Cookbooks are essential but given the fact that there exists a plethora of such books in the market it is difficult to choose one from the many. We have listed below a few cookbooks with our take on them to help you in your selection. If you have any comments for us, please feel free to send us an email at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it  

1.      Madhur Jaffrey’s Indian cooking

Madhur Jaffrey is a well known ambassador of Indian cooking, more so internationally than on the domestic front. Her cookbooks on Indian cooking are among some of the best, in the market. From eclectic recipes to down to earth ones, Madhur Jaffrey’s book has made a name for itself in Indian Kitchens in every corner of the world.

The book is rich both in detail and in information, from the pictures accompanying the recipes to the recipe itself.  The book provides an exhaustive account of both the non vegetarian variety as well as the vegetarian ones. It covers everything from fishes to the various pulses and lentils that are abound in many Indian dishes. The recipes are ,detailed and easy to understand at the same time. From the common Naan to the more involved Tandoori chicken, this book is for the Indian cooking generalist.

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2.      Classic Indian cooking by Julie Sahni

This book is simple yet detailed at the same time, with the recipes being easy to follow. One of the key components of Julie Sahni’s book is her 100 odd detailed drawings . This book appears to have been prepared with the American audience in mind. Sahni’s book goes further by also providing a description of the various spices and their usage in Indian foods. 

The book reminds the reader of the fact that Indian food though rich and diverse, is not difficult to prepare. In addition, most of the recipes listed in this book can be prepared with the requisite American kitchen utensils from the food processor to the hand grinder. You could use this book to just learn about Indian food, even if you are not planning to get into making them just yet.

3.      Cuisines of India: The Art and Tradition of Regional Indian Cooking  by Smita Chandra

This book clearly highlights the fact that Indian cooking cannot be encapsulated under the guise of curries alone. Smita Chandra categorizes the book into six chapters, each of those chapters containing regional recipes based on the locality as well as the culture of that particular area. 

Most of the recipes contained in this book have their own story and it definitely makes for an interesting read. There are about 120 recipes in this book . This book is perfect for those who want to explore the Indian cuisine from the common Northern recipes all the way to the south. This book also goes a bit further and at times explores the medley of influences that went into the creation of each dish. One of our favorites.

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4. 5 Spices, 50 Dishes: Simple Indian Recipes Using Five Common Spices (Paperback) By Ruta Kahate

The focus of this book is simplicity and ease with which 50 Indian dishes can be prepared with just 5 spices, namely, turmeric, coriander, cumin, cayenne pepper and mustard. The dishes listed here are quite easy to prepare and can be done quickly. Ruta Kahate is a chef of repute and has managed to bring out the best in these dishes at the same time, successfully resisting the temptation to get too complex. 

Some of her dishes immediately grab the reader’s attention - like her version of the roasted lamb with onions, which uses just two spices. Ruta Kahate’s steamed cauliflower with a tomato base and her curried peas with mushrooms, each of them utilizing just the about three spices, are excellent choices to start with.

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5. A Taste of Madras: A South Indian Cookbook (Paperback) By Rani Kingman

This book is devoted mainly to India’s southern cuisine with due attention to both cultural as well as the religious influences. Good books on Southern Indian cuisine written with an international audience in mind are harder to find and this is one of our favorites. Kingman has managed to provide a well-detailed description for most of her dishes and there is quite a bit of food lore that seems to go with most of them. The Masala Dosai features quite prominently here with the apt description. Kingman provides recipes for both the vegetarian as well as the non-vegetarian variety, featuring many a seafood dish. 

Although this book is rich in detail it is definitely not a beginners cookbook in the sense that some of the ingredients used are quite uncommon. There is a glossary provided, to enable the reader to understand the recipe and the ingredients better. In addition, a where-to-find ingredients list is provided which should come quite handy for the layperson.  Madras has been at the epicenter of Southern cuisine and this book provides the requisite information on that front.