Cafe Spice Namaste: Modern Indian Cooking

Rating:
Summary: Indian Cooking that explodes in your mouth
Review: "Namaste" is a divine salutation. It is the original. Café Spice Namaste, is also an original. Modern Indian Cooking that tantalizes the taste buds and make the palate sing. I had the opportunity this year to have the author cook directly from his book, and have since tried a few on my own. Cyrus Todiwala is the real thing marrying flavors that bring the dishes to live. The first recipe I tried from his book was the Murghi Na Farcha - Curried Chicken Fried in Egg. The chicken leg was flavored with cinnamon, cloves, chilies, and cardomom and then dipped in egg and fried searing in the juices and flavors. The tomato gravy had just the right bite and enhanced the chicken. The Akoori on toast is a spicy scrambled egg that is very time consuming to make and is filled with fresh ginger, garlic, chili, raisins and many other flavors.

The ingredients in most of the recipes are readily available at most markets and very few required more than basic skills. The dishes themselves lend to an upscale palate, yet they are so easy and so tempting to make for all palates. The Shinanio Chi Salade (mussel Cocktail), Dudhia Bataer (Quails Fried in Milk Butter), Tantia Ani Shingdaney Chi Usli (Egg & Peanut Salad), Patrani Machchi (Fish in Banana Leaf with Green Coconut Chutney), Machli Kay Tikkay (Monkfish Tikka), Kharu Gos (Lamb with Whole Spices & Onions), Jungli Soover Ni Seek Boti (Venison Kebabs), Bhareli Bhindi (Stuffed Okra), Watana Ussal (Chickpeas with Coconut), Shahi Tukra (Fried Bread in Saffron Milk), Parsee Pav Makhan Nu Pudding (Rich Parsee-Style Bread & Butter Pudding), and a variety of the Lassi drink are just a small sampling of these recipes.

The book is well laid out with some succulent and tempting pictures of the dishes that should be welcomed into every kitchen. All of the recipes fit on their pages and no page needs to be turned to continue. The print is easy to read and the book is filled with anecdotes and stories along with many helpful tips.

This book should be welcomed into your kitchen to help recreate the energy this book provides.

Recommended: 3 ½ pots of of 5

Rating:
Summary: Clear, Concise & Innovative Cooking.
Review: Thoroughly enjoyed the book, having met THE CHEF and eaten at his fine establishment in London. The food was absolutely superb, and the recipes given in the book taste very close to the real thing. Very highly recommended.......