I know it’s a cliché of cookbook reviews, but it can’t be helped: I really do want to cook my way through every recipe in this book. Indian Kitchens: Treasured Family Recipes from Across the Land is so generously warm-hearted, Roopa Gulati so cosily evocative a storyteller, and the recipes she unearths so invitingly do-able and dazzlingly full of flavour and promise, that it brings as much instant cheer as a bright day! And hard though it is to limit myself to just a shortlist of recipes that shine from its pages, I shall do so but only on the premise that you understand that such a list can't quite give the full scope of what’s on offer. With that agreed, let me just say to you: Lentil, Ginger & Tamarind Broth; Brown Shrimps with Ginger & Mustard; Lamb Cutlets with Mango Powder, Jaggery & Tamarind; Pork with Sichuan Pepper; Goan Chorizo Rolls; Grilled Broccoli with Mushrooms in Coconut Sauce; Konkan Egg Curry; Prawn Biryani; Mussels in Ginger, Coconut & Red Chilli Broth; Keralan Roast Chicken with Cinnamon & Curry Leaves; Roast Figs in Spiced Rum Syrup; and Pistachio & Cardamom Biscuits. Hungry now? And – wait for it! – the recipe I am so delightedly sharing with you today is her fast and fabulous Fish Fry!
Indian Kitchens: Treasured Family Recipes from Across the Land by Roopa Gulati is out 27th March (Bloomsbury Publishing, Hardback, £26).
Recipe photography by Yuki Sugiura.
