Indian As Apple Pie

  When my first cookbook, The Indian Slow Cooker, was released in September, 2010, I did what every new author does. I religiously checked Amazon.com every hour on the hour with my breathe held. I was looking for rankings and reviews. As they started to trickle in, most were stellar, five-star ones. But there were some negative ones too. The first really nasty review came from a ‘man’ in Thailand, saying that he was disgusted that the chicken curry recipe never turned red. And, that it was not up to his expectations of standard Indian food. I wrote back saying that...

  I love Tandoori – especially vegetables. In this recipe you’ll learn how to take the Tandoori Masala I posted earlier and actually use it to make a traditional Indian marinade that can be put on anything. In this case, I used cauliflower. I wanted to do something dramatic, like some other food bloggers out there, and cook up a whole head of cauliflower with the tandoori paste and bake it in the oven. But, honestly, I just could not do that to you all. It came out very dry with just a layer of marinade crusted on the outer...

The first time I had egg curry was at the Bombay Club restaurant in Washington, D.C. when I used to be a Capitol Hill staffer. We would go as groups on the weekend to splurge on their champagne/naan brunch. It was addictive. As was the royal environment. I have certain opinions about the British and their time in India, but the decor brought back positive aspects of the time – tennis whites, the club atmosphere, and a sense of spoiling yourself. Everything my grandfather epitomized as a lawyer in the city of Chandigarh (the capital of the state of Punjab...

  Growing up in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, my very Indian parents entertained a lot. It was more like they took their turn at hosting all of their Indian friends – people who became their family over time to act as a day-to-day surrogate to their blood relatives left thousands of miles away. A party, in our very North Indian home, meant fresh everything. Then, everything was made from scratch and made over the course of a few days versus the now typical call to catering. There were very few if any options on Indian catering back then, circa the...

Lentils are the heart of Indian cuisine. Regardless of where in India you live, or what kind of household income you have, there’s one thing you have in common: lentils – tiny little dried seeds that grow in a pod and pack a nutritious punch. In North India, they are prepped with earthy cumin seeds and cilantro, while in the South their flavors are heightened with slightly bitter mustard seeds and curry leaves. Regardless, when you get a bowl of lentils in your day you know you are also getting a plant-based protein that’s not only delicious but clean and...

It took me years to realize -- I'm just not that kind of mom. The seemingly cool mom who manages to whip up pancakes at my kids' whim. The one who has a special pancake flavor for every special occasion, and an even more special one stacked to the sky for that first day of school. Many of my friends ARE that mom. Not me. For one, we rarely had pancakes growing up that were not burned or over cooked (sorry, mom). Two, most of the breakfasts enjoyed in a North Indian household are savory not sweet. And, three, I...

Thanks to everyone for participating in my most recent drawing for a free copy of my new book, Vegan Indian Cooking. I wish I could give all of you a copy - but you know I can only pick one winner. Actually TWO, now that my publisher has decided to match my give away. Drum roll please.....! The lucky winners are: Rita Maldonado and Rileen Sinha. Congratulations! Rita says she heard my interview on NPR in July, while Rileen says he went the typical google search route to get to this page. I am so excited for both of you to...

As I continue to travel the country and Canada talking about all things Indian and food, I continue to be amazed by the common thread of every discussion with non-Indians and second generation Indians alike: Indian food is complicated and labor intensive. It's easier to head outside of your own home and pick up take out rather than try and make it yourself. I'm always shocked when I hear this thrown at me in demo after demo after demo. I've now cooked up Indian goodies at Williams-Sonoma stores across the country including King of Prussia, PA; Philadelphia, Chicago, Oak Brook,...

The wait is finally over! My second book, Vegan Indian Cooking: 140 Simple and Healthy Vegan Recipes, can now be purchased through Amazon, and already on pre orders alone, it has been ranked in the top 10 Indian cookbooks. Pretty crazy, when the official release date is still not until early July. I want all of you to know how much I appreciate all of the support and the early sales. All of you - whether you buy one book or a dozen - mean so much to me and the success of my book, business, and mission. To best...

The last few weeks have been a whirlwind. Teaching classes. Traveling. Promoting my new Spice Tiffin in Williams-Sonoma stores around the country. Launching a new spice line. Driving the kids to and from school, piano, tae kwon do, and swimming. Doing laundry. Cooking. Making dinner. Reading, changing, and rereading the edits on my new book, Vegan Indian. I often feel the futility, like drinking from a fire hydrant. As I type, I'm (Sun. 02.26.12 9 p.m. pacific) I'm sitting at the airport in Seattle waiting for the red-eye back to Chicago. I land at 5:10 a.m .. head home..and start...