

Indian cookbooks - then and now
"Books, even cookbooks, are written for a diversity of reasons and it is often more profitable to enquire why they have been written than analyse their contents in an uncritical manner. " Shylashri Shankar/The Peepul Tree I guess this particular post stems from one of those books on my desk - The Food of India - a large beautiful book which I picked up from the op shop for a song. Like it's companions in this series from the Murdoch stable on various world cuisines, it feat
Nov 4, 2025


Classic Thai - a first recipe
"I would definitely classify this as one of the world's greatest soups. I have enjoyed it for some twenty years and have never had quite...
Apr 2, 2025


Punjab - five rivers, five spices
No I haven't jumped from the Caribbean to India on my world tour of food. This is a lucky dip recipe which has led me here and there,...
Mar 18, 2025


Asparagus in Hong Kong
"I can get quite excited in Hong Kong when I am served a dish of crisp asparagus that is tinged with sesame oil." Madhur Jaffrey And...
Mar 7, 2025


Different noodles, different dish
"What matters is balance" - Nigel Slater I began with a dish - Curry mee from Madhur Jaffrey's Far Eastern Cookery - quickly became...
Aug 27, 2024


My kitchen bit by bit - 2
"Anything can be a lodestar in a person's life, I suppose, and for some fortunates like me, the kitchen serves well." MFK Fisher Which...
Jul 23, 2024


Last of the butter chicken experiment
Last night was my fifth go at a different recipe for Chicken butter cream - sometimes described as Butter chicken. Above are my version...
Jun 14, 2024


Variations on a theme - Madhur Jaffrey's butter chicken
"Can someone please explain to me how in the world Madhur Jaffrey doesn't have an online recipe for Butter Chicken, the single most...
Mar 23, 2024


From murgh ka soola to chicken tikka
"There are many variations of this particular dish. The one here happens to be the simplest. I have adapted it so the cooking can be...
Nov 28, 2023


Biryani extremes
"Essentially, it’s your favourite chicken curry (or vegetable or other protein of choice) buried under a mound of delicately spiced...
Jul 22, 2023


Green herbs, chicken and Madhur Jaffrey
"It is divine: rich, sophisticated, flavourful, ultra-curry but with a delicate complexity unknown to most who have not tried real...
May 11, 2023


First recipe, first book
"The only way to eat superb Indian food, with a guarantee of variety, quality and freshness of ingredients, is to learn to cook it for...
Jan 2, 2023


The evolution of preserved lemons
"Preserved lemons are not great if you have a short attention span." T. Susan Chang/NPR Kitchen Window I have bookmarked this rather...
Oct 7, 2022

