Originally published in 1973, An Invitation to Indian Cooking was Madhur Jaffrey's very first cookbook. She moved to New York City from India in the early 1960's and started cooking when she started craving the flavors of her childhood. Later on, when people would ask her for Indian restaurant recommendations, she'd sadly tell them that there wasn't anything that appropriately authentic in the city and then, feeling bad and wanting to share the tastes of India with them, she'd invite them over for dinner. When throwing regular dinner parties became exhausting, she began to hand out her recipes. They spread across the city (and some all the way across the country) and eventually led to this book. My copy of this book came to me in that load of cookbooks I acquired from my friend Fran's friend about a month ago. One of the delightful things I've discovered as I've gone through these books has been the unexpected notes and page markers that fall out when I start to leaf through. This edition is no exception, the recipe for Pork Chops Cooked With Cabbage is marked with a seed pack for wildflowers.
Back in April, I featured another one of Jaffrey's books, that time it was her volume devoted to Quick & Easy Indian Cooking. That book relies more heavily on pre-made spice mixes and short cut items that are available in the supermarket. This book has none of those short cuts and so while the dishes do take considerably longer to make, the rewards that come from toasting and grinding your own spices is quite high. Recently, Serious Eats spent a month cooking from this volume and, other than an unfortunate incident that involved a greasy, gristly goat stew, enjoyed the experience.
If you are a fan of Madhur Jaffery, your collection is not complete without this book.










Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
5-18-2008 @ 9:32AM
Angie said...
Wow! Talk about coincidences...I saw her yesterday in WHYY cooking in Sara Moulton's show (Sara's Weeknight Meals).
I wanted to find out more about Madhur because in the show she not only showed you how to cook it, but told you more about why and how they use the ingredients in India. Quite interesting!
Unfortunately Sara Moulton's site isn't very user friendly so I couldn't find the name spelled quickly (and she only mentioned her name in the show twice) now I have it...thanks!!
Reply
6-09-2008 @ 2:41AM
Connie Sweet said...
You may find this interesting regarding spices. Not knowing anyone that has any experience with the hot pepper I am always looking for any information on all aspects of the bhut jolokia. Growing it for the first time in northern California has been difficult as has getting any real good stories or growing tips. So I have been asking people from India about the 'ghost chili' and the first thing I learned is that India is a big place. The rest is summarized here from an interview with a man who said he was familiar with the pepper and its uses.......To read the rest go to http://bhutjolokia.blogspot.com
Reply
6-09-2008 @ 4:35PM
Connie Sweet said...
Not knowing anyone that has any experience with the hot pepper I am always looking for any information on all aspects of the bhut jolokia. Growing it for the first time in northern California has been difficult as has getting any real good stories or growing tips. So I have been asking people from India about the 'ghost chili' and the first thing I learned is that India is a big place. The rest is summarized here from an interview with a man who said he was familiar with the pepper and its uses........http://bhutjolokia.blogspot.com
Reply