🧵 4/Fresh India/Meera Sodha

There is no higher recommendation than this book sits on my own shelves 😉 If you love Indian food but are intimidated by traditional recipes, this is the book for you. Not traditional but a modern take on Indian flavours and fresh ingredients.

You will want to cook every recipe in this book.

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🧵 3/Fresh India/Meera Sodha

There is helpful information throughout the book, for example a few pages on key lentils and pulses, with a section that includes photos, descriptions, and treatment. It is not comprehensive - it would be good to see a book that does an extensive overview of Indian lentils, beans and grains - but it covers the ones used in this book.

There are some pages on Presentation Skills - such a good idea. I mean, how many of you know what to do when presented with a curry, dal, yoghurt, chutney/pickle, coconut flakes, fried shallots, and some crispy chickpeas to plate up? Now you know not only how to make them, but how to think about plating too.

Ditto for toppings such as crumbled dried rose petals, pomegranates, pistachios, cumin seeds, cashews and fried raisins.

Such a modern interpretation of wonderful, delicious, beautiful Indian techniques and cuisines.

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🧵 2/Fresh India/Meera Sodha

The book is well put together but without an integrated bookmark - honestly a real "must" these days.

The paper is more glossy than not - not conducive to ink-pen notes as you cook. Best to use a standard biro. But the photos shine on this paper, looking fresh and inviting. And extremely tempting.

The book is divided up in several ways - the usual table of contents by ingredient/recipe type. But there are other Content pages. One, called Alternative Contents, has suggestions for first-timers, mid week meals, weekend cooking, lunches, from the pantry, for freezing and from the garden.

Another lists seasonal recipes.

The index seems sufficiently comprehensive including English recipe names, Indian names and key ingredients.

Sodha talks about her Gujarati heritage and its influence on her. Each recipe comes with a short story (a girl after my own heart - every recipe has a story associated with it).

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🧵 1/Fresh India/Meera Sodha

Meera Sodha has had a huge influence in modernising Indian food without putting too much of a BIR spin on it. (British Indian Restaurant style).

BIR is quite different from trad Indian food and heavily influenced by Nth Indian, Pakastani and Bangladeshi food. I've seen quite a few British writers of Indian background write as if BIR is authentic Indian cuisine.

Meera has taken that on, with her 3 main books and regular Guardian column. Her food is fresh and exciting. Moreover, 2 of her 3 main cookbooks are vegetarian! 😍 I have 2 of her cookbooks on my shelves. First up is:

Fresh India: 130 Quick, Easy and Delicious Vegetarian Reixpes for Every Day, by Meera Sodha
Published: 2016
Publisher: Fig Tree
Pages: 300
Price: $37AU but look around as prices vary. Cheaper for Kindle version

Recipes: 141 recipes, all vegetarian, and 134 are also egg-free :blobcatdance:

This is her second book, following on from Made in India. It is a fresh look at Indian food, with some surprising recipes - mushroom and walnut samosas, oven-baked onion bhajis and beetroot and paneer kebabs. There are familiar and classic Indian recipes like dals, curries and pickles, alongside less familiar ones using fresh seasonal ingredients, like Brussels sprout thoran, Gardeners' Question Time pilau and Green beans with cashew nuts and coconut.

They are all easy, perfect for every day and made using easy to find ingredients:

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