5 Spices, 50 Dishes: Simple Indian Recipes Using Five Common Spices (Paperback)

by Ruta Kahate (Author), Susie Cushner (Photographer) "I don't miss the meat at all..." (more)
Key Phrases: burnt onions, small green serrano chiles, teaspoon finely grated garlic, Basic Chai (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
The premise is simple: with five common spices and a few basic ingredients, home cooks can create fifty mouthwatering Indian dishes, as diverse as they are delicious. Cooking teacher Ruta Kahate has chosen easy-to-find spices coriander, cumin, mustard, cayenne pepper, and turmeric to create authentic, accessible Indian dishes everyone will love. Roasted Lamb with Burnt Onions uses just two spices and three steps resulting in a meltingly tender roast. Steamed Cauliflower with a Spicy Tomato Sauce and Curried Mushrooms and Peas share the same three spices, but each tastes completely different. Suggested menus offer inspiration for entire Indian dinners. For quick and easy Indian meals, keep it simple with 5 Spices, 50 Dishes.

About the Author
Ruta Kahate teaches regional Indian cooking from her home-based school in Oakland, California, which has been featured on the Fine Living Network.

Susie Cushner is a Boston-based photographer whose work can be found in many cookbooks, including Martha's Vineyard Table and The New England Table.

Product Details

• Paperback: 132 pages
• Publisher: Chronicle Books (May 31, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 081185342X
• ISBN-13: 978-0811853422
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 8 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (44 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #11,529 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

53 of 53 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant Indian Home Cooking, July 14, 2007

By	Bay Area Reader (California) - See all my reviews

This is a great book. It's premise is simple, but not simplistic - take 5 spices combined in various ways and produce a variety of Indian dishes for any occasion. Everything I've made from it has succeeded, and I will certainly make again. The coverplate (chickpeas with dill) is total comfort food, and uses dill as a vegetable in a new and surprising way. I've also made and enjoyed the Cabbage Salad (a fresh take on slaw), Indian Fried fish (tasty and savory), Sweet Potato with Ginger and Lemon, Corn with Mustard Seeds, and the fantastic Mussels in a Green Curry. And anyone who thinks they don't like okra NEEDS to try the Okra Raita - my favorite of all favorites in the book.

Recipes are well-presented, clear and easy to follow. I cook a lot of Indian food, but in no way felt that these recipes were dumbed-down at all. Kahate wisely confines her recipes to simple, practical ones with accessible ingredients. Does Indian food offer complex biriyanis with 15 spices and many ingredients? Sure. But that's not what is offered here. This is fresh home cooking, bursting with flavor, yet able to be cooked quickly. The flavors of the ingredients is prominent. And Kahate is a good guide to ingredients and techniques.

Highly recommended. Mine is already stained from much use!

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Easy Recipes and Delicious Results, October 17, 2007

By	Steven Muni "Foothills Bear" (Sutter Creek, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I have made several recipes from this book and have been delighted with all so far. I cook a lot of Indian food, and am a fan of the books of Mahadur Jaffrey and Julie Sahni, but this book is going to be used as much as their books. The premise is simple but not simplistic. The recipes are easy to follow and the results are delicious. Particular raves at my house go to the carrot raita, with it's inclusion of walnut pieces and raisins, (I used dried cranberries.) And the Goan eggplant and shrimp curry is a winner, although I used a little more shrimp and eggplant than called for in the recipe and used a full can of coconut milk instead of the cup of water and cup of coconut milk called for. This is a worthy addition to anyone's collection of cookbooks.

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Indian Cooking Made Accessible, July 6, 2007

By	S. Dowling (California) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I love to cook but am intimidated by many ethnic recipes as they seem complicated and require far too much work given my crazy schedule. This book is different. I love the fact that I'm not buying millions of ingredients that I'll only use once and I've found it helpful to have a picture of what the dish should resemble. Oh, and most importantly, the end results are delicious!! It doesn't hurt that this is a gorgeous cookbook - the photos are mouthwatering. Enjoy!