My Modern Indian Kitchen

Magical spice powders, sizzling dried whole spices, noisy popping saucepans, aromatic smells, colorful foods… this is what sums up great home-cooked Indian food. In this book, Nitisha walks you through a myriad of spices to understand how each one adds flavor, as well as how they complement each other for different dishes.

Most traditional Indian dishes incorporate the use of various different purées, pastes and spice blends. They all contribute to different functions of a dish whether that be aroma, flavor, taste, texture, mouth feel, or appearance, and so she begins by setting out the basic pastes, purées, masalas, and toppings that can be used throughout the book.

The excitement, freshness, and snack-friendly appeal of street food leads to an explosive mixture of flavors in recipes for Fish Pakoras, Smokin’ Fiery Chicken Wings, Batata Vadas (deep-fried spiced potato), Samosa Chaat, and Dhokla Muffins. The beauty of curry is that nothing defines what makes a good curry—recipes vary meaning that the possibilities are endless. Nitisha’s recipes for curry include Keralan Jumbo Shrimp Curry, Uncle Rambo’s Goat Curry, Paneer Kadhai, and Gosht Aloo Saag Masala. Celebratory dishes are also here, with Masala Grilled Lobster, Tandoori Spatchcock Poussin, and Hariyali Salmon.

While vegetarian dishes are great as sides and main meals: try a variety of dhals, Channa Masala, and Pili Pili Chips. And if all that wasn’t feast enough, finish up with some sweet treats, such as Pistachio and Rose Water Ice Cream, and Mango and Mint Kulfi.