Indian Home Cooking from A British Kitchen
Torie True has penned a beautiful volume of Indian dishes but with the British home cook in mind. The recipes are tempting but they are also accessible to even the novice cook. Buy a small battery of spices and you will be ready to cook all of these dishes.
The author is a food writer, and teacher of Indian food. She has travelled around India extensively over the past 20 years and has evidently learned plenty from her husband’s Indian family, who are based in the UK and Kolkata.
So many of us are looking for that perfect Indian cookbook. There are plenty of contenders and I guess every reader will have different needs and expectations. This cookbook enthusiast wants delicious recipes which I will be inspired to make. Nothing over-taxing but all with plenty of flavour.
Torie is uniquely placed to marry the culinary aspirations of the western cook with authentic and practical Eastern dishes. For more than a decade Torie has written a food and travel blog to describe her adventures in cooking with herbs and spices, along with her travels. Chilli and Mint is the culmination of her experiences.
Step-by-step recipes
This attractive cookbook offers over 100 recipes for those who already love homemade Indian food, as well as those who are new to those dishes. Torie has supportive step-by-step recipes. Some have ingredient lists which might seem a bit lengthy but on closer inspection one will notice that the same spices are used in the majority of them, so it’s easy to set up an Indian pantry.
My favourites from Chilli & Mint: Indian Home Cooking from A British Kitchen are many and varied. Ginger and lemongrass Prawn Bisque – not what one would consider an Indian classic, but it is so refined. At last, I have found somebody else who hoards prawn shells for making stock. Palak Dal is pure comfort. Bengali Egg Curry won’t break the bank. Chettinad Pepper Chicken makes a delightful winter dinner. There are plenty of homemade spice powders as well as some dinner party-worthy desserts too.
Chilli & Mint: Indian Home Cooking from A British Kitchen is a charming book which takes away much of the intimidation found in some other Indian cookbooks. Torie understands the constraints of the western kitchen and has chosen a solid collection of recipes.
Chilli & Mint: Indian Home Cooking from A British Kitchen
Author: Torie True
Published by: Meze Publishing
Price: £25.00
ISBN-13: 978-1910863879