The Penguin Food Guide To India

This first-ever comprehensive guide to regional food across India takes you on a mouth-watering journey through the homes, streets and restaurants of each state, exploring exotic and everyday fare in equal measure. Be it the lime-laced Moplah biryani, the Goan Galinha cafreal, the bhang ka raita of Uttarakhand, or the Singpho people’s Wu san tikye, India’s rich palette of flavours is sure to drum up an insatiable appetite in you. Laden with historical information, cultural insights and personalized recommendations, The Penguin Food Guide to India is your ideal companion to the delightful world of Indian cuisine.

India's food is one of her most remarkable features: its countless tastes and styles reflect the nation's history, enduring traditions, and diversity of people and place. But it is changing at a rapid rate beyond anyone's imagination. Eating the Present, Tasting the Future ventures 'off the plate' to journey through India's contemporary foodscape to discover the myriad forces transforming what, how and where Indians are producing, trading and eating their food. At a time when food and our relationship with it are topics of increasing global interest, this is a timely, and important, work, offering unique insight into a complex society.

Just as each ruler left his architectural mark on Delhi, so each bequeathed to it a culinary legacy. flavors of Delhi: A Food Lover’s Guide tells the story of Delhi through its food. It explores the city’s culinary history beginning with Indraprastha, taking us through the Sultanate period, Mughal rule and the British raj, and bringing us right up to the present. Professional chef and food writer Charmaine O’Brien’s love for Delhi and its culinary delights is evident. She tells us not only what to eat, but also where to eat it. From paranthas in the galis of Chandni Chowk to kakori kababs at the fancy Dum Pukht, from chaat at a roadside stall to appams at Keraleeyam, from fresh fruit and vegetables at INA Market to fish at Chittaranjan Park, O’Brien takes us on a guided tour through the capital, encouraging us to sample and savour as we see. History comes alive as the recipes in this book allow us to recreate the varied flavors of the city in our kitchens. The result of extensive travel and research, and lavishly illustrated with photographs taken by Kirsten Grant, Flavors of Delhi is a fascinating read that whets the reader’s interest and appetite.

Following her bestselling Made in India, Meera Sodha reveals a whole new side of Indian food that is fresh, delicious, and quick to make at home. These vegetable-based recipes are feel-good food and full of flavor. Indian cuisine is one of the most vibrant vegetable cuisines in the entire world, and in Fresh India Meera leads home cooks on a culinary journey through its many flavorful dishes that will delight vegetarians and those simply looking to add to their recipe repertoire alike. Here are surprising recipes for every day made using easy-to-find ingredients: Mushroom and Walnut Samosas, Oven-Baked Onion Bhajis, and Beet and Paneer Kebabs. There are familiar and classic Indian recipes like dals, curries, and pickles, alongside less-familiar ones using fresh, seasonal ingredients. Enjoy showstoppers like Meera’s Sticky Mango Paneer Skewers, Roasted Cauliflower Korma, Daily Dosas with Coconut Potatoes, and luscious desserts like Salted Peanut and Jaggery Kulfi and Pistachio Cake Whether you are vegetarian, want to eat more vegetables, or just want to make great, modern Indian food, this is the book for you. Praise for Made In India: "The recipes are unpretentious and were immediately promoted by my family of critics into must-makes for the monthly dinner rotation, new staples for a season of chill and damp." —Sam Sifton, The New York Times "This book is full of real charm, personality, love, and garlic. Bring on the 100 clove curry! Not to mention fire-smoked eggplant, chicken livers in cumin butter masala, and beet and feta samosas. There's so much to be inspired by." —Yotam Ottolenghi "I want to cook everything in this book." —Nigella Lawson, Nigella.com

A delectable collection of writing on food and its place in our lives that brings together some of the most significant Indian voices over the last century. From lavish meals, modern diets and cooking lessons that serve as a rite of passage to fake fasts and real ones, fish, feni, and fiery meals that smack of revenge, this book has something to satisfy every palate. Gandhi's guilt-ridden account of his failed flirtation with eating meat starkly complements Ruchir Joshi's toast to the senses as he describes his characters discovering a truly alternative use for some perfectly innocent shrikhand. In unique gastronomic takes on history, Salman Rushdie, Amitav Ghosh and Saadat Hasan Manto ensure that we will never look at chutney, a Tibetan momo or jelly in quite the same way again.

India: an explosion of colour and light; of magic and chaos. A paradise for foodies and a feast for every sense. The depth and variety of food in India is incredible and this guidebook should be your starting point for your own gastronomic adventures. Indians are renowned for their generosity and hospitality, and the delights of travelling in India are infinite. You could be invited to share home-cooked food at the family table in a private house, savour delectable snacks from a street vendor, or experience the thrill of an early-morning train ride with the ubiquitous cup of chai. Each chapter contains essential sights, local eats, top places to stay and the best places to shop. This personal tour from well-loved chef Christine Manfield is the result of years exploring India, the Himalayas and Bhutan – the perfect companion for travellers who want to find the really special places to eat and stay. Chapters cover a large region of India, including most states, such as Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Punjab and Gurjarat as well as Bhutan and the Himalayas. Many of the capital cities are also visited, like Bombay (Mumbai), Dehli, Chennai, Goa, Lucknow, Calcutta (Kolkata), as well as many more off the beaten track.

From the acclaimed chef and owner of Brooklyn Delhi, a debut cookbook focused on the celebrated vegetarian fare of South India. Lifelong vegetarian and chef Chitra Agrawal takes you on an epicurean journey to her mother’s hometown of Bangalore and back to Brooklyn, where she adapts her family’s South Indian recipes for home cooks. This particular style of Indian home cooking, often called the “yoga diet,” is light and fresh, yet satisfying and rich in bold and complex flavors. Grains, legumes, fresh produce, coconut, and yogurt—along with herbs, citrus, chiles, and spices—form the cornerstone of this delectable cuisine, rooted in vegetarian customs and honed over centuries for optimum taste and nutrition. From the classic savory crepe dosa, filled with lemony turmeric potatoes and cilantro coconut chutney, to new creations like coconut polenta topped with spring vegetables 'upma" and homemade yogurt, the recipes in Vibrant India are simple to prepare and a true celebration of color and flavor on a plate. Chitra weaves together the historical context behind the region’s cuisine and how she brought some of these age-old traditions to life thousands of miles away in Brooklyn during the city’s exciting food renaissance. Relying on her experience as a culinary instructor, Chitra introduces the essential Indian cooking techniques, tips, and ingredients you’ll need to prepare a full range of recipes from quick vegetable stir frys (corn, basil, and leeks flavored with butter, cumin, and black pepper), salads (citrus red cabbage and fennel slaw with black mustard seeds, curry leaves, and chile), yogurt raitas (shredded beets and coconut in yogurt), and chutneys and pickles (preserved Meyer lemon in chile brine) to hearty stews (aromatic black eyed peas, lentils, and greens), coconut curries (summer squash in an herby coconut yogurt sauce), and fragrant rice dishes (lime dill rice with pistachios). Rounding out the book is an array of addictive snacks (popcorn topped with curry leaf butter), creative desserts (banana, coconut, and cardamom ice cream), and refreshing drinks (chile watermelon juice with mint). Chitra provides numerous substitutions to accommodate produce seasonality, ingredient availability, and personal tastes. The majority of recipes are gluten-free and vegan or can be easily modified to adhere to those dietary restrictions. Whether you are a vegetarian or just looking for ways to incorporate more vegetarian recipes into your repertoire, Vibrant India is a practical guide for bringing delicious Indian home cooking to your table on a regular basis.