• Lindacakes on December 28, 2014

  The rice and legume recipes are supposed to be particularly good. Chowhound post with a list of recommended recipes: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/773608#6402036 Beloved book of Lynne Rosetto Kasper's.

• amraub on April 15, 2012

  This is one of my favourite cookbooks. While I've had a couple of misses, the good vastly outweighs the bad. There are many quick meals hidden in here, especially once you have spice blends made.

• Gio on June 27, 2011

  http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/773608#6402036

• Breadcrumbs on March 22, 2011

  Note: Link to Chowhound post w a list of recommended recipes: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/773608#6402036

• Laura on February 26, 2011

  I've really come to appreciate this book. While I haven't made very many of the recipes, those I have made have been very good -- such as the Spinach Soup with Red Lentils that I made for lunch today. I especially like the spice blends -- I've made 3 and each was heavenly. I also really appreciate the appendices such as the 'Shopping Cheat Sheet' which tells you the Hindi name of a wide variety of ingredients in case you need to visit an ethnic grocer to obtain it. Also, love the glossary of ingredients -- so detailed and informative.

• IvyManning on September 03, 2010

  Good book, but the recipes are long with lots of sub recipes. It's authentic, to be sure, but not always the best book to grab on Tuesday night.

• sarahcooks on September 02, 2010

  You can tell the author teaches cooking because the recipes are written with very clear and helpful directions. Love it!

• ebethquinn on August 02, 2010

  Recipes never fail. The way Indians eat at home.

• andyharris on January 15, 2010

  My go-to Indian food resource

Notes about Recipes in this book

• Ginger paste (Adrak ka lep)

  • JKDLady on November 22, 2015

    I used this for Vibrant Chicken with a spicy tomato sauce, which is a truly outstanding dish. Definitely make this paste ahead of time and freeze in 1/4 cup batches.

  • Dannausc on August 14, 2019

    Super easy

• Garlic paste (Lasoon ka lep)

  • Dannausc on August 14, 2019

    Super easy

  • JKDLady on November 22, 2015

    I used this for Vibrant Chicken with a spicy tomato sauce, which is a truly outstanding dish. Definitely make this paste ahead of time and freeze in 2 T batches.

• Fried onion paste (Pyaaz ka lep)

  • JKDLady on November 22, 2015

    Definitely make this ahead of time and freeze in 1/2 cup servings.

  • Barb_N on November 22, 2015

    No longer available online.

  • TrishaCP on October 13, 2019

    Recipes that use this paste: Breaded potato shells with chickpea stew p. 54 Vibrant chicken w/a spicy tomato sauce p.137 Lamb curry in sweet onion tomato sauce p.190 Garlicky lamb with potatoes p.191 Poached shrimp in a slow-cooked onion sauce p.257 Cinnamon-flavored black-eyed peas p.323 Chana saag p.334 Slow-stewed tomato sauce w/kidney beans p. 358 Chana rajmah p.363 Restaurant-style cauliflower and potatoes p.483 Spring baby potatoes with fried onion sauce and mint p.555 Ivy gourd with pomegranate and mango powder p.611 Saffron rice layered with lamb-tomato curry p.688 Five-jeweled vegetable rice topped with puff pastry p.700

  • biondanonima on October 11, 2012

    I caramelize onions all the time but never thought to whiz them into a paste. I'll never be without this in my freezer again - it will make such a great addition to so many dishes.

• Red chile and vinegar paste (Balchao masala)

  • TrishaCP on October 13, 2019

    Recipes that use this masala: Boneless pork loins with onions, potatoes, and carrots p.223 Sweet-tart pork with chiles p.226bPan seared shrimp with spicy hot chile vinegar paste p.270 Wild salmon poached with chiles, scallions, and tomato p.669 Scalloped potatoes with coconut milk and chiles p.686

  • tmitra on January 10, 2018

    Also Sweet-Tart Pork with Chiles p. 226 (which is very good!)

• Ginger chile paste (Adrak hara mirch ka lep)

  • TrishaCP on October 13, 2019

    Recipes that use this paste: Breaded ginger beef with a cucumber-pigeon pea sauce p. 87 Roulade of taro leaves with a tomato-mustard sauce p.107 Steamed chickpea flour cake with mint sauce p. 111 Steamed chickpea flour cake with peanuts and spinach p. 112 Chickpea flour “cigars” with a coconut-mint sauce p. 114 Stuffed bottle gourd squash with ground beef and golden raisins p.181 Pan-grilled mackerel with a tamarind sauce p.245 Scrambled chickpea flour w/ginger p. 351 “Drumsticks” in a spicy yogurt sauce p. 489 Mrs. Matthew's potatoes in a chile-coconut milk sauce p.573 Robust squash with a ginger-chile paste p.600 Cracked-wheat porridge with beef, legumes, and rice p.703

• Simmered tomato sauce with chiles and cardamom (Tamatar ka lep)

  • TrishaCP on October 13, 2019

    Recipes that use this ingredient include: Pan-fried cheese with green peas p. 294 Creamy cheese with red onion and bell peppers p.307 Sweet-hot black chickpeas p.344 Slow-cooked creamy black lentils p.366 Whole green lentils with bay leaves p. 377 Potatoes with a spicy tomato-cilantro sauce p.559 Saffron rice layered with lamb-tomato curry p.688 Grilled chicken layered with saffron rice p.691 Five-jeweled vegetable rice topped with puff pastry p.700

• Sweet-tart tamarind-date sauce (Sonth)

  • patioweather on May 22, 2024

    I tripled the amount of tamarind concentrate, and it still mostly tasted like dates. I see that other recipes add cumin, so I will try to add that to give it more flavor.

• Clarified butter (Ghee)

  • Dannausc on August 14, 2019

    Easy and good; great staple to have on hand

• Whole milk solids (Khoya)

  • JKDLady on December 02, 2015

    This was really fun! I have never made this before. A new technique for me. I doubled the recipe and froze the other half. It took about 40 minutes to cook down to 90%. I used this recipe in Creamy chicken with kashmiri chiles and fennel.

  • TrishaCP on October 13, 2019

    Recipes that use this ingredient: Cheese-stuffed mushroom caps with a creamy onion sauce p. 108 Creamy chicken with Kashmiri chiles and fennel p. 125 Creamy lamb with green peas p.210 Makhani dal p.364 Cauliflower and potatoes in a blackened red chile sauce p.481 Green peas with a yogurt-cardamom sauce p. 535

• English-style Madras curry powder (Angrezi curry masala)

  • TrishaCP on October 13, 2019

    Recipes that use this masala: Boiled cabbage filled dumplings in a light vegetable broth (Momos) p.79 Chicken simmered in a pumpkin-lentil sauce with fenugreek (Murghi dhansaak) p.140 Breast of chicken with tomato and coconut milk (Chicken curry) p. 146 19th-century English-style veal curry p.183 Peas & lentils with pumpkin p.443 Corn and tomato medley p.488 Mulligatawny p.649 Stuffed chicken breasts with avocado and cheese in an eggplant sauce p. 655Grilled pork tenderloin drenched with an onion sauce p.664 Asparagus w/tomato and crumbled paneer p. 679 Broccoli and bell peppers with English-style curry powder p.681

• Punjabi-style warming spice blend (Punjabi garam masala)

  • Laura on January 23, 2010

    Pg. 25. Very easy to make and creates a very flavorful and fresh spice mixture.

  • TrishaCP on September 26, 2019

    Recipes using this masala part 1: Grilled chicken w/mustard greens sauce p.83 Skewered chicken p.85 Almond-rubbed lamb chops p.93 Cheese-stuffed mushroom caps p.108 Chicken tikka masala p.147 Wok-seared chicken breasts p.149 Moghalai-style chicken p.150 Chicken in onion-turmeric sauce p.153 Cashew chicken w/ a cilantro sauce p.155 Garam masala murghi p.160 Lamb chops w/ an almond-poppy seed sauce p.188 Marinated lamb stew p.208 Lamb-almond dumplings p.217 Cubed pork p.222 Chile-hot cheese p.291 Fenugreek-scented cheese p.292 Saag paneer p.295 Palak paneer p.296 Mathura palak paneer p. 297 Crumbled cheese w/ broccoli & mango powder p. 301 Paneer tikka masala p.303 Gingered chickpeas p.329 Chickpeas and potatoes p. 337 Slow-stewed tomato sauce w/kidney beans p. 358 Tart-hot kidney beans p.359 Hearty kidney beans p. 359 Minty kidney beans p. 360 Makhani dal p.364 Lentil & cabbage dumplings p.393

  • TrishaCP on September 26, 2019

    Recipes using this masala part 2: Minty red lentils p.402 Sweet-hot yellow split peas p.416 Bitter melon w/onion & tomato p. 465 Aloo gobi restaurant style p.483 Cashew-stuffed baby eggplant w/tomatoes and spices p.496 Brown cremini mushrooms w/chives p.517 Mustard greens w/sweetcorn p.520 Mustard greens & spinach p.521 Pearl onions w/spinach & tomatoes p. 534 Green peas w/ yogurt-cardamom sauce p. 535 Garlic-chile potato dumplings in a raisin-tomato sauce p.563 Potatoes and mustard greens w/ ginger & garlic p.572 Radishes & greens w/ ginger and garlic p.586 Fried bottle gourd squash dumplings in a cashew-raisin sauce p.595 Nine-jeweled medley w/cashew-raisin sauce p.634 Stuffed chicken breasts w/ avocado & cheese in an eggplant sauce p.655 Macaroni & paneer p.678 Saffron rice layered w/lamb-tomato curry p.688 Yogurt-marinated lamb w/rice, saffron, & mint p.690 Minty rice layered w/chickpeas & greens p.697 Garlicky festive rice p.698 Rice & lentil casserole w/ onions p.702

  • ashallen on December 09, 2019

    I'm a big fan of cinnamon and other "warm" spices, so I love this particular garam masala - awesome!

  • jhallen on February 20, 2024

    This was a very interesting blend - really liked it.

• Eastern Indian sweet scented blend (Bangala garam masala)

  • Dannausc on August 14, 2019

    Quite easy; good

  • TrishaCP on October 13, 2019

    Recipes that use this masala: Lamb with potatoes and onion in mustard oil p.194 Nutty-tasting lamb with a roasted poppy seed sauce p.204 Shrimp with bell peppers, fenugreek, and scallions p. 267 Coconut shrimp with mustard greens p. 269 Beginner almond shrimp with tomatoes p.277 Yogurt-tart chickpeas with mustard greens p.335 Yellow split peas with unripe papaya p.415 Cabbage, potatoes, and peas p. 470 East Indian spiced infused mustard and fenugreek greens p.520 Chile-spiked potatoes with turnip greens p.582 Vinegar-kissed vegetables with fresh wheat noodles p.631

• Aromatic minty blend with mace and nutmeg (Rajasthani garam masala)

  • TrishaCP on October 13, 2019

    Recipes using this masala: Stewed chicken with browned onion and fresh pomegranate (Murghi anardana) p.129 Lamb stew with a triple-nut paste p.201 Chickpea flour dumplings p.346 Scrambled chickpea flour w/ginger p. 351 Robust squash with a ginger-chile paste p.600 Squash w/taro leaf “roulade” p.608 Beefy stuffed tomatoes with fenugreek-perfumed potatoes p.621 Rajasthani dumpling-studded basmati rice p.695

• Roasted spices with chiles and star anise (Usha Raiker's garam masala)

  • TrishaCP on October 13, 2019

    Recipes that use this masala: Minty chicken strips with coconut p.156 Boneless pork cooked with toasted coconut in coconut milk p. 230 Poached whole fish in a stewed onion sauce p. 236 Whole yellow peas with onions and griddle-browned bread p.412

• Sesame-flavored blend with peanuts and coconut (Maharashtrian garam masala)

  • TrishaCP on October 13, 2019

    Recipes that use this masala: Crispy vegetable rolls with a cucumber-yogurt sauce p.100 Yellow split pea and peanut cakes with a tamarind-chile sauce p.117 Minty chicken strips with coconut p. 156 Yogurt-marinated chicken with peas p.158 Chicken thighs with a peanut sauce p.159 Fiery game hens with scallions p.162 Boneless pork cooked with toasted coconut in coconut milk p. 230 Poached whole fish in a stewed onion sauce p. 236 Pan-grilled mackerel with a tamarind sauce p. 245 Prawns with onions in a peanut-coconut-spiced curry p. 261 Sprouted moth beans with caramelized onions p. 409 Cumin-scented pigeon peas with mango p. 427 Peas & lentils w/pumpkin p.443 Pan-blistered eggplant w/onion p.500 Anaheim peppers stuffed with peanuts and sesame seeds p.536 Potato stuffed squash p.606 Rice and lentil casserole with onions p.702

  • smtucker on October 03, 2012

    used in Chicken Thighs with a Peanut Sauce (Sengdana Murghi), pg. 159

• Untoasted and toasted spice blend (Kashmiri garam masala)

  • TrishaCP on October 13, 2019

    Recipes that use this masala: Spiced lamb chops with a fenugreek sauce p.92 Raisin-stuffed lamb patties with a tomato-raisin sauce p.94 Ground lamb with scallions in a saffron-rose sauce p.95 Minty beef with cracked wheat and lentils p.175 Creamy lamb meatballs p.216 Morel mushrooms with green peas p.518 Spring baby potatoes with fried onion sauce and mint p.555 Slow-cooked baby potatoes in a yogurt-fennel sauce p.559 Perfumed spinach with fresh dill p.590 Creamy spinach and fenugreek leaves with pine nuts p.590 Spaghetti with a spicy tomato sauce p.672 Cheese-filled tortellini with a spicy mushroom-cream sauce p.677

• Coriander-scented untoasted blend (Bin bhuna hua garam masala)

  • TrishaCP on October 13, 2019

    Recipes that use this masala: Spiced ground beef sandwiches (Kheema paav) p.91 Apricot chicken with potato straws (Murghi jardaloo) p.128 Easter eggs with an onion-garlic sauce p.168 Roasted leg of lamb with raisin-mint sauce p.184 Lamb stew with a spinach sauce p.196 Tender braised lamb with turnips and mint p.198 Roghan josh p.214 Pork with spinach and cream p. 231 Spicy shrimp with black pepper and blackened chiles p. 261 Pan-fried cheese with green peas p.294 Spinach and mustard greens with cheese p.295 Bolly cauli p.482 Green tomatoes with potatoes and garlic p.622 Green papaya with garlic & chickpea flour p.641

  • westminstr on January 18, 2013

    This masala was very easy to put together but I would use fewer cloves next time.

  • Allegra on October 19, 2012

    More recipes requiring this masala: Pan Fried Cheese with Green Peas p.294

  • ashallen on December 09, 2019

    Works well for where you'd like less "warm" flavor than you get from garam masalas that use cinnamon (e.g., the author's Punjabi and Kashmiri garam masalas).

• Fennel-flavored toasted spice blend (Balti masala)

  • TrishaCP on October 13, 2019

    Recipes that use this masala: Grilled chicken with a cashew-tomato sauce p.86 Cubed chicken with wok-seared vegetables p.145 Grilled Cornish game hens with a tomato-fenugreek sauce p.163 Jubilee scallops with onions, bell peppers, and tomato p. 281 Spiced pan-fried paneer with mint p.288 Chana paneer p. 291 Crumbled creamy cheese with scallions and tomatoes p. 302 Paneer tikka masala p.303 Paneer jalfrezie p. 307 Whole green lentils with bay leaves p. 377 Imperial potatoes p.575 Spinach soup w/red lentils p.651 Pork ribs with a sweet-sour glaze p.663 Tandoori mignon with a mushroom cream sauce p.666 Grilled chicken layered with saffron rice p.691

• Red-hot chile and coconut blend (Kolhapuri masala)

  • TrishaCP on October 13, 2019

    Recipes that use this masala: Cubed chicken with tomatoes and fresh coconut p.151 Red hot chicken with okra and potatoes p. 154 Cubed lamb with turnip greens p.200 Onion-marinated lamb with coconut p.211 Pan-grilled sea scallops p.280 Stewed eggplant with a coconut-chile spice blend p.493 Stuffed baby eggplants with crushed peanuts and chiles p.503 Young jackfruit with onion and tomato p. 512

• Toasted cumin-coriander blend (Dhania-jeera masala)

  • TrishaCP on September 26, 2019

    Recipes that use this masala: Sindhi-style stuffed potato shells p.45 Green pea croquettes with a peanut-chile sauce p.69 Crispy vegetable rolls with a cucumber-yogurt sauce p.100 Roulade of taro leaves with a tomato-mustard sauce p.107 Skewered beef with an onion-malt vinegar sauce p.178 Perfumed lamb with fenugreek and fried onion p.203 Cabbage with pan-fried cheese and tomato p. 290 Cheese dumplings in a spinach sauce p.309 Sprouted cowpeas stewed in coconut milk p.327 Yogurt-tart chickpeas with mustard greens p.335 Chickpeas and potatoes p.337 Sweet-hot black chickpeas p.344 Green chickpeas w/spinach p.345 Creamy black lentils w/ chickpeas and kidney beans p.367 Toasted spices and onions w/ green lentils p.378 Turmeric-flavored whole green lentils p. 379 Split green lentils w/red chiles & toasted spices p.388 Garlic-flavored pigeon pea broth p.451 Spicy "gnocchi" p. 452 Sprouted beans & peas p.455 “Drumsticks” in a spicy yogurt sauce p.489 Grilled eggplant pâté p. 501

  • TrishaCP on September 30, 2019

    Recipes that use this masala part 2: Nutty-tart bell peppers with peanuts p.539 Roasted bell peppers with chiles p.540 Spicy-tart bell peppers & peas p.543 Baby potatoes with a caramelized onion sauce p.554 Garlicky gourd p.611 Ridged luffa squash with green peas p.612 Tandoori mignon with a mushroom cream sauce p.666 Three-bean chili with a cashew-pistachio sauce p.671 Potato-stuffed peppers in a guajillo chile sauce p.684 Cracked-wheat porridge with beef, legumes, and rice p.703 Flaky breads stuffed with spicy green peas p.737

• Roasted chile, spice, and legume blend (Sambhar masala)

  • TrishaCP on September 26, 2019

    Recipes that use this masala part 1: Coconut-flavored fritters with a buttermilk-pigeon pea broth p.66 Lentil dumplings in a vegetable stew p.77 Steamed rice-lentil cakes with a coconut-pigeon pea sauce p. 115 Chicken simmered in a pumpkin-lentil sauce with fenugreek p.140 Halibut fillets with a coconut-milk mustard seed sauce p.245 Tamarind shrimp with coconut milk p.275 Vengayam chana p.332 Chana saag p.334 Stewed potatoes with yellow split peas p.418 Coconut-smothered pigeon peas w/pumpkin p.429 Okra & shallots w/pigeon peas & tamarind p.439 Peas & lentils w/pumpkin p.443 Sweet pineapple stewed in pigeon pea broth p.446 Lime-tart pigeon pea broth p.449 Broccoli w/ginger & coconut p. 466 Broccoli & carrots p. 467 Stewed cabbage, potato, and peas p. 471 Cabbage & peas w/roasted mustard seeds & lentils p. 471 Carrots and peas with a roasted chile-spice blend p. 477 Pan-stewed cauliflower and spinach with a spicy tomato sauce p.484 Eggplant with tomato and garlic p. 506

  • TrishaCP on September 26, 2019

    Recipes that use this masala part 2: Tart okra with mustard seeds & tamarind p.530 Sliced onions in a fenugreek-tamarind broth p.533 Pearl onions w/spinach & tomatoes p. 534 Resort bells w/ onions, potatoes, and mustard seeds p.541 Coconut gourd with curry leaves p.610 Lime-tart taro root p.620 Minty rice layered with chickpeas and greens p. 697 Five-jeweled vegetable rice topped with puff pastry p.700 Maharashtrian-style fried rice with peanuts p.720

• Roasted spice blend with black pepper (Rasam powder)

  • TrishaCP on October 14, 2019

    Recipes that use this masala: Peppery split green lentils and yellow peas p.391 Tamarind broth with pureed pigeon peas and black pepper p. 441 Pigeon pea broth with unripe mango p.450

  • Tatiana131 on September 10, 2014

    Not a very spicy blend when added to dishes. Mellow and fragrant. The split green peas and yellow lentil curry on p. 192 calls for it.

