Inspiration abounds for new, old fans of Indian cooking

Nation's Restaurant News, Nov 8, 2004 by Michael Schrader

Indian cooking, with its complex flavors, is recognized as one of the finest of the world's cuisines. The following tomes show how diverse this exciting cookery really is.

INDIAN HOME COOKING, Suvir Saran and Stephanie Lyness, 262 pages, Clarkson Potter/Publishers, $32.50.

Saran is a contributing editor to Food Arts magazine and teaches Indian cooking in New York. Lyness writes for The New York Times and has collaborated on several cookbooks.

Their current collaboration is a memorable celebration of the food that Indians are cooking in American kitchens today, using the ingredients that they find in our supermarkets. Chapters touch on the following topics: soups, vegetables, rice, poultry, meats, fish and shellfish, appetizers and snacks, flatbreads and crackers, sweets and drinks.

The more than 150 recipes present an impressive survey of the riches of Indian cuisine. Many of the dishes India is known for are here. They include the consommelike soups called rasams, the dals, or dishes of cooked legumes using one or more type of lentil or bean flavored with spices, the pakoras, or vegetable apetizers, the raitas, which are cold yogurt salads, and the wonderful breads--chapatis, bhaturas and parathas.

This exciting book will win over many new converts to the rich and fascinating world of Indian cuisine, and it will reignite the enthusiasm of longtime fans.

THE EVERYTHING INDIAN COOKBOOK, Monica Bhide, 293 pages, Adams Media, $14.95, paperback.

The author is a native of India who is a caterer and home chef. She has compiled 300 recipes that are easily prepared and can be used for a simple meal or a large party.

The cookbook presupposes no experience with Indian cooking on the part of the reader and begins with chapters on the basics of Indian cooking and basic recipes. It progresses to chapters on starters; drinks, teas and soups; salads; and vegetables. More complicated dishes are presented in the chapter on chicken and egg, meat dishes; and seafood.

There are many interesting dishes here, such as fiery lamb Vindaloo, creamy shrimp and almond-coated naan bread.

EASY INDIAN COOKING, Suneeta Vaswani, 192 pages, Robert Rose Inc., $18.95, paperback.

Vaswani teaches Indian cuisine and has written for culinary publications. This collection, which is her first cookbook, features more than 130 recipes that represent classic recipes from both North and South India that have been adapted for North American kitchens.

Although the recipes show the diversity of Indian cooking, they also are easily prepared. Whether the food is a chicken curry, a raita or lamb braised in yogurt, cooking it is surprisingly simple.