Notes about Recipes in this book

• Dhana jiru (Dhansak masala)

  • Ganga108 on June 15, 2025

    DELISH! I like to make this ahead of time. It makes quite a lot, so scale down for your needs. Note: Parsi dhana jiru is more than just a ground mix of coriander seeds and cumin seeds which is used in the rest of India. The Parsi version is a complex mix of many spices - up to 20! The one in this book on P36 is a fabulous mix.

• Roasted cashews with ajwain (Masala kaju)

  • Ganga108 on February 20, 2022

    Ok, but very oily.

• Fritters (Bhajjias, Pakoras)

  • Ganga108 on February 20, 2022

    Delicious!

• Fish soup with Parsi-style rouille [inspired by a Julia Child article in Gourmet magazine]

  • mcvl on December 13, 2012

    Delicious -- I made it with a huge mixture of fishy things, rockfish, cod, mussels, shrimp, and scallops. No potatoes (too carby), I used well-cooked eggplant instead, and it was a very successful substitution.

• Mulligatawny

  • stockholm28 on May 01, 2014

    This was good, simple, and worked for a weeknight dinner. Mine had quite a bit of kick to it. I used Serrano chilies (couldn’t find the green chilis that she recommends) and would definitely tone it back if I were cooking for someone who didn't like a lot of chili. I used the canned coconut milk option.

• Creamy scrambled eggs (Charvela ida)

  • Ganga108 on December 20, 2024

    Niloufer notes that this is the French way to cook scrambled eggs, so classic and such a creamy result. I watched a video recently where a chef cooked scrambled eggs 3 different ways. He got the french way SO wrong, whisking frantically as they cooked. This is the way for glorious, beautiful, creamy eggs.

• Parsi omelet (Parsi pora)

  • Ganga108 on December 20, 2024

    Today I was talking to a Parsi friend whose grandparents lived in Mumbai (Bombay), and he so fondly remembers his grandfather making these delicious omelets. He has such great food memories of those times.

• Masala seafood (Tareli attva bhujeli machhi)

  • L.Nightshade on May 02, 2014

    I believe I have found the absolutely easiest recipe in the book. Although it looks like it takes up three pages of instructions, there is really almost nothing to it: We had fresh Coho salmon, and left it in one piece. We also had shrimp, which went on the skewer. In the last paragraph it is mentioned that the same rub can be used on vegetables, so I rubbed it on sliced eggplant, which also went on the grill. Wow! King calls this a "stellar easy effect," and that it is. It's hot, but wonderfully so. It was perfect on the fish and shrimp, maybe a bit too hot on the eggplant. That will be remedied next time just by slicing the eggplant a bit thicker, so the spiced surface area is in better proportion to the meat of the eggplant. We didn't have any in the house, but decided a little dollop of yogurt would be lovely with the spicy eggplant. Definitely goes in the do-again, quick and easy, after-work list.

  • westminstr on June 30, 2014

    I tried this rub on our first ever grilled whole fish! In deference to my kids I replaced the cayenne with aleppo pepper. At that point I decided it was still too spicy for them so I did one fish with this rub and the other with just salt, pepper and olive oil. Both were delish but the winner in my book was plain old s&p - I guess I have a mediterranean palate at heart.

• Irene's fabulous fish cakes

  • westminstr on May 20, 2014

    I used hake and found the fish cakes really soft. They did seem to hold together better after being coated in panko, and they fried up nicely. I thought they were good enough but prefer the parsiburgers, which are easier to prepare. My kids didn't like this dish.

• Fish in coconut milk (Fish moli)

  • TrishaCP on September 19, 2023

    This was fast, and incredibly flavorful for the limited number of ingredients it required. I doubled up on the curry leaves because I used such small leaves and used serranos as the chiles.

• Goa curry with vegetables [Andrew de Souza]

  • ellabee on July 04, 2016

    Tindolas are small green-to-red squash also known as ivy gourds and scarlet gourds, fruit of the subtropical vine Coccinia grandis.