• Roasted curry leaf spice blend (Karuvapillai podi)

  • TrishaCP on October 13, 2019

    Recipes that use this spice blend: Breaded tilapia with a mustard seed-coconut milk sauce p.252 Fresh greens with black-eyed peas p.320 Kidney beans with a cardamom-yogurt sauce p.357 Easy cauliflower and peas with a curry leaf sauce p.481 Fragrant basmati rice with curry leaves p.715

• Bengali five-spice blend (Panch phoron)

  • TrishaCP on October 13, 2019

    Recipes that use this masala: Lamb with potatoes and onion in mustard oil p.194 Nutty-tasting lamb with a roasted poppy seed sauce p.204 Poached carp with onion, whole spices, and chiles p.238 Poached catfish in a caramelized onion-tomato sauce p.239 Tilapia with a yogurt sauce p.250 Poppy and mustard-seed rubbed fish fillets p.255 Chile-hot shrimp with bell peppers p.258 Coconut shrimp with mustard greens p.269 Mustard shrimp with cauliflower p.276 Chana rajmah p.363 Tart red lentils p.399 Yellow split peas w/unripe papaya p.415 Five-spiced whole pigeon peas p.424 Spicy potatoes and spinach with blackened chiles and coconut milk p.579 Bengali squash in coconut milk p.600 Bengali-style green papaya w/tomato and chiles p.643

• Toasted twenty-spice blend (East Indian bottle masala)

  • TrishaCP on October 13, 2019

    Recipes that use this masala: Stir-fried chicken with green beans p.148 Rib lamb chops with a curry leaf-coconut sauce p.189 Pork tenderloin strips with onions and bottle masala p.219 East Indian shrimp with ripe mango p.259 East Indian spiced infused mustard and fenugreek greens p.520 Leg of lamb with an onion-coconut sauce p.660

• Vegetable pâté spice blend (Paav bhajee masala)

  • TrishaCP on October 13, 2019

    Recipes that use this masala: Butter-roasted mashed vegetables with griddle-browned bread (Paav bhajee) p.101

• Clove-scented spice blend (Dabeli masala)

  • TrishaCP on October 13, 2019

    Recipes that use this masala: Spiced potato and pomegranate sandwiches (Dabeli) p.105 Tortillas with a spiced turkey filling p.659

• Cooling spice blend with black salt (Chaat masala)

  • TrishaCP on May 17, 2016

    This is my first time using black salt, and it is indeed sulfurous. Interesting that the aroma doesn't seem to stick to the food. Used this blend for the chaat salad from Made in India and it worked well.

  • TrishaCP on October 13, 2019

    Recipes that use this masala: Crispy vegetables with hot, sweet, and cooling sauces p. 44 Sindhi-style stuffed potato shells p. 45 Crispy shells filled with potato and chickpeas p. 47 Poori shells filled with chile-spiked water and cooling spices p. 48 Puffed rice with potato, unripe mango & sweet hot sauces p.49 Pan-fried potatoes with scallions and hot-sweet sauces p. 50 Lentil fritters with raisins in a yogurt sauce p. 64 Chopped cucumber, tomato, and onion with lime juice p.741

• Untoasted Sri Lankan curry powder (Sinhalese kari masala)

  • TrishaCP on October 13, 2019

    Recipes that use this masala: Sri Lankan-style hard-cooked eggs with coconut milk p.166 Sri Lankan crabs with spinach & coconut milk p.282 Sweet pineapple with coconut milk and coffee p.645

• Toasted chickpea flour (Bhuna hua besan)

  • TrishaCP on October 13, 2019

    Recipes that use this ingredient: Mung bean fritters with a tamarind-jaggery sauce p. 58 Nutty cheese in a spinach-chickpea flour sauce p.298 Cowpeas with bishop's weed and toasted chickpea flour p.326 Toasted chickpea flour curry p. 353 Sprouted beans & peas p.455 Boiled peanuts w/radish greens & jaggery p.456 Carrot slices in a dill sauce p.476 Cayenne-spiked cauliflower with an onion-tomato sauce p.479 “Drumsticks” in a spicy yogurt sauce p. 489 Lotus root and yams with a shallot-ginger sauce p.516 Okra curry with toasted chickpea flour p.527 Nutty spuds and bells p.577 Seasonal vegetables w/yellow split peas p.632 Green papaya with garlic & chickpea flour p.641

• Spinach fritters in a yogurt-chile sauce (Palak pakodi kadhi)

  • imaluckyducky on March 12, 2017

    I used this as a base recipe, subbing in frozen collard greens for the spinach. Excellent finger food as-written.

  • Ishie1013 on July 28, 2024

    Quite nice. Slightly bland on the fritters but with a pleasant sauce. Wasn’t nearly as hot as I thought it would be. Used up my chickpea flour which was nice.

• Marinated chicken with a daikon radish sauce (Haree murghi kebab)

  • Delys77 on February 11, 2014

    The daikon gives the sauce a very interesting flavour that is slightly bitter, but not in an unwelcome way. Overall the cilantro, chillies, tomato, and radish compliment each other nicely, the cream smoothes it all out. I did find that the saucing of the broiled chicken to make for slightly unattractive presentation, but overall this was pretty good.

• Grilled chicken with a cashew-tomato sauce (Kaaju murghi kebab)

  • amraub on October 03, 2012

    Quick (although it does need to marinade) and easy. The sauce is outstanding.

• Ground lamb with scallions in a saffron-rose sauce (Gulab seekh kebab)

  • amraub on October 02, 2012

    This curry has an interesting mix of flavours with the saffron and rose. I wish the sauce was a little bit thicker though. The meat also seemed a bit dry for us.

  • TrishaCP on April 01, 2023

    I agree the sauce was thin, but it was very flavorful. We grilled the lamb on 3 metal skewers (rather than dividing into 8), and it was not too dry.

• Herb-stuffed shrimp (Bharlele kolumbi)

  • amraub on October 31, 2012

    This one just didn't wow us. It had a nice amount of heat and was a nice dish overall, but it's not one of my favourites from the book. I used jumbo blue tiger shrimp and trouble keeping the stuffing in the shrimp during the searing. I prefer the basil pesto shrimp dish to this one as I think the sauce worked better in that dish and the shrimp were less work.

• Cheese-stuffed mushroom caps with a creamy onion sauce (Barwaan dhingri)

  • snokite on April 19, 2017

    I made this a main dish by cooking halved mushrooms and cubed paneer in the sauce.

  • snokite on April 19, 2017

    Pairs well with Basmati rice with garbanzo beans (Chana pulao) from The Turmeric Trail by Raghavan Iyer.

• Coconut chicken with potatoes (Batata murghi)

  • totoro on July 06, 2020

    Fresh curry leaves are essential. A fragrant, rich, savoury curry that's not too complicated and a good intro to the book. Chicken thighs work fine if you don't want to break down a whole chicken.

  • psarrett on February 11, 2024

    Cooking time isn't long enough for the bones to add anything, and boneless meat is easier to eat; consider substituting boneless breasts and/or thighs.

• Yogurt-marinated chicken in a black peppercorn sauce (Chettinad kozhi)

  • Tee.Tee on May 06, 2020

    I’ve made this a couple of times and really enjoyed it. Not a weekday meal unless you break it down in two days. Worth it when having extra time on hand. I used chicken thighs only. The leftovers freeze well and reheat nicely. I’ll revisit this some more in the future.

  • Ishie1013 on July 28, 2024

    I like the flavor on this one though my SO thought it was way too heavy on the tamarind but my main gripe was that it really doesn’t make a lot of sauce, so the surface of the chicken gets a bit blackened plus the different sizes of a deconstructed chicken in a pan without as much moisture leads to very different cooking times. I did like the flavor and feel like I could mod this to work.

• Almond chicken with a yogurt-mint sauce (Dahi pudhina murghi)

  • amraub on March 21, 2012

    Excellent dish. Chicken was large so needed to simmer quite a bit longer. Sauce was very tasty with chicken.

  • biondanonima on October 04, 2012

    Delicious but would add more spice next time. Also, perhaps a bit less fennel seed.

• Roasted cashew chicken with a fenugreek sauce (Kaaju methi murghi)

  • amraub on June 19, 2012

    This recipe is cooked on the stove top, not in the oven as the name seems to imply. The sauce was fantastic. It came out thick and flavourful. The chicken was tender and moist. Made with chicken thighs and drumsticks only. Another successful dish from this book.

• Creamy chicken with Kashmiri chiles and fennel (Kashmiri mirchi waale murghi)

  • JKDLady on December 02, 2015

    I doubled the dry spices, which I do for most of the recipes in this book. This is a delicious recipe. I liked making the milk solids because I haven't done that before. My only complaint is that I wanted more sauce. Maybe next time I will add two onions. Each recipe makes me like this cookbook more and more!

• Mangalorean chicken curry with tamarind and coconut milk (Kori gassi)

  • TrishaCP on December 14, 2014

    This was another success from this book. I did have execution issues, but none that impacted the final product. I used all dark meat chicken, bone-in, and it took MUCH longer for the chicken to cook all the way through- I would say 30 minutes beyond the recipe time, than the recipe indicated. Not sure if this is intended, but during that longer cook the coconut milk (I used a full can) got luxuriously browned (like the start of a rendang), and was the best part of the dish. I also had problems getting the spices ground (used a mini-processor)-but maybe because it cooked so long the spices seemed to incorporate themselves with few stragglers. Would definitely make this again.

• Apricot chicken with potato straws (Murghi jardaloo)

  • amraub on June 04, 2012

    This was a bit different than many of the other Indian recipes I've tried. I used fresh apricots because they were on sale. The heat from the chiles and sweetness of the apricot balanced very nicely. It was a solid dinner. Not necessarily one of my favourites, but very good. The dish had just a tad too much salt. I used only chicken breasts because that's what we had and served with a radish curry.

  • ashallen on October 15, 2019

    Like amraub says, the sweetness of the apricots and sugar in the sauce are nicely balanced by the other ingredients - I really liked this dish after initially being concerned it'd be sticky sweet (even though I'm a big fan of fruit+meat dishes!). I used 3 lb bone-in chicken thighs instead of a whole chicken, organic no-sulfite dried apricots, jaggery, and cider vinegar vs. white vinegar. I forgot to julienne the ginger and instead left it in big slices - seemed OK. I wanted the chicken to be really tender and the sauce concentrated so I cooked it for 60-90 minutes vs. 20-25 minutes - that did the trick! Served with a spiced coconut rice vs. French fries - that worked fine, but given the richness of the dish, plain rice would have been better.

• Razia Syed's chicken with an almond yogurt sauce (Murghi korma)

  • amraub on October 20, 2012

    Very rich, fragrant sauce with a lot of cardamom flavour.

  • Delys77 on October 01, 2014

    Pg. 130 Made this with 4 breasts that were cubed instead of the whole chicken parts. Cooked in sauce for approximately 13 minutes and it was just right. The chicken was nicely tenderized by the overnight marinating and the sauce is lovely. I did remove all the spices before blending and then I put them back in to the pot after in a little spice bag. This did soften the flavour a little bit so you might consider putting in a bit of ground cardamom. On the whole pretty good. Didn't reheat as well as I would have hoped but this was likely the chicken breasts fault.

• Ginger chicken with peanuts and coconut (Murghi ni curry)

  • jenburkholder on October 24, 2020

    Notes in book say: very good - easy; used large can tomatoes.

• Chicken simmered in a coconut milk-vinegar sauce (Murghi vindaloo)

  • mzgourmand on August 29, 2021

    So incredibly delicious! I used Diaspora Co's incredibly fragrant kashmiri chile powder, which definitely helped as did the organic, farm-raised chicken legs but the recipe itself is fabulous: rich, spicy and tangy! Only thing I would note is that the final cooking time for the chicken was far, far longer than the recipe indicated - I used bone-in chicken legs/thighs with skin on (recipe calls for skin off).

• Tart chicken with roasted chiles, tamarind, and coconut milk (Puli kozhi)

  • totoro on January 13, 2015

    This is DELICIOUS. Once the marinade is done, pretty much all you have to do is chop an onion. Wonderful sauce. Also, try adding coconut milk to taste. The whole can resulted in a lot of very rich, very tasty sauce, good if you need to stretch the dish to more people.

• Stewed chicken in a mustard greens-spinach sauce (Saag murghi)

  • Delys77 on December 17, 2012

    I tweaked this recipe a little based on our preferences and what I had on hand. I went with boneless skinless chicken breasts (4) and consequently reduced the cooking time on the simmer and on the browning. I was also tight for time so only marinated for about 1 hour, more would have been better but the chicken was still very tender and tasty. Finally, there were no mustard greens so I went with all spinach. The result was exceedingly tasty with a beautiful creamy spinach sauce and little chunks of tender chicken. I sprinkled fleur de sel at the end, and he is quite right that it does elevate the sauce to just the right level. Don't forget this step.

  • Jane on October 07, 2012

    So good. I marinated the chicken for more than 24 hours. Because I was just making it for myself I didn't do a whole chicken, just two boneless, skinless breasts cut in half. I had a lot of baby kale to be used up so I used that instead of the spinach/mustard greens mix in the recipe. It was really good, great flavor. Saags are always one of my favorite choices in Indian restaurants and I would say this was one of the best I've had - the vibrancy of flavors was wonderful.

  • Laura on April 16, 2014

    Pg. 136. I had high hopes for this dish but it turned out rather bland. The marinade was very aromatic with all the spices and I marinated the chicken for at least 10 hours. I cooked the chicken on the bone and it turned out perfectly. I didn't have mustard greens, so used only spinach. The spinach sauce was really bland. I don't think I'd make it again.

• Vibrant chicken with a spicy tomato sauce (Tari waali murghi)

  • ltm on October 21, 2012

    loved this! used bonesless skinless thighs, which cut down cooking time considerably.

  • JKDLady on November 22, 2015

    This is my new favorite Indian recipe. It was just outstanding. After reading comments on Chow, I decided to double the dried spices, since we like a heavily spiced dish. This was perfect! When I served the leftovers, I cut the breasts into cubes, and it made a less formal meal. In the future, I would serve the drumsticks and wings whole, but cut the rest of the chicken into pieces after it was cooked.

  • Barb_N on November 22, 2015

    This recipe and sub-recipes are no longer available online.

• Chicken with red chiles and coconut milk (Thenga paal kozhi)

  • totoro on January 13, 2015

    Delious, quick. The vinegar marinade does good things for the chicken. I tend to include the whole can of coconut milk for a richer sauce.

  • jenburkholder on October 24, 2020

    Notes from book: very good - cook longer.

• Chicken simmered in a pumpkin-lentil sauce with fenugreek (Murghi dhansaak)

  • bangss on November 12, 2016

    Pages 140 - 141.

• Bone-in chicken with squash and pickling spices (Achari murghi)

  • JKDLady on December 14, 2015

    This is quite different from the curries I typically cook. This was the first time that I've used mustard oil. It is quite potent. The curry would be completely different if canola oil is used. I highly recommend trying the mustard oil. This was a delicious curry. The sauce had a lovely consistency. I will definitely make this again.

• Chicken with yellow split peas (Murghi daicha)

  • Dannausc on June 02, 2021

    Quite good and quite easy. Very tasty; worth a repeat!

  • ntt2 on February 14, 2012

    This is a really excellent curry and easy to make! p.144

• Breast of chicken with tomato and coconut milk (Chicken curry)

  • Delys77 on December 15, 2023

    This was easy to put together and the result was not bad. The madras curry powder recipe works well and the process yields well flavoured chicken in a light sauce that has just a touch or richness. My only issue is the breast, which isn't the authors fault. In a sear and stir fry application I find breast always gets a bit rubbery. Perhaps a brining would help with this challenge. I had thought to try it but ran out of time.

  • wester on March 15, 2021

    Simple, quick, and tasty.

