Six Spices: A Simple Concept of Indian Cooking

From the Editors

<div>Selected for the cookbook section of  <i>The New York Times Book Review</i> Summer Reading issue<br><br><br><br>Featuring authentic recipes and introducing the use of fundamental spices, this recipe collection guides cooks of all levels of expertise in the preparation of healthy, delicious Indian meals. The recipes selected use no more than six spices to create tasty, satisfying, and authentic dishes and introduce a simpler way to prepare Indian food. Each chapter focuses on a different cooking technique, offering insight into foods that at times can seem daunting for the novice cook. This recipe collection has been tasted and tested through more than 20 years of the author's teaching experience and Indian cooking expertise.<br><br></div>
Product Description

Customer Response

Opens new taste doors in our house
We love Indian food and I wanted to get a gentle introduction to cooking it. Starting with 6 spices seemed a good way to do that. That turned out to be spot on. In the 3 weeks i've had this book I've tried 10 recipes. While not all of them will become favorites, not a one was less than good.

This book isn't just about reproducing authentic Indian food, but more about using Indian style cooking and flavors with ingredients I can get at the local market. That's fine. Since I've never been to India, i wouldn't know authentic if it bit me. I do know when I'm getting tasty food and with that Neeta Saluja comes through. What's more, the recipes are straight forward to prepare. Also, the instructions are clear. I would appreciate photos of each dish, but that's a minor quibble and doesn't distract from my enthusiastic recommendation of this cookbook.

Another plus is that many of the dishes are vegetarian, and I've been wanting to move more in that dietary direction. What I don't want is to simply substitute tofu and soy meat for things I'm used to eating. Yuck. With the new tastes I'm experiencing and with dishes that are intended to take advantage of their natural ingredients, the lack of meat is not taste a problem at all. Healthy is a byproduct of good food, not an idea imposed upon dishes that weren't developed for vegetable based ingredients.

Six Spices: A Simple Concept of Indian Cooking
Excellent cookbook for the cook that is new to Indian Cooking, or the professional. There is beginning section that describes the needed spices and purposes for them. This also gives the cook an idea of what ingredients will need purchased in advance that will be useful for almost every recipe in the book. I have tried many of the recipes already and they are fabulous. They are not super HOT as most Indian recipes start out to be. I enjoy this cookbook very much.

I love this book!!
I absolutely love this book. Every dish I make from this book comes out tasting fantastic! The dishes are not heavy or greasy like some food at Indian restaurants but at the same time the food is so incredibly rich and flavorful. Certain things take a bit more time but it is definitely worth the effort. And I can get all the ingredients at my local grocery store. The lentil dishes are really satisfying and the technique's you learn can be used over and over to create really unique dishes. Just depends on altering things a little and you have a whole new dish. The salads are so different from anything you would eat anywhere else...I mean where can you find a recipe for salad with tomatoes and peanuts, or butternut squash and yogurt w/ mustard seeds. Also some of my favorites (to mention a few, corn fritters, mango lassi, egg curry and cabbage kofta curry (taste like veggie meatballs, really rich but no fake meat!) I'm vegetarian, but there are quite a few meat dishes in this book for all the omnivores :)
I guess I'm especially passionate about this book because I grew up eating Indian food and this is a real tastes like home to me,

delicious, yet easy to make
These recipes are clearer and easier to follow than any other Indian cookbook I've used -- and the food tastes really good! I should know -- my family is from India and my mom is a good cook! The author's explanations of different ways to prepare spices (dry mixes, wet pastes, roasting, etc.) gave me a better understanding Indian cooking. This is an excellent book for anyone who wants to cook Indian food.

Extrordinary little cookbook
I've always wanted to cook Indian, but found most Indian cookbooks intimidating. This book breaks it down and the results are simply delicious. The eight or so recipes I've tried so far are actually tastier than most dishes I've had in Indian restaurants. It's perfectly OK with me that the recipes have probably been simplified; they satisfy that particular craving that only Indian food can satisfy. And now, finally, it's home-cooked Indian. Neeta Saluja, I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

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