The Spice is Right

[Eileen]

Hi. I was lucky enough to be asked to review Monica's Spice is Right Cookbook for the magazine internationalwoman.net and I found it very easy to follow, even for a novice like me! I grew up eating Indian food but it's not available where I live now, so this was a new thing for me to try but all the dishes turned out authentic.

My question for Monica is....when are you bringing out your next book?

[Monica Bhide]

Hi. I was lucky enough to be asked to review Monica's Spice is Right Cookbook for the magazine internationalwoman.net and I found it very easy to follow, even for a novice like me!  I grew up eating Indian food but it's not available where I live now, so this was a new thing for me to try but all the dishes turned out authentic. 

My question for Monica is....when are you bringing out your next book? 

Thanks for your kind words. THe next book will be out end of next year, it is called " Chai and Chow", a light hearted book focusing on Indian inspired Teas and Appetizers.

Is there a specific recipe that you liked?

[Suvir Saran]

Hi. I was lucky enough to be asked to review Monica's Spice is Right Cookbook for the magazine internationalwoman.net and I found it very easy to follow, even for a novice like me!  I grew up eating Indian food but it's not available where I live now, so this was a new thing for me to try but all the dishes turned out authentic. 

My question for Monica is....when are you bringing out your next book? 

Welcome to the Indian forum of eGullet Eileen.

Would you have a link to the review? It would be a great to have it here.

Now a few questions for you....Where did you grow up that you were surrounded by Indian food?

What were some of your favorite dishes from growing up?

What were some of the recipes you tried out from The Spice Is Right?

What about their taste was authentic to those recipes?

What was the most important thing you were left with after cooking with the book?

And of course, Monica, please do tell us when the next book is coming out?

[Eileen]

My favourite is garam masala and sour cream chicken bake with tandoori naan mmmmmmmmmmmm The bread did take me a couple of tries to get it right but that was my fault for rushing!

Thanks for the welcome Suvir. I'm afraid I don't have a link, the magazine changes their reviews every month so I don't think it's there anymore. They do a lot of cookbook reviews though so if anybody wants one done, I can get to keep the book LOL

I grew up in UK, and Indian food is actually the most popular food there. The closest Indian restaurant to me in USA is actually 6 hours drive away so I had to learn how to cook it myself and this book was my first attempt.

My favourite food growing up was chicken tikka masala and popodoms.

Some of the recipes I've tried from the Spice is Right are:

Jhinga Curry

Corn and Rice Pilaf

Onion Toast

Spicy Cakes

Stuffed papad

Indian chex Mex

Indian bread stuffed with cawliflower

Yogurt curry with lentil dumplings

I've tried more but there are just so many in there that I still have lots to do.

I think the fact that the book has a section explaining all the spices and herbs used in each recipe was a big help. Some of the names of the recipes differ slightly from what I knew them as but this section helped me to "feel" the taste.

My kids missed Indian food too and the best part of cooking from this book was to be told by them (in amazed voices!) that it tasted "just like home!"

[Suvir Saran]

Eileen, I am glad you found Monica through The Spice Is Right. And with Monicas generous sharing in her book, I see that you found this cuisine again.

I look forward to your continued participation in this forum and around the site.

We have an amazing amount of material for just about any person needing a story. In fact it is not surprising to find stories that we have discovered and debated at length find their way into journals at much later dates. Often with even similar sentiment. But that is all part of the very generous eGullet family. And now you know us... Brose, participate in the different forums.. You will certainly find many stories and many new food related obsessions... We do everything in full gusto at eGullet.

And if you want to know more about a great new cookbook and its author, visit the Q&A with Diane Forley. You can ask her all you want to know about her and her book on that thread... or even follow the link to their restaurant Verbena in their bio. The magic of eGullet never stops.

[Eileen]

Thank you Suvir, I have had a look round some of the site and there is so much to see that I could spend hours here!!