• Marinated chicken with an onion-pepper-almond sauce (Chicken tikka masala)

  • ashallen on October 14, 2019

    Really delicious version of chicken tikka masala. Great balance and flavor in the spicing, sauce is simultaneously creamy and bright-tasting, there are smoky notes from the grilled/broiled chicken, and the chicken is tender and juicy - just awesome. As specified in the recipe, I use the Punjabi garam masala recipe from earlier in the cookbook - it's now one of my favorite spice blends and I've since used it for a number of other recipes that call for garam masala. While grilled chicken is great, broiling the chicken for this recipe works excellently. There's plentiful marinade for the 1.5 lb chicken specified in the recipe - I now make 2 lb chicken with it. We also like lots of sauce so I now double the sauce quantity. Cashews have subbed well for almonds. Canned tomatoes work great. Be careful not to cook the chicken in the sauce before serving - it toughens significantly if allowed to simmer.

• Wok-seared chicken breasts with a fennel-tomato sauce (Kadhai tamatar murghi)

  • wester on August 18, 2020

    Easy and quick. Good but not spectacular. Make sure you have the mise en place done - when you put the wok on everything needs to be ready to go in.

• Moghalai-style chicken with spinach, almonds, and raisins (Kishmish waale murgh)

  • Breadcrumbs on August 22, 2010

    p. 150 - note this recipe calls for boneless, skinless chicken breasts

  • TrishaCP on February 28, 2017

    Wow-I made this tonight to use up pantry ingredients and had no idea how delicious it would be. It does have an incredible depth of flavor given the short cook time, and the blend of spices did really add flavor to the chicken as promised. You need about an hour for this, but the prep is very simple- most of the spices called for are from one of the book's garam masala recipes. I used my own blend, along with regular raisins and frozen spinach. Served with rice this was a great meal!

  • sarahcooks on March 31, 2011

    A new favorite recipe from this book! Not difficult, just don't skimp on the initial browning of the almond, raisins and onions. It had so much depth of flavor and delicious sweetness, great over rice to soak up the juice.

  • amraub on March 21, 2012

    Excellent! Substituted mustard greens from CSA box and omitted raisins. Was a bit too salty without the raisins, but delicious dish overall.

  • chawkins on July 31, 2023

    Pretty good and quite easy. I did not chop the spinach.

  • jhallen on February 20, 2024

    This was easy and amazing. Good for weeknights or any time. Very healthy too.

• Cubed chicken with tomatoes and fresh coconut (Nariyal thi kombdi)

  • jenburkholder on October 24, 2020

    Notes say: very good, very easy.

• Chicken with onion, bell pepper, and mace (Murghi jalfrezie)

  • jenburkholder on October 24, 2020

    Notes from book: NO, mace overpowering and gross.

  • Delys77 on October 22, 2012

    Pg. 152 I would tend to agree with Amraub. The dish comes together easily and has pretty good flavour but it isn't as nuanced as some of the other dishes in this book. I found the mace didn't come through because there was a little too much heat in the dish. Overall pretty good, but not stellar.

  • amraub on May 17, 2012

    This recipe wasn't awful, it just didn't have as much flavour as I've come to expect from the recipes in this book. With so many good other options in 660 Curries, I won't be repeating this one.

• Breast of chicken in an onion-turmeric sauce (Pyaaz murghi)

  • Laura on January 23, 2010

    Pg. 153. This is a quick and easy dish to prepare and is quite tasty. I think the cook times are a bit too long, however. I highly recommend making the garam masala from the recipe in the book rather than using purchased -- it is easy to do and creates a very flavorful and fresh spice mixture. Serve over rice or quinoa cooked with a bit of saffron.

  • Delys77 on January 15, 2014

    Pg. 153 Quick and easy for a weeknight and quite good over rice with a simple side salad. Usually I find Ragavan Iyer's recipes salt heavy but I actually added just a touch of salt to this one. I would also go with 1.5 times the recipe to feed 4 adults. Lastly the cilantro is a necessary addition as it brightens the flavour quite a bit. I would go with a good 4 tb instead of the 3tb you would get from going with a 1.5 times recipe.

• Red-hot chicken with okra and potatoes (Tambda bhindi kombdi)

  • jenburkholder on October 24, 2020

    Notes from book: very good - used green beans for okra, try with thighs. Potato took much longer than chicken.

• Cashew chicken with a cilantro sauce (Dhania murghi)

  • jenburkholder on October 24, 2020

    Notes from book: good, easy.

  • jhallen on January 26, 2024

    This was really great and easy/fast. Nice flavors.

  • patioweather on May 22, 2024

    Made with seitan. Next time I would soak the cashews in advance so it can be smoother but it wasn't a problem.

  • ashallen on September 17, 2021

    As other reviewers noted, this is a quick, easy curry with a relatively short ingredient list. The sauce flavors are delicious and multi-layered - my husband particularly loved it (though he has been Indian food-deprived recently...). We have low spice-heat tolerance, so I reduced the cayenne to 1/8 tsp which was enough for a low burn. My Punjabi garam masala, made from the author's recipe, wasn't super-fresh but the sauce was still delicious. Roasted cashews worked fine as a substitute for raw cashews. I pulled the chicken a bit early from the sauce so it wouldn't overcook as the sauce reduced further - worked well.

  • Logan92995 on March 10, 2023

    Really tasty dish. As other users have said, cook times took an additional minute or two, but nothing too bad. Cayenne pepper wasn't super overpowering which is appreciated since I tend to have an adversity to overly hot food. Served over rice.

  • L.Nightshade on October 28, 2012

    I have to say, it wasn't much to look at, especially in the dim-ish light where we were staying, but it was very flavorful. The cilantro cashew sauce with the chicken tasted familiar to me. I think it triggered a taste-memory of Bademiya's justly famous Bombay chile-and-cilantro chicken from the ENYT Cookbook. I've had a tendency to want to throw more spices in, as some of the amounts seem so small. But I'm getting accustomed to the subtle flavors, and appreciating how they work together instead of overwhelming. I served this with a salad of cucumbers, tomatoes, red onions, cilantro, serrano chiles, limes, cumin seeds, and black peppercorns; a side dish of potatoes and peas sautéd in garlic and ginger; and a little plop of cooling yogurt. The entire meal was easy, fragrant, and very rewarding.

  • Delys77 on May 15, 2014

    Pg. 155 This was exceptionally easy and came together quickly. As L. Nightshade says, the flavours are quite subtle but the large amount of onion sweetens the dish nicely, providing a lovely foil for the richness of the cashews. As is often the case with this book my booking times all took a bit longer, but the results were very tasty. I must admit however that I was missing a few ingredients for the garam masala so I used store bought, still very good though.

  • hirsheys on February 12, 2017

    This was the recipe that got me to buy the book - it is easy, tasty, and unlike anything I've had before. I agree that it isn't gorgeous, but the flavor makes up for it.

  • TrishaCP on February 12, 2022

    This was a really tasty dinner that can easily be prepared on a weeknight. (Though I agree that the book’s cook times are a tad shorter than what I required.) I subbed Kashmiri chile for the cayenne and halved it (but should have used the full amount).

• Chicken thighs with a peanut sauce (Sengdana murghi)

  • biondanonima on October 04, 2012

    Fantastic - the flavors are so complex. Love the Maharashtrian garam masala in the sauce.

  • ntt2 on February 13, 2012

    This is the best curry sauce ever -- we love this recipe and make the sauce to use with almost anything! This is the cookbook I would take "to the island" if I could only have one!

  • kaityblueeyes on February 24, 2023

    Wow! Made this with almonds instead of peanuts. Quite unusual taste (to me) almost like an Indian pesto. So delicious! Will make again with peanuts.

  • JKDLady on September 01, 2016

    I love this cookbook, but this recipe was boring to us. Nothing was wrong, but it just was just average.

  • totoro on January 13, 2015

    Absolutely delicious, and not at all time consuming when you have the garam masala to hand.

• Chicken curry with whole spices, cream, and tomatoes (Garam masala murghi)

  • mzgourmand on August 27, 2024

    This was lovely but I agree quite mild. My spouse loved it and I liked it - served with basmati rice for all the nice sauce.

  • stockholm28 on January 16, 2016

    This is a very mild curry. It was good, but I prefer curry with a little heat. This would be an easy weeknight meal if you made the Punjabi Garam Masala in advance.

  • amraub on May 12, 2012

    Not the most flavourful curry in this book, but quick, easy, and a solid recipe.

• Duck stew with black cardamom and cherries (Kashmiri batak)

  • amraub on October 10, 2012

    Beautiful dish with a delicious rich sauce that isn't too sweet. Will make again for special occasions.

• Sri Lankan-style hard-cooked eggs with coconut milk (Bittarai kirihodi)

  • amraub on October 13, 2012

    Quick, easy, and rich. A little heavy on the cinnamon and not very spicy. Make sure to serve with some kind of rice. Author suggests you can also make this using peeled new potatoes.

• Easter eggs with an onion-garlic sauce (Pyaaz waale unday)

  • jenburkholder on October 24, 2020

    Ok - try without blending, as the texture was a bit off-putting. If you want an egg curry, the one from Madhur Jaffrey's World Vegetarian is still the best.

• Beef with bell peppers, onions, and mushrooms (Dhingri gosht)

  • amraub on October 07, 2012

    This was a little too similar to a pot roast for both of us. The mushrooms were quite nice and we enjoyed finishing off some of the sauce with some bread, but this won't be making it into our regular rotation.

• Curried beef stew with potatoes, shallots, and malt vinegar (Goan goght curry)

  • Lindalib on May 03, 2014

    Very good, Just the right amount of heat. Looking forward to trying more recipes from this book.

  • TrishaCP on October 14, 2013

    A jazzed up beef stew-very rich thanks to the coconut milk (the light kind is fine in this application). I subbed palm vinegar for malt vinegar since apparently many of the recipes only use malt vinegar because the author couldn't always find palm vinegar- it made a tasty sub. Even with the potatoes, this is way too rich to serve without a starch like rice or a flatbread.

  • Delys77 on December 14, 2020

    We really liked this one. I added a bit more beef and went with full fat coconut milk and it was quite rich, but with rice it worked well. Served with a light salad it isn't a bad pairing. Flavour wise it was very nice and the vinegar does give it a lovely Goan note. Spice wise we liked it as is and it was fine for the little one.

• Aromatic beef stew with mustard greens, fenugreek, and mint (Gosht hariyali)

  • amraub on October 11, 2012

    I had a bad feeling about dinner (I'm not usually a big fan of stews, but am trying to use up some CSA box stew meat) and then the greens I planned on using were well past their prime. I was pleasantly surprised though with the final dish. The meat came out tender and the flavours were very nice even without the mustard greens. Would definitely like to repeat with the greens though! Served with the suggested rice for a very nice meal.

• Tart-hot beef with malt vinegar and cayenne (Gosht vindaloo)

  • ntt2 on February 14, 2012

    Vindaloo

  • jenburkholder on October 24, 2020

    Notes from book: excellent - used Filipino cane vinegar, took much longer to cook.

• Minty beef with cracked wheat and lentils (Kaleem)

  • ntt2 on February 14, 2012

    p. 175

• Fall-apart beef cubes with spinach and coconut (Nariyal palak gosht)

  • merowland on April 16, 2013

    Delicious, simple to prepare and nutritious. Do serve with homemade roti as the author recommends - given how little attention the curry needs, there is plenty of time to make them.

• Spicy ground beef with peas and chiles (Kheema mutter)

  • biondanonima on October 11, 2012

    Delicious but add more chiles (dried, or chopped fresh at the end) if you really want it spicy.

  • Delys77 on July 11, 2024

    Went with a touch less water and simmered uncovered at the end. I would increase the peas as well next time. We used lamb and added some tomato and the réduit was quite nice. Simple but quite good.

  • PennyG on May 10, 2011

    This recipe was most like the Soy Masala Curry Tilak brought me (made by his wife, Madhavi). I followed Raghavan's recipe, replacing the beef with Soy Granules and I added Green Cardamom Pods and Curry Leaves after the Soy Granules had browned. This was delicious and will be a regular on my lunch menu!

  • JoanN on May 12, 2014

    Used four small bird chiles and it was plenty spicy. Lots of cumin flavor, also. I doubled the peas because I had a lot on hand and would do so again. But next time I'd use half the amount of water. Thought the finished dish a little soupy, but nonetheless terrific.

  • Jehensle on December 15, 2018

    Made this using 4 fresno chilis and the other spices as directed. I though it was very tasty, and a quick, easy, way to use up ground beef. I agree with other reviewers that this was very watery. I wanted the sauce to be more gravy like. Next time, I want to try adding 1 Tb flour to the cooked meat and spices, brown, then add the 1 cup of water and simmer until thickened slightly. Also, cut way back on the salt. Start with 1 tsp salt, and add more later if needed.

  • JKDLady on October 16, 2012

    9/19/12 We found this to just be okay, a little boring even. The next day, I mixed it with the leftover Cayenne-Spiked Cauliflower p. 479, it was really good.

• Lamb curry in a sweet onion-tomato-sauce (Pyaaz tamatar gosht)

  • jenburkholder on October 24, 2020

    Notes from book: very good - used mixture of potatoes and lamb.

  • smtucker on October 21, 2012

    Ding, ding, We have a winner! Made with trimmed shoulder from 2012 lamb. L's favorite lamb curry to date. Need to prep onion paste (which adds an hour if not in the fridge.) Served with perfumed rice, page 709.

  • Delys77 on October 15, 2012

    Pg. 190 Great little dish. The marinade is essentially a dry rub, which worried me a bit as I didn't want the lamb to cook up tough, but it turned out nice and tender. If you have the onion paste pre made this is pretty quick. The result is a very flavourful sauce, that is tangy, spicy, and sweet. Lovely dish.

• Lamb stew with a spinach sauce (Palak gosht)

  • Delys77 on October 22, 2012

    Pg. 196 This dish was excellent. The masala used has lovely notes of orange from the coriander, and just a little heat, combined with all the warming effects of cloves, cumin, and black pepper, that all together make a perfect compliment to the earthiness of the lamb and the spinach. It is also quite healthy with the addition of a pound of spinach. Overall I would definitely repeat this dish. The only concern when it was cooking is that the lamb looks to be steaming at the beginning as it lets off water and the yogurt marinade also adds liquid to the pan, but as the author states the pan dries out by the end of the first stage and you get a nice bit of browning.

  • Jane on October 24, 2012

    The cubed meat was marinated in yogurt for a few hours which apparently makes for a curdle-free sauce. Making fresh masalas really gives a great flavor boost to these curries - it will be interesting to see whether the same is true using the same spice mix after a few weeks. The wilted spinach and browned lamb cook in a blended sauce of browned onions, garlic, ginger, tomato paste and the masala. The prep time was pretty quick and the last 30 mins cooking needed no supervision beyond an occasional stir so a good every-night dinner.

  • westminstr on January 18, 2013

    For me this was good, definitely not great. Next time add the onions first before garlic and ginger so they can brown properly. And fewer cloves in the masala. For an even easier (and possibly tastier) meal, try again with the following changes: beef stew meat for lamb and frozen methi instead of spinach. Can also sub a commercial curry blend for the homemade masala.

• Tender braised lamb with turnips and mint (Shalgam gosht)

  • amraub on April 15, 2012

    The sauce on this dish is amazing. I was worried that the mint would be overwhelming, but it worked wonderfully and I especially liked the hint of heat from the chiles. I used lamb stewing meat that was on sale and pre-cut. The meat wasn't quite as tender as I would've liked, but the sauce more than made up for it. Make sure you have naan or something else on hand to sop up the sauce.

• Saffron-scented lamb with an almond sauce (Badam zarda gosht)

  • TrishaCP on December 14, 2014

    This wasn't bad, but I felt like the lamb overpowered the saffron and given all of the other gems in this book, I probably won't make this again.

• Cashew lamb with a coconut milk sauce (Kaaju nariyal gosht)

  • amraub on June 11, 2012

    Beware this recipe makes an incredibly large amount of sauce for the amount of meat. You definitely want to heed his advice and serve with rice. My sauce also turned out a bit thinner than desired, so I thickened it up some with cornstarch. You may want to consider cutting back on the added water a bit. I expected this dish to be a bit creamier with coconut milk in the title, but there's not much added and the vinegar gives it a bit of a kick. All in all, the dish was very good and I greatly enjoyed the leftovers as well. It was just a little bit different than what I expected.

  • jenburkholder on October 24, 2020

    Notes say: very good.

  • totoro on January 13, 2015

    I loved this. Cooking time for the lamb (as with other recipes) is a little ambitious if you want really tender meat. I used lamb neck and cooked in a low oven for 2 hours or so, which needed very little attention and worked very well.

• Yogurt-marinated lamb with ginger and garlic (Roghan josh)

  • amraub on October 28, 2012

    Excellent! Spice blend was fantastic. A bit of heat, but not overwhelming. I used lamb stew meat and let it simmer for closer to an hour. Also cooked only 1lb of meat while keeping everything else the same. Served with black cardamom scented rice (as suggested with the rice) from the same book.

  • smtucker on October 13, 2012

    LOVED this dish. I used lamb shoulder, not leg of lamb. Uses Bin bhuana hua garam masala, garlic paste, ginger paste, and thickened yogurt.

  • Laura on October 02, 2014

    Pg. 214. Loved this! Really spicy and so good! I was inspired to make this after an Indian spice shop opened in my neighborhood and I was able to buy all of the spices there. These spices were just incredibly aromatic. The owner of the shop told me to add the black cumin seeds at the very end of cooking, which I did. I'd make this again tomorrow! Fortunately, we have leftovers, so I won't have to!

• Creamy lamb meatballs (Goshtaba)

  • smtucker on October 27, 2012

    uses ntoasted and toasted spice blend, kashmiri garam masala, page 27

  • ashallen on October 28, 2019

    Very tasty meatballs with intensely aromatic flavors that balanced out well when eaten with rice. Easy dish to put together. I used all mustard oil and its flavor was a bit stronger than I prefer - I'll cut it with some plain vegetable oil next time. I overcooked the meatballs a bit (centers got to 180F vs. the 160F I'd been aiming for) and I think that made them more rubbery than they should have been. Subsequent freezing and microwaving definitely didn't ease the texture! Next time I'll watch them more carefully.

