The Bombay Cafe [Paperback]

Neela Paniz (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 1998

Chef Neela Paniz grew up in an elegant Indian home, where her mother's cook prepared wonderful delicacies on a daily basis--the same marvelous regional dishes that she recreates for those lucky enough to dine in her Los Angeles-area Bombay Cafe. Now Neela has compiled a collection of recipes for her best dishes--focusing on the light, the healthy, the fresh, and the easy-to-prepare. Two-color throughout.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

At the Bombay Café, Neela Paniz's Santa Monica, California, restaurant, Paniz takes the classical Indian cooking she learned while growing up in India and gives it new twists. Her dishes have the brightness and warmth of a California day rather than the smothering intensity of her native sun. She also lightens them by using less ghee and vegetable oil than is traditional. The 160-plus dishes in The Bombay Cafe cookbook call for the full range of Indian seasonings, from kari leaves to sambar powder, and specific dals, which means that a visit to an Indian food store may be in order.

Knowing that Westerners like soups (which are not part of the classic Indian table), Paniz creates Golden Lentil Soup with Lemon and Chiles, among others. She remedies a similar lack of appetizers by suggesting you start the meal with chile-sparked Potato Pancakes and other savories that Indians normally enjoy at tea time.

A prime feature of Paniz's eclecticism is her salads. The most popular is California Tandoori Salad, a combination of grilled chicken, paneer cheese, mushrooms, and raw vegetables, all tossed in a cilantro-cumin dressing and topped with crisp fried noodles. Dipping into the distinctive cooking of Southern India, Paniz offers recipes for fluffy Uttampams and helps you through the complexities of making a paper-thin, pizza-size dosa with a potato and onion stuffing, via careful text and a series of illustrations.

For Indian food that is fresh and pleasantly different, The Bombay Cafe is a book that can guide you into new adventures. --Dana Jacobi

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Ten Speed Press (March 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0898159350
• ISBN-13: 978-0898159356
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #541,602 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

31 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Decode the wonderous world of Indian flavors, April 20, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Bombay Cafe (Paperback)

Neela Paniz cooks like my mom: no fuss, no pretence, we are here to celebrate good food with fresh ingredients just as the nature intended. Her book has wonderful recipes (got to try her Chicken Curry) that are easy to follow, easy to make (even tho you do have to stock up on your spices), and the result is your reward. I love it when she noted in the instructions "Chop garlic and ginger in the food processor, set aside, and WITHOUT washing the bowl, puree the tomatoes". That just shows how sensible and forgiving her techniques are. I am used to making European style breads and most of them require 2 ~ 3 rises which takes a whole day. Her paratha recipe is so simple that finally I can make a bread the moment I want it in less than an hour. She has stories and helpful tips about cooking Indian. In the back of the book, there is a glossary on spices used in the book, their individual charactristics, and possible substitutes. Here and there you see special techniques that can cut down on the fat as well. If you like Indian food, do try this book.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Bringing the Magic home..., December 4, 2003

By 

Karen (ATLANTA, Gabon) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Bombay Cafe (Paperback)

Bombay Cafe was my favorite haunt when I lived in Santa Monica. When I discovered that Neela had published a cookbook of her remarkable food, I bought it immediately. I am happy to say that this book includes many of my favorite dishes, written simply and clearly enough that I can faithfully reproduce everything I loved when dining at Bombay Cafe. In my experience, this is not something that 'restaurant' cookbooks commonly achieve. An excellent effort by an uncommon chef. Thank you, Neela!

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Light and Creative twist to Indian cooking, August 25, 2003

By 

Sunita (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Bombay Cafe (Paperback)

This is one of the best cookbooks I have come across. I love the recipes - they are creative and light - like the Tandoori Chicken salad, or the Garbanzo beans sweet and sour salad. There are also some very Indian recipes that make you travel back in your mind to India - like the Railway station potato curry, or the Frankies. Most recipes are fairly easy to make.

This is Indian cooking with a fresh approach, and a lot of style.I have tried and served so many recipes to friends, and the reactions are always - that tastes GOOD!