurt chicken with fresh fenugreek) is
lovely and has no fat. You wouldn’t know it as the marinade gives a richness
that is more associated with oil. It’s the “mouth feel” that tricks us into
thinking that there must be some ghee in this recipe.
The recipe for
Chicken Biryani is exceptional but it has no oil. The spices create a rich and
full flavour so I would advise that you stick to the recipe and don’t cut down
on the spice. The seasonings are what make these dishes work.
Dal is
something I could eat for every meal....at least for a while. It’s Indian
comfort food served with some breads or rice. Mixed Dal uses very little oil and
the little oil that is used is olive oil. Yes, it’s a surprise but olive oil is
used to replace the heavier ghee and traditional Indian oils in this
book.
My favourite recipe is Mutton Dhansaak (lamb and lentil stew). If
you have ordered this in an Indian restaurant then you would have noticed that
it’s sometimes a heavy dish. Healthy Indian Cooking presents us with a less oily
alternative. The rich quality comes from the texture of the sauce rather than
the fat.
You don’t need to be Indian to enjoy this book. Use these
recipes and you will make exotic food without the guilt. Take care of yourself
but enjoy eating well.
Healthy Indian Cooking for
Diabetes
Authors: Azmina Govindji, Sanjeev Kapoor
Published by: Kyle
Cathie
Price: £12.99
ISBN 978-1-85626-789-2
The Road to Vindaloo – Curry Cooks and
Curry Books
Perhaps this book should have been entitled The Road to
Chicken Tikka Masala for it charts the evolution of “Indian” food in Britain.
It’s been a long and sometimes chequered story which mirrors the close
association between the UK and India, the jewel in Queen Victoria’s crown.
The Road to Vindaloo – Curry Cooks and Curry Books is part of
a remarkable series from Prospect Books. The English Kitchen series looks at the
history of dishes and their place in our cuisine. Other volumes include Trifle
and Soup, but Early Vegetarian Recipes and Rhubarbarian will follow shortly.
They form a fascinating study into what we eat and why.
The authors,
Helen Saberi and David Burnett, are well placed to write a quality food-related
volume. Helen has penned Noshe Djan – Afghan Food and Cookery, and assisted the
late Alan Davidson in the compilation of the Oxford Companion to Food. David is
a publisher who has won acclaim for his re-publication of Countryman’s Cooking
by W.F. Fowler.
Our love of curry did, in fact, start before the
Victorian era. The first mention of a curry in a cookbook was in 1717, although
Nicholas Culpeper discusses in 1653 the properties of many of the spices that
later were recognised as key curry ingredients. Of coriander he writes “...
sends up unwholesome vapours to the brain, dangerous for mad people.” I hear
that curry is often on the menu at the House of Commons; there is hope though,
as the ever-popular mustard is said to be “...excellent for one that is troubled
with lethargy.”
The charm of The Road to Vindaloo – Curry Cooks and Curry
Books is that it’s a compilation from a variety of cookbooks. The attitudes they
present range from the naive to the enlightened, with even the quintessentially
English Mrs Beeton interesting herself in the preparation of a Chicken Curry
with Chickpeas. She even recommends the use of ghee (Indian clarified butter)
and that indicates that those returning from the subcontinent brought with them
some traditional Indian ideas ...and perhaps some traditional Indian
cooks.
Dr. Senn produced a good many cookery books before the First World
War and until the 1930s. He is “famed” for such works as Tomatoes and Their Many
Uses, and Special Dishes for Borstal Institutions. He notes that “...Madras
curry is of the best classical period”, “...The Bengal artist is greatest in
fish and vegetable curries”, and “...Bombay boasts of its particular gifts in
its bomelow fish and popedoms.” I can find no reference to bomelow fish so I
conclude that it must be extinct!
The Road to Vindaloo – Curry Cooks and
Curry Books is a fascinating and sometimes amusing look at the food we love so
much. We might not eat “authentic” Indian food but we seem to love our version
of it. This book is a must for anyone who enjoys Britain’s favourite
food.
The Road to Vindaloo – Curry Cooks and Curry
Books
Authors: Helen Saberi and David Burnett
Published by: Prospect
Books
Price: £9.99
ISBN 978-1-903018-57-6
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