Customer Reviews

Modern Indian Cooking

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Both as a professional chef, and as a avid home cook, I must admit, when I first flipped through the pages of this new book, I was a bit skeptical: I'm not a huge fan of classical Indian cuisine; never had much luck recreating many classical dishes due to the inavailability of, or excessively high priced ingredients (ever try to find Cardamom seeds or Kaffir Lime leaves in your local grocery store without having to spend an arm to get them, or having to track down an Asian Market?!); and most of all, much of the classical Indian dishes I've eaten in my career have often been over-poweringly spiced, or just not to my tastes.

However, having said all that, this book and it's recipes have begun to change my mind. As a previous review had stated, yes, this book does not contain puritanic classical Indian recipes. But that's not what this book is about! As the title states, it's focus is on *MODERN* Indian cooking. Yes, this does mean that there is a lot of fusion cooking in this book. It also means that the recipes themselves are simpler, easier to produce, utilizing less exoctic ingridients, less prep time and less cooking time! Some would say that this could be a terrible thing, as it takes away from the millenia of refinement that Indian Cuisine has gone through. but in my earnest opinion, it's for the betterment of the cuisine, as it makes it far more accessible to the average *MODERN* American home cook!

The recipes run the gamut here, from simple and quick to the flavorfully complex and not so quick. Each recipe is accompanied with BEAUTIFUL photographs; clear and implicit instructions; recipes that do not require you to run to an Asian Grocery store to find some obscure ingreident; and best of all, they're EASY to make! It took me 20 minutes of prep time, an hour to marinate the shrimp, and 10 minutes at the most to cook the Crispy Pan Fried Shrimp and Tamarind Glaze. And best of all, my fiance adored them!

Hari and Vikas, I tip my toque to the two of you! Congratulations on your first book, and best of luck!

If you're looking for traditional Indian dishes to make at home, then Modern Indian Cooking by Hari Nayak and Vikas Khanna isn't for you. My wife, who loves traditional Indian food, was disappointed because it wasn't what she expected.

The introduction says that this is "an attempt to recreate classic Indian dishes by using simplistic techniques along with a delicious juxtaposition of non-Indian ingredients." Many of the recipes struck me more as an attempt at a type of fusion cuisine, only driven by the spices of the southern, and not eastern, part of Asia. But this sort of combination is tricky - you can get a new take on classics, in which case you need to be grounded enough there, or you can try for something in between two cooking cultures, but that requires maintaining a balance and offering adroit flavor blends that offer complementary hints of each.

I find Modern Indian Cooking to stumble about this ground, so that you will see in the same soup and salad section a take on carrot and ginger soup (not all that startlingly new, even with mustard seeds and curry powder) and a curry corn chowder with roasted poblanos (and if you drop the curry powder, is similar to a corn chowder recipe I saw in Fonda San Miguel).

That's not to say that the recipes look bad. On the contrary, I'm looking forward to trying a number of them. But it's the overarching concept that I find weak. I think it would have been better to pick one ground: either simplifying Indian for western cooks, or sticking to modern approaches to Indian cooking. That said, it does offer many ideas for starting to incorporate Indian spices into western dishes, which could open new ways of practicing cooking for many.

Personally, I wasn't holding out much hope for this book since I am not a fan of Indian cuisine. But Hari Nayak and Vikas Khanna make the mysteriousness of these recipes very mainstream by infusing common ingredients to formulate some really tasty dishes. In fact, many of these are quite suitable for people who are livin' la vida low-carb with very few substitutions required. For something a little different while still mouthwatering, the recipes in this book will do the trick.

We gathered in my kitchen and around my table to share what we had learned while visiting our local spice markets and working through the pages of Modern Indian Cooking written by Hari Nayak and Vikas Khanna. A common sentiment was that this is a beautifully designed and photographed book full of so many recipes that it was difficult to choose which to make.

