With rare exceptions such as bank holidays, the book group meets on the first Wednesday of every month at 7. Asma’s Indian Kitchen is a beautiful book; its cover in the style of a retro Bollywood film, embellished with gold leaf like a festive sweetmeat (perhaps one of the laddoos its author loves so dearly); its pages littered with evocative images of India by true talent and all-round good egg Ming Tang Evans.

Many of the recipes are vegetarian, there are sweet treats and drinks, too, and all feature alongside lesser-known recipes and stories unique to Asma's family. The title to be read and discussed is sign-posted and on sale for the whole of the previous month (with a discount for those who make it known they intend to come) and everybody is welcome, whether first-timer, part-timer or regular-timer. I joke, of course, because one of her many great achievements is the impressive training of her all-women kitchen team, a personal endeavour to support and lift up “second daughters”, traditionally undervalued in Indian culture – the team are perfectly capable of faithfully cooking Asma’s recipes and running the kitchen in Asma’s absence).The section on family feasts, as it suggests, could easily be scaled up to cater for more covers, and there are plenty of vegetarian options for chefs seeking to increase their meat-free menu options.

Her culinary heritage was a rich one, born to paternal and maternal royal ancestry – each with their own cuisines. The recipes are designed for the home cook, so everything should be absolutely achievable in a regular domestic kitchen. Also, I make many Indian potato recipes that are more flavorful so the potato part of this dish also wasn't our favorite. For all ebook purchases, you will be prompted to create an account or login with your existing HarperCollins username and password. Notice to Internet Explorer users Server security: Please note Internet Explorer users with versions 9 and 10 now need to enable TLS 1.With so many recipes already offered to feed one’s imagination and appetite, it’d be greedy to ask for more – but I do hope the sequel dips into Asma’s fabulous Indo-Chinese repertoire and reveals the secrets of the kati rolls I could eat infinitely and exclusively. Each recipe provides substitutions if certain ingredients aren't available to you, and I love the homey approach to all the recipes. Platters of dishes boasting texture and flavours encourage you to gather in the style of the traditional `dawaat' (feast). The pre-loved books are carefully cleaned and maintained offering a wide variety of general and specialist titles from children's to adults. Thanks so much for the intro and review of Asma’s cookbook – sounds like a wonderful addition to my collection as well.