Indian Essence: The Fresh Tastes of India's New Cuisine [Paperback]

Atul Kochhar (Author), David Loftus (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 2004

With this beautiful cookbook by one of the world's top Indian chefs, readers can explore India's rich and varied cuisine at home. Atul Kochhar was born and trained in India, and is one of the world's only Indian chefs to receive a prestigious Michelin star. In Indian Essence, he presents over 140 recipes drawn from the restaurants, street stalls, and homes of every region of India. There are rich Moghul dishes, vegetarian delights from Tamil Nadu, coconut-based curries from Goa and Kerala, and seafood dishes from Calcutta. Atul provides insight into India's diverse food culture and explains how to assemble authentic menus, from a Kashmiri wazwan -- a traditional Northern feast -- to a Gujerati thali -- a selection of Southern dishes served on a banana leaf. Thoroughly researched and illustrated with colour photographs, Indian Essence is an inspiring culinary journey through a fascinating country.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Born in Jamshedpur, east India, Atul Kochhar began his career at the exclusive Oberoi Hotel in New Delhi, before moving to London in 1994. Over the past nine years he has established himself as one of Britain's most critically acclaimed chefs; while head chef at Tamarind he became one of only two Indian chefs in the world to be awarded a coveted Michelin star. Atul now has his own restaurant, Benares in Berkeley Square, Mayfair, which receives excellent reviews and nominations for several restaurant awards.

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Whitecap Books (February 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1552855686
• ISBN-13: 978-1552855683
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 7.7 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,179,516 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Made a cook out of me, May 29, 2006

By 

Jessop2 "Jessop" (Switzerland) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Indian Essence: The Fresh Tastes of India's New Cuisine (Paperback)

For years, I only cooked to survive: fried eggs, pizza, pasta, or at most stir something my wife was making.

After visiting the Benares restaurant in London, [...], I immediately bought this book...with hopes someone else more skilled would take over. After helping cook 6 of the recipes for guests, I discovered once you have the ingredients (not expensive in an Indian or Asian grocery store) on hand, many of the recipes are quite easy and always worth it. These are fresh, multi-faceted flavors that make cooking fun and worth the effort. Since Nov 2005, I've been making at least one recipe a week, sticking exactly to the book, and the five-star Benares restaurant has a branch in my home now. I take no credit. These recipes are the only ones worth making. I look at others in other books and see the difference upfront: they are either fatty, bland, colorless or canned, all of which are incentives not to cook. My wife has stepped aside; (well, most work nights she's a life saver, and she'll greatly appreciate a break on Saturday.) In fact she's calling from the kitchen right now asking for one of the khajoor ka khaja (date & orange pastries) in the fridge.

Cooking these recipes is one of the few things that actually takes my mind completely off work. The sequence of adding exotic spices to a hot pan makes me feel like a sorcerer. So far, most recipes do not use the oven, which is good because with an oven you do not get the joy of watching the concoction evolve before your eyes and nose.

I could easily list 30 recipes in this book to die for, but if you're wondering where to start, something that is simple, try the Doi Maach (spiced fish with yogurt), which only takes about 30 minutes to reach the dinner table. The sweet tomato chutney is a staple around here now, and I cook double portions once a month and give jars away as gifts. Finally, I recommend growing coriander yourself, since it is used in everything. We use an extra coffee bean grinder to grind dry spices. A mini-processor is also a must-have. Enjoy!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars good recipes but some hard to follow, January 9, 2007

By 

DD (Idaho, USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Indian Essence: The Fresh Tastes of India's New Cuisine (Paperback)

I like this cookbook in that there are some easy and great ideas. I am not a beginner cook but am new to indian cuisine. The only problem I have with this book is that some things are hard to follow, like some steps are left out or are not clear like cooking times. I made a few recipes and some never looked even remotely like the picture, and I read and re-read everything numerous times. I tried a chapati recipe and it turned out dense, plain and nothing like I had tried in a restaurant. Maybe I am just bad at this new type of cooking, but I have always been a naturally good cook and was surprised at how frustrating some of these things were to understand. I will keep at it though and hope to tweak things so they do turn out. I want to be good at this, we do not have an indian restaurant where I live and I love it so.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Tasty and practical, December 4, 2006

By 

mouse - See all my reviews

This review is from: Indian Essence: The Fresh Tastes of India's New Cuisine (Paperback)

Recipes are tasty and inspiring. What is also nice: there are quite a few dishes that can be prepared very quickly.