A treasure trove

Sanjeev Kapoor's recent offering lists recipes from the southern and western parts of the country. The result, says RUTH N.DAVIDAR, is meals that are 'finger-licking good'.

SANJEEV KAPOOR is at it again, sharing with food lovers who have a passion for Indian cooking his offering titled Khana Khazana. This time around, he has collaborated with chefs K. Ganesh and Milind Sovani so that the selection includes a range from the four southern States, and Maharashtra from western India. The result is an unusual mix of recipes unlike typical Indian cookbooks that tend to favour North Indian fare.

Like all the cookbooks I review, I turned the pages of this one too, trying to decide on a couple of recipes that I could turn out for a meal. "Andhra Chilli Chicken and Madras Potato Chops" to go with it, seemed to do nicely for a snack lunch. I took what I had cooked across to friends to elicit their responses, because, I believe, to be fair to the author, I should not be the sole judge of the outcome. All credit to Kapoor. The food was finger-licking good. Everyone was agreed on that.

However, while there was no debate on how good the food tasted, I must admit I had to overcome a few hurdles while preparing it. The chicken, for instance, was to be marinated in a paste of rice and other ingredients. My advice to potential cooks is to soak the rice first, for at least half an hour before grinding. If you omit this step, then grinding the traditional way on a granite slab could make your biceps cut better than a weightlifter's, the way mine did for a week afterwards. The potato chops posed another problem. They were to be smeared with a paste made with oil. With so much oil already incorporated in it, the paste came off when the potato slices were being fried, and the oil got pretty messed up with charred masala. Wouldn't batter mixed with water have been a better alternative?

Apart from this, Kapoor deserves a pat on the back for the way the book has been written. He does an admirable job, for I know how difficult it can be to write Indian recipes because of the many intricate steps involved. Not only does he get it right, but the book is also very well produced, with few typographical errors, making it a pleasure to go through. The table settings are tastefully done, and cleverly colour-coordinated. The photographs deserve special mention; a pity they have not been acknowledged.

Although Kapoor has taken pains to include recipes that employ exotic regional masalas, for which the preparation is also given, I fail to understand how a Goda or Malwani masala can be put together when unfamiliar ingredients like stone flower, badalphool and nagkeshar are indispensable to giving the blend an authentic flavour. Are these available as packaged masalas at least in the areas where they are popular? And why get choosy when it comes to common masalas, divulging only how garam masala, and not chaat masala, might be concocted?

A little annoying, though, is the fact that the Hindi names of the foods pop up quite often in the recipes. This book has been written in English, so the English equivalents of these foods should have been used. Explanations in an Indian language should rightly appear in the glossary.

That brings us to the glossary, the last part of the book. I know I have said this before, but I will say it again. Glossaries follow the all or none rule, which means that all the ingredients given in the text will have to find mention in the glossary as well. The glossary in Khana Khazana is unique in that it goes beyond being merely a ready reference of most of the ingredients used with their corresponding Hindi names. Additionally, it takes the mystery out of common culinary methods and utensils typical to Indian cooking, besides helping us to differentiate between a kofta and a kabab.

But if a glossary is meant to enlighten, clearly, Kapoor's has been prepared with entertainment also in mind. Apart from being overly simplistic, some explanations can be downright funny.

For example, bitter gourd is described thus: "As the name suggests, this vegetable is bitter but makes tasty preparations". But the prize must surely go to mango which, according to Kapoor, "needs no introduction. It is indeed the king of fruits".

All in all, Khana Khazana could be a useful addition to your kitchen shelf. Buy it.

Khana Khazana - Celebration of Indian Cookery, Sanjeev Kapoor, Popular Prakashan, p.139, price not stated.

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