  • Ganga108 on March 08, 2021

    P107, as a variation on Andrew's Goa Curry

  • Ganga108 on March 09, 2021

    I made it with eggplants and zucchinis from the veggie garden. A thin Goan curry, spicy and sourish. Make a day ahead for best results. Serve with rice and cooling salad.

• Vegetable patia

  • Ganga108 on February 20, 2022

    Lovely!

• Parsiburgers

  • westminstr on May 08, 2014

    I made these with ground turkey and absolutely loved them. The mint is key and is not optional in my view. I don't normally love ground turkey but in these burgers it is fantastic. Quick weeknight meal, will definitely make again. (I omitted the chilies from the kids' burgers)

  • TrishaCP on May 17, 2021

    I made these with ground turkey and included the mint. They are really good. I used three seeded jalapeños, but they could have been spicier. I think a yogurt sauce would be good with these, although they were still pretty moist.

• Grilled lamb "lollipops"

  • stockholm28 on May 18, 2014

    This was very easy and nice mix of flavors with lamb. You essentially make a wet rub of olive oil, pomegranate molasses, and the spices. I used a rack of lamb rather than tenderloin. You rub the blend on the lamb and let it "marinate" for 1-2 hours and then grill. I liked this a lot. I've used pomegranate molasses before with mixed results. I think there are a lot of recipes that are too heavy handed with it. This was just right. The lamb just had an occasional hint of the sweet/sour pomegranate flavor and the spices were a nice complement. I'd use this again for lamb.

• Green curry (Lili kari)

  • westminstr on May 15, 2014

    I made this curry with about three pounds of bone-in thighs (boneless would have made for easier eating but were unavailable). Used 1 cup of thick coconut cream and 1/2 cup water. This was so delicious, even Oliver liked it a lot. A definite do again recipe. Note I made the curry ahead of time and it still took an hour to cook, so not the best weeknight recipe, but doable. Served with basmati rice, simple onion kachumbar and quick-cooked greens, a great dinner.

  • metacritic on May 19, 2021

    This is quite satisfying; worth making again. I used lamb neck though will use chicken and seafood in future versions as well as lamb. It's not a dish I knew, honestly, despite living in India for a long while. It has Indian flavorings but nods to Thai green curry, too. It was pretty easy and all at the table seemed to like it.

• Green curry with vegetables

  • Ganga108 on January 04, 2022

    I accidentally deleted my earlier comment, oops. My notes against this recipe say "Amazing! OMG!!". This is a beautiful Green Curry, Indian style, from the Parsi sub-cuisine of India. A paste is made from cashews and spices which is then used to thicken a coconut-based sauce. The dish is incredibly tasty with a slight sweetness from the cashews. It is even better after sitting for an hour or so, so if you can make it a little earlier, the flavour will benefit.

• One hundred almond curry (Sau badam ni kari)

  • TrishaCP on May 14, 2021

    This is a very rich chicken curry- I can see why this is a special occasion dish! The souring agent at the end (I used tamarind) provides a needed brightness. My initial instinct was to halve the amount of coconut milk that is used and I wished that I had- there is a ton of sauce and I think the spices got a bit dulled compared to the taste before the second can. I halved the red chiles in the spice blend because I was concerned there would be overwhelming heat (I used sanaam) but I should have went for it as the heat was minimal.

• Chicken livers in green masala (Aleti paleti)

  • eve_kloepper on October 24, 2011

    texture of chicken livers was mushy. my fault. I washed them very well and then dried on paper towels, but not enough. flavor I am sure would be much improved if they had browned properly. worth another try.

• Perfect plain rice (Bafela chaval)

  • stockholm28 on May 01, 2014

    Rather than sautéing the rice, all the ingredients (rice, water, salt, butter, lime juice) are put in pot at beginning. Came out fine.

  • westminstr on May 15, 2014

    I used less water than recommended, but should have followed the recipe. Using real basmati purchased at the pakistani market, with super long and absorbent grains. If using whole foods basmati, a bit less water is probably ideal.

  • Ganga108 on December 21, 2021

    A great explanation of cooking with Indian rices.

