Table of Contents

Dedication. Acknowledgments. Introduction. THE INDIAN PHILOSOPHY OF FOOD AND MENU PLANNING. Menus. A Meal from the American Pantry. Easy Make-Ahead Meal. Light Weeknight Dinner. Summer Party Menu. Winter Dinner Menu. Holiday Brunch. Fourth-of-July Barbecue. A Thanksgiving Meal. A Vegetarian Diwali Celebration. An Indian Banquet. Helpful Hints. SPICES AND OTHER SEASONINGS. Spices and Herbs (a guide). Spice Blends. Curry Powders. Garam Masalas. Savory Spice Blends. Masala Blends for Special Dishes. Special South Indian Blends. Dessert and Tea Masalas. KITCHEN BASICS. Basic Techniques. Basic Ingredients. Basic Flavoring Pastes. CHUTNEYS AND PICKLES. Green Chutneys. Coconut Chutneys. Garlic and Chile Pepper Chutneys. Bean and Legume Chutneys. Yogurt Chutneys. Pureed Fruit Chutneys. Preserved Chutneys. Sonth Chutneys. Mango Pickles. Lime and Lemon Pickles. Green Chile Pepper Pickles. Other Vegetable Pickles. STARTERS AND SNACKS. Spicy Savories and Trail Mixes. Pastry Crackers and Puff Pastries (Mathri). Stuffed Fried Pastries (Samosae). Fillings for Samosas. Fritters (Pakorae or Bhajiae). Sliced, Chopped, and Stuffed Vegetable Fritters. Shredded and Minced Vegetable and Flour Mixture Fritters. Cheese and Meat Fritters. Potato Snacks. Savory Croquettes and Dumplings (Vadae). Steamed Fermented Rice Cakes (Iddli). Savory Bean and Rice Cakes (Dhokla). Indian Street Foods. Potato Patties. Kabaabs. Tikka Kabaabs and Marinades. SOUPS. Basic Broths. Tomato Soups. South Indian Soups (Rasam). Bean and Lentil Soups. Vegetable Soups. Yogurt Soups. Fish and Chicken Soups. SALADS. Fresh Chopped Salads (Cachumbar). Tomato Salads. Cabbage Salads. Marinated Salads. Bean and Legume Salads. Potato and Root Vegetable Salads. Green Salads. Fruit Salads. Non-Vegetarian Salads. YOGURT RAITAS AND PACHADIS. Basic Raitas. Vegetable Raitas. Raitas with Herbs and Greens. Grilled or Roasted Vegetable Raitas. Fresh and Dried Fruit Raitas. Dumpling Raitas. Meat Raitas. South Indian Pachadis. VEGETABLES ON THE SIDE. Potatoes and Other Roots. Eggplant. Squashes and Gourds. Cauliflower, Cabbage, and Other Crucifers. Okra. Spinach and Other Greens. Carrots, Peas, and Other Basic Vegetables. Mixed Vegetables. Savory Fruit Dishes. PANEER CHEESE. Paneer Cheese Appetizers. Paneer Cheese Scrambles and Side Dishes. Paneer Cheese Main Dishes and Curries. DRIED BEANS, LENTILS, AND PEAS (DAL). Types of Beans, Peas, and Lentils. To Cook Dried Beans, Lentils, and Peas. Mung Beans (Mung Dal). Lentils (Masoor Dal). Split Pigeon Peas (Toor Dal). Urad Beans (Urad Dal). Split Chickpeas and Split Peas (Channa Dal and Muttar Dal). Mixed Beans and Lentils. Whole Dried Bean Dishes. Whole Chickpea Dishes. VEGETARIAN CURRIES. Curry Sauces. Classic Vegetable Curries. Potato Curries. Greens Curries. Savory Fruit Curries. Mixed Vegetable Curries. Vegetable Ball (Koftas) Curries. Nugget and Chickpea Flour Curries. Special Yogurt Curries. NON-VEGETARIAN FARE. Eggs. Scrambled Eggs. Omelets. French Toast. Egg Curries. Chicken. Grilled and Dry-Cooked Chicken Dishes. Chicken Dishes with Greens. Chicken Curries. Yogurt Chicken Curries. Ground Chicken Curries. Meat. Classic Lamb Curries. Lamb and Grain Curries. Lamb Chop and Cutlet Dishes. Whole Leg of Lamb and Rack of Lamb. Ground Meat and Meat Balls (Keema and Kofta). Regional Meat Specialties. Fish and Shellfish. Shrimp Dishes. Seafood Curries. Fried, Grilled, and Baked Fish. Fish Curries. RICE. Plain and Steamed Rice Dishes. Simple Herbs and Spices Pilafs. South and West Indian Vegetarian Rice Dishes. Vegetarian Pilafs (Sabzi kae Pullao). Non-Vegetarian Pilafs. Layered Rice Dishes (Biryani ). Special Grain and Lentil Dishes (Khichadi s). Other Grain Pilafs. BREADS AND CREPES. Simple Griddle Breads. Griddle-Fried Breads (Paranthas). Stuffed Griddle-Fried Flatbreads. Puffed Deep-Fried Breads (Pooriyan). Oven-Grilled Naan and Other Breads. Special Breads. Crepes and Pancakes. DESSERTS. Prasaad Offerings. Halva . Milk-Based Puddings (Kheer, Payasam, and Payesh). Custards and Mousses. Indian Ice Creams (Kulfi). Indian Ice Cream Desserts. Milk Fudge (Burfee). Paneer Cheese Specialty Desserts. Other Desserts. HOT AND COLD BEVERAGES. Yogurt Drinks (Lussi). Milk Drinks. Fruit Coolers. Teas (Chai). Indian Cooking Glossary. Mail and Internet Sources. Index. About the Author.

About the Author

Neelam Batta was born in New Delhi, India, and lived there until she got married and moved to Los Angeles with her husband, Pradeep, in 1973. Living in America, far from home and with no Indian restaurants and no Indian grocery stores in sight, she faced a crucial challenge-how to enjoy the foods she knew and loved. She set out to recreate the dishes with the ingredients she had available to her. Although she learned the basics of Indian cooking at her mother's side as she was growing up, she had no formal training in Indian cuisine. Her knowledge was developed as she recreated dish after dish in her Los Angeles kitchen, as she visited and toured India to understand more about the regional foods and cooking styles, and as she sampled regional dishes and home-cooked favorites and talked about Indian cooking with friends, family, and restaurant chefs from all over India. Her re-creations of the classics and her own adaptations won raves from her friends and her family, which, over time, included two daughters, Sumita and Supriya and son-in-law Monti. She soon found herself being invited to teach at local cooking schools in Santa Monica, where she has since taught cooking for 18 years. She has written two cookbooks, The Indian Vegetarian and Chilis to Chutneys. She has also been a guest and on-air instructor for national TV cooking show in the United States and India. She continues to live in Santa Monica, California, with her husband, Pradeep.