• DKennedy on February 18, 2019

  I purchased a kindle copy of this book. Now that I've cooked out of it, I will definitely splurge for the print copy. It was our cook the book selection this month - we tried 14 recipes and everything was make again worthy. I will post reviews under each recipe.

Notes about Recipes in this book

• Toasted cumin powder

  • DKennedy on February 18, 2019

    We made this as part of our Cook the Book menu. Makes everything you add it to taste yummy.

• Mace-cardamom powder

  • DKennedy on February 18, 2019

    We made this as part of our Cook the Book menu.

• Ginger-garlic paste

  • DKennedy on February 18, 2019

    We made this as part of our Cook the Book menu. Best to have a blend tech or something similar for this paste.

  • twoyolks on July 30, 2020

    I was able to blend a quarter recipe in a Vitamix successfully.

• Makhani sauce

  • EmilyR on February 13, 2019

    I love all things Makhani - in fact it's one of my gauges as to whether or not I want to buy a book on Indian cooking. The book recommends doubling this to have some for a freezer stash. I decided to triple it because I had plenty of ingredients. There were a couple things that weren't clear : deseeding the peppers (I ended up using serrano, because that's what was available) and deseeded for the most part, but wasn't ruthless because I like heat. I also reduced the water by 2 cups and could have decreased it even more or simmered longer, because I was hoping for a thicker gravy. After pureeing through my vitamix there weren't many solids left to strain making for a very smooth sauce. I added the honey as mentioned to sweeten it up a bit. I felt like this was missing something... in fairness it's not tomato season.

  • EmilyR on April 02, 2019

    Just another update - this works well to freeze and defrost. After using a frozen portion (pre heavy cream addition, per book instructions) I added the cream and a bit more salt. Next time I make this I will continue to make and freeze several portions. Also, don't forget the jeera / saffron rice they pair so nicely together.

• Crispy fried spinach with tomato, onion, tamarind, and yogurt (Palak chaat)

  • tmitra on August 10, 2020

    I've dreamed about this dish since eating it at the restaurant, and while I'm intimidated by deep frying at home, it's so worth it here!

• Roasted stuffed dates with saffron-chili beurre blanc

  • DKennedy on February 18, 2019

    We made this as part of our Cook the Book menu. Because we planned a multi course menu, we opted to serve these for dessert - which was a mistake because - the beurre blanc sauce is savory, not sweet. They are delicious and would be excellent as an appetizer or eaten with a glass of wine as an after dinner snack. I had one of the leftovers the next day on its own (no sauce) and I really loved it. I would make these again.

• Avocado chaat with banana

  • DKennedy on February 18, 2019

    We made this on the day of our Cook the Book menu - but for lunch, and not as part of the meal. Once you have the components in your pantry, this is a snap to prepare. I plan on making it again this week. Make sure your bananas and avocados are firm to the touch.

• Potato patties with spiced yellow peas (Ragda patties)

  • nutrica6 on July 09, 2024

    I like the flavor combinations in this dish. It's a lot of moving parts, so I definitely recommend boiling the potatoes and cooking the peas ahead of time. The peas were strange, definitely not cooked enough. I'm wondering if the cooking liquid wasn't enough, would add more next time. I served it with naan, which was perfect. The potato patties worked well, make sure the pan is hot enough for them to not fall apart.

• Ginger scallops

  • DKennedy on February 18, 2019

    We made this as part of our Cook the Book menu. This was our first "small bite" on our multi course menu. By far the best scallops I've ever eaten. Other than juicing the ginger, this recipe is very easy to prepare and most of the prep can be done earlier in the day. This would make a lovely main course. You must try these!!!!

  • sosayi on April 17, 2020

    Agreed that this is super easy to prep besides that annoying ginger juice. I ended up doing half juice and half microplaned ginger. And it worked fine. DELICIOUS, though. I’d definitely make it again. I might even consider doing a larger batch of the red pepper sauce, to then freeze, so that it could go in the Vitamix and get a smoother consistency.

• Butternut squash bharta

  • DKennedy on February 18, 2019

    Because a typical Indian meal doesn't have enough carbs, we decided to make this carb-centric bharta in place of the eggplant version, We made this at part off our Cook the Book dinner. Verdict: it was good, but I prefer the eggplant version.

• Green beans chili garlic

  • clkandel on July 24, 2022

    Like the fresh taste that the lemon juice adds. I think I'll try using chili crisp next time I make this dish.

• Broccoli poriyal

  • DKennedy on February 18, 2019

    We made this as part of our Cook the Book menu. This was described as a make ahead dish and so I got to taste it the day of making it, the next day when it was served as part of the main meal, and a third time as leftovers. First, this is a visually stunning recipe, with green and white and red popping through here and there. For future reference, I think I would make and serve this on the day of and under cook the broccoli a bit. I also would cut back on the coconut. A wonderful dish!!!

• Cauliflower and peas with cumin (Jeera gobi mattar)

  • hughb on March 20, 2019

    Delicious and easy.

• Creamed spinach (Malai palak)

  • EmilyR on January 18, 2020

    This isn't substantially different from the palak paneer... I felt it needed a bit more salt and I added some other greens (swiss chard + kale) from my garden in addition to the spinach. The cumin seeds could be increased, but this is a good basis for a saag dish.

  • EmilyR on June 09, 2023

    Made this one again... took a couple shortcuts, I boiled until just wilted and placed it directly into a vitamix with the extra water. I also added caramelized onions to the vitamix instead of cooking them which also saved time.