• Ground lamb meatballs with a saffron sauce (Rista)

  • KarenS on November 08, 2014

    Fantastic recipe. Meatballs are first browned, then simmered in a spicy broth, then the broth is reduced to make a sauce. Meatballs are moist and suffused with flavor. Note that recipe only calls for 8 oz of ground lamb to serve 4 people. I doubled the recipe for 3 people and wish I had doubled it again to have leftovers.

  • TrishaCP on February 14, 2016

    I agree that this recipe was great. I didn't read the instructions carefully enough and added the chile powder and paprika to the meatballs by mistake. I didn't get a bright red broth but it tasted fine. As KarenS mentions below, the portions are skimpy as this is intended as an appetizer. I used a pound of meat for a main course and doubled everything except for the (inadvertently added to meatballs) cayenne and the other broth components.

• Lamb-almond dumplings in a tomato cream sauce (Shahi kofta curry)

  • TrishaCP on January 09, 2021

    The flavors of these meatballs are amazing. I will definitely be making this again.

  • kath on March 06, 2017

    This is an excellent recipe! Rather than using Iyer's Punjabi garam masala, I used some Kashmiri garam masala that I had from World Spice. I used blanced almond flour instead of grinding blanched almonds and the meatballs held together very well. We're eating low carb for now, so I served the meatballs and sauce over cauliflower "rice". Delicious!

  • wcassity on June 03, 2022

    Everyone is right - these are incredible. Delicious meatballs and sauce. I served with basmati rice and curried roasted cauliflower and cabbage.

  • amraub on December 08, 2011

    Excellent. Made with rice suggested in book (buttery basmati with spinach and onions).

  • jhallen on August 29, 2020

    This is one of the tastiest things I have made in a long time. Awesome and easy. I am not a fan of lamb so made it with ground beef and it was still delicious - although understand it’s untraditional. Have also made this with ground turkey and with coconut cream instead of heavy cream to avoid the dairy.

  • jenburkholder on October 24, 2020

    Notes say: very good - subbed cashews for almonds, whole milk mixed w/ 1/2 T besan instead of cream.

  • cedarmakesthings on February 20, 2016

    Amazing flavours. Made it with the basmati with spinach and onions like suggested, it was a perfect pair. I will definitely make this again.

  • VineTomato on May 13, 2018

    I’ve had more success with Raghavan’s vegetarian recipes from this book, so had not even considered making these meatballs until I saw the notes on EYB. Thank you to thekitchenchronicles, kath, cedarmakesthings and amraub - you convinced me! Very pleased I made this, the flavours are wonderful. Raghavan mentions that the almonds act as the binder and only to add an egg if the meatballs don’t hold together well. Drawing on my previous meatball experience I decided not to wait and see, I added the egg at the beginning. The balls just about held their shape so I made the right decision. I served these with cucumber and yogurt (my standard curry accompaniment since cutting down on rice) which went well.

  • thekitchenchronicles on July 25, 2017

    Truly an outstanding recipe. Incredible flavor and really quite simple to put together. Used garam masala I had on hand rather than making it from the book. Served it with the basmati with spinach and onion, which was buttery and delicious. Friends loved this. Wrote up the recipe/process here: http://www.thekitchenchronicles.com/2017/05/19/lamb-almond-dumplings-in-a-tomato-cream-sauce/

  • Ishie1013 on December 29, 2023

    Joining the ranks who loved this recipe. I dialed down the cayenne a bit due to a soft palate at the table, but it came out really nicely, very much had its own flavor rather than seeming like Indian spaghetti and meatballs, and all three of us were really happy with it. Served with basmati rice and a cucumber chili salad.

• Pork tenderloin strips with onions and bottle masala (Pork do pyaaz)

  • dclong on September 06, 2015

    I really liked this recipe. This is actually a simple recipe, but it list all the ingredients for the Toasted 20 Spice Blend (East Indian Bottle Masala). All you need is pork, onion, bell pepper, cilantro, and the spice blend. The spice blend has a earthy/toasty flavor with a hot kick to it, which gets balanced out with the sweet, slow cooked onions and bell pepper. I think this will be a "go to" recipe due its simplicity, great flavor, and 30 minute cooking time.

• Pork with potatoes, peppers, and apples (Aloo aur simla mirch gosht)

  • ntt2 on February 16, 2012

    Can also use Lamb, Beef, or bone-in Chicken

  • IsaSim on October 22, 2016

    Just delicious and intriguing flavour mix. Used canola oil and not mustard oil, because I was not sure of the right sort to use (but if I ever make this again, I will use Asian mustard oil, I am sure it would fit in), and kali jeera for black cumin (not nigella).

  • jenburkholder on October 24, 2020

    Notes say: good - easy.

• Spicy pork with cider vinegar and fried potatoes (Batata dukkar vindaloo)

  • JKDLady on November 12, 2015

    Good, but not great. Use Mexican cinnamon so that the blender will grate it finely enough.

• Pork and cashews with a black peppercorn sauce (Kaaju kala miri pork)

  • dclong on August 02, 2015

    I quite enjoyed this dish and probably will make it again. I used some pork butt cubes, so I had to increase the cooking time by an hour for the meat to become tender. If you do so, you need to keep a close eye to adjust the liquid as the sauce likes to get thick and stick. The coconut and cashew sauce base was delightfully rich and complimented the pork. I wondered if the two teaspoons of peppercorns would be a bold dominate flavor, but the peppercorn flavor hung out in the background supporting all the other flavors. Of course the cumin seeds would give you a flavor punch every couple of bites. I used fresh coconut (my first time breaking down a coconut and maybe my last :) ), and toasted the raw cashews for the sauce. Next time I may use a can of thick coconut milk and roasted cashews for a super turbo version of the recipe.

• Mangalorean pork curry with onion and coconut milk (Pork gassi)

  • ntt2 on February 16, 2012

    Includes a Vegetarian version. p.225

  • TrishaCP on July 05, 2014

    Really nice curry- it did have quite a gritty texture from the spices so I would consider grinding them prior to making the paste next time. I used about 4 Thai birds eye chiles and that was plenty of heat for me.

• Pork with onions, vinegar, and coconut milk (Pork vindaloo version 1)

  • ntt2 on February 16, 2012

    Vindaloo

• Nutty-tart pork with cider vinegar, cashews, and onions (Pork vindaloo version 2)

  • ntt2 on February 16, 2012

    Vindaloo

  • jenburkholder on August 09, 2020

    This is probably one of my favorite recipes. Ever. It is absolutely delicious - spicy, vinegary, but softened with the coconut milk, The cashews are amazing in it. Even my vegetarian-preferring son likes this one. I usually use any sort of "stewing" pork and just cook it until tender (pork steak, shoulder, country-style ribs).

• Chile-smothered pork with vinegar (Pork vindaloo version 3)

  • ntt2 on February 16, 2012

    Vindaloo also can be made with beef

• Boneless pork cooked with toasted coconut in coconut milk (Pork xaguti)

  • ntt2 on February 16, 2012

    Really superb! Can also be made with lamb, beef, chicken or turkey. p.230

  • jhallen on November 19, 2022

    This was awesome. Definitely a bit spicy, but just as I like it.

  • tmitra on June 21, 2016

    I was excited to try this recipe, but it didn't work for me. In step four, it took more like 15 minutes for the liquid to evaporate to the point that I could sear the pork. Then in step five, the additional liquid evaporated long before the proposed cooking time of 45-50 minutes. I continued to add water for a few minutes, but ultimately, I was left with overly browned meat that was not very tender. Did I miss something?

• Pork with spinach and cream (Saag pork)

  • Delys77 on February 15, 2014

    Pretty good flavours, especially the bin bhuna garam masala. That said the pork was tough. I think it could do with some brining.

  • DJM on March 13, 2014

    Very good dish. The spinach cooked to a silky texture; the pork was tender. Sauce was creamy but not overly thick. Instead of making the recommended garam masala, I used a good quality one from a spice shop and added cayenne as the author suggests.

  • Cheri on May 24, 2010

    Good, quick. Used arugula instead of spinich as that is what I had. That was ok. Served over rice. Not beautiful, but different flavors and warm and filling

• Goan-style spicy pork sausage with vinegar (Pork sausage curry)

  • kari500 on May 05, 2020

    Another thing I would never have thought to make but EYB led me to it during The Inside Days of quarantine cooking, and I'm glad I made it. I had turkey sausages in the freezer, and wanted something new and different. I looked up sausages and tomatoes (I have many cans), and this came up. I used my canned tomatoes instead of a real one, and didn't have any cilantro (I am missing herbs so much). I didn't have a full pound of sausage so I added some cut up potatoes. The potatoes were the best part, but overall this is worth making. Easy and has a TON of flavor. Saute garlic and onion, add the coriander, cumin, turmeric, Kashmiri chilies (you can sub cayenne), tomato, and salt; cook some more. Add sausages and vinegar and cook more. Add fresh chilies and cilantro (none for us) and cook a bit more. I think you could really use any protein, or vegetable, and this would be good.

  • kaityblueeyes on November 28, 2023

    This ended up being a pantry dinner for us! Had sausage in the freezer (sweet Italian). Used white wine vinegar, parsley and sriracha substitutes and was still good!

• Pratima Revenkar's poached catfish in a coconut-coriander sauce (Taridaar copray chi muchee)

  • ntt2 on February 16, 2012

    For sustainable options: US farmed Catfish, or farmed Rainbow Trout.

• Simmered catfish in an unripe mango-coconut milk sauce (Meen kootan)

  • ntt2 on February 16, 2012

    For sustainable choices: US farmed catfish, farmed Rainbow Trout, any firm-fleshed sustainable fish.

• Poached cod in a coconut-onion sauce (Meen pulusu)

  • ntt2 on February 16, 2012

    Sustainable choices: Atlantic cod, also called scrod or whitefish.

  • jenburkholder on October 24, 2020

    Notes say: meh - liked flavor, not method, texture was gritty and unpleasant.

• Halibut fillets with a coconut milk-mustard seed sauce (Meen thenga pal kari)

  • AmyS on February 01, 2017

    I made this strictly according to the recipe except that I used coconut oil instead of canola. It was fabulous!

• Salmon with garlic and turmeric (Lasson aur haldi waale mucchi)

  • jenburkholder on October 24, 2020

    Notes say: pretty good - fish too salty, sauce not salty enough, adjust.

  • ntt2 on February 16, 2012

    Sustainable choices: Alaska wild (not farmed - including Atlantic!), US or Canada shrimp, farmes bay scallops, wild or farmed striped bass, us farmed catfish, or us farmed tilapia.

• Red snapper in a smoky-tart coconut milk sauce (Meen kudampuli)

  • ntt2 on February 16, 2012

    Grey, Yellow or Pink Salmon is more or less sustainable - NOT Red Snapper!

  • ntt2 on February 16, 2012

    Excellent curry!

• Steamed fillet of sole wrapped in leaves (Patra ni mucchi)

  • ntt2 on February 16, 2012

    for sustainable choices: avoid Atlantic Sole!, Pacific or Dover Sole ok.

• Tilapia with a yogurt sauce (Doi maach)

  • ntt2 on February 16, 2012

    For sustainable choices: best is US farmed tilapia, next best is central america farmed tilapia, NOT Asia farmed.

  • sarahcooks on June 03, 2011

    You must use whole milk yogurt for this. There's no way to keep it from breaking if you use fat free, and it's very very unappealing once it breaks.

• Poached tilapia with tart coconut milk and garlic (Kokum muchee)

  • ntt2 on February 16, 2012

    For sustainable choices: best is US farmed tilapia, next best is central america farmed tilapia, NOT Asia farmed.

• Breaded tilapia with a mustard seed-coconut milk sauce (Meen curry)

  • ntt2 on February 16, 2012

    For sustainable choices: best is US farmed tilapia, next best is central america farmed tilapia, NOT Asia farmed.

• Fish fillets with a cilantro-cream sauce (Dhaniawaale muchee)

  • ntt2 on February 16, 2012

    Sustainable options: best is US farmed tilapia, next best is central america farmed tilapia, NOT Asia farmed, or pacific (not atlantic!) cod, pacific halibut, Canada or US harpoon and handline swordfish, alaska wild pollock, or farmed or wild striped bass.

  • wcassity on May 25, 2020

    Delicious! Made with haddock. A bit on the salty side; use less than recipe suggests.

  • TrishaCP on April 27, 2014

    This tasted light and fresh from the curry leaves, cilantro and chiles. (I used three serrano chiles, de-seeded, and that was plenty hot enough for me.) The technique of adding a bit of half and half to keep the yogurt from curdling really works well.

  • sarahcooks on November 22, 2010

    I love this! Will definitely be making it again.

• Poached fish in a mustard-chile sauce (Sorshe maach)

  • ntt2 on February 16, 2012

    Sustainable choices: pacific halibut, us or canada harpoon or handline swordfish, farmed or wild striped bass, or alaska wild pollock.

• Poppy and mustard seed-rubbed fish fillets (Sorshe poshto maach)

  • ntt2 on February 16, 2012

    Sustainable choices: us farmed catfish, canada or us harpoon and handline, pacific halibut, alaska wild pollock, albacore tuna, NOT shark!

• Shrimp with bishop's weed (Ajwaini jhinga)

  • ntt2 on February 16, 2012

    Sustainable choices: US, Canadian, NOT imported shrimp.

• Poached shrimp in a slow-cooked onion sauce (Bhuna hua jhinga)

  • JKDLady on October 16, 2012

    9/12 Very, very good. I think you could use any meat/tofu/paneer in this dish.

• Chile-hot shrimp with bell peppers (Chingri maach simla mirchi)

  • jenburkholder on October 24, 2020

    Notes say: meh - too rich.

• Fragrant ginger shrimp with shallots and curry leaves (Cohin jhinga)

  • meggan on October 05, 2020

    I liked this but felt I needed to add some stock to poach the shrimp as there was not much liquid by the addition of the shrimp.

  • ntt2 on February 16, 2012

    Sustainable choices: US, Canadian, NOT imported shrimp.

  • TrishaCP on September 23, 2020

    I found this recipe because I needed something fast for a weeknight and I wanted to enjoy my curry leaf plant before it comes inside for the winter. (I try not to harvest in wintertime.) We loved this dish-the spice level (I used gochugaru as my red chile and serranos), the ginger, and the curry leaves (though next time I would double them). Served with yogurt and rice.

• Prawns with onions in a peanut-coconut-spiced curry (Cochin chi kolumbi)

  • ntt2 on February 16, 2012

    Sustainable choices: US, Canadian, NOT imported shrimp.

• Toasted tamarind-rubbed shrimp with a coconut-ginger sauce (Karwari jhinga)

  • ntt2 on February 16, 2012

    Sustainable choices: US, Canadian, NOT imported shrimp.

• Fennel-flecked shrimp with ground ginger (Kashmiri jhinga)

  • ntt2 on February 16, 2012

    Sustainable choices: US, Canadian, NOT imported shrimp.

• Garlic shrimp with a coconut sauce (Lasoon jhinga)

  • ntt2 on February 16, 2012

    Sustainable choices: US, Canadian, NOT imported shrimp.

  • Delys77 on October 16, 2012

    Pg. 264 This was very different from anything else I have ever made. Essentially it is shrimp sauteed in a vinegar sauce with chilies, cumin, coconut and garlic. The dominant flavour isn't coconut or garlic really, but vinegar. It was a pretty good dish, if you are ok with the acidity but not my favourite. Perhaps I could replace some of the vinegar with some chicken stock next time and up the garlic and chili a little bit to make for a slightly softer flavour profile. I would also serve with rice as it makes a reasonable amount of loos sauce.

  • jenburkholder on October 24, 2020

    Notes say: yummy - nice and tart.

  • JKDLady on March 03, 2016

    I, too, thought this dish very different from what I've cooked before. The flavors were strong, but not overly powerful. I don't particularly care for coconut, but the flavor was very mild, almost undetectable. This is not something you would find on a menu in America at an Indian restaurant. Having said that, one of my guests remarked on how these flavors brought back memories of meals cooked by her mother-in-law, who lived and raised children in India. What I really liked about this dish was just trying something new. I won't repeat it, but it was great to try.

• Priyanka's shrimp with a sweet onion sauce (Kolumbi phanaupkari)

  • VineTomato on December 28, 2023

    Very simple to pull together and very very good! Will be making this one again.

  • Delys77 on May 27, 2014

    Pg 265. The guajillo's are relatively tame so this isn't a hot dish at all. Also, I would just use pre ground coriander as the cooking time is very short and coriander can be a bit grainy when freshly ground and only lightly cooked. In terms of balance I would suggest a bit more tamarind and a touch more salt. Overall quite simple and quick to put together with pretty good flavour, but nothing outstanding

• Peppercorn shrimp with coconut milk (Molaghu jhinga)

  • Delys77 on November 02, 2012

    Pg. 268 At first I wasn't convinced about this dish since it was so different from any Indian dish I had ever tried. Overall it was pretty good, but it should definitely be accompanied by other more complex dishes as it has a simply flavour profile. Go with the recommended amount of salt and maybe add a tiny squirt of lime. Comes together very quickly, overall pretty good.

  • ntt2 on February 16, 2012

    Sustainable choices: US, Canadian, NOT imported shrimp.

• Coconut shrimp with mustard greens (Narkol chingri maach)

  • ntt2 on February 16, 2012

    Sustainable choices: US, Canadian, NOT imported shrimp.

  • Delys77 on May 20, 2015

    We didn't much like this. The sauce is daily thin and there is just too much fenugreek flavour. Plus I found it too bitter even just using spinach, I can't imagine liking it with mustard greens. Lastly, it does yield a very thin sauce which really doesn't adhere to much. Not a winner for us.

• Shrimp with cashew nuts and vinegar (Jhinga vindaloo)

  • ntt2 on February 16, 2012

    Sustainable choices: US, Canadian, NOT imported shrimp.

  • jenburkholder on October 24, 2020

    Notes say: good, easy.

• Tamarind shrimp with coconut milk (Puli jhinga)

  • ntt2 on February 16, 2012

    Sustainable choices: US, Canadian, NOT imported shrimp.

• Shrimp with a peanut-garlic sauce (Sengdana lasoon jhinga)

  • ntt2 on February 16, 2012

    Sustainable choices: US, Canadian, NOT imported shrimp.

