Two New Indian Cookbooks Full of Color

Indian cookbooks seem to be popping up one after another, and that’s not a bad thing. The hallmark of Indian cuisine is its freshness--vegetables come straight from produce sellers, not from cans or freezers. Healthy ingredients such as yogurt and lentils are major players. Expertly blended spices boost flavors and make each dish seem different.

These qualities link the recipes in two recent books, although in approach they vary tremendously. One emphasizes culture and customs, the other is by a London restaurateur.

“Savoring India” (Time Life Books; $39.95) came out under the auspices of the cookware chain Williams-Sonoma as part of an ongoing series that explores international cuisines. Last monthit was named the best international cookbook of the year by the International Association of Culinary Professionals.

The author is Julie Sahni, who has her own series of Indian cookbooks. This lends authority to the recipes, but what really may entice you to buy this book is its gorgeous photographs. If you’ve never been to India, they’ll make you feel you know the country. Along with commentary on the food, there are passages devoted to the elephant god, Ganesha; serpent worship, the relation of religion to food, the annual Diwali festival and the history of the tandoor oven.

Recipes include standards such as samosas and tandoori chicken, but also less widely known dishes such as Sindhi eggplant with tamarind sauce and Madras stir-fried rice noodles with coconut, and some Raj dishes--kidneys on toast and yogurt soup with pineapple and fruit. The recipes come from all over India.

“The New Tastes of India” by Das Sreedharan (Headline; $24.95) throws a rather weird curve. The quote at the top of the bright pink cover says it’s “a really wicked book.” Turn the pages, though, and you’ll find nothing more wicked than a lot of bright color setting off the chapter introductions. They must mean wicked in a good way.

Founder of the Rasa restaurants in London, Sreedharan has included some of his own specialties and innovations, but the real focus is the vegetarian cooking of the southern state of Kerala, where he was born. Among the more unusual dishes are nellika curry, made with gooseberries; a guava coconut salad, samosas filled with mushrooms and cashews and a curry that contains almost half a pound of garlic--wicked indeed.