Murdoch Books - The Food of India

This book began my addiction to “from scratch” cooking. Being able to pull half a dozen spices out from your pantry and use them to create a meal is very rewarding, especially when you are entertaining. Nothing beats being able to tell your guests that you made it all yourself.

The Food of India does not require the use of store brought pastes or spice mixes. Before you buy this book, I recommend you locate your nearest Indian grocery store, because there are certain spices (e.g. e.g. black salt, ajowan and amchoor powder) that may not be able to be purchased from your local grocery store. It is well worth going out of your way to buy these spices, as the resulting meals are amazing.

Recipes in this book are plentiful, well written, and easy to follow. Being a novice cook, I am glad to see that there are photographs for each of the recipes showing the completed dishes. The author has included a brief overview of Indian cuisine, including its regions, influences, food myths and the way in which meals are served. There is also a generous glossary which includes alternative names for some of the ingredients should you have trouble locating them.The recipies are divided into the following sections:

• Tiffin
• Fish and Seafood
• Poultry and Meat
• Vegetables
• Pulses
• Rice and Grains
• Breads
• Accompaniments
• Sweets and Drinks
• Basics

Chicken with corriander and almonds,
chucumber, aloo chaat and rice

What I like most is that you can grab dishes from either of these sections and put them together to make an outstanding banquet. I use this book a lot when entertaining guests, especially foodies. According to our Indian friends, authenticity wise, this book is a winner.

Some of my favourite recipes from this book are lamb madras, naan bread, chana masala, aloo chaat and chucumber. The peanuts used in chucumber are lovely. I always make extra peanuts and serve them as a pre-dinner snack. They also make good homemade Christmas gifts, especially for the people who make a point to get as many peanuts as possible in their serving of chucumber.

If I were allowed only one Indian cookbook, The Food Of India, would be that book. It is suitable for all levels of cooking ranging from complete novice to experienced cook (this was my first cookbook!). I highly recommend this book for anyone who loves Indian food.