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5 Spices, 50 Dishes: Simple Indian Recipes Using Five Common Spices
The premise is with five common spices and a few basic ingredients, home cooks can create fifty mouthwatering Indian dishes, as diverse as they are delicious. Cooking teacher Ruta Kahate has chosen easy-to-find spices coriander, cumin, mustard, cayenne pepper, and turmeric to create authentic, accessible Indian dishes everyone will love. Roasted Lamb with Burnt Onions uses just two spices and three steps resulting in a meltingly tender roast. Steamed Cauliflower with a Spicy Tomato Sauce and Curried Mushrooms and Peas share the same three spices, but each tastes completely different. Suggested menus offer inspiration for entire Indian dinners. For quick and easy Indian meals, keep it simple with 5 Spices, 50 Dishes .
132 pages, Paperback
First published May 31, 2007
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
April 3, 2015
Cookbooks totally count if you read them cover to cover, which I did. This one's excellent.
January 14, 2009
I used this book last week to make two yummy vegetarian dishes for dinner. One was the Spicy Tomato Cauliflower, the other the Lemon-Ginger Sweet Potatoes. Omigod, they were so good!!! I can't wait to make more recipes from this book.
January 12, 2022
Fantastic!
One of the biggest barriers that keeps even proficient chefs like myself from cooking Indian food on the daily is spices: Do I have all of them? Do I need to make a special trip to the asian market? Will the Asian market have everything? Do I want to spend so much money on spices? Will I ever use this many curry leaves? Are they still fresh?
Plus, adding so many spices to a dish, including roasting and grinding them, takes a surprising amount of time.
This cookbook uses combinations of only 5 spices (plus the usual suspects of fresh onion, garlic, serrano peppers, and ginger) for the entire book. The recipes are surprisingly varied, too. When you stop and think about it, many cuisines use only a handful of common spices (Mexican: cumin, oregano, chili, cayenne, paprika; Italian: oregano, basil, thyme, parsley, rosemary, red pepper flakes...etc), so it makes sense that many Indian dishes could also be reduced down to something relatively simple.
The recipes are simple and flexible enough that you can easily substitute out different proteins. I swapped in chickpeas for black-eyed peas. And I think tofu would slide into 75% of the meat dishes without any issues.
yum yum yum...
One of the biggest barriers that keeps even proficient chefs like myself from cooking Indian food on the daily is spices: Do I have all of them? Do I need to make a special trip to the asian market? Will the Asian market have everything? Do I want to spend so much money on spices? Will I ever use this many curry leaves? Are they still fresh?
Plus, adding so many spices to a dish, including roasting and grinding them, takes a surprising amount of time.
This cookbook uses combinations of only 5 spices (plus the usual suspects of fresh onion, garlic, serrano peppers, and ginger) for the entire book. The recipes are surprisingly varied, too. When you stop and think about it, many cuisines use only a handful of common spices (Mexican: cumin, oregano, chili, cayenne, paprika; Italian: oregano, basil, thyme, parsley, rosemary, red pepper flakes...etc), so it makes sense that many Indian dishes could also be reduced down to something relatively simple.
The recipes are simple and flexible enough that you can easily substitute out different proteins. I swapped in chickpeas for black-eyed peas. And I think tofu would slide into 75% of the meat dishes without any issues.
yum yum yum...
January 24, 2009
This book is the shit, especially when you live in bleary Ohio where there is a dearth of good food. Finally, an Indian cookbook that doesn't insist on a trip to a specialty store...it really is what the title says!
the only thing I'd complain about is that black/brown mustard seeds are something COMPLETELY different from yellow mustard seeds.
the only thing I'd complain about is that black/brown mustard seeds are something COMPLETELY different from yellow mustard seeds.
July 9, 2009
Dishes were easy and simple yet flavorful. Book binding fell apart on first opening. Usually Chronicle books are better than this...
March 20, 2022
Not Interesting.
I didn't find this book interesting or inspiring. I have a few Indian cookbooks in my collection that I find good and inspiring. I will be returning this book as soon as possible.
I didn't find this book interesting or inspiring. I have a few Indian cookbooks in my collection that I find good and inspiring. I will be returning this book as soon as possible.
April 2, 2024
A very interesting concept with some tasty looking dishes.
March 20, 2023
I tried several vegetable and seafood dishes, and got a better understanding of the amount of spices needed for making meals. My like for cooking has therefore gone up a whole level, thank you!
January 12, 2009
I know, one doesn't "read" a cook book. But considering I received this for Christmas and have already cooked through a significant portion of the book, I feel it only right to review.
This is an incredibly user-friendly approach to Indian cooking. Indian cooking can be incredibly overwhelming - the multitude of spices, the completely different cooking vocabulary and techniques required to create an authentic dish.