  • hughb on October 03, 2013

    Delicious and quick. I used a food processor too. Recipe called for "raw" peanuts; I used dry roasted unsalted.

  • amraub on May 17, 2012

    Other than the 30 minutes of letting the shrimp meld with the turmeric powder, this curry comes together very quickly. The sauce is relatively thin, but delicious. The peanut, garlic, hints of chili, and coconut milk come together very nicely and the turmeric powder gives the sauce a nice colour. I used a food processor to mix together the peanuts just to make the dish a bit quicker/easier. Served with turnips with garlic and black cumin from same book which worked together surprisingly well.

  • VineTomato on August 29, 2017

    Simple and tasty curry. Was pleased to see I didn't even need to blend a new garam masala to make this! Probably won't make again for a while - too many other prawn curry recipes to try first! I served with the tamarind rice from Fresh India which went well, although I think could have gone just as well with plain steamed rice.

• Mustard shrimp with cauliflower (Sorshe diyea phulkopir chingri maach)

  • JKDLady on December 20, 2015

    Not my favorite recipe. I would add 1/2 cup of water. It seemed too watery, so I added more cornstarch. I think the answer is to add less water.

  • Delys77 on February 03, 2016

    I agree, this is a very odd flavor combination by my standards.

  • ntt2 on February 16, 2012

    Sustainable choices: US, Canadian, NOT imported shrimp.

• Beginner almond shrimp with tomatoes (Tamatar jhinga)

  • hirsheys on July 07, 2020

    This was fine, but not nearly as good as I wanted it to be. I think I just found the spice blend a little flat and felt the dish was missing some acidity. It sure is easy, though.

  • Delys77 on January 29, 2015

    Pg. 277 I concur that this was very tasty and super easy. I also love the fact that the flavour profile is a reminiscent of some of my favourite punjabi dishes (cream and tomato) but the spice profile is quite different (no coriander and no cumin). This one is definitely a winner.

  • amraub on October 10, 2012

    Don't forget some rice or naan to finish off the sauce!

  • Jane on October 04, 2012

    This was so easy and so delicious. It took about 15 minutes which included making the garam masala. Garlic and ground almonds are browned in a pan. tomatoes & spices added and cooked down for a few mins, then shrimp and a little double cream added for 5 more mins. I think I might keep frozen shrimp in my freezer just to be able to make this as a stand-by quick dinner.

  • Laura on June 23, 2018

    Pg. 277. Made this for lunch today and followed the directions exactly except that I used Penzey's Garam Masala (Punjabi Style) rather than making it as I didn't have one of the ingredients required, and I used a can of diced tomatoes rather than a fresh tomato. Once you get past shelling, deveining, and cleaning the shrimp, it's a fast and easy recipe. We enjoyed it, but I think I would have liked it better with coconut milk rather than heavy cream.

  • jhallen on March 22, 2022

    This was delicious and super quick, as noted by others. Will definitely make again. I used canned diced tomatoes and coconut cream vs. heavy cream. I used some regular supermarket garam masala (am sure it would be better with the correct homemade blend, but I was in a rush).

  • Dannausc on August 14, 2019

    Easy and good

• Fenugreek-scented coconut shrimp (Thenga jhinga)

  • ntt2 on February 16, 2012

    Sustainable choices: US, Canadian, NOT imported shrimp.

• Pan-grilled sea scallops (Scallops palak bhajee)

  • amraub on October 01, 2012

    Excellent blend of flavors. The peanut-spinach mix on its own would have been good enough to be a stand alone side dish. The scallops came out great.

• Sri Lankan crabs with spinach and coconut milk (Kekada curry)

  • amraub on January 17, 2013

    Outstanding. The sauce does have a bit of a kick. My copy doesn't say when to add the paste to the mix, so I added it with the onion.

• Whole-milk cheese (Doodh paneer)

  • hirsheys on February 12, 2017

    Fun to make. Delicious paneer, just not as firm as commercial. A little tougher to pan fry, but very yummy.

  • Delys77 on February 26, 2014

    The recipe works very well as directed. My only issue was that some of my pieces crumbled a little when cutting. Flavour wise it was very good, it is just that the resulting texture is a little coarser than commercial style. I would opt to deep fry as it will stick to a pan unless it is extremely non stick. Took only a few minutes to deep fry.

  • TrishaCP on October 12, 2019

    Recipes that use this ingredient part 1: Cheese-stuffed mushroom caps w/a creamy onion sauce p. 108 Cashew cheese w/a bell pepper sauce p.289 Cabbage w/pan-fried cheese & tomato p.290 Chile-hot cheese w/cauliflower & cilantro p.291 Chana paneer p.291 Fenugreek scented cheese w/cream p.292 Paneer Makhani p.293 Mutter paneer p. 294 Saag paneer p. 295 Palak paneer p.296 Cheese cubes w/spinach & mustard seeds p.297 Nutty cheese in spinach-chickpea flour sauce p. 298 Sweet-tart cheese w/potatoes & cauliflower in vinegar sauce p.299 Pan-fried cheese w/potatoes & fenugreek p.300 Crumbled cheese w/broccoli & mango powder p.301 Crumbled cheese w/mint, cilantro, & chiles p.302 Grilled cheese w/a cashew-tomato sauce p.303 Turmeric-soaked grilled cheese w/milk & cardamom p.304 Herb-marinated cheese w/blackened-chile sauce p.305 Sanjita's Coorgh-style cheese p.308 Royal Taj curry p. 308 Nine-jeweled medley w/cashew-raisin sauce p.634

  • TrishaCP on October 12, 2019

    Recipes that use this ingredient part 2: Stuffed chicken breasts w/ avocado and cheese in eggplant sauce p.655 Hakka noodles p.675 Saffron-marinated cheese with basil, peanuts, and pomegranate p.677 Asparagus w/tomato and crumbled paneer p. 679 Anaheim peppers stuffed with paneer, cashews, and raisins p.680 Rice with potatoes and paneer p.714 Flaky breads stuffed with spinach and cheese p.734

• Creamy homemade cheese (Malai paneer)

  • TrishaCP on October 14, 2019

    Recipes that use this ingredient: Cabbage with pan-fried cheese and tomato p. 290 Crumbled cheese with broccoli and mango powder p.301 Crumbled creamy cheese with scallions and tomatoes p. 302 Creamy cheese with red onion and bell peppers p.307 Royal Taj curry with chiles, potatoes & cheese p.308 Macaroni and paneer p.678 Asparagus w/tomato and crumbled paneer p. 679 Anaheim peppers stuffed with paneer, cashews, and raisins p.680

• Cashew cheese with a bell pepper sauce (Simla mirch paneer)

  • amraub on May 12, 2012

    A sweet curry without much heat, but very good.

• Cabbage with pan-fried cheese and tomatoes (Bund gobhi paneer)

  • jenburkholder on October 24, 2020

    This is good, crowd-pleasing and easy. Flavors aren't too assertive or "different," so it goes well with many different things.

• Chile-hot cheese with cauliflower and cilantro (Phool gobhi paneer)

  • Delys77 on October 23, 2014

    This is a bit of thin and watery curry which isn't usually your style, but this one isn't bad. The cauliflower and paneer marry well, and the spice/cilantro provide lots of flavour. That said, it still seems to be missing a bit of cohesion so I wouldn't likely repeat.

• Fenugreek-scented cheese with cream (Methi malai paneer)

  • hirsheys on June 22, 2018

    This was fine, but I found the almond flavor to overpower the methi taste. I prefer other recipes in this book.

  • amraub on October 21, 2012

    Delicious sauce. Very quick and easy. Served with rice, but would recommend serving with naan. Would make again.

  • jenburkholder on March 01, 2022

    This was fine, but the flavors and textures didn’t feel like they blended harmoniously - I wasn’t sure what the almonds were doing there besides adding an occasional crunchy piece. I subbed cashew cream for heavy cream and that worked fine, although it did scorch a bit. Not sure if that was the substitution or not. Probably won’t try again to find out.

• Cheese in a butter-cream sauce with fenugreek (Paneer Makhani)

  • hirsheys on February 12, 2017

    This is fantastic. I almost always increase the sauce a bit and use less cayenne. Otherwise, it's simple, basic, and just as good as Paneer Makhani from restaurants (maybe a little better...) ETA: recently tried with frozen methi and discovered that I prefer the taste of the dried.

• Pan-fried cheese with green peas (Mutter paneer)

  • hirsheys on September 19, 2017

    Delicious. Super easy and the ingredients are ones I'm likely to have in the house. Even without being very organized, I got this done in about 30 mins.

  • Delys77 on February 26, 2014

    Pg. 294 This was just delicious! Very similar to my favourite Indian restaurant. As per usual with Iyer's recipes it took a bit longer to brown the onion mixture than he states, but otherwise the timing was quite accurate. I would double the recipe to serve 6 with some steamed rice. Also, my husband isn't a huge pea fan so I would likely drop the peas by about 1/3 and increase the paneer by 1/3. 1 small serrano was just the right amount of heat for us. In a double batch we could go up to 1 large.

  • TrishaCP on May 02, 2018

    We loved this too. It wasn't hugely time intensive to make, but you can save even more time by browning the paneer while the sauce cooks. I used one jalapeño with seeds for the green chile, and that amount was perfect for us. I also used Penzey's garam masala but will try the book's next time.

  • memphiseat on January 11, 2024

    This was my first recipe made from this book and my first time cooking with (store bought) paneer. Closer to restaurant-style Indian than I normally cook, i.e. richer, but really delicious.

• Spinach and mustard greens with cheese (Saag paneer)

  • VineTomato on January 31, 2023

    Delicious and comes together pretty quickly if you have the spice blends to hand. We choose to blend the spinach and mustard greens just before the last step - much prefer blended greens. Delish.

  • cedarmakesthings on February 13, 2016

    Used only spinach, but this was really excellent, though I definitely recommend a generous squeeze of lime juice over it right before serving. Will definitely make this one again--husband went back for a generous helping of seconds!

  • TrishaCP on September 19, 2017

    This was sooo good. I also cheated and used Penzeys garam masala, but I can't even imagine how wonderful this will be using the book's blends. I loved the spinach and mustard green combination. I would probably add slightly less paneer next time though. I love paneer, but even still, it felt like A LOT.

  • hirsheys on February 12, 2017

    Very good. I used the kale I had in my fridge instead of mustard greens. I also used an immersion blender to smooth the sauce a bit. (I also cheated and used commercial garam masala, but will definitely make the correct one next time.)

• Cheese cubes with spinach and mustard seeds (Mathura palak paneer)

  • tsusan on July 29, 2009

    Good! made it with chard. (Noah hated it) Didn't bother frying the paneer first, it was still good.

  • VineTomato on July 05, 2018

    Great recipe. Easy to put together and delicous. Cherry tomatoes are rarely used in this cookbook but are brilliant here as little pockets of sweet fresh flavour in the spicy green sauce. I served with cucumber and yogurt.

• Nutty cheese in a spinach-chickpea flour sauce (Kutchi paneer)

  • Logan92995 on September 03, 2023

    This was great. The paneer really adds a lot of oomph to the dish.

• Sweet-tart cheese with potatoes and cauliflower in a vinegar sauce (Sirka paneer)

  • jenburkholder on October 24, 2020

    Absolutely delicious - tastes like the paneer version of a vindaloo.

  • snokite on January 24, 2021

    I keep forgetting that acid greatly increases the time it takes to cook potatoes and cauliflower. Next time, I will get those well on their way to done in the microwave, first.

  • snokite on January 24, 2021

    Since my spouse has a sensitivity to ginger, I instead used a half teaspoon of allspice and an extra teaspoon of coriander seed. Because I have a sensitivity to coconut milk, I used cashew cream instead. And because I have that special genetic defect that makes cilantro taste like soap, I substituted fresh basil as suggested by the author. Delicious.

  • patioweather on October 08, 2017

    This was as easy as the book claims it is. Definitely doable on a week night, and can be made even faster if you swap out the potatoes for a quicker cooking vegetable. I also agree with Jane that it serves 4, not 8. Flavorwise, though, this was not the most exciting curry that I've had in the book.

  • Jane on April 11, 2017

    I loved this. There was so much depth of flavor from the spice paste which was really easy to make. Just apple cider vinegar, tomato paste, coriander and cumin seeds, whole green chiles, dried red chiles, garlic, ginger and some water whizzed up in the Vitamix. It was quite spicy though the addition of coconut milk and the paneer at the end brought that down. I used pre-cubed paneer which I keep in the freezer. So the whole dish was very quick and easy for a weeknight. Iyer says it serves 8 but that could only be as part of a multi-dish meal or with copious amounts of bread or rice (I did neither). To me it was more a 3-4 serving.

• Pan-fried cheese with potatoes and fenugreek (Aloo methi paneer)

  • snokite on February 12, 2017

    I don’t like the mouthfeel of the fenugreek leaves, so I purée the leaves if I’m using frozen greens, and powder them in a spice grinder if I’m using dried.

  • snokite on December 26, 2018

    I recommend making this a day in advance for best flavor.

  • snokite on April 06, 2020

    The recipe leaves out the part where you fry the cheese. I do this while the potatoes are cooking.

  • jenburkholder on October 24, 2020

    This is excellent - used it to introduce some friends to the flavor of fenugreek, and they literally licked their bowls clean. Use fresh fenugreek! It's the only option which isn't overpowering and has a nice mouthfeel. Have made many times - cheap, wholesome, and delicious.

• Crumbled cheese with broccoli and mango powder (Karee fool gobhi paneer)

  • amraub on October 02, 2012

    Very interesting curry. My broccoli-averse boyfriend didn't mind it. The mango powder gives it an interesting tangy taste and the dish was quite filling. This isn't my favourite paneer dish in this book, but it's something different and I'm looking forward to the leftovers.

• Crumbled creamy cheese with scallions and tomatoes (Mulayam paneer bhurjee)

  • amraub on October 04, 2012

    Incredibly quick and simple. The scallions add a nice crunchiness to the dish and it's a good mix of flavours. The chiles do give it a bit of a bite, so be careful if you're more heat averse.

• Herb-marinated cheese with a blackened-chile sauce (Haree bharee paneer)

  • jenburkholder on January 24, 2022

    Tasty, but definitely not our favorite paneer recipe. Be careful not to overcook the paneer, the blackened spots are too chewy and unpleasant. The relish on top, though, is very pleasant.

  • VineTomato on April 17, 2017

    Best paneer recipe I have ever made. It is my go to if having people around for Indian feast.

• Sanjita's Coorgh-style cheese in a sweet-tart tomato sauce (Tamatar paneer)

  • hirsheys on September 21, 2019

    I continue to adore this book, though I've focused mainly on the paneer recipes. (I cannot get enough of paneer.) This one is a lovely one that is quite different than my usual favorite (makahni). It also uses all pantry ingredients as long as you keep paneer in the freezer. The recipe starts by caramelizing onions with a few cardamom pods, then adding some tomato paste, coriander, cayenne, and turmeric. You then deglaze with some water, simmer the paneer cubes in the sauce, and then add some half-and-half and simmer some more. Finally, you stir in a bunch of cilantro and serve over rice. All in all, this was a super tasty dish and easy enough to put together for lunch.

• Coconut-smothered black-eyed peas (Bina's lobhia)

  • westminstr on September 18, 2013

    For a weeknight variation, sauteed 1 finely chopped onion in 1 tbsp coconut oil. When the onion was soft, I added a small spoonful of chopped salted chilies, 1 tsp ground cumin, 1/4 tsp turmeric, and salt. Let the spices and onion cook for a couple of minutes, then added frozen black eyed peas and 1 cup water. Stirred in 3 tbsp of organic creamed coconut and let it all simmer together until the peas warmed and the mixture thickened. Stirred in the tarka as set forth in the book. Served over basmati rice. This made a lovely warming curry that the whole family enjoyed. Yes!

  • Churchim808 on November 24, 2021

    This is a great recipe but next time I will scale back the chilies from 4 to two. I soaked my beans for 24 hours and reduced the water by one cup. They turned out perfectly firm.

  • excurvatus on January 01, 2021

    this is great - on elec. stove and my pressure cooker only whistled once - after I turned the heat down it didn't whistle again, but the beans were soft and not chalky. great flavour from the sauce - not overly coconutty. for my personal taste, 2 full serranos with seeds may be a bit much, but I can handle it. great flavour even before the tempering - after is wow.

  • jenburkholder on April 26, 2022

    Quite enjoyable. It needed something sharp alongside, though, as the curry was very creamy, without much bite. Served with stuffed peppers and cabbage (and rice!)

• Black-eyed peas with mushrooms (Dhingri lobhia)

  • PennyG on January 24, 2016

    Great side dish. Ensure you hunt down the mustard oil - I think it makes the dish!

• Fresh greens with black-eyed peas (Hyderabadi waale lobhia)

  • snokite on May 25, 2017

    This was better the next day, and even better a day later.

• Fenugreek-perfumed black-eyed peas with a tomato sauce (Methi lobhia)

  • jenburkholder on October 24, 2020

    This one is great - incredibly easy, very dimensional, quite healthy. Works well with either fresh or frozen fenugreek leaves, but haven't tried with dried.

• Black-eyed peas with mustard, cumin, and curry leaves (Muth nu dal)

  • jenburkholder on October 24, 2020

    Another great, easy black-eyed pea option from Raghavan. The only thing you even have to chop is the tomato.

• Gingered chickpeas (Adrak lasson waale chana masala)

  • jenburkholder on October 24, 2020

    Notes say: v. good - easy, grind coriander and cumin first.

  • LFL on August 24, 2020

    2 stars. Can substitute 1.25 cup canned tomatoes for the one large tomato. I don’t think I’ll make this again. Overall, it came out bitter. It might just need a lot more salt but since I’m watching salt that’s not a good option for me.

  • Aggie92 on May 10, 2013

    I really liked this recipe. The ginger was a bit lost in all the other flavors, but the overall result was a delicious, spicy curry served with basmati rice. I did add 4 boneless chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized chunks, to please my meat loving husband. I also made the following substitutions: a can of diced tomatoes for the fresh whole one, 1 jalapeño for the serrano chile and followed the author's recommendation for replacing the ground Kashmiri chiles with paprika and cayenne.

