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 spicescoriander, cumin, mustard, cayenne pepper, and turmericto 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 TomatoSauce 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.

"In this stunningly illustrated book, Camellia Panjabi takes the reader on a journey through the sights, smells, and tastes of the centerpiece of the Indian meal, the curry." -- inside cover.

“One of those Indian cookbooks that I see myself actually going to again and again for simple, satisfying weeknight meals, and easy Indian cooking.” —Fearless Fresh 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. “I really can’t say enough good things about this book. The recipes are simple but not simplistic, and the flavors you can achieve by following her recipes are mind blowing.” —Biscuits of Today

For all who love the magical flavors of good Indian cooking and want to reproduce effortlessly some of the delectable dishes from that part of the world, here is a groundbreaking cookbook from the multi-James Beard Award–winning author who is revered as the “queen of Indian cooking” (Saveur). By deconstructing age-old techniques and reducing the number of steps in a recipe, as well as helping us to understand the nature of each spice and seasoning, she enables us to make Indian dishes part of our everyday cooking. • First, she tantalizes us with bite-size delights to snack on with drinks or tea. • A silky soup is mellowed with coconut milk; a spinach-and-ginger soup is perfumed with cloves. • Fish and seafood are transformed by simple rubs and sauces and new ways of cooking. • A lover of eggs and chicken dishes, Jaffrey offers fresh and easy ways to cook them, including her favorite masala omelet and simple poached eggs over vegetables. There’s chicken from western Goa cooked in garlic, onion, and a splash of vinegar; from Bombay, it’s with apricots; from Delhi, it’s stewed with spinach and cardamom; from eastern India, it has yogurt and cinnamon; and from the south, mustard, curry leaves, and coconut. • There is a wide range of dishes for lamb, pork, and beef with important tips on what cuts to use for curries, kebabs, and braises. • There are vegetable dishes, in a tempting array—from everyday carrots and greens in new dress to intriguing ways with eggplant and okra—served center stage for vegetarians or as accompaniments. • At the heart of so many Indian meals are the dals, rice, and grains, as well as the little salads, chutneys, and pickles that add sparkle, and Jaffrey opens up a new world of these simple pleasures. Throughout, Madhur Jaffrey’s knowledge of and love of these foods is contagious. Here are the dishes she grew up on in India and then shared with her own family and friends in America. And now that she has made them so accessible to us, we can incorporate them confidently into our own kitchen, and enjoy the spice and variety and health-giving properties of this delectable cuisine.

In this groundbreaking cookbook, Nina Simonds offers us more than 175 luscious recipes, along with practical tips for a sensible lifestyle, that demonstrate that health-giving foods not only provide pleasure but can make a huge difference in our lives. With her emphasis on the tonic properties of a wide variety of foods, herbs, and spices, this book also brings us up to date on the latest scientific research. In every recipe–gathered from cultures around the world in which good eating is a way of life–Simonds gives us dishes that are both irresistible and have a positive effect on one’s well-being. For example: -Cardamom, a key digestive, subtly seasons her Steamed Asparagus with Cardamom Butter. -Cinnamon, which strengthens the heart and alleviates nervous tension, adds spice to her Fragrant Cinnamon Pork with Sweet Potatoes. -Basil has long been used as a healing salve and in teas. So who wouldn’t feel rejuvenated by a delicious bowlful of Sun-Dried Tomato Soup with Fresh Basil? -Peanuts, which fortify the immune system and lower cholesterol, provide a tasty, crunchy accent in Sichuan Kung Pao Chicken. -Mint, which has many healing properties, from taming muscle spasms to dissolving gallstones, can be relished in Minty Snap Peas accompanying Pan-Roasted Salmon or in a Pineapple Salsa served with Jerk Pork Cutlets. -And peaches give us vitamin C, beta carotene, and fiber. So enjoy them in a wonderful Gingery Peach-a-Berry Cobbler. To help us understand what part these health-restoring foods can play in our lives, Simonds peppers Spices of Life with lively interviews with a variety of experts, including Dr. Jim Duke, who offers anti-aging advice from his Herbal Farmacy; Dr. Andrew Weil, who discusses his latest nutritional findings; and Dr. U. K. Krishna, who explains basic Ayurvedic practices for healthy living. And more. With its delicious, easy-to-prepare recipes and concise health information, this delightful book opens up a whole new world of tastes for us to enjoy every day and to share with family and friends.

Spices and herbs, also called seasoning, are an important part of cooking, if not the most important. They can transform an ordinary tasting dish into an incredibly delicious dish. All spices originate from plants. Some are used entirely but some plants have specific parts that are used, like the flowers, roots, barks, leaves, stems and seeds. Making spice mixes at home is a lot cheaper than buying them in the store, especially when you buy large quantities of them. Just buy a big bag or container of each individual spice and start mixing them at home. Store them in jars and you won't have to buy any spices for years to come. And with the variety of these spice mixes you'll be able to use them for anything and make everything so much more delicious! Some spices like garlic and cinnamon don't only improve the taste of the dishes but also help in preserving due to their ability to limit bacterial growth. Lots of spices, like turmeric, ginger, garlic, cloves and many more are also very healthy, they contain antioxidants and various other nutrients depending on the spice and herb. They can possess anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, and immune-boosting properties. All the recipes in this book are dry spice mixes only and have been categorized according to the region where these spice mixes originated. You'll find spice blends from all over the world, including spice mixes for desserts. So go stock up on some spices and get ready to taste an amazing array of new flavors in your home cooking.

Within this volume are 350 user-friendly recipes from all over India, a country whose diverse cultures and religions are reflected in its cuisine. The recipes include background information and are designed to educate cooks in order to make them more comfortable with Indian food.