From Publishers Weekly Bhide (The Everything Indian Cookbook) provides a personal look at modern Indian cooking, showcasing new versions of her native cuisine that pay homage to tradition but also acknowledge the everyday lifestyle of India today. While Bhide's recipes use authentic spices and techniques, she departs from the stereotype of complicated meals that take hours to prepare. Her recipes focus on spices and flavor, spanning the gamut of Indian cuisine. She also includes recipes for meat, rice, breads and desserts. Highlights include coriander-and-fennel crusted lamb chops, curried scallops, and onion bread stir-fry. Scattered throughout are personal stories on a variety of subjects, including a visit to Vaishno Devi Maa's Temple and recollections of a meal prepared by grand master Indian chef Imtiaz Qureshi. Bhide also provides a detailed spice pantry section and an insider's guide to time- and labor-saving ingredients. The author offers a refreshing look at the diverse and changing cuisine of India, with a new perspective that will be embraced by Indian food lovers everywhere. (Apr.) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Read more From Booklist Product of a culture deeply bound to its traditions, Indian cooking has only recently begun to engage seriously with other cuisines. Bhide spearheads a movement seeking to reinterpret Indian cooking and make it more accessible to the growing international kitchen. Herself an offspring of the Indian diaspora and raised in the Middle East, Bhide eschews standard recipes that can be found in other Indian cookbooks, instead taking Indian ingredients, especially the vast array of spices, and applying them in original, intriguing ways. She concocts a cocktail snack based on Rice Krispies cereal but sharply scented with mustard seeds, turmeric, cumin, and fennel. Green chili chutney tops bits of omelet resting in little pastry shells. Mashed potatoes get a garlic, chili, and coconut kick. Dry rubs anoint both grilled fish and meat. Essays intersperse the recipes, most of them Bhide’s reflections on her family and upbringing. A revolutionary approach to Indian cooking. --Mark Knoblauch Read more See all Editorial Reviews
N**I
Enchanting & Inspiring
Modern Spice: Inspired Indian Flavors for the Contemporary KitchenMonica Bhide is quite possibly one of the brightest rising stars in the Indian culinary horizon. She is as much at home rubbing shoulders with culinary giants such as Jose Andres & Sanjeev Kapoor as she is fielding questions and comments from a slew of over enthusiastic bloggers via her facebook page and her website. An engineer by academic training, she is the author of three successful books and writes extensively about food, traditions & culture for major publications.Modern Spice is one of those books that takes its time to sink into, and when it does, completely enchants you into falling in love with the stories and recipes contained within. Its a beautifully balanced set of essays and anecdotes from the author's life, interspersed between a collection of about 120 unique recipes.At first glance, some of the recipes may well elicit a comment of "oh this, c'mon its so simple/humble, I make it practically every week" . And yet, it escapes us that this very simplicity is what makes it so delicious & memorable.The recipes contain a collection of day to day simple yet memorable dishes that we live on & look forward to at an intimate family dinner or a gathering of friends. The thoughts and words and (some) recipes are those of a wife, a mother, a nervous graduate student rather than an established author, and Ms. Bhide excels at communicating this in the book. Just as the reader warms up to the fuzzy home made creations, the creative streak of the author becomes evident in such novel dishes as the savory cheesecakes (baked in phyllo pastry shells) paired with a red pepper and tomatillo chutney. And I've not even begun to describe the array of delightful offerings in the beverage section such as the guava bellini and Tamarind Margarita, attributed to Chef K.N.Vinod of Indique Heights in Chevy Chase, MD.The essays speak to, and relate on a personal level with the reader. Reminiscences of the author's childhood in New Delhi, of her 'dadi maa' lovingly crushing rotis before feeding her children & grand kids at dinner, or one of my favorites (something I completely identified with personally), her love affair with 'chaat masala', and the quest to locate and retain for the long term, a suitable 'supplier'... of ready made rotis in the US! The quirks that everyone of us is endowed with, and makes us human.
K**K
Indian recipes that work in an American kitchen
This cookbook has been a great addition to my kitchen. While I love Indian food, I often struggle to pull off recipes in my own home because it's difficult to obtain the right ingredients. Fortunately, many of the recipes in this book use recipes that are easy to access (yes, I had to make a special trip to Whole Foods for some, but that's still obtainable). And while the ingredients are easier to find, the recipes are still inventive and interesting (it's more than just a book filled with dal and chicken recipes). I personally enjoyed the short stories scattered throughout the book. However, they don't dominate the book, so if they're not your cup o' tea, you won't be too distracted by them. The photographs in this book are mouthwatering, and will make you want to try every recipe. Not only has this book become a staple in my kitchen, but I have given it twice as a gift to adventurous cooks, with rave reviews from the recipients.
J**L
Accessible Indian Recipes, Easy Reading, too!
I found out about this book from a blog I read regularly. The book and 4 recipes I have tried definitely live up to the reviewer's comments and recommendation. The author also includes wonderful stories of her family recipes which bring the book more alive for me - I am an oral historian, so really 'into' that kind of backstory richness. The recipes are written very clearly and simply and are easy to follow with good tips for substitutions - or alternative flavoring - in many cases. I also like Madhur Jaffrey's books but this is a different generation's take on many of the classics.
M**N
A modern slant on Indian food
I love Indian cuisine and I like this book. For some of the recipes, you may have to order a few spices online or, if you are lucky to have one, visit your local Indian grocery store. She does give substitutes for some of the ingredients.Monica Bhide has made the preparation of Indian dishes a little less intimidating. She gives a lot of information about the dishes and the ingredients that are helpful. The title is perfect as she is not rigid about the authentic and has made this cuisine more kitchen friendly than the traditional recipes are.If you are interested in incorporating all the wonderful and healthy spices used in Indian cuisine into your repertoire, this is the book for you. She is very health conscious and tells you how each spice enhances your health.I find her recipes to be very flavorful and trustworthy.
A**R
A Must Have!
Modern Spice is a brilliant melding of Indian spices and a Modern Perspective. Besides the food, I instantly fell in love with the personal stories that she so eloquently weaves. My 2 favorites stories are - 'The meet with my Indian idol' and 'Food, Father and Faith'. There is a sense of sentiment in each one of them and something to take away at the end from each of the essays.Being a Pure Vegetarian, I typically do not buy cookbooks that have non vegetarian dishes but this was an exception.It has been less than a month that I bought this book.I am yet to be disappointed for the beautiful writing and her fusion recipes.While staying true to the Indian spices, she gives a modern twist to each of the dishes. My favorite dishes so far are Red Pepper and Green Tomatillo Chutney and Curried Carrot and Ginger Soup with Pan-Fried Paneer!" Authenticity is a state of mind" she says! The engineer turned author also gives a list of spices and her favorite store brands along with a few websites that you can go to buy Indian spices online.This is a practical book to someone who enjoys fusion but also wants to make home cooked Indian food without having load of ingredients. Even if you are not into Indian cooking or if you are not in the mood for cooking, you can still curl on a couch with a cup of tea to enjoy a leisurely read.She plays around with Spices and Food as much as she does with Words and essays. It is more than just a cookbook; it is a 'cooking novel' by a novel cook!
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