Handy and authentic

GIVEN India's diversity, we are privileged to have a wealth of regional cuisine, unlike probably any other country. The latest addition to the slew of cookery books that are likely to preserve for posterity the eating habits of the people of a particular state is The Gujarat Cookbook. To my knowledge, only in Gujarat are no flesh foods cooked, not even the fruits de mer that are harvested from the adjoining sea. So, in this very handy volume, Kanchan G. Kabra has compiled for us a collection of authentic vegetarian recipes from Gujarat.

However, anyone who wants to write a book on Indian cooking, should know a few facts. First, given the nature of our cooking, writing a book of recipes requires planning. Since so many individual and intricate steps are involved, an aspiring author should read a wide range of cookbooks before deciding on a style that suits the focus of the subject. In other words, it is not good enough if you are a fine chef. You also need writing skills to go with it.

Second, it is a fallacy to believe that if your book has been accepted for publication, the end result will be of a certain standard, in line with the reputation that the imprint enjoys. You could be dead wrong because rarely can publishing houses afford to employ specialist editors. Consequently, the onus of excellence rests with the author. For this reason, many of the cookbooks produced by even the big names in the business are nothing short of appalling.

Third, in cookery writing, consistency is the key. Much of the success of a cookbook rests on this one facet. For instance, if you decide to give the time for preparation and cooking, as well as servings, then every recipe must have them. Kabra fails on this count.

Again, given the nature of Indian cooking, it is crucial that the ingredients are listed in order of use, and the method for utilising them is clearly specified. Otherwise, you could have problems cooking from a book like Kabra's, where ingredients go missing or are listed at random, and the instructions could be as inane as "wash the dal and peanuts in 900 ml of water for 10 minutes".

Further, even to those who are conversant with Indian cooking, chilli-ginger paste could be an enigma. How many chillies, fresh or dried? How much ginger? So, you are given to wondering whether the Gujaratis like their food fiery hot, or would they like the chilli to leave just a lingering tingle on the tongue.

Also, if you write in English, it helps if you are familiar with its usage. Or your editor must help you avoid the pitfalls of too literal a translation. No grounded ingredients in big mouth vessels, please. Nor do you add one tablespoon of milk if the mixture becomes too tight. Worse, Kabra instructs us to use potassium metallic sulphide to preserve fruit juices. That will preserve us, not the squash, thank you very much.

The photographs in The Gujarat Cookbook are not numbered, but the captions are. Therefore, deciding which is which in a picture of chutneys, for example, could become quite a game if you have nothing to do. The same goes for review copies, like the one I received, in which the pages were hopelessly jumbled. Publishers, please send out good books for review. Trying to figure out what the author intends is an exercise in itself, without the unwelcome irritation of going back and forth looking for the beginning and end of a recipe.

In any book on Indian cooking, a glossary is imperative. Since we speak a veritable babel of native tongues in this country, English is the link language by which we get ourselves understood from State to State. This necessitates a complete glossary of all the ingredients used, listed alphabetically. Anything less than comprehensive amounts to confusion. Kabra falls short yet again.

Finally, everyone likes to showcase their cooking as healthy. Kabra is no exception. With a degree in commerce, she goes on to express her unqualified thoughts on nutrition in a chapter "Food and Nutrition". Nice try, but Madam, without scholarship, can't you see that the joke is on you.

RUTH N. DAVIDAR

The Gujarat Cookbook, Kanchan G. Kabra,UBSPD, p. 165, Rs. 275.

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Section  : Features
Next     : Decimation of a child's world