Once we began to peel the layers, we discovered that while the book is beautiful, there are some flaws. First was the lack of headnotes. The headnote is a vital part of a recipe - it can offer insight, additional information about an ingredient, a personal anecdote that makes the cook feel connected with the author, so many things that tie the book together and give it a soul. The headnotes were sadly missed. Second, with the abundance of unique spices it would have been helpful to have a glossary in the back or a section in the front that educated the reader about the spices that were widely found in the recipes. We found that the front matter about "Seasonings" wasn't as comprehensive or as detailed as we would have liked it to be. And finally, with sections of recipes for sides, rice, breads, and accompaniments, each recipe would have been well served to have some "serve with" ideas that cross-referenced other recipes.

As far as our cooking endeavors, recipes from most sections of the book were represented. We started with the Tangerine Carrot Cooler (p.167) then flowed into soup where two people made Curry Corn Chowder with Roasted Poblanos (p.40) with two different results - both tasty, one with a lot more heat from the poblanos than the other. Next was Ginger and Lemon Grilled Chicken (p.18) that won raves around the table. The salads we made included Carrot and Cucumber Salad with Spiced Mustard Dressing (p.33) - this recipe was given a complete overhaul and ended up a winner despite it self! And Radish Salad with Peanuts (p.32) - crunchy texture meets salty, nutty, bitter flavor resulting in a sensory treat.

In the Vegetable chapter, we tasted Aromatic Butternut Squash & Coconut (p.48) which was made by two people with different flavors, colors, and recipe challenges - very interesting.

The yield from the Beans and Legumes Chapter included Yellow Lentils with Baby Spinach (p.74) and Hot and Sour Chickpeas (p.67) where we learned about the quest for dried mango powder. No one cooked from the Rice chapter although we all commented that several of the recipes looked good and a few of us had tried them while we were working through the book. The Poultry chapter was also passed over. Coincidentally, the two recipes from the Meat section were both meatballs - different meatballs but meatballs nonetheless. Kashmiri Lamb Meatball Paprikash (p.113) made my mouth water when looking at the picture but ended up being the biggest disaster of the night. The meatballs didn't stick together, the broth had issues, needed more liquid, and wasn't as tomatoey as one would have expected from the photo, and when sampled, had a slimy lamb mush mouthfeel. It was really sad. On the flip side, the Cashew Coconut Meatballs (p.114) held their shape and had a good flavor and texture.

The Bread section was represented with Toasted Cumin Chapatis with Orange (p.140). We learned that the difference between chapatis and naan is that chipatis is made with out yeast and is a flat bread while naan has yeast and is puffy. Someone gave Rosemary Naan (p.138) two tries - both unsuccessful - and there was no naan at the table but an accounting of the experience.

After all of the above it was finally time for dessert - and with 3 professionally trained bakers, dessert at MKMT never disappoints. We started with two people making Chai Crème Brūlée (p.158), once again there were two different textures, flavors, and colors - one thick and the other more viscous, one tasted more like a chai latte and the other like smoky tea leaves, one a darker brown and the other like milky coffee. We decided that mixed together, they would be perfect although my preference leaned toward the lighter chai latte one. The Valrhona Chocolate Burfi with Toasted Coconut (p.156) received the big thumbs up and won the prize for the most expensive dish of the night between the 1 lb of almond paste and 1 cup of Valrhona chocolate there were big $$$$ spent on this recipe. We decided it was worth it but the next time, a different type of chocolate may be substituted. Pink Peppercorn Chocolate Truffles (p.162) were a hit and a sensation between the lips - most everyone ended up with a peppercorn in the middle of theirs which elicited a reaction of surprise followed by a small choke or gulp and finished with a "WOW". That chocolate/pepper combo is powerful!
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Our final dessert Spiced Almond Cookies (p.151) were an afterthought and looked as if they'd be a no-brainer to make. I am still not sure what happened but the little "teaspoon-size balls" that the recipe told me to make never flattened out like the picture, they remained little teaspoon-size balls and weren't very pretty. They tasted good and the group seemed to like them. In fact, the second batch were pressed flat to resemble the picture but they dried out and weren't as good as the balls.

In the end we were all glad that we had tried the book in spite of some of the recipes that didn't work very well and the lack of headnotes. We sampled 19 recipes, quite a variety, with something from most chapters. It is fair to say that we all found recipes that we'd try for ourselves and make again and even recommend to friends. I also think that some of us will dig deeper into the book and cook from it some more.

