Publisher's Synopsis
"Home Style" Indian Cooking Demystified With an amazing compilation of over 100 delectable Indian dishes, many of which you can't get in any Indian restaurant for love or for money, this is unlike any other Indian Cook book. What this book focuses on is what Indians eat every day in their homes. It then in an easy step-by-step manner makes this mysterious, never disclosed, "Home Style" Indian cooking accessible to anyone with a rudimentary knowledge of cooking and a stomach for adventure. Prasenjeet Kumar, the corporate lawyer turned gourmand, in this second book of his series "How to Cook everything in a Jiffy" explores the contours of what sets Indian "Home Style" food so apart from restaurant food . In his uniquely semi-autobiographical style, he starts with his quest for Indian food in London, and wonders why his European friends don't have such a "strange" debate between "Home Style" and "Restaurant" food. He learns then that in Europe, you usually look up to the versions created in restaurants and by Michelin Star chefs of say "Roast Turkey" and try to replicate it at home. But, in India, you almost look down upon the versions of say, "yellow dal" peddled by restaurants and very condescendingly declare your own "Home Style" versions to be less oily or more tasteful and decidedly superior in any case. Digging a little deeper, he learns that the whole style of restaurant cooking in India is diametrically opposed to what is practised in Indian homes with respect to the same dish. In brief, the author found "Home Style" food to be different because: -One, it was cooked from scratch, from fresh ingredients;-Two, many "Home Style" dishes were simply NOT available on restaurant menus;-Three, it was much healthier as it allowed full freedom to change your salt, sugar and spice levels;-Four, it was not only less oily but it also permitted you to choose your preferred oil (mustard, olive, coconut, ground nut, soya, sunflower, rice bran or whatever...); and above all, -Five, it was less complicated and, therefore, easier to cook.It was the last point that surprised everyone. So a challenge was thrown and the gauntlet picked up by the author who has proceeded to list out, in this book, some 10 Rice and Bread dishes; 10 Dals (lentils); 15 veggies; 12 Non-vegetarian dishes; 17 snacks and accompaniments; 12 desserts, and 11 drinks!In between tips are given on how to set up your basic "Indian" kitchen; what spices to keep in your larder; what other strange things you may like to look out for while handling Indian cuisine and finally how using the tools of sequencing and parallel processing you can put together a four course Indian meal in less than 30 minutes (literally in a JIFFY!).Concluding, the author reminds that the "Home Style" recipes that he has catalogued are made regularly in his home and encourages the reader to experiment, adapt and add his/her own variation so that the food tastes like your "Home food".You may like this book if: -You are an Indian pining for a taste of your home food anywhere in the world, including India. -You are an Indian, reasonably adept in your own regional cuisine, for example, South Indian cuisine, but want to learn about the "Home Style" culinary traditions of the Eastern and Northern India as well.-You are NOT an Indian but you love Indian cuisine and have wondered if there could be a simpler way to cook your preferred dishes.-You wish someone could guide you through the confounding maze of spices that Indians use, and help you tame down the oil and Chilli levels of many of their dishes.The book presupposes a basic knowledge of cooking procedures. So if you are a complete newbie, the author strongly advises you to start with his first book in the JIFFY series viz. "How To Cook In A Jiffy: Even If You Have Never Boiled An Egg Before."