Have you seen the Spice is Right cookbook Suvir? I just wondered what you think of it?

[Suvir Saran]

Thank you Suvir, I have had a look round some of the site and there is so much to see that I could spend hours here!!

Have you seen the Spice is Right cookbook Suvir?  I just wondered what you think of it?

I have enjoyed reading the book. I have enjoyed many of the recipes as I read them.

I have trouble understanding its layout (menus).

I wish I could have been left to make that decision as per my own intelligence.

But perhaps it was done explicitly to make it easy for those that have no understanding of the cuisine.

But when I read books (I hardly ever cook from cookbooks honestly, I tend to read them for history, lore, recipe ideas etc.. and then I cook as I am inspired), I tend to want freedom to take from them what I want to. And here I feel myself stuck in being pitched a certain set of rules.

But otherwise, once I try and let go of the boundaries laid before me, I have enjoyed it.

I have enjoyed the chatty feel of the writing. It is light of heart and yet full of flavor.

[MsRamsey]

Since internationalwoman.net is an Internet magazine, they should archive their reviews so they are only a click away. I think it's silly to have reviews up for only a short period and then pull them. I'm only complaining because I really like to read cookbook reviews.

[Suvir Saran]

Since internationalwoman.net is an Internet magazine, they should archive their reviews so they are only a click away.  I think it's silly to have reviews up for only a short period and then pull them.  I'm only complaining because I really like to read cookbook reviews. 

I have the same complaint and for the same reason.

[Moosie]

Hey, I happened to meet Monica Bhide at the Cookbook Store in Toronto when she was doing a signing for her cookbook! I was looking for a gift for a friend who loves Indian food, and tasted some samples from Monica. YUM!! Well, I bought The Spice is Right for my friend -- and gave it to her on the condition that she would cook for me from the book. Which she has. We really like all the recipes we've tried. So, in the spirit of the season, here is one of my favs. Season's Eatings ...

Indian Green Beans with Grated Coconut

Yield: 6 servings

1 tbsp vegetable oil

1 tsp mustard seeds

Pinch of asafetida

½ lb. chopped green beans

1 dried red chile

½ tsp turmeric

½ tsp red chile powder

1 cup water

Salt to taste

2 tbsp finely chopped fresh coriander

1 tbsp unsweetened desiccated coconut

1 tsp butter

In a large nonstick skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the mustard seeds and asafetida. When the mustard seeds begin to crackle, add the green beans. Sauté for 1 minute. Add the dried chile, turmeric, and chile powder. Sauté for 2 minutes.

Add the water and salt. Cook, uncovered, until the beans are tender and all the water is absorbed (about 10 minutes). Add the coriander, coconut, and butter; sauté for about another minute to mix all the flavors. Serve hot.

Variations: You can add ½ cup of diced potatoes to this dish. Add the potatoes before adding the green beans and sauté for 3 to 4 minutes. Then add the green beans and continue with the recipe.

[Suvir Saran]

Hey, I happened to meet Monica Bhide at the Cookbook Store in Toronto when she was doing a signing for her cookbook! I was looking for a gift for a friend who loves Indian food, and tasted some samples from Monica. YUM!! Well, I bought The Spice is Right for my friend -- and gave it to her on the condition that she would cook for me from the book. Which she has. We really like all the recipes we've tried. So, in the spirit of the season, here is one of my favs. Season's Eatings ...

Welcome to eGullet. Thanks for sharing this recipe from The Spice Is Right.

I guess you bought both your friend and you this book. Good for you.

What do you like about this bean dish? What makes it your favorite?

What do you think of the preparation?

[Monica Bhide]

Hey, I happened to meet Monica Bhide at the Cookbook Store in Toronto when she was doing a signing for her cookbook! I was looking for a gift for a friend who loves Indian food, and tasted some samples from Monica. YUM!! Well, I bought The Spice is Right for my friend -- and gave it to her on the condition that she would cook for me from the book. Which she has. We really like all the recipes we've tried. So, in the spirit of the season, here is one of my favs. Season's Eatings ...

