How to Cook Indian

by Sanjeev Kapoor

Original publisher: Stewart, Tabori & Chang (Abrams)

Date of publication: 2011

ISBN: 1584799331

Buy this book

Full online access

Recommended by

Michelle Peters-Jones

Food writer

As a cooking instructor specializing in East Indian cuisine, I get asked for my cookbook recommendations all the time. While a lot of my recipes come straight from my family, or through oral traditions, there are a few cookbooks I refer to when I need to look up something or to get a basic recipe for a dish from a different region of India. This is the bible of Indian cookery, and Sanjeev Kapoor is the high priest. Along with Tarla Dalal, Kapoor redefined the concept of the celebrity chef in India. He was one of the first people to cook on television, and his show Khana Khazana has been the number one cookery program in India for forever. We all grew up watching him, and it's no wonder — with over a hundred and fifty books — he is probably one of the least known, but bestselling, cookbook authors in the world (to be fair, there are over a billion or so Indians out there buying his books...). This is one of his ultimate cookbooks, and it is specifically designed and written for North American audiences. With over 500 recipes, you can be sure that you'll find a recipe for every season and for every event. There are no photographs in this book, which is disappointing, but if you really want to improve and learn more about Indian cooking, this is one book that you can't be without.