Classic Indian Cooking: Master Moghul Cuisine with Simple Techniques, Essential Spices, and Traditional Recipes

I bought this for the first time in 2000 right after I left the Army and was heading out on my own. I fell in love with Indian food when I was stationed overseas and wanted to make it on my own. For some reason, I do not remember that many Indian shops in the area that I could go to. When I did find some places they were often too expensive for what you would get.Be that as it may, I have cooked nearly all the main dishes, many of the breads, and a few appetizers. The recipes are easy to follow and very straight forward and there is no clutter in this book. Just the facts, techniques and tips. There are so many recipes you will find many that you will go back to over and over. A strange one that is my go to is the Lamb in yoghurt and cardamom sauce and the ground meat with potatoes and white sauce. So delicious and easy. Basically all the chicken dishes are to die for. Don't get overwhelmed with the spices, if you start cooking it you will get used to the mixes and even come up with some of your own combination. Like fenugreek was a spice I never knew would be one of my go tos in the kitchen.This cookbook was the one that had the most influence on my cooking journey and I am so glad that I found it so long ago. I used that book so much that it finally fell apart beyond repair and I have had to order a new one recently. I will not throw the old one away, I have it rubber banded together and it sits atop my bookshelf so I see it every time I walk by.Thank you Julie Sahni for all that you gifted me.

Highly recommend this cookbook for anyone that is interested in making their own Indian food. Very easy to understand, written very well. Lots more than just a cookbook. I encourage everyone to start at the beginning and read it like you would any book... then try the recipes. Fully describes why certain methods are used and you get a real history of how the dishes came about. Lots of terrific recipes with recommendations for pairing of dishes plus examples of what to eat with rice or just naan. First time try exactly as written to get the full experience! Very easy to follow recipes but some can be time consuming. Very well written recipes but I recommend to read the whole recipe before starting it.The book recommends to roast your own spices. DO IT!!! You will not regret the extra few minutes it takes. Quick flash in a dry skillet and grind. I purchased a cheap coffee grinder just for the spices. I have been roasting my own spices for years now and will NEVER buy the spices in the jar again. It's that much of a difference in flavor. No matter what food I'm making, (Indian, Mexican, American, Italian etc,) I roast my own spices prior to using. Even cinnamon. I buy the cinnamon sticks in bulk and do a quick roast (sometimes just pop in microwave for a few seconds until it starts to uncurl) and then grind and sift. So much fresher than the jars. Incredible information in this book. You don't have to be a gourmet cook to follow it. Even a beginner cook can follow these recipes.I cannot recommend this book enough! I have bought 2 for friends because I didn't want to loan mine out even though I may not be using it at the time they asked to borrow.

Though I've eaten a lot of Indian food in restaurants, I'd never cooked Indian food before I bought this book. Nor am I an especially enthusiastic cook. I found Ms. Sahni's book informative (but not overwhelming) and very easy to follow. I've now tried five or six of the recipes and also made usli ghee and paneer--all came out perfectly. The most amazing thing to me was that when Ms. Sahni says, "Let this cook for 15 minutes, then it will start to spatter a little...", that's exactly what happens, practically to the second.From one novice to many others who may be reading this, be sure you get all your spices and other ingredients measured and ready to go before you start cooking, because often things go in quick sequence. In the ingredient lists, I've also drawn brackets around the spices and other ingredients that go in at the same time so I can measure the group into one bowl and also have a quick reference for the stages of cooking without having to reread the narrative in the steps.The only thing that has tripped me--and this is slight--is that when hot water is required during cooking, it's stated in the steps but not in the ingredient list. I'm now in the habit of writing it in the ingredient list so I'll know I'll need it ahead of time.I have a couple of other Indian cookbooks that are also very good, but I keep going back to this one. Great book!!

I think this is a good beginner book for the cuisine, especially if you live in an area with no international grocers.