Indian Green Beans with Grated Coconut

Yield: 6 servings

1 tbsp vegetable oil

1 tsp mustard seeds

Pinch of asafetida

½ lb. chopped green beans 

1 dried red chile 

½ tsp turmeric

½ tsp red chile powder

1 cup water

Salt to taste

2 tbsp finely chopped fresh coriander

1 tbsp unsweetened desiccated coconut

1 tsp butter

In a large nonstick skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the mustard seeds and asafetida. When the mustard seeds begin to crackle, add the green beans. Sauté for 1 minute. Add the dried chile, turmeric, and chile powder. Sauté for 2 minutes.

Add the water and salt. Cook, uncovered, until the beans are tender and all the water is absorbed (about 10 minutes). Add the coriander, coconut, and butter; sauté for about another minute to mix all the flavors. Serve hot.

Variations: You can add ½ cup of diced potatoes to this dish. Add the potatoes before adding the green beans and sauté for 3 to 4 minutes. Then add the green beans and continue with the recipe.

thanks Moosie and welcome. This one is my favorite for the holidays as well. Makes a perfect side. I am so glad you enjoyed it. Did you friend like it as well?

[Simon Majumdar]

with both my publisher hat and my enthusiastic home cook hat on, I can truly recommend Monica's book to anyone who wants to cook Indian food at home and create authentic and flavourful food from around the continent but who finds the thought of it too intimidating

It is clearly laid out and the recipes work

I rarely use recipe books but I have used this one 5 times already since I got a copy

I can give no greater recommendation that that

S

[Monica Bhide]

Simon, thank you for your kind words and encouragement. I have always enjoyed and learned from your posts and I am truly honored by this post.

[Moosie]

Thanks for sharing this recipe from The Spice Is Right.

What do you like about this bean dish?  What makes it your favorite?

What do you think of the preparation?

Grean beans are my favorite veggie ... I know, I know not very fashionable! So, this recipe is a way to make grean beans taste a little more exotic for me. The recipe is easy to prepare -- another important criteria. I love cooking but have no patience for long, involved recipes. I figure if I need to be in the kitchen for hours, I'd rather someone else do the work. Hey, someone has to support the restaurants!

[Moosie]

Hey, I happened to meet Monica Bhide at the Cookbook Store in Toronto when she was doing a signing for her cookbook! I was looking for a gift for a friend who loves Indian food, and tasted some samples from Monica. YUM!! Well, I bought The Spice is Right for my friend -- and gave it to her on the condition that she would cook for me from the book. Which she has. We really like all the recipes we've tried. So, in the spirit of the season, here is one of my favs. Season's Eatings ...

Indian Green Beans with Grated Coconut

Yield: 6 servings

1 tbsp vegetable oil

1 tsp mustard seeds

Pinch of asafetida

½ lb. chopped green beans  

1 dried red chile  

½ tsp turmeric

½ tsp red chile powder

1 cup water

Salt to taste

2 tbsp finely chopped fresh coriander

1 tbsp unsweetened desiccated coconut

1 tsp butter

In a large nonstick skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the mustard seeds and asafetida. When the mustard seeds begin to crackle, add the green beans. Sauté for 1 minute. Add the dried chile, turmeric, and chile powder. Sauté for 2 minutes.

Add the water and salt. Cook, uncovered, until the beans are tender and all the water is absorbed (about 10 minutes). Add the coriander, coconut, and butter; sauté for about another minute to mix all the flavors. Serve hot.

Variations: You can add ½ cup of diced potatoes to this dish. Add the potatoes before adding the green beans and sauté for 3 to 4 minutes. Then add the green beans and continue with the recipe.

thanks Moosie and welcome. This one is my favorite for the holidays as well. Makes a perfect side. I am so glad you enjoyed it. Did you friend like it as well?

