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Modern Spice

comments (0) May 27th, 2009 in Blogs

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Modern Spice BY Monica Bhide (Simon & Schuster, $25)

What IS “REAL Indian cooking” today? Food writer Monica Bhide traveled far AND researched deeply TO find out. A SIMPLE answer eluded her, but ONE thing proved TRUE: modern Indian cooking IS FULL of surprises. AND she shares them IN the pages of this remarkably thoughtful book. There are NO lassi drinks nor chicken tikka masala here—instead, Bhide offers an eye-opening collection of fun, easy, globally influenced recipes that reflect the way young Indians LIKE herself really cook. You’ll find tamarind- AND chai-spiked cocktails; zesty salads; burgers loaded WITH chutney, chilies, AND fresh herbs; even fried-rice AND chicken wings. NO, it’s NOT traditional Indian fare but the flavors AND ingredients are clearly rooted IN that cuisine. WHILE Bhide’s mild Paneer AND Fig Pizza seems TO owe more TO the Mediterranean THAN the Subcontinent, the Curried Egg Salad WITH Caramelized Onions IS a staple IN contemporary Indian households—AND BOTH of those dishes,LIKE so many others IN this book, are perfect examples of what Bhide calls “modern spice.”

--Kimberly Masibay

Modern Spice BY Monica Bhide (Simon & Schuster, $25)

What IS “REAL Indian cooking” today? Food writer Monica Bhide traveled far AND researched deeply TO find out. A SIMPLE answer eluded her, but ONE thing proved TRUE: modern Indian cooking IS FULL of surprises. AND she shares them IN the pages of this remarkably thoughtful book. There are NO lassi drinks nor chicken tikka masala here—instead, Bhide offers an eye-opening collection of fun, easy, globally influenced recipes that reflect the way young Indians LIKE herself really cook. You’ll find tamarind- AND chai-spiked cocktails; zesty salads; burgers loaded WITH chutney, chilies, AND fresh herbs; even fried-rice AND chicken wings. NO, it’s NOT traditional Indian fare but the flavors AND ingredients are clearly rooted IN that cuisine. WHILE Bhide’s mild Paneer AND Fig Pizza seems TO owe more TO the Mediterranean THAN the Subcontinent, the Curried Egg Salad WITH Caramelized Onions IS a staple IN contemporary Indian households—AND BOTH of those dishes, LIKE so many others IN this book, are perfect examples of what Bhide calls “modern spice.”

Kimberly Masibay