  • Delys77 on November 19, 2014

    Overall this was pretty good, but not stellar. I found the ginger got lost and there was a bit too much cinnamon given the double hit of cinnamon in the garam masala and the recipe itself.

• Chickpeas with mango powder (Amchur chana)

  • hirsheys on August 29, 2017

    I loved the flavor of the mango powder and found the dish to be even better the next day. Next time, I plan to cook the chickpeas a bit more before I put them in the sauce, just because I like them to be pretty creamy/soft. The dish is like a much more interesting chana masala.

  • jenburkholder on October 24, 2020

    Notes say: excellent, used more tomatoes than called for.

• Chickpeas with a spicy tomato sauce (Chana masala)

  • stockholm28 on January 18, 2015

    Good weeknight recipe if you have already cooked (or sub canned) chickpeas. Can easily be made vegan (ghee is only non-vegan ingredient). Also, recipe states you can sub lime juice for the mango powder.

  • MariaSwe on July 25, 2024

    Nice and easy recipe. Not a lot of sauce. I used home cooked chickpeas and made a half a recipe. Be mindful of the cayenne, I thought it was too much.

• Chickpeas with spinach and mustard seeds (Chana saag)

  • Delys77 on April 20, 2015

    Pg. 334 I will admit that I couldn't find fresh curry leaves so I left them out of the GM, which of course impacted the dish, but it was still very good. I love the combination of legumes and greens, feels so healthy. The instructions were spot on and the dish tasted lovely with a pungent spice, a lovely tomato base, and the earthy background of the spinach.

• Gujarati-style black and yellow chickpeas with a spicy-sweet sauce (Kala aur kabuli chana)

  • PennyG on January 22, 2017

    I made this today for Meatless Monday tomorrow, but I had a small bowl and it is delicious! I find all of Raghavan's recipes spot on and this one is no different.

• Black chickpeas with a coconut-chile sauce (Kala chana masala)

  • jenburkholder on October 24, 2020

    Notes say: very good, warm and autumnal, used ground cinnamon to taste (I don't keep sticks around), didn't make paste and just left with texture.

• Sweet-hot black chickpeas with golden raisins (Kishmish kala chana)

  • Emily Hope on February 03, 2021

    Made this with the desi chana that I got from Rancho Gordo (beans soaked for 6 hours, then 30 min in IP + natural release). The recipe itself is a keeper--not too complicated, nice flavor profile (though as advertised it's on the sweet side--the leftovers seemed especially so, for some reason). Can't say that I'm a fan of the desi chana though--skins are pretty tough. Next time would make with regular garbanzos. Left out the chiles (b/c kiddos) and used ghee instead of veg oil. Served w/garlic naan + samosas from TJs, plus a tamarind/date chutney (also from 660 curries) and TJ's zhoug standing in for mint/cilantro chutney. Had leftovers with rice, which I might prefer to naan here.

• Chickpea flour dumplings with spinach (Gatte saag ki subzi)

  • jenburkholder on November 04, 2020

    Notes say: sauce was good, dumplings have a weird texture. Try with chickpeas or potatoes.

• Yogurt curry with cumin and curry leaves (Gujarati kadhi)

  • amraub on October 26, 2012

    Served with recommended nutty rice. Excellent combination.

• Minty kidney beans and potatoes (Aloo pudhina rajmah)

  • jenburkholder on July 22, 2020

    These were good, if a bit different. The combination of the mint and the spices made it a less everyday dish in a way that we found polarizing. We substituted yogurt for cream in the sauce, and that worked great.

• Whole black lentils with ginger, garlic, and butter (Makhani dal)

  • jenburkholder on November 04, 2020

    Notes say: NO, very disappointing.

• Slow-cooked creamy black lentils with whole spices (Maa di dal)

  • michalow on April 27, 2020

    Very good flavor but I didn't love the texture of this one. Easy to prepare.

• Skinned split black lentils with chiles and black pepper (Kali aur hari mirch urad dal)

  • patioweather on September 01, 2021

    Although I used the skinned cream-colored lentils and followed the instructions, there was definitely no 'creamy sauce'. I would have needed to cook it much longer.

• Skinned split black lentils with spinach (Palak urad dal)

  • shrnngnt on September 07, 2024

    I had a bagful of urad dal sitting around forever. We made a big batch of this to start using them up. Subbed jalapeños for the chilies because that’s what I had. Used a curry powder with fenugreek in it because we didn’t have plain fenugreek. (Kind of surprised I didn’t, really.) Wasn’t expecting much because it’s pretty basic, but we all really liked it. Probably the best thing I’ve made with lentils to date.

• Black and green lentils with bay leaves and curry leaves (Moong urad nu dal)

  • jenburkholder on November 04, 2020

    Notes say: good, spicy, different.

• Brown and green lentils with a cashew-almond sauce (Dal korma)

  • jenburkholder on November 04, 2020

    Notes say: excellent, try grinding the nuts first.

  • ashallen on July 18, 2019

    I'd describe the flavor of this dish as somewhat "elegant" - despite the strong-flavored ingredients in the list, they melded together and no one flavor dominated. I did leave out the chili peppers, however. I liked it best as a side vs. the main focus of the meal. Colors are interesting - olive green with brown and purple flecks!

• Balti-style whole green lentils with bay leaves (Sabud moong ki dal)

  • jenburkholder on November 04, 2020

    Notes say: very good, easy, instead of cup of tomato sauce an 8-16 oz can okay.

• Cumin-scented split green lentils (Jeera mong nu dal)

  • jenburkholder on November 04, 2020

    Notes say: very good, very easy.

• Sweet-tart split green lentils with mustard (Moong nu dal)

  • jenburkholder on November 04, 2020

    Notes say: good, easy.

• Chile-spiked split green lentils with cauliflower (Phool gobhi kootu)

  • jenburkholder on November 04, 2020

    Notes say: okay, aesthetically unattractive and not the most interesting.

• Spicy split green lentils with chiles and onion (Pyaaz mirchi moong ki dal)

  • jenburkholder on November 04, 2020

    Notes say: good, easy.

• Toasted split green lentils with spinach (Bhaja moong palak)

  • jenburkholder on November 04, 2020

    I agree that this wasn't exactly bad, but wasn't great. It's pretty bland, if inoffensively so. I used ground cloves, just a sprinkle, so I'm not sure how that compares to the amount called for. Even so, a hint of cloves was all the flavor I really got from this dish. Wouldn't repeat.

  • westminstr on September 18, 2013

    I subbed amaranth for the spinach, about half the quantity because it doesn't cook down as much. Even though I reduced the quantity of cloves, there were still too many for my taste. It wasn't bad, but I won't be repeating this dish.

• Split green lentils with red chiles & toasted spices (Chilke aur dhuli hui moong ki dal)

  • jenburkholder on November 04, 2020

    Notes say: very good, but took significantly longer to cook soft than indicated.

• Spicy-tart split green and red lentils (Kokum moong aur masoor dal)

  • jenburkholder on May 19, 2021

    Not my favorite dal of all time, but very nice, and quite straightforward. The kokum could easily be replaced with tamarind, I think.

• Peppery split green lentils and yellow peas (Porithu kootu)

  • Tatiana131 on September 10, 2014

    Feel free to use more than the 2 tsp spice blend, we used 3 and could have used more. Feel free to add garlic - either roasted or just added to the curry at the end of cooking, we felt they would go great in there. Delicious blend of lentils and potatoes - we also used a bit more potatoes than called for as I love potatoes in a curry. The recipe came together as written, and had a buttery, rich flavor as though it was cooked with rich beef. Delicious.

• Sweet split green lentils and yellow peas (Mug chana nu dal)

  • Emily Hope on November 15, 2019

    I liked this quite a bit--interesting flavors, healthy, and super easy to put together. I did double the beans because the given amounts did not seem like they would feed a family of 3 adults and 2 kids for dinner, and that was the right call. I also doubled the spices but forgot to double the tomatoes, and the balance seemed fine to me. I did dial the jaggery way, way back (maybe 1-2 tablespoons), so I'm sure the flavor profile isn't exactly what was intended, but I just couldn't bring myself to make it that sweet! Served with brown basmatic rice, greek yogurt, and some Indian mango pickle. Will repeat for sure.

• Red lentils with chiles (Mirchi waale masoor ki dal)

  • jenburkholder on November 04, 2020

    Notes say: very good, very easy, cut down chiles.

• Gingered red lentils with garlic (Aadrak lagoon masoor ki dal)

  • JKDLady on December 03, 2012

    I was going to make a different lentil curry until I read sarahcooks review of this recipe. I made it instead and am happy I did so. This is a terrific curry. Personally, I would make it a bit spicier, but I like really spicy food.

  • TrishaCP on June 23, 2021

    This was a really enjoyable dal. I will definitely make this again.

  • lorloff on June 03, 2018

    This is a fantastic curry. I increased the chiles as suggested. We like spicy food too. It was a winner. Will make this again.

  • sarahcooks on October 17, 2012

    I think I finally found the dal I've been looking for! I've been searching for one like I've had at Indian and Nepali restaurants. I have been assuming the flavor I'm looking for was lemon or lime, but I think maybe all along it was ginger! This also turned out the right consistency, something I sometimes struggle with. Anyway, highly recommend this one!

• Slow-roasted bell pepper with red lentils (Bhuna hua Simla mirch aur masoor ki dal)

  • PennyG on October 23, 2010

    This was good. Healthy and a good way to use up lots of Greenling bell peppers!

• Red and yellow lentils with garlic and curry leaves (Moong masoor dal)

  • pluralcow on March 06, 2013

    This is a good quick dal, ideal for a weeknight. I added chopped kale to the tomato/onion sauce as it simmered for a bit more vegetable content. I found the yellow lentils needed to be cooked a bit longer than the recipe called for, but the ones in my pantry may have been a bit old.

  • TrishaCP on December 06, 2014

    This dal was a total puzzle to me because I couldn't figure out if this was supposed to be dry or soupy. Like pluralcow, my yellow lentils were older, and still pretty firm by the time the red lentils were cooked through. After cooking longer, the yellow lentils were soft, but the whole dish was still pretty watery, and I ended up draining it. The flavor was good, and I really enjoy multi- lentil dals, but I would probably not make this again.

  • jenburkholder on November 04, 2020

    Notes say: very good, could use only masoor or only moong dal.

• Creamy moth beans with coconut milk (Kokum moth chi dal)

  • jenburkholder on March 01, 2022

    This was okay, but kind of bland - mostly it just tasted creamy. We just dumped the turmeric and kokum in before heating and bringing up to pressure. Probably wouldn’t make again, the other moth bean dish we’ve tried from this book was better.

• Tart moth beans with lime juice (Moth nu dal)

  • jenburkholder on December 24, 2020

    Tasty, easy, earthy. Served with coconut tindora.

• Slow-cooked sweetened yellow split peas with fresh coconut chips (Cholar dal)

  • ashallen on July 18, 2019

    I thought this was OK - enough to like it fine as a side dish but not enough for it to be the main focus of the meal. Very coconut-y! It worked well with chicken. Peas weren't completely tender at the end of cooking but softened further while sitting overnight in refrigerator - might have happened because my peas were on the older side.

• Yellow split peas and spinach in a yogurt-peanut sauce (Patli dal)

  • amraub on August 23, 2012

    This is a surprisingly rich dish that would be perfect for a cold fall or winter day. The peanuts, chiles, and yogurt add a fantastic depth to a relatively simple dish. Next time, I'll be sure to have naan on hand for scooping it up. It's not the most visually appealing dish, but tastes like comfort food.

• Yellow split peas with tomato and chiles (Tamatar chana dal)

  • Jane on October 10, 2012

    Garlic, green chiles and coriander seeds are pounded together with a pestle and mortar. I would do the coriander seeds first, tip them out, then do the garlic and chiles, then tip the seeds back in for a final melding as I found the seeds kept jumping out as the chiles really needed a good bashing to get broken down. This mixture is then fried up with some ghee, some chopped tomato added with turmeric and that fried for a bit then this is added to the dal with chopped cilantro. At this point I was a bit confused. I have never made dal before and there was quite a bit of water still in the pan. There was no instruction to drain the peas and he said to add another 1/2 cup of water. I didn't drain them but I didn't add the extra water and I thought it was easily liquid enough. Tasted good, nice variety of flavors from spices and herbs.

  • jenburkholder on November 04, 2020

    Notes say: very good, very easy, have made several times. Excellent efforts-to-results ratio and very pantry-friendly (can use can of tomatoes instead of fresh)

• Cumin-scented pigeon peas with mango (Ambyachi dal)

  • TrishaCP on December 13, 2014

    This is probably the most flavorful dal that I have ever made- so much complexity with the book's garam masala (this isn't the recipe to use store- bought), curry leaves, the fried cilantro, and the mango adding sweet-sour flavors. (I used frozen, which was fine.). My toor dal was pretty old so needed much longer to cook than the recipe stated. I subbed oil for ghee, as allowed by the book. This is a definite keeper.

• Tart pigeon peas with tomato & mango powder (Amchur tamatar dal)

  • jenburkholder on January 25, 2022

    Excellent. Tart, slightly sweet, and lovely with rice and yogurt. I might have gone a bit heavier on tomato than called for.

• Coconut-smothered pigeon peas with pumpkin (Arrachay uttu sambhar)

  • bangss on November 12, 2016

    Page 429 - 430.

• Peas and lentils with pumpkin (Kaddu dhansaak)

  • Jane on March 07, 2015

    This looks like a complicated dish with 41 ingredients (including the 3 spice blends) but actually it's quite straightforward (and even more so if you have the spice blends already made up). It was worth the effort - a lovely vegetarian/vegan dish with 3 types of lentils and 7 vegetables and herbs so lots of textures and flavors.

• Amaranth leaves with peanuts (Chowli nu shaak)

  • jenburkholder on November 04, 2020

    Good- very easy, and the peanuts help offset some of amaranth's bitter tendencies.

• Stewed beets with beet greens & ginger (Chukander aur saag)

  • Laurendmck on January 15, 2013

    p. 464

• Bitter melon with onion & tomato (Rassedaar karelay ki subzi)

  • jenburkholder on September 29, 2023

    Tasty. Not particularly bitter with the amount of tomato called for.

  • Dannausc on August 09, 2018

    I’m not a fan of bitter melon but my wife is. This was actually pretty decent. I added grillled chicken thighs to round out the meal.

• Broccoli with ginger and coconut (Nariyal hare phool gobhi)

  • michalow on February 23, 2020

    Too much salt, but otherwise delicious.

• Shredded cabbage and carrots with chiles (Sambhara)

  • Delys77 on January 29, 2015

    Pg. 467 This dish goes by the name sambhara. We only use half of a very juicy lime and that was good, and only one very large jalapeño which left it a bit tame. Could likely go with 2 large jalapeño if you are a bit of spice wimp like us and afraid of the 6 to 8 serranos he calls for. Easy to put together and a lovely texture, plus great flavour. I really like cabbage with Indian spices as they seem to tame some of the pungent odour and mellow the flavour quite a bit.

• Cabbage, potatoes, and peas (Badha kofi torkari)

  • campusbrownie on January 07, 2016

    The cabbage in particular soaks up the spice. In toasting the spices and browning the potatoes, I managed to gas the kitchen so no one else could be there.

• Cabbage and peas with roasted mustard seeds & lentils (Muttaikose pattani)

  • jenburkholder on November 04, 2020

    Notes say: good, simple. Added kale in addition to cabbage.

  • michalow on March 21, 2020

    Delish. I used a mix of peas and green garbanzos. Also, used less oil and added a couple of tablespoons of water to prevent sticking.

• Cabbage and potatoes with fennel and chiles (Bund gobhi aur aloo ki subzi)

  • Delys77 on May 27, 2014

    Pg. 472 This was quite good, but husband wasn't a big fan. Needed a touch more salt and the 4 chilies were fine. A good relatively dry non saucy side for an Indian meal.

• Simmered cabbage and spinach with peanuts (Bund gobhi palak chi bhajee)

  • tsusan on March 18, 2010

    want to try without spinach, slightly lighter spicing

  • lorloff on December 01, 2013

    very good dish. We loved loved the spice level. Used 3 green chiles

• Carrots with wilted spinach in a peanut-coconut sauce (Gajar, palak, ane sengdane chi bhajee)

  • amraub on June 11, 2012

    I liked this dish quite a bit more than I was expected, although my boyfriend wasn't as thrilled with it. The carrots didn't seem to have much flavour in the dish, but the peanut and coconut worked wonderfully together. It does generate quite a bit of sauce (I might cut back the water a bit next time), but the sauce is lovely with the coconut and a slight yellow hue from the turmeric. The heat from the chiles was just the right amount and not overly aggressive. Would make this recipe again.

• Stewed cauliflower in a coconut-cashew sauce (Dum gobhi)

  • jenburkholder on November 04, 2020

    Notes say: meh - took way less time to cook, gritty and unexciting flavors.

  • PinchOfSalt on November 11, 2016

    Spicy hot, but not too hot - deeply flavored and creamy. Delicious! Prep time is minimal, but the time you will spend at the stove just to make the sauce pushes the cooking time to about an hour. Be sure you have a SMALL food processor or other blending device for making the spice paste - if it is too large the relatively modest amount of paste may adhere to the walls of the container instead of being ground by its blades.

• Cayenne-spiked cauliflower with an onion-tomato sauce (Masaaledar phool gobhi)

  • JKDLady on October 16, 2012

    9/19/12 Mixed with Spicy Ground Beef p. 182 really made this dish special. We didn't care for it much on its own.

  • MariaSwe on July 25, 2024

    Very easy recipe. The cauliflower needed more time or maybe my pieces were on the large side. A bit too tomatoey. Maybe the sauce should have cooked down more.

• Cauliflower in an onion-chile sauce (Phool gobhi pyaaz)

  • jenburkholder on November 04, 2020

    Notes say: meh, don't cook as long.

  • Delys77 on April 03, 2014

    Not a winner, somehow still bland despite the chilies. Also neither wet nor dry, just watery.

