MASALA

Learn the fundamentals of Indian cuisine and the secrets to cooking with spices in this beautiful collection of timeless recipes.

Award-winning chef Anita Jaisinghani of the Pondicheri restaurant in Houston, Texas shows just how easy, delicious, and healthy Indian food can be in this stunning and accessible debut cookbook. Born and raised in Gujurat, India, Anita's approach to cooking is simple: following the tenants of ancient Ayurveda, food is seasonal, texture and color are celebrated, and spices are used to enhance, not overwhelm. As the star of Indian cuisine, spices are used from morning to night, in simple infusions, such as cinnamon water for a warming start the day, while cilantro and mint add a cooling balance to a fiery grilled corn salad, and cardamom lends an aromatic sweetness to a slice of Chai Pie.
MASALA will teach you to think like a true Indian chef, revealing the wisdom and techniques to cooking with fresh whole spices: identifying warming versus cooling, what order they should be cooked, how to temper in hot oil, and so much more.

Anita Jaisinghani is the chef-owner of Pondicheri restaurant in Houston, TX. Her restaurants have been nominated for over 5 James Beard awards, named best new restaurant by Bon Appetit, listed in the top 100 in Gourmet magazine, Travel and Leisure awarded it the best Indian restaurant in the country, and it spent 9 consecutive years at the top of Houston Chronicle's "25 Best Restaurants" list.