Having tried many exquisite creations of Vikas Khanna's at Purnima in manhattan, I was already a fan of his and didnt hesitate for a second before ordering this cookbook. I can only say, I am already waiting for his next cookbook! This one has recipes full of spunk and sass, no doubt that these chefs are on top of their game. I have already gotten many compliments on the few that i have tried myself. It makes me want to quit my career to become a chef... amazing Indian food recipes with a twist! Two thumbs up!!

As a world traveler, international culinary afficionada, and avid cookbook collector with some 2000 volumes in my collection, many of them devoted to Indian cooking, I heartily recommend Modern Indian Cooking by Hari Nayak and Vikas Khanna. In addition to the book being beautifully designed and accompanied by mouthwatering photos, it introduces a wide selection of modern healthy recipes guaranteed to please the palate of even those who regard traditional Indian fare as too heavy on the use of exotic spices. All of the recipes are good, but be sure to try the Oven-Roasted Spicy Eggplant and the Cumin Coriander Beef Patties, although I modify the latter by adding soft bread crumbs to the mixture to make them extra moist and tender, although this can be done to any recipe for burgers, including the traditional American variety. In short, the volume is a fresh take on an ancient cuisine that is sure to win new converts to Indian cooking.

There many many excellent cooking books written by Indian authors based in India. This book tackles a specific market that those other books don't:
a) Hari is based in the US and therefore what he writes, he ensures, his ingredients are very easily accessible in groceries here. Most of them can be found in regular groceries, probably some in the international aisle
b) His recipes are stylish and balanced between extreme indian tastes and mellowed western tastes. Traditional indian cooking is sort of extreme taste - you either love it (like I do) or can't deal with it. In hari's recipes you will find most of them preserve the texture and taste of the material being used (spices don't overwhelm them)
c) They are amazingly easy to make. Here in the US, most of us do our own work and have little time to spend hours in the kitchen. His recipes are quick and tasty
d) I hate messy recipes that splatter/splash. I like to keep my kitchen clean. All his recipes in the book are 'clean cooking'
e) Hari clearly lays out each ingredient with amounts and time (no 'add X to taste').
f) Its very easy to customize them to make them healthier. For example, instead of 3 tbsp of oil, I use one.
g) His recipes have a good mix of meat, seafood and greens

Some issues (not critical)

a) Photography - its a well done book. Certainly coffee table display quality. But several of the photos are bizarre. While half of them show the dish, the other half focus on odd parts of the plate - like for the Lemon Sage chicken tikka recipe, there is a classy picture of a lemon and a sage leaf :-). There are several more like this. I'd prefer that each one had a full display of the recipe since a photo of the dish is a big driver for someone to decide if s/he wants to try that dish out.

b) Not related to the contents - The book is out of print as of Nov 2011, and you can't get it directly from AMZ. You will have to buy it from Hari's website. They have their own checkout system (via Google Wallet). I found their shipping process to not be as predictable as Amazon and I never did get a tracking number either. This was subsequently resolved but not before I had to call Hari and he got into trying to figure out what was going on. This may be an exception. I don't know.

Having said all of the above,
Would I recommend it to others -absolutely
Do I like it ? - I love it

Also, in my conversation with Hari, I found him to be a humble and proactive guy. That makes me want to like his book even more.

I just got this book!

Simply, it's a beautiful book. Pictures are simply stunning! Finally i have found a cook book where the same old masala recipes are gone and there is something fresh & new recipe ideas. I like the way the author has given Indian food a new global Perspective. I own a lot of Indian cook books from Julie Sahni, Madhur Jaffrey and others and quite frankly I was getting a little tired of the traditional recipes.
Also i like a recipe book with a lot of pictures & this book did not disappoint me.

My personal favorite recipe is the chipotle pork
tikka!! I highly recommend this book to all!

The book is simple to follow and the recepies are good to understand. I tried a ew already and the result was good. I would recomemnd to any one who is starting or an experieced in India cooking.