Description

Located in northwestern India, Gujarat is known as the country's "Garden State," and is renowned for its vegetarian specialties.  Flavorful India showcases the cuisine of Gujarat—from street foods like crunchy snack mix and vegetable fritters, to traditional home-cooked dishes that feature an abundance of locally available vegetables like okra, eggplant, bottle gourd, and many varieties of beans.  Spicy dals, delicate flatbreads, and traditional sweets and beverages bring the Gujarati dining experience full circle.  A chapter on the meat, poultry, and fish specialties that are enjoyed in the region is also included.

The cuisine of Gujarat is famed for its delicately flavored vegetarian dishes.  Hot fluffy puri breads are used to scoop up fragrant vegetable curries and dals, seasoned with cumin, coriander and freshly ground garlic and ginger.  Kitchdi, the dinnertime staple of rice and lentils, is often served on a thaali, a large stainless steel plate containing four to six small bowls, each filled with a different delicacy.  On the side, hot, fresh chapatis (flatbreads), pickles, and chutneys complete the meal.

This collection of authentic family recipes will introduce you to some of India's most flavorful, yet often overlooked, culinary offerings.  The simple, delectable recipes are written for the home cook and adapted to the North American kitchen.  An introduction to Gujarati culture, sections on spices, ingredients, and utensils, and charming line drawings by the author's father bring the flavors of India to life.

"... a glimpse of Gujarati home cooking, something most Indian restaurants don't serve and few Americans know anything about."

-Little India magazine

"... full of homey, family-oriented Indian foods. The recipes are Indian comfort food, and nothing is too fancy or complicated."

-The Idaho Statesman

"Each recipe is prefaced with a tip about how to prepare it, where to find ingredients, or the ideal situations to serve it... [A] welcome contribution to internationally themed cookbooks shelves."

-The Midwest Book Review

"Flavorful India is at once personal, informative and basic, drawing from Priti's own family traditions; the perfect addition to any kitchen, but most especially the vegetarian home."

Read the author's thoughts and sample her recipes for Sixth Day Mixed Vegetables or Channa Masala at our blog, Hippocrene Cooks.

About the author(s)

Priti Chitnis Gress was born in Gujarat and raised in North Carolina.  She earned degrees from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and The College of William and Mary, and has worked as a nonfiction book editor in New York City, including five years as a cookbook editor.  She currently serves on the board of directors of the South Asian Women's Creative Collective, a New York City-based nonprofit arts group, and resides with her husband and two children in Hoboken, New Jersey.