Hi, My friend enjoys the Grean Bean recipe but she prefers to singe her tastebuds on your spicier recipes! What is your favorite "HOT HOT HOT" recipe from Spice is Right?

[Monica Bhide]

My personal favorite from the book is the following recipe. Originally a deep fried dish served in South India, I have modified it to be lower in fat. The taste is still wonderful and very flavorful

Chicken 65***

1 cup / 250 mL fat-free plain yogurt

1 cup / 250 mL water

1 pound / 500 g skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cubed

¼ teaspoon / 1 mL turmeric

2 drops red food coloring

2 tablespoons / 25 mL ginger garlic paste

1 teaspoon / 5 mL red chile powder

Salt to taste

2 tablespoons / 25 mL finely chopped fresh coriander

1 teaspoon / 5 mL chaat masala

1 teaspoon / 5 mL garam masala

½ teaspoon / 2 mL carom seeds (ajwain)

FOR THE TADKA:

1 tablespoon / 15 mL vegetable oil

1 tablespoon / 15 mL finely chopped fresh mint

¼ teaspoon / 1 mL mustard seeds

3 to 4 green chiles, slit lengthwise

Leaves from 2 sprigs curry

IN a large saucepan, whisk together the yogurt and water. Stir in the chicken. Bring to a

boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally.

Lower the heat. Stir in the turmeric, red food coloring, and ginger garlic paste; cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Stir in the chile powder and salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the liquid starts to dry out. Add the coriander, chaat masala, garam masala, and carom seeds; mix well. Sauté until the liquid completely dries out. Remove from the heat.

In a small nonstick skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the mint, mustard seeds, green chiles, and curry leaves. As soon as the mustard seeds start to crackle, add to the chicken. Mix well.

Serve hot.

[Suvir Saran]

My personal favorite from the book is the following recipe. Originally a deep fried dish served in South India, I have modified it to be lower in fat. The taste is still wonderful and very flavorful

Chicken 65***

1 cup / 250 mL fat-free plain yogurt

1 cup / 250 mL water 

1 pound / 500 g skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cubed 

¼ teaspoon / 1 mL turmeric

2 drops red food coloring

2 tablespoons / 25 mL ginger garlic paste

1 teaspoon / 5 mL red chile powder

Salt to taste

2 tablespoons / 25 mL finely chopped  fresh coriander

1 teaspoon / 5 mL chaat masala

1 teaspoon / 5 mL garam masala

½ teaspoon / 2 mL carom seeds (ajwain)

FOR THE TADKA:

1 tablespoon / 15 mL vegetable oil

1 tablespoon / 15 mL finely chopped  fresh mint

¼ teaspoon / 1 mL mustard seeds

3 to 4 green chiles, slit lengthwise

Leaves from 2 sprigs curry

IN a large saucepan, whisk together the yogurt and water. Stir in the chicken. Bring to a

boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally.

Lower the heat. Stir in the turmeric, red food coloring, and ginger garlic paste; cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Stir in the chile powder and salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the liquid starts to dry out. Add the coriander, chaat masala, garam masala, and carom seeds; mix well. Sauté until the liquid completely dries out. Remove from the heat.

In a small nonstick skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the mint, mustard seeds, green chiles, and curry leaves. As soon as the mustard seeds start to crackle, add to the chicken. Mix well.

Serve hot.

Monica,

What makes you think this dish is from South India?

What is the significance of the name, especially the 65?

