This book feels sumptuous, contemporary and a bit different. It has the air of Eastern opulence but tastefully understated. Rasoi is unmistakably Indian and offers its wares with quiet confidence to an audience which can’t fail to be impressed and intrigued.
Rasoi: New Indian Kitchen has been penned by the chef-owner of the Rasoi restaurant, Vineet Bhatia. He has achieved much critical acclaim for his sterling work in several Indian restaurants in London. He is one of that rare breed of chefs of any culinary persuasion who has been praised by both the UK’s two most celebrated restaurant critics, Fay Maschler and A. A. Gill. I have not yet had the privilege of visiting Rasoi but if the book is a faithful representation then it’s worth exploring.
Vineet suggests that his book may not be for the novice. Well, at first glance that might seem so but even the most complicated and many-faceted dishes can be often broken down into their constituent parts and either made in advance or used as stand-alone dishes.
Raan Mussallam is in fact a simple dish for the most delicious roast lamb you will ever eat. The meat is cooked in a covered roasting tin to melting perfection. It cooks for 3 hours so it’s an ideal alternative to the regular Sunday roast. It would work well with traditional roast potatoes although I prefer my raan with rice or naan.
Black Pepper Chicken Masala is a dish that Vineet remembers from his childhood. He has adapted it and serves his with Black Lentil and Cashew Nut Rice, but the less-confident home cook could start by practising the chicken dish and just serving it with plain steamed rice. Add the black lentil rice when you’re more at ease with the cuisine.
To impress the in-laws
We all have those occasions when we want to impress the in-laws or we want to push the boat out. No better way of doing that than with seafood. Crab Curry with Lime and Coriander, Peanut and Curry Leaf Rice is a dish with impact but you won’t need to be a skilled chef to undertake it. Vineet has done the clever work for you. He has chosen the ingredients to give savour and richness. One of the easiest dishes to execute, but memorable.
Desserts are often a little thin on the ground in Indian restaurants. I have had fine ones in Indian homes, but these don’t seem to have migrated to commercial establishments. Chef Bhatia has broken that mould and devised some stunning desserts based on traditional recipes but with his usual flourish. Try Roasted Tandoori Pineapple Infused with Saffron and Fennel, Pineapple and Saffron Halwa, Warm Coconut Milk Shooter. That all sounds like quite a complicated plateful, but you can just make the halwa and it will be delicious at the end of the meal with some tea. The Tandoori Pineapple would make an exotic addition to your next barbecue.
Whilst it’s true to say that Rasoi: New Indian Kitchen is a coffee-table book, that statement would be diminishing its true merit as a cookbook. There is so much here that has the Must Try element. It’s a volume full of ideas and inspiration. A noble addition to any serious cookbook collection. A stunner.
Rasoi: New Indian Kitchen
Author: Vineet Bhatia
Published by: Absolute Press
Price: £30.00
ISBN 13: 978-1-90665019-3
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Cookbook review by Chrissie Walker © 2018