Michelle Peters-Jones

Food writer

This was the cookbook that my mom packed into my suitcase when I moved to grad school in England. In it, you'll find everything from traditional Mangalorean recipes to North and South Indian classics, as well as surprisingly interesting sections on baking and salads. The recipes defy categorization – they are personal recipes from the club's members and they span the globe. It is a funny book, in the sense that the recipes are all in the voices of the women contributing, and they assume that they are giving the recipe to a peer. This means that you really do have to know how to cook, and to talk the Mangalorean talk — that is what makes cooking from this book a real adventure.