[Monica Bhide]

Good questions Suvir, when I was going to engineering school in Bangalore, my favorite hang out served this all the time. I had asked the chef how the dish got its name and he told me that there are many stories around it but he thought that the dish originated in Kerala and that is where it was given this unusual name. Its origins are thought to be south indian due to the ingredients used... mustard seeds and curry leaves are traditionally used more in the South.. of course things are changing,

"A friend of mine sent me this story on how Chicken 65 got its name... the book had already gone into publication so we could not use this story. I believe that this was publsihed in some leading indian newspaper... so with due credit to them (dont remeber which one.. ).. here is part of the story

"ONCE A friend told me that enterprise and instinct was all one needed to make money. This holds good for the story of chicken 65. As is well known, in all the kallu (country liquor) bars "the favourite `food fight' is who eats the maximum chillies". If you have witnessed an evening in one of these places you will realise that it is a symbol of machoism to be able to eat more chillies then the next man. Capitalising on this, an enterprising hotelier started the chicken 65 denoting that for every kilo of chicken - 65 chillies were used. It caught on and is today one of the mainstay of Hyderabadi snacks. Of course, others have told me different stories for the creation of chicken 65 but all of them remain shrouded in mystery but the dish itself looms as large as life. " -- Major indian paper.. I think it was either Hindustan TImes or the HIndu

Perhaps other egulleters have more insight into this.....

[Suvir Saran]

Did you study in Bangalore or Manipal?

Yes curry leaves and mustard are Southern Spices, but what about Chaat Masala?

[Monica Bhide]

Bangalore

Chaat Masala .... is my humble addition. That is what happens when a North Indian cooks a south Indian dish

[Suvir Saran]

Bangalore

Chaat Masala .... is my humble addition. That is what happens when a North Indian cooks a south Indian dish  

That is what made me lose all interest in it as a Southern Indian recipe.

I tried that recipe. And it was served by me to friends from Kerala. They had no recollection of the dish from growing up.

The mother suggested that maybe it is a "Northern Indian Government Servants" version of South Indian food. It was so hilarious hearing them try and understand why a simple Kerala Chicken Curry had been changed like this... I was tickled...I should have recorded that nights meal.

I love Keralan food for its clean flavors and deep spicing. I was not sure if I should have added the chaat masala, but I did. Just to be true to your recipe. I will not cook it with chaat masala and curry leaves together.

But since my brother studied in Manipal, I understand how the Chaat Masala addition could take place. They would eat anything.. and the things served for them in their cafeterias could seem ghastly to most, but to these students from the North, they had some trace of familiarity. Maybe that is what the chaat masala provided. How the world changes.

[Monica Bhide]

Having grown up in so many different continents, countries, cities, I guess I am anything but a traditionalist and the book reflects the same.

This was one of the most popular appetizers when I used to cater.. in college and here in DC when I did my masters.

thanks for trying out the recipe

[Suvir Saran]

Having grown up in so many different continents, countries, cities, I guess I am anything but a traditionalist and the book reflects the same.

This was one of the most popular appetizers when I used to cater.. in college and here in DC when I did my masters.

thanks for trying out the recipe 

I enjoyed it thoroughly and now I know why the Chaat Masala came into the recipe.

So did you study in Bangalore or Mangalore?

[Sonzy]

Hi. I was lucky enough to be asked to review Monica's Spice is Right Cookbook for the magazine internationalwoman.net and I found it very easy to follow, even for a novice like me!  I grew up eating Indian food but it's not available where I live now, so this was a new thing for me to try but all the dishes turned out authentic.  

My question for Monica is....when are you bringing out your next book?  

Welcome to the Indian forum of eGullet Eileen.

Would you have a link to the review? It would be a great to have it here.

Now a few questions for you....Where did you grow up that you were surrounded by Indian food?

What were some of your favorite dishes from growing up?

What were some of the recipes you tried out from The Spice Is Right?

What about their taste was authentic to those recipes?

What was the most important thing you were left with after cooking with the book?

And of course, Monica, please do tell us when the next book is coming out?

Here's the link to my review of Monica's book.

http://www.sonzyskitchen.com/indiancooking.htm

Sonzy's Review of "The Spice is Right"

Now, I am eagerly waiting for "Chai and Chow" - Wow !