Ruta designs the book around the titled premise - that one can make a great variety of Indian dishes with only five spices. It is simple, straightforward, many of the recipes are quick and simple enough for a weeknight. The only difference I would like is notation for each recipe, designating the cooking time required.
This is an incredibly user-friendly approach to Indian cooking. Indian cooking can be incredibly overwhelming - the multitude of spices, the completely different cooking vocabulary and techniques required to create an authentic dish.
Ruta designs the book around the titled premise - that one can make a great variety of Indian dishes with only five spices. It is simple, straightforward, many of the recipes are quick and simple enough for a weeknight. The only difference I would like is notation for each recipe, designating the cooking time required.
January 22, 2013
Having made several dishes from this book and having enjoyed them all, I have decided to purchase it. My family loves Indian food and these recipes are easier and quicker to make than most, which is an important consideration given the excessive preparation/cooking times of many traditional Indian recipes. The title 5 spices is not completely accurate as the author assumes you have basics like garlic, onions, hot peppers and cilantro. But Ruta Kahate's recipes certainly do not require the dozen spices some traditional Indian recipes do nor do they require many of the spices that are difficult to obtain. I do not expect this book to replace my other Indian cookbooks, but it will help me on those days when I am in a hurry.
March 6, 2014
I wasn't going to add cookbooks to my GoodReads collection, but I thought I should make an exception for this one. Unlike a lot of books in my kitchen, this one sees a lot of use, and everything I have made from it is delicious. The best part is that the recipes are fairly simple, just a few ingredients each, so making a meal doesn't require a lot of shopping. Also, they're easy to memorize with repetition, and to customize to available ingredients. I'm daunted by cookbooks with recipes full of long lists of ingredients, half of which are hard to find. This one gives me delicious food that even I can manage without trouble.
And the "Railway Potatoes" have become one of my favorite comfort foods.
And the "Railway Potatoes" have become one of my favorite comfort foods.
February 21, 2008
This is a great concept -- introduce Indian food with the five main spices of cumin, coriander, mustard seeds, cayenne, and turmeric. You can't go wrong with those flavorings but the recipes don't always turn out well. I made once chicken dish where the saucing was the only flavoring. The chicken itself was eh. And I've made a lamb dish three times. The temp and time were off yet it taste best and my dinner guests gobbled it up when I actually burnt the lamb.
December 28, 2008
I don't usually add cookbooks to my list, but I have tried many of the recipes in this book, and they range from all good to excellent. This is an easy way to introduce yourself and your family to Indian cooking, using readily-available ingredients. We especially enjoy the simple cabbage stirfry and the lentil-rice pilaf.
August 21, 2012
A good, solid introductory cookbook for those, like me, mostly unfamiliar with Indian cooking. While the couple recipes I tried were too spicy for me and my friends, I'd be willing to try more and work toward adjusting the spice level. The recipes and information are clear and easy to follow.
February 2, 2013
Years ago, Ruta Kahate had a recipe published in the Sunday Parade Magazine. It was delicious. Though I do not purchase many cookbooks, Kahate's simple approach to cooking Indian food convinced me to purchase. Love the recipes and there never seems to be any leftovers!
August 5, 2013
I have found this cookbook very helpful because it has relatively simple recipes that still work out nicely, good intro to important and unfamiliar cooking techniques, and of course beautiful pictures. I haven't made all the recipes but I've made a few and they have turned out nicely.
May 5, 2022
Very few pictures of the recipes (and what pictures there were weren’t always of the dish itself) and just…not really in my wheelhouse. Every so often I try to get better at Indian cuisine and I always fall flat on my face, because no amount of Indian cookbooks I’ve read have helped me.
April 25, 2009
This is the best cookbook I've ever owned. Every recipe is delicious, beautiful, and easy! We've made sixteen of these recipes successfully, and the more I make, the more I'm willing to make!
Want to Read
December 1, 2011highly recommended by Susan Kuester, who uses it often.
December 18, 2011
I am excited to make dinner tonight.
March 20, 2012
Excellent veggie and meat recipes! Teaches good fundamentals and explains them well.
August 21, 2012
I LOVE this book. Our copy is falling apart. The cucumber salad with peanuts has become one of our staples.
January 6, 2013
I have been looking for a good cookbook that explains Indian cuisine in an accessible way. I think this book is the closest I have found. Five spices, fifty dishes? I can do that.
April 11, 2015
Interesting recipes quick enough to pull together on a weeknight. Wish there were more of the awesome vegetable recipes though.
Want to Read
May 30, 2015Saw at Paulina Springs books (Sisters) 29 May 2015
December 15, 2015
Enjoyed reading this, served the Crunchy Cucumber Salad for Thanksgiving.
March 20, 2016
Some interesting, simple recipes. There would be more if you were a meat-eater...
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews