Forum

I don't have, and would like to get, a book specialising in the above. Would anyone like to recommend one? I guess I'd prefer one published in Australia because they tend to use our local names for ingredients etc. These days I prefer books which have pictures of the finished dish, don't overdo the short-cuts (I want to make my own curry pastes), and are well-tested and reliable. 

I don't know any Indian cookbooks originally published in Australia, I'm afraid, but I concur that anything by Madhur Jaffrey is the way to go.

v

Lately I've really been enjoying cooking from Modern Spice: Inspired Indian Flavors for the Contemporary Kitchen, by Monica Bhide.  It has about 125 recipes and is indexed on EYB (couldn't figure out how to insert a link to it here).  There's a small centerfold section of color photos but not of every recipe.  The author provides recipes for all the chutneys, etc., and there's an excellent glossary/overview of Indian spices for beginners -- although that doesn't sound like something you need, Eurydice! 

The book is well laid-out and beautifully written, with the author's personal reminiscences introducing many dishes and longer essays on Indian cuisine and culture scattered throughout, all charming and often very moving. 

I'm curious -- what are some local names in Australia for Indian ingredients?  Are you talking about brand-name products?  The author provides some Internet sources for Indian ingredients but does cite some North American sources as she's based in Washington, DC, and is writing for an American audience. A quick look through the recipes on EYB should tell you whether this book would suit your purposes.

Deborah

Thanks for the suggestions and help. I've bought Madhur Jaffrey's Ultimate curry bible (published in the USA as From Curries to Kebabs: Recipes from the Indian spice trail) and am really pleased with it. I'll never buy commercial curry powder or garam masala again, now that I've discovered how easy it is to make it myself! There's also a lot of really interesting reading about the origins and spread of Indian curries. Most importantly, to answer my own question from another thread, it has a recipe for Mulligatawny soup that looks just like what I had in mind. Must try it soon.