reading list: india cookbook

when i saw a phaidon cookbook in a rice bag at crossword bookstore a few weeks back, i just had to have it. i know phaidon to publish the most well researched, comprehensive and gorgeously illustrated cookbooks like the silver spoon (italian cookbook), the silver spoon for childern and 1080 recipes (spanish cookbook).

the india cookbook has 1000 recipes by pushpesh pant, an academic, from all over india to show the diversity of indian food beyond the mughlai food that indian food tends to be synonymos with. think of your favourite indian dish and chances are you will find the recipe in this book.

here are the contents:

introduction (including a brief history of indian food and regions of india)
spice mixtures and pastes
pickles, chutneys and raitas
snacks and appetizers (vegetables, fish and seafood, meat)
main dishes (vegetables, fish and seafood, meat)
pulses
breads
rice
desserts
drinks
guest chefs
gloassary
directory
index

here's a cool video which brings you behind the scenes on the photo shoot for the cookbook.

i'll be blogging about various recipes i try from here so i'm not yet passing judgement on how good or useful the book is.

do you have this cookbook? what do you think of it?

ps - the book weighs 1.5 kg!

photo courtesy: http://www.myspace.com/thalassagoa

goa is happening!! especially north goa. just got back from a wonderful weekend break and i'm sun kissed and stress free. we'll have to wait and see how long that will last in this urban jungle we call home.

on saturday night we had dinner at a greek tavern called thalassa which overlooks vagator beach. this is almost the northern tip of goa, not far from the maharashtra border. the dramatic cliffs overlooking the beach, the tall coconut trees, the rocky terrain and "the scene" all make for a more edgy experience of goa, especially at night. and thalassa is the perfect place to enjoy vagator. it's buzzing with beautiful people yet has this serenely stunning view, constant breeze and a chillaxed ambience. here you get homemade greek food and b.b.q all cooked on charcoal. the spanakopitas, tzatziki and vegetable skewers hit the sweet spot for me though i hear the moussaka is to die for as well.

check out this ccngo.com guide on north goa's best restaurants for more ideas.

bangalore diary: fava

if in bangalore and looking for where to eat or drink, head directly to ub city. on the first floor of the main building is a piazza around which are located various restaurants including fava which is mediterranean. choose a table on the outdoor wooden deck from which you can get a great view and feel the crisp bangalore weather. order some wine, settle into one of the comfortable oversize chairs with thick cushions, feel the breeze, dig into sumptious hummus and soak up the tres chic ambience.



203, 2nd floor, the collection ub city, 24, vittal mallya road, bangalore
080-22117444

wht's your favourite khichdi recipe?

i was at a food fiesta a few weeks back organised by dignity foundation for its dignity passionate collections event. there i tasted this divine bhadka khichdi made from moong daal and lapsi rava that made me fall in love with khichdi all over again. it was so light yet had a wonderful bite (from ginger) and fragrance (from cumin) and paired brilliantly with a spicy mango pickle.

now i'm all rearing to make more khichdi at home. do share your favourite recipe.

masala tea

i don't know what it is about masala tea in particular and not just any tea that has the amazing power to cure a headache. i played too much tennis in the sun today and as a result i've had this throbbing forehead all day. it wasn't till late this evening that i remembered the perfect antidote for such situations - masala tea! i had drunk the perfect masala tea and indulged in some gooey chocolate fudge at the park hyderabad a few weeks back that had quickly relaxed me and got rid of a bad headache.

to make masala tea, i boil a few cups of water, throw in a teaspoon of black tea and then add elaichi, a few cloves and some freshly grated ginger. just inhaling the vapours from the herbs and tea simmering in the water usually starts to make me feel better already. i add just a dash of milk right at the end after removing from the stove but most people add milk and sugar while the tea is stil boiling. depends on how milky and sugary you like your chai! it's a terrific pick me up. remember next time you're feeling a bit low!

rasa vada

i'm taking the day off tomorrow to go to madras for a family reunion on my mother's side. some sixty odd uncles, aunts, cousins from all over the world are gathering to celebrate what unites us and to reconnect in a way that we've never attempted before. i can't wait to meet long lost relatives whose heroic stories i grew up on. i've been thinking of my tam brahm roots and wondering which part of the culture i'm most viscerally connected to. undeniably, it is the food. i may have traveled thousands of miles and devoured every cuisine from japanese to mexican but nothing satisfies my soul like a bowl of steaming hot and tangy rasa vada. i can do masala dosa and molagai podi for breakfast, lunch or dinner any day. i enjoy fancy place settings but no meal is as enjoyable as a simple iyengar lunch eaten straight out of a banana leaf with my hand. try as i might to be otherwise, i am a thair sadam girl at heart!