Notes about Recipes in this book

• Sour cream Indian dressing

  • Rutabaga on October 25, 2017

    For something so simple, this was surprisingly tasty, and I only included cayenne and garlic, as I didn't have fenugreek leaves. It is a key component in the spicy mashed potato and pea sandwich recipe from this same book, but it's also great as a dip or spread. This morning, I spread it over toast, which I then topped with scrambled eggs. Yum!

• Brown basmati rice

  • Rutabaga on November 06, 2017

    This is the best method for cooking brown basmati rice. It turns out fluffy, nutty, and perfectly cooked, and is especially delicious when made with ghee.

  • katiesue28 on January 05, 2022

    This has completely changed my mind about brown rice. Absolutely delicious. I cannot wait to make this again and again.

• Rice pilaf with cashews, cranberries and saffron

  • Rutabaga on March 27, 2014

    This is my go-to technique for basmati rice. The inclusion of cranberries and cashews add great texture and flavor, but you can just follow this recipe using only cooking oil, rice, and a little salt, and your rice will turn out flavorful and well cooked and seasoned - no mushy grains!

• Spinach and split pea mash

  • debbates on March 20, 2026

    Loved this combination. Cut the sumac in half for personal taste. Cooked the peas a bit longer to get mushy texture. Delicious. Topped with roasted carrots and salted yogurt drizzle.

• Beet greens sautéed in ginger, lemon and cumin

  • Rutabaga on March 29, 2014

    This easy sautee packs a lot of punchy flavor. The only issue I have is that my beet greens often seem to wilt too quickly in the pan, so I recommend using the freshest greens possible and getting them in the pan right away after mixing with the lemon juice and spices.

  • lorloff on November 05, 2023

    These were really great. I did not have daikon radishes so I used watermelon radishes and it worked really well. I made ½ the recipe because that was the amount of fresh beet greens and stems I had. I will use this any time I get super fresh beet greens with the beets I buy at the farmers market. The only caveat is that I need to start with ½ the amount of cayenne or less, it was too spicy for my husband. Vij hits a home run again.

  • amy_9scy2c on April 12, 2026

    We mixed it in with an Indian curry, it really enhanced the curry’s flavour.

• Red bell pepper, onion and sumac sauté

  • Rutabaga on March 29, 2014

    Like the beet green sautee, this dish is fast to prepare, tangy and sweet. It makes a great weeknight dish if you have peppers on hand.

• Tangy and spicy chopped new potatoes

  • et12 on February 06, 2024

    I thought this was just ok. It was difficult to cook the potatoes through following the instructions given. I had to cook for longer but it ended up blackening the tomato-spice mixture. I couldn’t get a hold of mango powder so I used tamarind pulp instead and it worked well. There was a good tangy flavour that I liked but I don’t think I’ll be doing this one again.

• Spicy peas and mashed potato toasted sandwiches

  • Rutabaga on October 21, 2017

    It's an unusual sandwich idea, but still a tasty one. Since it's fairly spicy when made as written (and I even decreased the amount of chile flakes by almost half), I set aside some plain potatoes and peas for the kids. The sour cream dressing is a must, and I found that sautéed red bell peppers, seasoned with sumac and a little salt, were an excellent addition. The filling can be made in advance, then reheated when you're ready to make and serve the sandwiches.

• Coconut vegetable curry

  • Rutabaga on September 29, 2014

    This is a good basic curry that is very adaptable - you can make it with pantry ingredients you are likely to already have on hand (at least if you occasionally cook Indian food) and whatever vegetables are in the fridge. This time I used a mix of cauliflower, wax and green beans, and paneer. The taste is creamy and relatively mild, giving it wide appeal.

• Portobello mushrooms and red bell peppers and creamy curry

  • Rutabaga on March 20, 2015

    This very mild, ultra creamy curry was well like by both my husband and three-year-old (although the three-year-old did pick the onions out). It's not difficult to make, but because the sauce is basically cream, it will have to remain an occasional treat. I used a mix of cremini and button mushrooms instead or portobellos, and also served it in bowls atop brown rice instead of with the suggested paneer or bread. Being as rich as it is, I felt that brown rice was a good match to temper the unctuousness of the sauce. One recipe could easily feed six to eight adults.

• Paneer, green beans and eggplant in tamarind curry

  • Rutabaga on October 20, 2014

    This curry was disappointing compared with the others in this book I've tried, which have all been excellent. Too much sugar (1/2 cup) was the biggest culprit, I think. I used a quarter cup of organic brown sugar and a quarter cup of organic unrefined sugar, but next time I would limit it to no more than a quarter cup total. I also used brown mustard seeds as I couldn't find black on short notice, and left out the curry leaves for the same reason.

  • Rutabaga on October 06, 2015

    When I finally used the leftover curry I had stashed in the freezer, I pureed a 28 oz can of tomatoes and added that to the dish, along with a small amount of leftover coconut milk, and voila! The curry was much more palatable. If I made it again I would do this from the start, and still decrease the sugar.

• Kidney beans and rice (Rajma chawal)

  • kath on May 06, 2013

    This is an excellent vegetarian main dish. It's very flavorful. Meeru actually suggests using canned kidney beans, which makes it quick to make, too.