• Easy cauliflower and peas with a curry leaf sauce (Cauliflower pattani)

  • Jane on October 22, 2012

    This recipe looked quite basic in the book and also in the pan while it was cooking but wow, it was so good when it was finished. I have to assume it was the Roasted Curry Leaf Spice Blend that made all the difference. It had such an wonderful depth of flavor for what is just a dish of cauliflower and peas with some herbs and spices. Highly recommended and I will be making it again (often).

• Restaurant-style cauliflower and potatoes (Rassedaar aloo aur gobhi ki subzi)

  • Delys77 on July 18, 2013

    Pg. 483 This was a very tasty dish that is reminiscent of the variation you find in Punjabi restaurants. I did cook a little longer, maybe 6 or 7 minutes uncovered at the end to soften the vegetables a bit further and to reduce the sauce. I would add a bit more ginger, onion, and garlic paste as well as a bit more of all the spices except for maybe the cayenne as it was plenty hot. Lovely vegetarian dinner.

  • jenburkholder on November 04, 2020

    Notes say: very good.

• Pan-stewed cauliflower and spinach with a spicy tomato sauce (Cauliflower keerai kari)

  • PinchOfSalt on March 02, 2024

    Made with a bag of baby spinach, several campari tomatoes (the only fresh tomatoes available to me in wintertime that have good flavor) and store-bought sambaar powder. Cooking is fast and simple once you've measured, prepped, and assembled all of the ingredients, of which there aren't very many. I used a large wok-like stainless steel pan with a domed lid in order to stir fry the cauliflower nicely and to accommodate the heap of spinach leaves before they wilt and cook down. The results were delicious and not at all spicy. (Next time I might try the book's recipe for sambaar powder and see what difference it makes to the heat level.) The sauce is more of a broth than the thicker consistency that one might imagine for a curry served in most Indian restaurants here in the US. It's wonderfully flavorful nevertheless. Following the timing instructions in the recipe resulted in perfectly cooked cauliflower, not at all mushy, firm enough to make for satisfying bites.

  • michalow on March 20, 2020

    Even with no cilantro or curry leaves, this was very good. I tossed in some leftover garlicky white beans, and it was perfect match.

• Cauliflower and spinach in a black pepper-coconut milk sauce (Cauliflower keerai thenga paal)

  • PinchOfSalt on March 02, 2024

    When I first looked at this recipe I was concerned that the black pepper would overwhelm the dish and be unpleasant in the mouth. However the cooked dish is wonderful, with the black pepper smoothly melding in with the other flavors to create a sauce that is in no way biting or hot. The bits of black pepper end up soft and not at all unpleasant when bitten. This is a keeper!

• Mashed grilled eggplant with tamarind and chiles (Puli katarikai)

  • hirsheys on February 12, 2017

    I made this dish because I wanted to try asafetida. I was super impressed by the unique taste. I'm so glad I tried it. (My broiler wasn't working well, so I roasted the eggplant in a very hot oven instead.

• Fried baby eggplant with a peanut-coconut sauce (Baghare baingan)

  • TrishaCP on July 22, 2018

    I found gorgeous, finger-sized eggplant at the farmer's market and they were amazing in this recipe. Since my eggplant were so small, I only needed to fry them about 5 minutes to get a perfect consistency. The peanut coconut sauce was a bit grainy for me (no high speed blender), but it was still absolutely delicious with the eggplant.

• Eggplant with apples, fennel, & black cumin (Kashmiri baingan)

  • westminstr on September 18, 2013

    I chose this recipe be ause it was available online, quick, and used seasonal ingredients. To make, cumin, fennel seeds, and dried chilis are sautéed in oil (I used coconut oil), then cubed eggplant and apple are added, seasoned with ground cumin, coriander and turmeric. 1/2 cup water is added, then cover and.cook for 15 minutes until eggplant is tender. Add salt to taste and fresh cilantro. I also added some cayenne as it was very mild. I liked this well enough but probably wouldn't make it again as it was a bit sweet for my taste.

• Eggplant and okra with fenugreek and mustard (Baingan bhindi ki subzi)

  • chefdiane on October 13, 2014

    Don't bother - this is awful -

• Stuffed baby eggplants with crushed peanuts and chiles (Bharlele vanghi)

  • Tatiana131 on August 20, 2014

    Definitely try and find as mild of chilies as possible to start with. The spice blend smells amazing, and it was a tasty recipe, but pretty damn spicy. Lots of yogurt was consumed on the side.

• Eggplant with tomato and garlic (Katarikai thakkali kari)

  • jenburkholder on November 04, 2020

    Meh. If you like eggplant, it will probably excite you more. I don't like eggplant particularly, only in a few contexts, and this wasn't a winner for me. Nothing wrong with the flavors - just not good enough to make up for the eggplant-iness of it.

• Aromatic green beans with pounded mustard and cardamom (Farasvi chi bhajee)

  • snokite on April 11, 2020

    I’ve used this recipe with Brussels sprouts instead of green beans. Yum!

  • amraub on October 07, 2012

    The pounded mixture of cardamom, mustard, lime juice, and others comes through quite a bit and is quite unique.

• Spicy green beans with saucy red onions (Vengayam avarai)

  • amraub on October 20, 2012

    This was okay, but we both preferred the aromatic green beans with pounded mustard and cardamom on p. 508.

• Green beans with tomato (Lilva nu shaak)

  • JKDLady on March 03, 2016

    Wow was this a spicy dish. Only 1 tsp cayenne, but it definitely packed a punch. After reading the intro, I really inspected the green beans at the grocery store and found them not to be great green beans, so I substituted baby bok choy. This turned out to be a great substitution. The colors were stunning. The look of the dish was a beautiful addition to the table. The spiciness did not last, but I was glad that I served raita without chiles and my other dishes were not spicy.

  • jenburkholder on November 04, 2020

    Very good. Basic, but wonderfully tasty and easy.

• Brown cremini mushrooms with chives (Dhingri josh)

  • biondanonima on October 04, 2012

    Mushrooms were a little spongy - would probably be better if sauteed first. Also, go easy on the black cardamom - it is STRONG.

• Mushrooms and peas in a fenugreek-cream sauce (Malai waale dhingri mutter)

  • FunghiKawhi on March 04, 2019

    Used about 1/2 tsp of Fenugreek Powder instead of the fresh or dried leaves that it called for, turned out great. Really tasty.

• Mustard greens with sweet corn (Sarson aur makai ki subzi)

  • jenburkholder on November 04, 2020

    Notes say: good.

• Mustard greens and spinach (Sarson aur palak ka saag)

  • Laura on October 19, 2014

    Pg. 521. Made this as written, including making the garam masala from scratch. The one exception I made is that I used 2 very large jalapeno chiles in place of the 4 Thai chiles because that is what I had. The dish was good, quite spicy, but not exceptional -- certainly not as good as saags in an Indian restaurant. I felt that the garam masala was not quite right for the dish, but can't say exactly why. My husband liked it a lot -- I liked it, but not a lot. I'm not sure that I'd make it again.

• Pureed mustard greens with clarified butter (Sarson da saag)

  • amraub on October 04, 2012

    A bit of a time investment to cook the greens, but well worth it.

• Tamilian okra with a buttermilk-coconut sauce (Vendakkai morekozhumbu)

  • michalow on May 24, 2021

    A very nice curry. I used frozen okra and subbed chickpea flour for the rice flour, and it worked out just fine.

• Pan-fried okra with an onion-tamarind sauce (Bhindi pyaaz)

  • michalow on April 16, 2020

    Quick, easy, and delicious. Not enough tamarind to be detectable as such -- result is well balanced, but if you want to taste tamarind you'll need to add more. This was my first time using frozen okra and I thought it worked great.

• Seared okra with potatoes and tomato (Aloo bhindi ki subzi)

  • sarahcooks on September 14, 2012

    I enjoyed this, and it's an easy recipe. Just make sure you have tiny, tender okra. I'm an okra newbie and I let them get too big in my garden and they were inedible. The one tiny one was very good though! Too salty as written, cut it in half and then see if you need more.

  • marthamora on January 11, 2017

    Page 532

• Spicy banana peppers with a coconut-sesame seed sauce (Mirch ka salan)

  • jenburkholder on August 19, 2021

    We found this to be edible, but uninspiring - sauce was bland, even with a fair bit of seasoning adjustment, and there was too much of it for the amount of peppers. Kinda felt like eating a pile of wet ground up coconut.

  • biondanonima on October 04, 2012

    Excellent! I used red bell peppers and would probably add more spicy chiles next time. Also, double the sauce - it's delicious.

• Nutty-tart bell peppers with peanuts (Mirchi nu shaak)

  • amraub on August 06, 2012

    I was a bit concerned that I had ruined this dish by having the heat too high, but it still ended up tasting great. I was using a different burner than I normally rely on and the peppers blackened extremely quickly. The water also reduced much quicker than I had expected, leaving me with what appeared to be a brown, cakey mess. Surprisingly, the blackened peppers and brown mess tasted quite good! Will make again (hopefully keeping a closer eye on the heat levles). I served with the basil-peanut pesto shrimp in the contemporary curry section.

  • TrishaCP on July 29, 2024

    This is amazingly tasty and a great way to use an overabundance of CSA peppers. As amraub says, it does not look appetizing at all.

• Roasted bell peppers with chiles (Simla mirch fry)

  • jenburkholder on November 04, 2020

    Notes say: very good, very easy.

• Chile-spiked bell peppers and spinach (Mirch palak ki subzi)

  • jenburkholder on January 24, 2022

    Good, but not special. Mild and sweet. I thought there was a bit too much spinach vs. bell pepper, personally. We cooked it a lot less than he suggested.

  • amraub on October 01, 2012

    We omitted the spinach as I miscalculated and ran out while making the scallop dish from this same book. The sweetness of the bell pepper worked nicely with the chiles. Would like to try with the spinach as well next time!

• Chunky potatoes with buttermilk (Aloo chaas)

  • Jscantlin on January 21, 2018

    Very tasty, but despite using full-fat buttermilk, it did curdle when I added it to the sauce. There was a note specifically saying this wouldn't happen, but it unfortunately did. Should have tempered it, and will next time.

• Mrs. Joshi's potatoes with a fresh coconut-lime sauce (Batata bhajee)

  • jenburkholder on November 04, 2020

    Notes say: good - basically Indian-flavored mashed potatoes. Tasty.

  • sarahcooks on November 22, 2010

    I don't think I took the lid off soon enough, the sauce was too soupy. Not sure I'll try it again, but it was pretty quick to make.

• Chunky potatoes with garlic and peanuts (Lasoon sengdane batate chi bhajee)

  • jenburkholder on February 26, 2022

    Notes say: v. good.

• Baby potatoes with a garlic-red chile sauce (Nepalese dum aloo)

  • PennyG on May 15, 2011

    Good! I lifted the lid off toward the end so the sauce would thicken up a bit. Very tasty!

• One-pot potatoes in a red lentil sauce with lime juice (Aloo masoor dal)

  • Delys77 on October 23, 2013

    Pg. 552 As written I found this recipe a touch salty and a bit too acidic, that said, I think with a bit less salt and a bit less lime it is quite serviceable as a vegetarian main, especially when you add some spinach as he suggests. Overall I would likely repeat with the above noted variations, especially for a simple weeknight meal at home. As per usual with Mr. Iyer however, the cooking times are a bit short. I increased the time I spent sauteeing the onions as well as the simmering of the potatoes.

• Slow-cooked baby potatoes in a yogurt-fennel sauce (Kashmiri dum aloo)

  • ntt2 on February 22, 2012

    This is an excellent curry. I made several changes -- I tempered curry leaves and used panch phoron instead of the garam masala.

  • amraub on March 21, 2012

    Excellent. Flavour penetrated well. Not too spicy to serve to spice-averse guests.

  • annmartina on September 07, 2020

    I substituted the combination of ground cayenne pepper and paprika for Kashmiri chile powder and omitted the last 1/2 tsp. of cayenne pepper.

• Stewed potatoes, carrots, and peas in spiced coconut milk (Kai ishto)

  • Delys77 on May 14, 2013

    Pg. 565 For me this was only so so. It is very much like a south indian subzi, with coconut milk and lots of peppercorns and the usual suspects of carrots, potato, and peas. I went with only 1 serrano chile as he called to leave the seeds in and I didn't want the heat to overpower the vegetables. I found the 1 chile was ok, but still almost too much with all the seeds left in it. The seasonings and coconut milk did come through somewhat, but the heat overpowered them a bit. I also found the amount of coconut milk to be too little since there was very little sauce to speak of and it ended up being quite a dry curry. All in all there are too many things to fix with this recipe.

• Spicy potatoes with chiles and tomatoes (Molagha urulikazhangu)

  • jenburkholder on November 04, 2020

    Notes say: good - easy.

• Half-moon potatoes with fenugreek greens (Aloo methi subzi)

  • jenburkholder on March 01, 2022

    This was delicious, and with frozen fenugreek extremely pantry-friendly and quick. Spicy, aromatic, and easy. Will definitely make again.

• Potatoes and mustard greens with ginger and garlic (Aloo aur sarson ka saag)

  • jenburkholder on November 04, 2020

    Notes say: good, easy, not everyone a big fan.

  • amraub on February 12, 2012

    A lot of flavour for a simple side.

  • TrishaCP on November 23, 2019

    A really delicious and repeat-worthy recipe. It is on the spicy side, but I love the heat and ginger with the mustard greens.

  • Laura on October 17, 2014

    Pg. 572. The flavors in this dish are really intense, in a good way. It was very spicy, as one might expect, given that a full tsp of cayenne pepper was included. The ratio of potatoes to greens was heavy on the potatoes and light on the greens. In the future, I'd prefer that it be greens with some potatoes, so I'd double the amount of greens and possibly cut back on the potatoes. It was a lovely, fragrant, delicious dish that I'd certainly make again.

• Imperial potatoes (Moghalai aloo aur simla mirch)

  • ntt2 on February 22, 2012

    This is excellent -- also terrific as a potato salad and good cold as well!

• Savory cinnamon potato and bell pepper strips (Urulikazhungu molagha bhajee)

  • biondanonima on October 11, 2012

    Delicious and simple. Loved the nutty crunch of the lentil based spice mixture. Excellent with kheema mutter.

• Chunky potatoes with spinach (Aloo palak)

  • jenburkholder on November 04, 2020

    Notes say: very good, not saucy.

• Spicy potatoes and spinach with blackened chiles and coconut milk (Ulli ishto)

  • jenburkholder on May 10, 2024

    This was fine. Flavor was good - love the panch phoran - but not spicy enough to my taste. I used half the amount of coconut milk as I didn't need that much richness. I think I might enjoy it more with a heartier green like kale rather than spinach.

• New potatoes and spinach in a garlic-red chile sauce (Lasoon batata palak)

  • jenburkholder on November 04, 2020

    Notes say: good, using a can of tomatoes it was watery.

  • michalow on March 15, 2020

    I used four chiles (instead of six) and left them whole, and this was plenty hot for me! Skipped the cilantro and used mixed greens instead of just spinach. Really delicious.

• Chile-spiked potatoes with turnip greens (Aloo shalgam ka saag)

  • jenburkholder on May 10, 2024

    These were very good. Used frozen turnip leaves and substituted a Nepali masala for the bangla masala, which worked well and went with the rest of the (Nepali-inflected) meal.

• Double the potatoes with cumin and chiles (Zeera waale aloo aur rataloo ki subzi)

  • amraub on October 20, 2012

    This was good, but coming so soon after the Potato Mix on p. 584, we preferred the other recipe.

• A potato mix with a cracked peppercorn sauce (Molaghu urulikazhangu bhajee)

  • amraub on October 10, 2012

    A good way to use sweet potatoes for people not fond of overly sweet sweet potato dishes. The pounded spice mixture smells heavenly.

• Stewed radishes with tamarind (Imli waale mooli)

  • amraub on June 04, 2012

    This was very good and something different to do with radishes. I thought the dish had just a tiny bit too much sauce, but was otherwise excellent. The radishes also made a nice presentation on the plate. I served with the apricot chicken.

  • tmitra on March 25, 2017

    Interesting and pretty! I would half the salt next time. Serves 2-3 (not 6!) as a side dish.

• Mrs. Vakharia's peanutty spinach (Palak sengdana nu shaak)

  • amraub on October 10, 2012

    This one just didn't do it for us. I made it with kale, so maybe that was part of the problem, but the dish just didn't feel integrated. It was more like we were eating peanuts with kale rather than one side dish. It might've worked better for us if the peanuts had been ground.

• Bottle gourd squash with coconut and curry leaves (Thenga shorrakai)

  • jenburkholder on November 04, 2020

    Notes say: okay, pretty bland and a bit watery. Salt earlier and more generously.

• Bengali squash in coconut milk (Lauki narkol)

  • PennyG on July 04, 2013

    This was nice - and easy! I will make again. I used yellow squash rather than the bottle gourd squash and it was just fine.

  • ntt2 on February 22, 2012

    Lovely curry -- would substitute something else for zucchini next time -- not sure what...

• Peanut-coconut squash (Dudhi moongphalli chi bhajee)

  • amraub on October 31, 2012

    Nice blend of sweet and heat. Used cashews in place of peanuts.

• Squash with mango powder (Amchur lauki)

  • sarahcooks on October 17, 2012

    This recipe calls for bottle gourd but I made it with butternut squash. It was good that way, very sweet and sour.

• Bottle gourd squash with mustard greens and spinach (Lauki, sarson, aur palak ki subzi)

  • Laura on March 22, 2010

    3/22/10: Wow, I really did not like this dish at all. Maybe I just don't like mustard greens, but the flavor was really strange. I did substitute zucchini for the bottle gourd squash, but I really don't think that was the issue. Won't be making this one ever again.

• Coconut gourd with curry leaves (Kovakkai kari)

  • jenburkholder on November 04, 2020

    Good, easy. I love tindora, they're so fun. Not quick, though, because slicing all the tiny squashes takes a while.

• Garlicky gourd (Lasoon tindora)

  • imaluckyducky on April 19, 2017

    Completely disagree, cannot substitute English cucumbers for ivy gourds. The two veg have completely different texture and flavor. This is quite tasty thanks to the creaminess and tang from the yogurt, and the garlic flavor is not overbearing.

