Product Description

When keen, self-taught home cook Simon Daley tasted his future mother-in-law Roshan's chicken curry for the first time, he was smitten. Simon asked Roshan to teach him her vast personal collection of recipes and now, in their kitchen, a special friendship flourishes.This unique book draws on the extensive repertoire of an exceptional home cook, including traditional dishes passed down from mother to daughter over centuries, from the family's Gujarati roots in India to modern adaptations for life in England today. This is real Indian home cooking with simple recipes and authentic results.Stunning modern photography of Simon and Roshan cooking at home, with step-by-step sequences to illustrate the more unique techniques, complements the lively personal text. Over 100 recipes are included.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #71299 in Books
• Published on: 2008-08-18
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 192 pages

About the Author
Roshan Hirani is the eldest daughter of a large Indian family. From the age of 11 it was her job to cook for the family and she has amassed over 50 years of experience as an outstanding traditional Gujerati cook. Her chapatis are legendary. Simon Daley is Roshan's son-in-law, who has worked as a designer and art director specialising in cookery books for over 10 years. He is a passionate home cook, with a keen interest in the traditions and culture of food. His main interest in this book is to continue the centuries-long process of handing down accumulated wisdom from one generation to the next by recording his mother-in-law's family recipes.

Customer Reviews

Fabulous range of dishes
I'm not a great cook, but I do like my food, and I often eat an Indian meal and say 'I wish I could make this'. Usually it's the little things I like, such as a mango lassi, dal, poori or a decent vegetable samosa. But when I look at Indian cookbooks they never include everything I want and I either feel the recipes are too authentic and time-consuming with ingredients I simply can't get, or they are 'cheats' in which some of the ingredients come out of a jar. What I want is a book that's authentic without being over complicated, and that isn't stuffed with ingredients I can't get. This is it.
Looking through the contents, there's a good range of dishes. There are 11 vegetarian main dishes (plus more in the rice and bean section), 6 fish dishes and 13 meat ones. In addition there are 11 rice dishes, including pilau (with pea, lamb or chicken variations) and biriani (lamb, chicken or lentil recipes) and 11 bean and lentil-based dishes. There's a recipe for chappatis, complete with step-by-step photos, flat bread, naan, pooris and parotha. You'll find pickles and chutneys, snacks, drinks and even puddings.
The book is written in a chatty style, like Nigella Lawson's How to Eat: Pleasures and Principles of Good Food (Cookery) with useful information and tips in the introductions to each dish. For example, in the naan bread recipe it says 'These work best with a combination of dry-frying and a fierce blast from an overhead grill.' Under the Stuffed Chillies, it suggests you scoop out the seeds from inside the chillis to reduce the heat. This is the kind of hands-on information I want, which proves that the author has actually made the dishes, which I have been told is not always the case with cookbooks.
I have to go now - looking through this book has made me hungry, and I am going to follow the steps and photos to make some samosas. Now, which filling recipe will I choose - will it be vegetable, lamb or chicken?

great range of recipes
I really like this book and couldn't understand the negative review it received from Kaz. Indian cooking is very varied in style and is generally regional based. The recipes in the book have been handed down through the generations by word of mouth etc. For this reason it seems to be me that these are very authentic everyday Indian recipes. Proper home cooking.
When cooking the food in the book the instructions are clear with helpful suggestions of how to vary them to your own tastes.
I suggest to Kaz that if he/she doesn't want their Garam Masala mix to taste bitter then they should try not to burn the roasted seeds!
You can't always blame the book if you food doesn't come out right.
The other thing I appreciated was the amount of vegetarian recipes in the book.
I think the flavors used in the recipes are nicely balanced in flavour, more subtle perhaps than the average English Curry house fodder, which to me is a good thing. And as most people know the English currys are not what they eat in India.
Not all Indian food is about super hot food where you struggle to taste anything than the chilli and overpowering spices.
I would recommend this book for its original but authentic recipes and for the home cook. It is well written and has a pleasant tone.
This is also the first time I have written a review, but I felt it important to add another opinion to that of Kazs review, as it seemed both unfair and inaccurate.

Very tasty results!
I dont usually find time to review as i've got kids but i've found this book very special in its lay out and over all concept and the recipes are so far VERY tasty, even in my inexperienced hands. I felt amazed and quite proud of myself on tasting the results. It's beautifully presented and down to earth, well and clearly written and getting hold of ingredients is not a headache, speaking as someone who is new to trying this style of cooking but has been previously put off by feeling overwhelmed. It's certainly going to see more use than my Leiths Cookery Bible if the things i've tried so far are anything to go by. The Chickpea curry had my kids begging for more! The photographs really inspire and help too. Overall this book will see alot of use in my kitchen.