What We Are Reading: 5 Cookbooks to Inspire Your Next Homecooked Meal

It’s October already and soon, we will be readying ourselves for the promise of a good winter. The months may be whizzing by, but, to help you slow down, is some cooking inspiration. Ruth Dsouza Prabhu dives into 5 food books that you should consider having on your bookshelves this season. What ties them together is how they disperse any sense of intimidation when it comes to cooking cuisines both familiar and new. These books simply encourage you to do one thing — step into that kitchen and cook.

Servings – Simple, Yet Exotic

The first thing that drew me to exploring this book is not its size, which at 496 pages is considerable, but rather, a line in author Roopali Mohanti’s introduction — ‘The pages ahead attempt answering that one question each waking day: What should I cook today?’ This is a question faced by anyone who helms the daily grind of their kitchen. Roopali’s book, an extensive tome with around 240 recipes, offers some easy answers to that question.

Navigating this book takes some time. There are many sections — breakfast & brunch, appetisers, mains, tea time, a vegetarian section, and one dedicated to Roopali’s son (her Panda) and his favourite dishes. This latter is an adorable dedication, has made me seriously consider compiling a similar list of my daughter’s favourites. 

Where things can get a bit overwhelming, particularly for a newbie, is that each section comprises a multitude of cuisines. For instance, Makhmali Gulabi Boti shares space with a Fruity Cheese Board, Egg Roast, and Sweet Corn Toasts. Mains give you a choice of segments that cover the cuisines of Delhi, Mughlai, Kolkata, Odisha, Darjeeling, the Konkan region, Hyderabad, Malabar, Thai, Morrocco, Italy and London. Popular micro-cuisines like that of the Parsis, Sindhis, and Gorkhali are covered too.

There is plenty to try but, perhaps, narrowing down on a specific dish may slow you down. To aid with that choice, Roopali has thoughtful menus planned out at the end of most sections — bringing together a range of dishes for a well-rounded meal.

I was happy to see Mangalorean (my home-town) dishes featured here. I tried the Yakhni Pulao and Mutton Paniyarams — both, while well explained, will require some experience in the kitchen to get right. That said, having a photo series to demonstrate how to make Water Chestnut, Corn and Asparagus Spring Rolls is a useful addition. 

In her introduction, Roopali mentions that several recipes are from friends and family. There’s Chaitra’s Goli Baje and Mansi’s Bihari Boti Wings; Mohan’s Dal Trimel Tadka and Shailashree’s Phulkopir Malai Curry — I would have loved to read a line or two introducing these people and why their recipes feature here. 

On page 114, Roopali’s Spinach and Cottage Cheese Casserole recipe, which evolved over the years, will remind you of your kitchen experiments and how they led to the best ‘your version’ of a dish. 

This is a classic style recipe book, with more focus on recipes and less on images (the ones here are appetising) and plenty of options to give you months of happy cooking. 

Servings – Simple, Yet Exotic
Author – Roopali Mohanti
Price: Rs 1650 (Hard Cover)

Adukkala – A Family Food Odyssey

When I first held Tia Anusuya’s Adukkala (meaning kitchen) in my hands, it took me back to a similar book, A Kitchen Full of Stories by Ummi Abdulla, which took readers on a culinary journey through the years, with recipes, photographs and stories.

I have eaten chef Tia Anasuya’s (she trained at Le Cordon Bleu Paris) food during her stints as chef, with Nevermind and Brassa in Bengaluru. Classic Keralite food did not feature on her menus. But, as is true for many, the pandemic saw her returning to her roots.

Tia’s kaipunyam (the magic in one’s hand, a term often used about cooking) is not just with ingredients, but with words too. Interestingly, Tia comes from a family of writers — granddaughter to journalist-author TJS George, and niece to poet-writer Jeet Thayil.

In Tia’s book, you explore Kerala’s food through the memories of the women in her family, especially her Amama (grandmother), Ammu George. The book begins with Ammu George who runs her home ‘with military precision.’ It reminded me of my paternal grandmother who measured ingredients for the day’s cooking down to the last chilli to get the flavours she wanted. The stories will be familiar to some: cooking with vegetables from the garden, feeding large hordes of children with ravenous appetites, preserving produce in the days without refrigeration, and more.

Dina Varghese’s story speaks of a cot in the kitchen, presumably for the woman to relax — which makes me wonder why we don’t have this in kitchens around the country! Swetha George’s understanding of a common menu across Kerala, with variations in taste, colour and ingredients across districts, was an affirmation for me. In cooking the Onam sadya this year, I learnt of many variations to each dish I was cooking. 

I tried the Meen Vevichathu (Red Fish Curry), which has simple ingredients but is a wholesome dish. Geetha Mathew’s Kerala Veal Chops, a twist on her favourite Erachi Ularthiyathu (Beef Fry), is simple and hearty. 

The book is peppered with healing recipes for common ailments. There are little tips woven into the recipes and almost every one of them is a grateful tribute to the bounty of the land. 

I will be trying the Chemeen Biryani and the Coconut Flan soon; the latter’s picture (just like all the others) makes me want to dip a spoon into the page. The best way to summarise this book is in Tara Abdulla’s (Tia’s friend Abeer Abdulla’s mother) words — ‘Kerala cuisine doesn’t see cooking styles, only flavours’. Don’t miss TJS George’s lovely testimonial on the back cover. My one grouse with the book is that it has just 22 recipes, which had me pining for more. 

Adukkala – A Family Food Odyssey
Author – Tia Anasuya
Price: INR 2300 (Hard Cover)

Mrs K.M Mathew’s Finest Recipes

Growing up in the Gulf, my mother, a cooking enthusiast, would painstakingly cut out recipes from magazines and newspapers and stash them. Several of our family friends shared her enthusiasm, and the one name that often came up was Mrs. K M Mathew. Many of mom’s friends had copies of this prolific author’s books — 23 of them, mostly in Malayalam.

