Overview

I’ve heard Anjum Anand referred to as the “Indian Nigella Lawson” and I was interested in seeing what Anjum’s New Indian would offer. Although Anjum doesn’t have Nigella’s turn of phrase, this book presents inviting recipes, useful background information and a warm but not over-the-top enthusiasm for food. The book features recipes from a BBC television series, Indian Food Made Easy, focusing on regional dishes of India.

Anjum’s New Indian could easily have been yet another one of those “inspired by the flavours of …” titles, leaving the user none the wiser about what really makes a cuisine, but thankfully the author not only tells the reader how many dishes are traditionally prepared, but is also open about what changes she has made and why. It makes this book doubly valuable: helping you understand traditional methods and flavours while giving you at times lighter, simpler or just personally preferred alternatives.

The book’s 256 pages encompass a range of tips, basics, then chapters including Light Meals and Snacks, Fish and Seafood, Beans and Lentils, Raitas and Chutneys, and more. Most recipes are presented on one half of a two-page spread, with an attractive photograph on the opposite page. Recipes are generally clearly presented and reasonably well explained. The book might challenge cuisine-purists, given the amount of adaptation and interpretation: some dishes are openly simplifed, some others use untraditional cooking methods or combinations, but there’s no attempt to hide the fact that this book wants to be accessible and personal. A reasonable range of spices and other ingredients is called for to make the most of the book, but many recipes are simple and modest in their demands. There are quite a number of attractive vegetarian dishes included and the dessert section is brief but flavoursome.

My only criticisms would be that the ingredient lists are in a small font which some readers might find difficult to read, while some ingredients or terms (such as masala) aren’t adequately explained at the beginning. There is a glossary at the back, but basic terms could have done with a quick explanation in the flow of the text, especially as this book is good enough to attract cooks new to Indian cooking.

If you embrace Anjum’s New Indian you’ll be able to enjoy dishes such as Parsi Tomato-poached Eggs, Baked Chutney-stuffed Fish, Dried Pomegranate Chicken, Gujarati Lamb and Dumpling Stew, Cannellini Bean Curry, Quick Tamarind Chutney, or even Sweet Angel Hair Vermicelli with Orange Cream. As you read the recipes, your tastebuds might find themselves running ahead of you, anticipating dinner.