• Rice with cumin

  • Ganga108 on December 21, 2021

    We have been using a variety of Indian rices for over 20 years now - they are best purchased through Indian groceries where whole aisles are devoted to different varieties. Cumin rice is one of our (many) favourite ways to cook rice.

  • Stephenn31 on January 09, 2026

    Easy but flavourful and a great side

• Mixed rice and grains

  • Ganga108 on December 21, 2021

    Ever since we realised that Khichri wasn't restricted to rice and mung dal, we have cooked rice with every conceivable lentil or grain. It is also very common in the Middle Eastern cuisines as well. It gives your rice endless variations.

• Mother's khichri

  • westminstr on May 08, 2014

    This recipe produced tender, golden grains of rice mixed into a lentilly sludge (my lentils completely collapsed during cooking) permeated with gentle spices and sweet, soft onions. I liked the dish and found it quite convenient to cook the rice and lentils together in one pot. My son said it was not as good as my standard rice and dal. I served it with harissa-roasted chicken legs and plain yogurt. A very comforting sort of dish.

  • Ganga108 on December 21, 2021

    When I first made this khichri I was used to the plain, denser and more buttery versions of South India. Using 7 spices seemed so luxurious, even overkill. I had my doubts. But this North Indian khichri is a very special one indeed. It has to be - it is Niloufer's mother's recipe.

• Firoza's khichri [Firoza Cooper (Kanga)]

  • Ganga108 on January 04, 2022

    There are so many different khichri recipes, different in ratios, spicing, and textures. Every one is such a complete and delicious dish, it makes me want to try them all. This is a simple recipe from the Parsi sub-cuisine of India. It is incredibly easy to make. And is of course it is delicious - it never ceases to amaze me that you can throw 2 spices at an ingredient or two in Indian cooking, and it completely transforms the dish.

• Everyday dal (Mori dar)

  • westminstr on May 08, 2014

    I have made this dal several times and enjoy it. It is a very plain dal, but it is tasty and comforting. It's not the number one dal in our household, but we do like this one well enough to repeat it from time to time.

  • metacritic on May 19, 2021

    Dead easy and worth making, I think, though certainly lacking the depths of my favorite dals. I'm sure I'll make it again but it's not one I'll crave.

• Potage of lentils and vegetables (Dhansak ni dar)

  • Ganga108 on June 15, 2025

    Made in the Instant Pot - quite easy to do. Recipe is for 12, so scale down as needed. Smells absolutely divine.

• Allium confit (Tarela kanda)

  • westminstr on May 08, 2014

    I made this dish last year but unfortunately have very little memory of it. Obviously didn't really love it or hate it, or I would remember it better. Should have put a note in EYB!

• Quick-cooked greens ("Express" bhaji)

  • westminstr on May 15, 2014

    Greens are quickly cooked in a hot wok with sliced ginger and dried chile. I used baby chinese broccoli. Using ginger instead of garlic made for a nice twist on my usual method, and the greens came out tasting great.

• Bitter gourd (bitter melon) ragout

  • Ganga108 on October 12, 2025

    Good for bitter melon :) I used baby bitter melons and sliced them thinly. Due to circumstances they salted overnight but it doesn't seem to have impacted it. Quite a nice base for the bitter melon - sweet and hot - I added some lime juice as well to increase the tart flavour as the tomatoes are not as tart as those in India. Nice balance of flavours.

• Eggplant stew (Vengna ni buriyani)

  • Avocet on July 30, 2023

    Excellent, and pretty easy, Too. Doesn't require frying the eggplant. p. 198.

• Sautéed okra (Tarela bhida)

  • Ganga108 on February 20, 2022

    Fresh and delicious, simple and easy.

  • Avocet on July 30, 2023

    Nice, easy to make with frozen okra. p.199.

  • Ganga108 on June 08, 2025

    I made these again this morning, for another round of Eggs on Anything. Lovely and fresh. When I cook okra I always wonder why I don't cook it more often.

• Cucumber and ginger salad

  • westminstr on May 19, 2014

    Be careful with the ginger -- I added too much. That said, this salad definitely has potential.

