Curry And Spice - 25 Easy and Authentic Indian Chicken Recipes by Kakoli DasGupta: Review

Blurb:

While much has been said and is being said about diet food, healthy cooking, low fat recipes - they can never do justice to the demands of delicacy. This book offers select 25 Chicken Recipes from all across India with cooking time, flavor, skill level, accompaniment, and an easy to follow preparation method. Also included are two super-fast recipes for the unannounced guest and recipe for home made spice mixes. Please do read the notes and cooking tips (at the end of the book) before you start.

This is the first book in a series. I will be shortly launching the Meat, Fish, Vegetable, and other Regional Specialties. I could have used glossy and fancy images but I have kept this book straight on basics. Place your Kindle, iPad or Laptop on your kitchen top, open the menu of your choice and cook on.

My Review:

Before receiving this review request I was not familiar with Authentic Indian food at all. I have only tried it maybe twice in my life, not because I don't like it, but because there are no Authentic Indian restaurants in my town or within an hour of where I live! Until reviewing this cookbook, I didn’t even know what went IN Indian food! 

I don't consider myself a terrible cook, but I rarely have a reason to cook at all. I don't see the point in cooking up an amazing meal for just me. I'm sure that someday when I'm married, or living with someone else, then I'll be able to work on my cooking skills, and a book like this would definitely be useful! Not only are the recipes absolutely delicious looking, but they are also relatively easy to  make! People don't generally want a cooking book where the recipes show that you need to slave over a stove for at least an hour! The author of this cookbook lists things that you will need to make the dish, and also gives easy to follow instructions for creating the meal. 

The way that Kakoli DasGupta sets up the cooking instructions is very organized, and for someone like me who rarely cooks, it's important to have everything set up in order so that I don't get lost when I've barely begun!

I'm going to go ahead and copy one of the recipes into this review, because it's easier to SHOW everyone how everything is set up, rather than try to explain it!

 

Chicken Tikka

Cuisine - North Indian
Serves - 4 - 6
Cooking Time - 30 mins
Flavor - Moderate Spicy
Difficulty - easy
Goes well with - Nan / Chapati / Tandoori Roti
Ingredients
Boneless chicken (small one inch size cubes/pieces) - 1 kg

For MarinadeYoghurt/Curd - 1 cup
Salt - 2 tsp / as per taste
Ginger paste - 2 tbsp
Garlic paste - 2 tbsp
Lemon juice - 2 tbsp
Cumin Powder - 1/2 tsp
Garam Masala powder - 1/2 tsp
Chilly powder (Kashmiri)- 1 tsp
Black pepper powder - ½ tsp
Mustard oil/Vegetable Oil-3 tbsp

For FryingVegetable Oil- 3 tbsp

For BastingMelted Butter
Chat Masala Powder - 1/2 tsp

For GarnishingTwo Large Onion - cut in rings
One Lemon - cut in wedges
Fresh Coriander leaves - 1 tbsp Chopped

PreparationChicken Tikka can be shallow fried or grilled.
Marinate the chicken in a shallow non-metal dish - mix all the ingredients with curd
thoroughly - apply onto the chicken pieces and refrigerate overnight (minimum 4 - 6
hours.

Grilling Option

For grilling thread the chicken in skewers and then marinade in a shallow dish. Heat grill.
Place the skewered chicken on grill rack and cook 5 minutes, turning skewers and basting
occasionally with butter. Keep a glass tray below the skewers to collect the drippings.
Frying Option
Heat the oil in a non - stick pan and fry all the chicken pieces on a very low flame turning
them around. Allow the water to dry and fry till reddish brown in color.
Sprinkle the Chat Masala when done. Serve hot, garnished with onion rings, coriander
leaves and lime slices.

If I can look at a recipe for food that I am not familiar with, and I can figure it out, well then it's a good cookbook! I enjoyed looking at the different recipes that are in this book, and there are recipes here that I will definitely use in the future!

As I said,I am not familiar with cookbooks, but the way it is set up, and the amazing recipes that this book contains, makes this a 5 STAR book! 

Note from the Author:

The most important ingredient of cooking is 'Love' - if you pour your heart while cooking, nothing can go wrong.

I love traveling and tasting exotic recipes. And when I come across great food I make it a point to talk with the chef. Be it in Kashmir or Coorg or Goa or Kerala I have come across amazing delicacies which I never knew existed. Traditional Indian food has a lot to offer and one can expect the most awesome recipe at the most unexpected places.

This book is a part of a series on Indian Recipes. Watch out for other issues being launched soon.

CLICK HERE TO BUY THIS COOKBOOK!