  • Rutabaga on July 11, 2017

    This is a great recipe for canned kidney beans - kid-friendly, too, if you use mild chile powder. I also left out the ginger since I didn't have any. As with many curries, it's an excellent dish to make in advance. Canned tomatoes work well here.

• Punjabi lentil curry

  • okcook on January 31, 2019

    This is a delicious curry made with the usual urad dahl. The addition of the kidney beans adds a lot of texture to the dish. I have made this twice now. Delicious served with rice and/or flat breads.

• Mung beans in coconut curry

  • Totallywired on October 23, 2018

    Staple recipe. The sort of thing you rejoice when you remember it’s in your fridge after a long day. Great balance and a true one pot meal, or can supplement almost anything.

• Chickpea and cucumber curry

  • Rutabaga on March 29, 2014

    Try this for a curry that's a little different - dry, with the rich chickpeas contrasting with the crunchy cucumber (Persian cukes are best). It's definitely for chickpea fans, although my husband prefers the texture of crispy roasted chickpeas to the soft ones in this curry.

• Celery root and bulgur wheat koftas in tomato and garam masala curry

  • Rutabaga on March 29, 2014

    The flavor of these koftas is suburb - imagine koftas with deep, complex spices and a delicate texture soaking in a decadent creamy sauce. But, because the recipe is time consuming, I don't make it often. It's ideal as a show-stopping vegetarian main course.

• Prawns in pomegranate curry

  • lorloff on December 27, 2022

    This was brilliant and delicious. Highly recommended and we will make again. I was able to use the food processor to finely chop the onions which saved a lot of time. I did it in two batches so as not to over chop them. This came together swiftly and really complemented the shrimp. The pomegranate juice was perfect. Careful to get juice not molasses which would make the dish too sweet.

• Green cabbage, peas and chicken curry on brown basmati rice

  • Rutabaga on November 05, 2017

    This is a good dry curry that still packs plenty of flavor. As you would expect with a curry, it can easily be made in advance, although the peas should be added right before serving. I used savoy cabbage, and loved the way the crinkled shreds soaked up the spices. It's also a very healthful curry, packed with veggies and protein, but without any cream or coconut milk to make it heavy.

  • katiesue28 on January 05, 2022

    Delicious. I doubled the amount of tomatoes, and am glad I did. I may add even more in the future. Easy, veggie-filled, and scrumptious.

  • et12 on November 16, 2025

    This was a really nice recipe. I used sweet cabbage and ended up mixing in the rice. Would be really good with some toasted cashews added in at the end.

• Chicken, tomato and green bean curry

  • Rutabaga on September 07, 2015

    This is a straightforward curry recipe, but when following the technique of layering the flavors that Vij and Dhalwala detail throughout this book, you still get rich, satisfying flavor. It can easily be made ahead, but wait to add the green beans when you are ready to serve it, so they don't overcook when the sauce is reheated.

• Butter chicken schnitzel

  • Rutabaga on February 10, 2019

    This dish is a treat. I don't make it too often as it's very rich, but it is a delicious occasional splurge. The butter sauce is simple to prepare and can be made in advance. Serve with basmati rice so that you can spoon the extra sauce over the rice.

  • et12 on December 04, 2022

    This is one of my favourite recipes, very indulgent but worth it every once in a while.

  • Lonion on August 15, 2025

    I've used this recipe to make an easy butter chicken many times (instead of the schnitzel, which I'm sure is also fantastic). It's delicious.

• Stewed beef and rapini in cumin curry

  • Frogcake on June 18, 2017

    A good curry that comes together very quickly. It happens that I had cooked rapini in my freezer. The liquid portions seem to be on the mark -for Vij curries they can be a bit off. I thought one tablespoon of cayenne might push our taste buds into the FIRE zone despite the fact that we all love hot, spicy foods, so I added one teaspoon with a view of adding more if additional kick was needed. One teaspoon was definitely enough cayenne, which leads me to believe that there is a typo. As well, I used one quarter cup of oil rather than a full half cup in the recipe.

• Fresh fennel and pork curry

  • Frogcake on December 21, 2017

    This curry has a pleasant sour-sweet taste from the buttermilk, vinegar, and dates. I made quite a few adjustments though: I omitted the water completely and added an extra half cup of buttermilk; I added red wine vinegar in place of the balsamic (the slight sweetness is sacrificed for a slightly more robust sourness, I prefer); I used cubed pork tenderloin - about a pound; I added diced sweet onion, sweet potato and chopped green beans as well as chopped spinach (a half cup). So good with fresh naan or brown basmati. I also like to sprinkle chopped dates and pistachios on top. The chopped dates compensate for the sweet tinge missing if you do not add balsamic. I would make it again as described.

  • Frogcake on April 28, 2018

    Made this yummy curry again. This time I replaced the buttermilk with 18 percent cream, added one tablespoon more of vinegar, and omitted the dates. Also freshly ground cumin seeds made an incredible difference. I coached my son-in-training and he was completely sold on this recipe. Definitely don’t need to add water.

• Pork tenderloin with glazed oranges

  • et12 on August 15, 2020

    Delicious but makes a lot of curry sauce. I would halve the curry sauce recipe if you don’t like your curries too saucy