• Palak paneer

  • EmilyR on February 18, 2019

    I pureed this in the vitamix, which resulted in an ultra smooth texture. The vibrant green color is beautiful. It still felt like it was missing a little something to make it a phenomenal restaurant quality, but we enjoyed this dish.

• Paneer makhani

  • EmilyR on February 14, 2019

    This comes together nicely. I was surprised the paneer didn't mention pan frying it as my other recipes often do, so I decided to do that. The quantity was quite large, which was good as we enjoyed this dish a lot. I'm glad I reduced the water for the makhani as I like it a bit more rich and thick. The only thing I'd change is perhaps adding a bit more salt.

• Creamy tandoori-style chicken kebabs (Malai chicken tikka)

  • twoyolks on July 30, 2020

    An unusual marinade for the chicken, it gives the chicken a bit of a salty, fermented flavor. I think this would be better with chicken thighs rather than chicken breasts. I cooked the chicken skewers directly on the grill grate and did get some significant sticking by the marinade. Cooking on a cooler portion of the grill worked better.

• Grilled cashew cardamom lamb chops

  • DKennedy on February 18, 2019

    We made this as part of our Cook the Book menu. This was probably my favorite dish of the evening. I can't adequately describe how amazingly delicious these chops came out. Perfect paired with the mint chutney and also with the tamarind date chutney. Please, if you own this book, make this recipe.

• Goan halibut curry

  • sosayi on April 18, 2020

    Really quite simple to prepare and amenable to slight changes (mild harissa in place of Kashmiri Chile paste, ground coriander not seed, wahoo not halibut, no Chile Peppers on hand). I’d make again with any other meaty white fish. Delicious!

• Chicken pista korma

  • DKennedy on February 18, 2019

    We made this as part of our Cook the Book menu. I made this recipe from start to finish. I loved everything about it, though my friends who eat dark meat chicken regularly said we let the meat cook too long.

  • TrishaCP on March 14, 2019

    This was incredibly rich and incredibly delicious. So rich I didn’t bother adding the heavy cream. I don’t have a high speed blender or wet spice grinder so my sauce wasn’t as smooth as the picture (I guess the cream would have helped) but it was just fine.

  • wcassity on May 19, 2019

    Delicious, Made as-is. Not complicated. Kids loved.

  • clkandel on April 13, 2023

    Wonderful flavors and creaminess. Used just a splash of half and half instead of cream. Would be good with a little heat or spicy condiment/chutney on the side. Added some crisply steamed broccoli to replace some chicken.

• Home-style chicken curry (Tariwala murgh)

  • jenburkholder on August 27, 2025

    This was excellent. Basic chicken curry but in all the right ways, just great. Used thighs and did not make ahead as was recommended, though will look forward to the leftovers.

• Butter chicken (Chicken makhani)

  • EmilyR on February 13, 2019

    Unclear on the mustard oil whether it needs heated to just before smoking point as mentioned in the beginning of the book or just added to the marinade as is. Also, be aware that mustard oil is tricky. In the US they are marked as not for consumption, though people definitely use them to cook with. I went with the recommendation of my local Indian grocery owner.

• Jeera pulao

  • EmilyR on February 18, 2019

    Excellent and quick way to make rice. I increased the cardamom substantially, because it's wonderful.

• Saffron pulao

  • EmilyR on February 14, 2019

    I have never made rice using this technique, but it turned out really well and similar to a restaurant quality. I rinsed the rice multiple times and soaked it overnight as I always do, because it substantially reduces the arsenic.

  • DKennedy on February 18, 2019

    We made this as part of our Cook the Book menu. Excellent.

• Moong dal with spinach (Moong dal palak)

  • sosayi on November 02, 2018

    Absolutely fabulous dal. Incredibly rich from the ghee, but nicely balanced by the tomato and spice mix. I used a bit more spinach than called for (10 oz vs 8 oz) to use up a container, but it was still a good ratio. I highly recommend this one!

  • clkandel on March 24, 2026

    Excellent flavor! Served this with a side of lemon rice.

• Chapati

  • wcassity on September 11, 2022

    Awesome - quick, easy, delicious.

• Naan

  • Yildiz100 on January 18, 2019

    Easy and quite good, even with my oven that won't go quite as hot as required.

• Mint-cilantro chutney

  • DKennedy on February 18, 2019

    Made this as part of our Cook The Book menu. Excellent flavor and texture. Eaten with store bought papam and to accompany the lamb chops.

• Mint, cilantro, and yogurt chutney

  • twoyolks on July 30, 2020

    This had a really nice, well balanced flavor. None of the ingredients dominated.

• Tamarind-date chutney

  • DKennedy on February 18, 2019

    Made this as part of our Cook The Book menu. Excellent. Served to accompany the meal and as a component of several recipes.

• Cucumber raita

  • DKennedy on February 18, 2019

    Made this as part of our Cook The Book menu. The toasted cumin seed powder really makes this a stand out.

• White chocolate rice pudding

  • DKennedy on June 11, 2023

    Made this for a Sri Lankan themed dinner party at Donna's house. The rice was nicely sweetened before adding the white chocolate. Then the white chocolate takes it from an ordinary Indian rice pudding to one that hints at something more indulgent. The saffron imparts a lovely hue. I doubled the rice and kept everything else as set out in the recipe. Also added a dash of vanilla. Keep these two changes going forward, it made 8 small servings.