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(More customer reviews)I picked up my copy of "American Masala" last night so this review is a first impressions sort of look at chef Suvir Saran's latest cookbook. First of all, the photography and the graphic elements that make up this book are vividly colorful. As you can see from the cover, the colors are rich and intense - almost a visual foretaste of the equally vivid flavors and unique layering of spices you will experience when you try these recipes. Building on "Indian Home Cooking," this second book provides even more background to the recipes - the stories of people and experiences that have inspired Saran's collection of "125 new classics" are a pure pleasure to read. In fact, when I got home last night, I sat in bed reading Saran's book as I would a novel, getting lost in the textures and rhythms of anecdotes from Delhi, New York and other places around the world.
Today I decided to try Suvir's recipe for vegetarian enchiladas with roasted pepper sauce. As I looked through the recipe to make my shopping list, I discovered that I would be actually making three recipies: the roasted pepper sauce, the stir-fried carrot salad, and the enchiladas themselves. Now enchiladas, like many of the foods you will see in this cookbook, may seem a peculiar offering from one of the leading authorities in this country on Indian cooking. But as the title suggests, this book reflects Saran's own experience in America (where, as he states early on, he has lived almost as long as he had lived in India). Many of these recipes will no doubt seem familiar to you as you thumb through the book, but if you look at the ingredients, you will notice how Suvir subtly recreates them with new flavors and spices.
I have just finished making the roasted pepper sauce (fantastic!), the carrot salad (deeply warm and spicy with a lovely tang of lime) and have assembled the enchiladas. I'll be putting them in the oven in a few minutes and cannot wait to try them.
Get this book, it's a wonderful reflection of a gifted chef.
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