• Sesame-flavored green tomatoes (Hare tamatar til chi bhajee)

  • amraub on June 11, 2012

    I had a mixture of green tomatoes and not ripe, but not full on green tomatoes, so I think my dish ended up mushier and waterier than it would've been otherwise. This recipe is a unique way to cook up green tomatoes. I liked the peanut and sesame flavours and the little bit of heat. I served it to two people not entirely found of tomatoes and they had no issues with eating it. I'd like to repeat with all green tomatoes.

• Tomatoes with mustard sauce (Sorshe tamatar)

  • HKGFoodie on October 12, 2013

    Could use just 1 tbspn of mustard oil to make it healthier and still works well. Went well with Bismati Rice with Dry-Roasted Spices from Flavors First by Vikas Khanna

• Nutty-hot tomatoes with garlic (Tamatar chi bhajee)

  • ntt2 on February 22, 2012

    Superb with home-grown tomatoes -- use lots more nuts next time!

• Turnips with garlic and black cumin (Lasoon waale shalgam)

  • amraub on May 17, 2012

    This was my first time cooking with black cumin and I quite liked it in this dish. The ingredient list may be on the short side, but the dish has plenty of flavour. Served with peanut-garlic shrimp from same book. Will definitely repeat this recipe next time we have too many CSA box turnips.

• Seasonal vegetables with yellow split peas (Subzi dalcha)

  • mlbatt on June 11, 2023

    Chana dal was a bit undercooked - so cook longer before adding vegetables, or use a faster cooking lentil. Also don't pay attention to the note not to worry about so many chilies. I used 2 serranos (with seeds as instructed) instead of the 6 in the recipe and it was plenty spicy to our tastes. In fact, I would cut that down next time. And despite the recipe flaws, there will be a next time. It's really delicious and worth a re-do.

  • Delys77 on October 10, 2012

    Pg 632 Very tasty and healthy combination of dal and subzi. The number of chiles was scary but after I seeded them and cooked and saute gently a little longer than suggested it was delicious. Also, would cut back the ginger a little. Definitely a repeat.

  • wcassity on May 10, 2022

    Delicious! Used red lentils, potato, snap peas, and shredded Brussels sprouts. Grated in some ginger at the end. Two serranos was enough. Skipped the chickpea flour. Served with pita wedges.

  • totoro on January 21, 2015

    Very nice light meal.

• Nine-jeweled medley with a cashew-raisin sauce (Navratan korma)

  • marthamora on March 15, 2022

    Agree use only one cup of water or less

  • rotud on July 05, 2020

    Sauce was absolutely delicious after blending, but I feel like 2 cups water was too much and diluted the final dish. I boiled off the water for about 10 minutes at the end instead of simmering covered, which thickened the sauce a bit but made the veggies mushy. The final outcome was still delicious. However, next time I will only reserve 1 cup of water for adding to the final sauce. Also I don't bother with frying the paneer, I think it's delicious as is.

• Sweet pineapple with coconut milk and coffee (Anasi curry)

  • amraub on March 21, 2012

    Flavours worked surprisingly well together. Served to guests and they quite enjoyed it.

• Sweet watermelon with garlic and red chiles (Tarbooz ki subzi)

  • amraub on July 19, 2012

    I wasn't sure what to expect from this, but it was quite good. Spicy with a hint of sweetness. Definitely a unique thing to do with watermelon.

• Yellow split pea soup with browned red onions, yogurt, and chiles

  • VineTomato on September 01, 2017

    I wondered why this was listed in the contemporary curry section as it seemed like a typical, traditional dhal recipe. Then I added the cream and yogurt which I think is meant to turn it into more of a western style chowder. It was good, but way, way better before the cream and yogurt. I will make it again and skip the last step. The split peas took a lot longer to cook than suggested in the recipe - mine took about 50 minutes in total. I served this with a cheddar green chilli Soberdough bread (pre mixed just add beer + cheese) we brought when visiting New Orleans - what a pairing! Problem is that you can't seem to buy Soberdough in the UK.

• Mulligatawny

  • Breadcrumbs on August 22, 2010

    p. 650 - Note recipe calls for boneless, skinless chicken breasts

• Spinach soup with red lentils

  • Laura on February 26, 2011

    Pg. 651. This makes a lovely soup. It's a bit time-consuming, especially if you make the Balti Masala from scratch (which I recommend). I was a little fearful that it would be very, very hot, given the ingredients. However, the spiciness was just right. One recommendation: the recipe calls for you to grind the cumin, coriander and peppers together in a mortar. It's really difficult to crush the seeds when the pepper is present. My suggestion is to grind the cumin and coriander first and then add the peppers -- unless, of course, you enjoy eating whole coriander and cumin seeds :)

• Wok-seared chicken with mustard greens and spicy soy sauce

  • TrishaCP on October 20, 2017

    This is very subtle, but tasted good. Not sure it was the best application for mustard greens. I liked the velveting technique for the chicken a lot.

  • Delys77 on January 08, 2014

    Pg. 657 The author is correct that this recalls a very Indian style Chinese dish, with its use of mustard greens, tomato paste, and green chillies, all layered over the soy and chinese five spice. Plus the velveting technique on the chicken is very Chinese. The flavours were nice, and the texture of the chicken was great. Overall I would say this is a winner. I will note that I couldn't find any mustard greens so I went with kale which worked very well.

• Leg of lamb with an onion-coconut sauce

  • ntt2 on February 23, 2012

    Also make with a beef roast.

• Pork ribs with a sweet-sour glaze

  • amraub on December 07, 2011

    Sauce was a nice mix of sweet and sour with a touch of warmth. Cooked in the slow-cooker to make it a weeknight meal. Served with beets.

• Grilled pork tenderloin drenched with an onion sauce

  • amraub on May 12, 2012

    My potatoes needed a bit longer to simmer, but this was a nice comforting recipe. I roasted the pork and it came out great, although next time I might sear it prior to roasting.

• Salmon with holy basil in a tamarind-honey sauce

  • susankay on March 23, 2022

    Delicious

• Three-bean chili with a cashew-pistachio sauce

  • Logan92995 on December 20, 2023

    Overall, I thought this was a little on the bland side. Can't pinpoint it exactly, but I'm sure that, like some chilis, this would work best when accompanied by some sour cream/yogurt or some form of cheese.

• Penne with a cashew-dill sauce

  • Logan92995 on August 03, 2023

    I thought this was great. All of the flavors came together really well to make a great dish, and not too heavy either, which I was afraid of. There''s nothing in this I would change, outside of MAYBE reducing the number of chilies used. I only had Chile de arbol on hand, and used 3 of those which proved to make the dish spicy enough. For those more tolerant to heat, that should be more than enough.

  • dclong on September 19, 2015

    If you like big flavors, then this pasta dish is for you. When I read the recipe it was hard to "visualize" how all the flavors would work together. It's creamy, rich, spicy, earthy, toasty, sweet, tart, and bright flavored all at the same time. I liked it, but think it will be a recipe where I have to be in the mood for it. My palette was getting tired by the time I finished my big bowl.

• Ziti with arugula and jaggery

  • amraub on August 25, 2012

    With my first bite, I wasn't too sure of this dish. It seemed a bit too sweet, but the more I ate, the more the flavours came together in this one for me. A little bit of heat, a little bitterness from the arugula, the sweetness of the jaggery, but the highlight for me was the fennel. I used pureed tomato instead of chopped for a smoother sauce and orecchiette pasta which is a suggested alternative. I forgot to put the parmesan on top and didn't miss it.

• Asparagus with tomato and crumbled paneer

  • snokite on December 25, 2019

    Better with mushrooms! No asparagus? Try it with green beans or zucchini. So good!

• Broccoli and bell peppers with English-style curry powder

  • Delys77 on November 19, 2014

    Also fairly good but nothing to write home about. It is very very colourful and the large amount of garlic does compliment the broccoli, but on the whole there is a touch too much tomato and the recipe just doesn't gel as well as one would like. Overall not a repeatable recipe, but not bad.

• Yogurt-marinated lamb with rice, saffron, and mint (Kacchi biryani)

  • amraub on August 05, 2012

    This requires a bit of planning ahead. The lamb needs to marinate (I marinated overnight) and the rice soaks for an hour before being briefly cooked and put in the dish. However, despite the long ingredient list and directions, this requires very little active cooking time and the results are well worth it. The lamb came out very moist and tender, the rice was cooked perfectly, and the flavours were excellent and well-melded despite my use of some very assertive mint. Will make again.

• Grilled chicken layered with saffron rice (Tandoori murghi biryani)

  • ntt2 on February 23, 2012

    Try takin chicken out and stripping meat then returning to rice for final re-heating. p.691.

• Baked spicy rice with coconut and shrimp (Jhinga biryani)

  • ntt2 on February 23, 2012

    Also try salmon, cod, or sole. p.693.

• Nimmy Paul's tomato rice (Tamatar biryani)

  • TrishaCP on April 01, 2023

    The flavor was amazing, but my rice also ended up a bit soft.

  • sarahcooks on March 31, 2011

    I liked the flavor of this, but the rice ended up a bit overcooked.

• Garlicky festive rice (Subzi biryani)

  • Delys77 on April 20, 2015

    Pg. 698 It may be that I had too much cinnamon in my punjabi GM but I found the curry to be too aromatic and a very unappealing colour. I have seen recipes for a similar vegetarian biryani that called for yogurt in the subzi and this seems like a much better approach. I also found there was far too much paprika in the suggested replacement for the kashmiri chilli. Since all you are getting is a bit of a rusty colour on your bottom layer of rice, I would simply leave it out. On the whole I would say this recipe was not to our taste and I wouldn't recommend.

• Perfumed basmati rice with black cardamom pods (Kala elaichi pulao)

  • smtucker on October 21, 2012

    Delicious rice dish. Served with lamb curry page 190.

• Rice with yogurt and mustard seeds (Tayyar shaadum)

  • PennyG on November 09, 2013

    Raghavan made this when I went to a class he taught featuring 660 Curries. I have made this many times since and we always love it.

  • ntt2 on February 24, 2012

    Excellent rice dish -- especially with chicken!

• Dirty rice with caramelized onions ("Mitty" chawal)

  • Tee.Tee on October 08, 2017

    This was really delicious. A perfect foil for spicy curries. Followed the cooking instructions to the letter and it turned out perfect.

  • ashallen on October 05, 2019

    Great rice. I really liked its spice combo with the caramelized red onions and its edge of sweetness. Contains chunks of various spices which I don't mind but some find distracting. Easy dish to pull together!

• Nutty rice with cashews, almonds, and fresh mint (Kaaju badam chawal)

  • amraub on October 21, 2012

    Very good rice. I chopped the nuts instead of leaving them whole due to personal preference of nutty flavour over lots of nutty texture. The fresh mint and cracked peppercorns added a nice contrast. Will make again.

• Buttery basmati rice with spinach and onion (Palak pulao)

  • amraub on December 08, 2011

    Surprisingly flavourful given the simple ingredients. Used chard due to CSA box. Pairs wonderfully with the lamb-almond dumplings in this book.

  • TrishaCP on January 09, 2021

    Delicious rice dish. I served it with the lamb-almond dumplings.

  • Dannausc on August 14, 2019

    Pretty decent.

  • cedarmakesthings on February 20, 2016

    Buttery and delicious, even the kids loved this one--greens and all!

• Rice with potatoes and paneer (Aloo paneer pulao)

  • hirsheys on February 12, 2017

    I made this on the recommendation of someone from Chowhound. It is delicious and an interesting change from plain basmati. It's fun to discover a random potato, or even better a chunk of creamy cheese, hidden in each bite.

• Saffron-laced basmati rice (Zarda chaawal)

  • amraub on January 24, 2012

    Subtle flavors on its own. Goes great soaking up the sauce from mild, nutty curries. Book recommends Chicken with Almond Yogurt Sauce. I paired with Kerala Korma from Mighty Spice.

• Sri Lankan pearl rice with lemongrass (Muttu sambha)

  • amraub on September 28, 2012

    Beautiful yellow rice with lovely aromas.

  • ashallen on July 28, 2019

    This rice was fine but more gently flavored than I expected it to be given the ingredient list. I'll be trying it again with very fresh herbs/spices. The rice's texture was quite good - the grains had a nice, slightly sticky/tacky quality. Instead of Sri Lankan sambha rice, I used Italian originario rice. I did stick a dishtowel under the lid while the rice rested to help draw off additional moisture.

• Griddle-cooked corn bread with chiles (Makkai ki roti)

  • Tee.Tee on July 08, 2020

    Delicious! Easy to make and paired well with bitter greens as recommended. The recipe was good as written and leaves lots of room for tweaking fun in the future.

• Salt-crusted griddle flatbread with ghee (Naan)

  • Emily Hope on August 20, 2013

    A naan recipe that actually tastes like naan! Super easy to pull together, especially if you use a stand mixer. I used our gas grill and the unglazed quarry tiles I usually keep in the oven for bread, and this method worked well. The only tricky part was transferring the shaped breads to the tiles--the dough is quite soft and my first two attempts ended up looking pretty ugly (though still delicious). I brought the other two unshaped rounds out to the grill, shaped them and buttered them there, and put them directly on the tiles--this worked better. The dough is a little light on salt, so the salt on top is key. (And next time I might add another 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt to the dough.

  • Delys77 on April 15, 2013

    Pg. 729 I have tried to make naan in the past and have failed miserably. The fact that this recipe uses buttermilk instead of yogurt still gives you the lovely tang you need for naan, but makes it a bit less sticky. I used the stand mixer and followed the timing for mixing and kneading and it worked very well. As suggested I cooked on a very hot bbq with a pizza stone and it worked perfectly. The result was crispy naan with a nice chew. The only challenge was the fact that the dough stuck to the wax paper. Next time spray the paper with non stick cooking spray to avoid having to struggle to get the dough off the paper.

• Chopped cucumber, tomato, and onion with lime juice (Kachumber)

  • Dannausc on August 14, 2019

    Pretty decent.

• Soused cucumbers in yogurt and fresh mint (Kakadi raita)

  • Dannausc on August 09, 2018

    Easy and good

  • JKDLady on March 03, 2016

    The flavor was good, but I did leave out the fresh chiles as I wanted this to be a cooling agent for my meal. Turns out we needed it! I wouldn't make it too far in advance as liquid is produced. I made it the morning of my luncheon and had no problems.

• Mango cardamom cheesecake with a pistachio crust (Aam elaichi "cheesecake")

  • amraub on October 10, 2012

    The cheesecake cooked beautifully and we liked the crust quite a bit, but didn't get much mango flavour from the cheesecake filling. Used homemade mango puree instead of canned, so that may have been part of the problem.

  • Laurendmck on March 01, 2018

    p. 751. A wonderful dessert. I didn't want to fork out the dough for pistachios so I made a graham cracker crust. The extra mango puree from the can is delicious in smoothies!

• Cardamom and nutmeg-flavored baked custard (Lagan nu custard)

  • JKDLady on March 03, 2016

    I tasted this dish after it had cooled, but not with a meal. It was pretty boring. However, it was the perfect dessert for serving after a full-flavored curry meal. I did serve it with ice cream, as suggested. I believe that was a good call. I used 1 tsp mango extract, but I think I would double that next time as it was just too subtle. I also did not add the slivered almonds because I thought the texture would be wrong, so I sprinkled the top with toasted, sliced almonds. I just can't imagine biting down on slivered almonds in a dessert that is so smooth.

• Fresh-squeezed lime juice with soda and pepper (Nimboo paani)

  • Laurendmck on December 29, 2016

    P 755

• Ground beef with sweet potato and whole-wheat ribbons (Chicoli)

  • sarahcooks on August 20, 2024

    This turned out better than I thought it would, my family really enjoyed it. I would make more noodles next time because there weren't very many and they added interesting flavor and texture.

• Coconut-smothered lamb with shoestring potatoes (Nariyal saliya gosht)

  • ashallen on October 26, 2019

    This was delicious and even better the next day - the lamb seemed even more tender after sitting overnight in the sauce. My husband isn't usually a fan of coconut-heavy dishes, but he also thought this was delicious. I cooked the dish longer than specified in the recipe to further soften the lamb, adding additional water as needed to keep the sauce from getting too thick. Recipe specified 1.5 tsp kosher salt or table salt - I used table salt and found it to be too salty - 1 tsp would probably be better. Served with rice instead of shoestring potatoes.

• Slow-stewed tomato sauce with kidney beans (Tamatar malai rajmah)

  • jenburkholder on November 04, 2020

    Notes say: good - used yogurt instead of cream.

• Tart-hot kidney beans with tomato in a yogurt sauce (Dahiwaale rajmah)

  • jenburkholder on November 04, 2020

    Notes say: good - unusual flavors (although, looking at the recipe, I can't imagine what we found unusual).

• Hearty kidney beans with a tart onion-chile sauce (Punjabi rajmah)

  • jenburkholder on November 04, 2020

    Notes say: very good.

  • patioweather on May 22, 2024

    The cooking technique was a little unusual for me but the outcome was delicious.

• Bolly cauli (Aloo gobhi)

  • jenburkholder on November 04, 2020

    Notes say: very good, easy.

• Serious Eats

  This book is virtually inexhaustible. If you can think of an ingredient, Iyer has a curry recipe for it. I've found it especially helpful in finding creative ways to prepare vegetables...

  Full review

• Serious Eats

  The 10 Best cookbooks of 2009: This was my maiden voyage into the world of Indian cooking. Iyer's recipes have freshness and a light quality... I have gone back to this one time and time again,

  Full review

• NPR by T. Susan Chang

  In 10 Best Cookbooks of 2008: I never open this book without being struck by the diversity, comprehensiveness and sheer size, which led me to call it "the best 3-pound paperback of the year"...

  Full review

• Boston Globe by T. Susan Chang

  How I wish I'd had Iyer's curry book back then! I'd have rampaged through the spice stores every night. So we're all lucky that "660 Curries" is here.

  Full review

• Tinned Tomatoes

  ...the best way to use this book is to choose the ingredients you want to use and then have a browse through the index. You won't be disappointed.

  Full review