Mrs. Annamma Mathew, who came to be well known as Mrs. K M Mathew, took the first steps of documenting the regional food of Kerala homes in 1953, in a small column in the extremely popular Malayalam Manorama. Interestingly, the first piece in her cookery column was about doughnuts. In 1955, she published her first Malayalam cookbook, Pachaka Kala (The Art of Cooking). Today, 20 years after she passed on, Mrs. K M Mathew is still regarded as an influential figure in chronicling the food of her state. 

Her life took her to many places, from Andhra Pradesh where she was born, to spending her childhood in Tamil Nadu, and moving to a coffee estate in Chikmagalur after marriage. She left no stone unturned to learn about food — spending time in people’s kitchens, speaking to chefs at restaurants, gathering and testing recipes from friends and family, and more. Besides books on Kerala food, she ventured into the health space, with Arogya Pachakam, and recipes for the new age cook, with Aadhunika. 

Finest Recipes is a collection of Mrs. Mathew’s most popular dishes. It follows the classic format of snacks, breakfast dishes, eggs, meat, seafood, vegetables, rice, payasams and puddings, soups, jams and pickles. The recipes are no-nonsense, one to a page. There are pictures, in the middle of the book, but, they don’t take too much attention. This is a book you can thumb through, prop up on your kitchen table and not feel bad if there’s a splatter here or there. That said, it would have benefited from more thought in its presentation. 

I tried the Meat Pattichu Varathathu and it came out brilliantly well. I made the Pineapple Pachadi for a family Onam Sadya and the bowl was licked clean. The Mutton Baffath, which Mrs Mathew’s daughter Thangam says continues to be a family favourite, is next on my list.

This is a book that will be on my kitchen shelf and one I will turn to many a time in the future, just as generations before me have done.

Mrs K.M Mathew’s Finest Recipes
Author: Mrs K M Mathew
Price: INR 599/-

Masaleydaar, Classic Indian Spice Blends

When I first chatted with author Nandita Godbole about this book, she mentioned that it was written largely for her existing audience — most of whom don’t cook Indian food regularly. She said it may seem dumbed down to an Indian audience. On reading Masaleydaar, I found it far from ‘dumbed down’. Anyone who has taken the trouble of weighing, measuring and writing down recipes from what is essentially ‘a pinch & a dash that is the Indian way’, will appreciate Nandita’s book immensely. It documents masalas of different kinds in a way that preserves knowledge, quantifies it exactly, and makes it easy to refer to.

With an impressive string of six successful cookbooks, Nandita skillfully curates this book to guide readers through traditional masalas like the Sabut, Panch Phoron and Achari masalas, along with Bihari Masala, Besara paste and Garam Masalas from Bengal, Puducherry, Kashmir (Pandit) and Rajasthan. She emphasises crafting personalised small batches of powdered spice blends, which makes it easier for everyday cooking.

To me, what sets Masaleydaar apart, is how Nandita has worked on preserving classic Indian flavours while infusing them with modern twists. I would not have thought that Okra Kadhi with Rassam Powder is workable, but, the punch of a good rasam powder can truly elevate the humble kadhi. The book seamlessly melds classics with contemporary takes: thecha with zucchini, baby eggplants with Bunt masala, kashaundi crusted salmon and jackfruit in xacuti masala.

Nandita goes beyond just recipes, introducing her readers to leaf-plate crafting and her foray into ceramics. Her photography is eye-catching too.

At 319 pages, this is a sizable book but one you will keep coming back to. It may even encourage you to try tweaking your masalas at home.

Masaleydaar
Author: Nandita Godbole
Price: $55 (Intl shipping only)

My Mediterranean Table

Natasha Celmi’s debut book, Fast, Fresh and Flavourful, was a collection that embodied these three words. It’s aim was to showcase recipes that ensure you spent as little time in the kitchen as possible but still serve a healthy and satisfying meal. Now, with her new book, she invites you to a ‘celebration of food’. In her introduction, she draws parallels between her Indian roots and the food culture of her Italian husband’s family.

The book has some lovely basic sauces, condiments and stocks for the pantry, like pesto, tahini, seafood stock, how to make breadcrumbs and more. Natasha’s thoughts behind the Mezze section echo how we currently like to entertain (and spend a date night out) with a selection of finger foods, small plates and lots of dips. The French Olive Tapenade caught my eye — I substituted parsley with some dill instead (because that’s what I had on hand) and the dip was finished before I could take a picture of it or use it as a layer over fish fillets for a baked meal, as suggested in the recipe.

Throughout the book, you will see suggestions about glamming things up, or being smart about leftovers. The one on how to convert Syrian Muhammara dip into a pasta sauce is what I will be trying soon. The recipes are versatile, offering ways to go vegetarian, vegan or use meat as a protein.

The section on grains was something I spent a lot of time on. I want to try the Turkish Tomato Bulgur Pilaf because it is a grain I have cooked with, if not mastered yet. The Greek spinach rice made with pre-cooked or leftover rice is just the way I like to cook, using shortcuts.

You will also find QR codes to scan in the book leading to Natasha’s YouTube channel, where you can see the recipes being cooked. For visual appeal, there are beautiful photos too.

There are many ways to enjoy this book — read it, cook through it, watch a video or two, browse the pictures to come up with ideas and more.

My Mediterranean Table
Author: Natasha Celmi
Price: INR 1250 (Hard Cover)

Ruth Dsouza Prabhu is an independent features journalist based in Bengaluru, India. She has been writing on food for over a decade. Her work has appeared in Al Jazeera, Reader’s Digest, and Condenast Traveller, among others.

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