• Simple onion kachumbar (Kachuber)

  • westminstr on May 15, 2014

    Super delicious Parsi-style salsa. Served with green curry to add some punch for the adults/spice lovers at the table. Made with red onion, jalapeno, cilantro, lime and salt. Excellent!

• Cucumber raita (Kakri nu raitu)

  • westminstr on May 20, 2014

    This is a solid recipe for basic cucumber raita.

  • Stephenn31 on August 29, 2024

    Delicious. I made it with the 'optional' red onion and fresh mint.

• Parsi tomato chutney (Tamota ni chatni)

  • bernalgirl on February 02, 2012

    Outstanding!! Make this every summer, you will use it on everything! Delcious on eggs, sandwiches, a cheese plate, even on toast in addition to being very nice with a curry or a bowl of rice.

  • bernalgirl on March 13, 2019

    Absolutely delicious sweet-piquant condiment, but reduced sugar slightly next time I made it. Taste along the way as the sugar in the tomatoes will vary.

• Cardamom cake [Ragnhild Langlet]

  • westminstr on January 10, 2014

    This was delicious, though I may want to try reducing the sugar a bit next time. Also might experiment with using browned butter and adding some lemon zest. Very powerful cardamom flavor.

  • stockholm28 on April 20, 2014

    This is an excellent version of cardamom cake. It uses no baking powder. The eggs are beat with the sugar until they are really light. You then fold in the flour and melted butter.

  • DKennedy on April 25, 2014

    Outstanding. I made a mistake and left out the melted butter so I had to incorporate it at the end. Even with this error, the cake was wonderful. The sliced almond crust makes for a beautiful presentation.

  • stef on April 18, 2018

    This cake was requested for a birthday. I made salted caramel sauce to accompany it. Delicious

• Ginger-garlic paste (Adu lasan)

  • Ganga108 on February 20, 2022

    Easy. Good.

• Carrot and fresh coriander soup

  • Ganga108 on December 22, 2021

    YUM!! Indian soups are (in general) simple & unspiced. This Carrot and Fresh Coriander soup has a little green chilli, that's all. Even then, the chilli is optional. Sipped in small serves they are perfect before or after a spicy, complex meal. In one of my last trips to India (pre COVID), we were served minute cups of soup after the meal and we sipped them outside in the cool of the evening. Being used to large bowls of soup I would have several serves hahaha.

• Carrot soup with ginger

  • Ganga108 on December 12, 2021

    P74, at the bottom

• Light mulligatawny

  • fbcd on May 18, 2024

    Basically just the regular mulligatawny soup in this book, minus the chicken meat. Flavourful, but rather thin soup that definitely lives up to its meaning of "pepper water". The 5 chillies made this a bit too hot for my taste and I would use 2 next time. I made it with stock rendered from roast chicken carcass, and added half a can of chickpeas that I had waiting to be used up. Serving over rice is essential.

  • metacritic on October 30, 2024

    I made this to capture the flavors of what I ate growing up as a young child, which was lentil based and took on a brownish-red hue. This isn't that soup, though it is deeply satisfying on its own terms. It is not lentil based and takes a green rather than brown/reddish tone. But delicious and worth making again. I liked how herbaceous this rendition is.

• Eggs on okra (Bhida par ida)

  • mcvl on May 27, 2012

    Delicious and easy, but uses three vessels (the frying pan, a bowl for the eggwhites, a bowl for the eggyolks).

  • Ganga108 on June 01, 2025

    Delicious! I love okra. You can make this shakshuka style, so only the frying pan is used, or the more dramatic risen omelette style (frying pan plus 2 bowls). I opted for the shakshuka style (eggs broken onto the cooked okra and the pan is covered to cook the eggs). The eggs steam, which is a different texture. I guess more like poached eggs with a bit of difference.

• Food52 by Celia Sack

  Even without pictures, this book taught me how to cook Indian food with intelligence, confidence, and ease. Her fish in banana leaf parcels is a recipe I turn to time and again.

  Full review