Desi Khana the true art of Indian Cooking

by Tarla Dalal

India is a vast and varied land, and not surprisingly, the variation and diversity is reflected in different styles and practices of cooking! Moreover, a significant proportion of the population being vegetarian, India has no equal in the field of vegetarian cooking. While changing times, there have been continuing changes in the kitchen size and its equipments on the one hand and in the taste and diet on other hand. This is naturally more pronounced in the urban areas where the housewife is hard-pressed for time, for space and for help. Elaborate cooking methods like those of the maharajas and used in mughlai and nawabi cuisines are just not practical anymore. Accordingly, my emphasis has been on simple recipes which can be prepared in reasonable time. Add whilst catering to the Indian weakness for rich dishes and sweets, I have borne in mind present day medical and nutritional advice and kept the extent of fats used in cooking to minimum. In this selection of desi recipes, I have tried to place before you dishes which are Indian but at the same time different from the usual run dishes which keep in mind the need of good health. Classic Indian recipes that you've always wanted to try, are listed in simple, easy to follow steps. Starting with appetizers to vegetables, dals, rice dishes, snacks and mouth watering muthias.

126 pages, Hardcover

First published October 29, 2014

About the author

Ms. Tarla Dalal is India's best - selling cookery author since over 3 decades. She has written a total of 100 titles, several of which have been translated in various languages like Hindi, Gujrati, Marathi, Bengali and even Dutch and Russian! The total sales of her cookery books exceed 4.5 million copies.

In addition to writing cookbooks, Ms. Tarla Dalal also has a major web presence in the form of tarladalal.com, the largest and the most comprehensive Indian cookery website on the Internet. There are 2,50,000 members on Tarladalal.com.

Born in Pune. Indian Mrs. Dalal moved to Bombay after her marriage. In 1966, she started cookery classes form her residence. Her classes become a phenomenal success with a long waiting list of students wanting to join them. At one time, it was said 'If you want to get your daughter married, send her to Ms. Dalal's Classes'. This was because students attained guaranteed cookery expertise after attending her classes.

It was during this period that she began to compile her own recipes and also modified recipes from other cuisine's like Italian, Chinese, French, Thai, Mexican etc.which were predominantly non- vegetarian to vegetarian recipes. The Khaleej Times, Dubai quoted that "she has streamlined the eating habits in India". She has done cookery demonstrations in large parts of India and many major cities of the world such as Tokyo, Jakarta, Honkong, Singapore, Brussels Antwerp, Lisbon, Zurich, Nairobi, London, Toronto, New York etc. and now does cookery demonstrations to raise funds for various charities.

According to IndiaToday India's leading news analysis magazine, Ms. Dalal has sold the maximum number of books in any field as compared to any other Indian author and at a conservative estimate, her recipes have been tried in over 20 million Indian homes a chart bursting figure that would be the envy of pop stars and politicians.

Ms. Tarla Dalal writes a large number of cookery columns for various publications, newspapers and magazines.Indian Express, Dainik Jagaran, Manorama, Mid-Day, Femina, Afternoon, Loksatta, Lokprabha, The Telegraph (Calcutta), Malayala Manorama, Abhiyan, Stree etc. have carried her cookery columns. Her recipes heve been extensively covered by the electronic media including various TV stations/channels. She has participated in numerous cookery programmes on TV, Radio and had her own cookery show "Cook it Up with Tarla Dalal" on Sony Entertainment Television for 5 years.