Basu - Masala: Indian Cooking for Modern Living

THIS IS DEDICATED TO EVERYONE WHO THINKS THEY CANT YES YOU CAN

masala | | noun

A mixture of spices used in Indian cookery

Someone or something that comprises a varied mixture of elements

This is an Indian cookbook for the modern kitchen; wholesome recipes with bold flavours that can be simply cooked and generously shared. It has easy cheats and useful know-how to allow you to create a true taste of India while leading a life filled to the brim with masala. And it is rooted in a very real story mine.

My story starts in Calcutta (now Kolkata), in Indias eastern state of West Bengal, where I was born and brought up. As a reed-thin child with an intense dislike of mealtimes, my love affair with Indian food had an inauspicious start, certainly not in keeping with the love of food shared by the rest of the family.

Dolly Basu, my mother, was a star of the stage and silver screen; her feisty family dates back to the original Afghani settlers around Delhi. She would waft in and out of the kitchen in her kaftan to make sure our cook did her recipes justice. While she didnt enjoy cooking back then, she knew the exact theory of every recipe. Non-vegetarian curry, a vegetable side or two, ice-cold raita, fluffy rice and roasted papads joined rotis for an average weekday lunch. My fierce maternal gran, nani, was also a regular feature in the kitchen.

The real cook back then was my dad, a businessman from West Bengal with the aspirations of a chef. His weekends were devoted to magicking up elaborate feasts like meat biryani in a giant dough-sealed container, and raan, spiced slow-cooked leg of goat, served with all the accoutrements. We would often be joined at mealtimes by his dad, my grandfather Jyoti Basu Communist Chief Minister of West Bengal, a veteran politician who was invited and declined to be the Prime Minister of India twice. He would enjoy chilli cheese toasts and spicy snacks with a measured drink, demanding for dinner something Continental, the Indian interpretation of European food, or meat curries so tender they barely needed chewing.

We were an unconventional lot. The food was always fabulous. And I grew to love it.

At the age of 18 I left home for university in England merrily dispatched with the recipes for one tadka dal and one chicken curry. I quickly learned that curry was the generic term used here for all Indian, Pakistani or Bangladeshi food, and that the dishes were mostly created to suit the British palate.

I embraced my new life, at first aided by ready meals, takeaway dinners and curry houses. But it didnt take long for me to realise that chicken tikka masala and Bombay aloo would never fill the gaping void that had opened in my life. I missed my family and ached for the flavours I had left behind.

And so it began. Along with a move to London (into an apartment with the half-Peruvian, half-British man who was to become my husband) and a Masters degree in journalism, I embarked on a quest to teach myself the recipes I remembered from my childhood. As motherhood, a full-blown career in corporate public relations and a hectic social life ensued, I continued to focus on becoming a more confident and creative cook.

Slowly but surely I stopped trying to replicate exactly the kitchen of my childhood, taking a fresh look at the flavours of the motherland. A modern lifestyle is all about time pressures and life choices; the Indian food I cook at home has to fit into this everyday reality. Many home cooks back in India face a similar conundrum including my mother, who has evolved into a fantastic cook. And so I started recreating my grandmothers lovingly hand-stuffed potato flatbreads and a few favourites from my convent-educated auntys seven-course lunches, knowing that I would do things differently on my own, in my rather more minimalist kitchen. Drawing on the memories I have, and updating them for my own children.

Eventually, I quit full-time employment in favour of consulting and writing about food and never looked back. I turned my attention to writing an Indian cookbook that reflects the way we live today, a book that both respects the past and embraces the future.

ABOUT MASALA

In the pages that follow, you will find authentic recipes, both from home kitchens in India and from my own. Many of them are far more time-effective than youd expect, thanks to some clever shortcuts and food hacks, but with absolutely no compromise on taste. Im not ashamed to say that I love gadgets and packets; Im happy to champion ready-made rotis and parathas, tins of ghee and shop-bought paneer, papad and pickle.

If fussing achieves a major taste benefit, however, then I will never take a shortcut. For example, it really is worth marinating kebabs and sauting paneer before cooking it. The flavours I cook with are punchy and bullish, as they should be, and have been taste-tested by Indians and Indian food lovers. Many of my recipes do have a kick, but they wont make you perspire unless they are meant to like the lamb stewed in an eye-watering quantity of chillies that was beloved by Rajput warriors ().

My mother taught me that everything is good in moderation. Although perhaps that should be almost everything. I live my life by this adage and trust my common sense when it comes to salt, sugar and grease. Having said that, I dont ever deep-fry at home really because I cant stand the sight of all that oil rather than anything health related! While on the subject, Indian food is not health food but it can and should be wholesome and well balanced. There is more to it than curries think lentil crepes, fermented snacks and grains galore.

So consider this book a capsule wardrobe of Indian cooking, with staples that never let you down and variations on main recipes that provide creative ways to surprise and delight.

The first chapter, Classic Curries, contains dishes that we know and love, for those times when you want something comforting and familiar. Quick Fixes speaks for itself; the recipes can be either meal-in-one or part of a more elaborate line-up. Slow Feasts features recipes that take time to prepare or cook but are most definitely worth it royal projects! The Brunch chapter celebrates lazy mornings, because Indians know how to breakfast. Then youll find Small Bites, with recipes to kick back with, including savoury nibbles and teatime treats, followed by Big Platters, with easy-to-assemble dishes for when you want to impress a crowd. The Side Dishes chapter has idiot-proof recipes for simple accompaniments, delicious dals and breads that are easier to make than you might think, for when you have the time and inclination to create a full meal.

Youll find recipes for ice-cold thirst-quenchers as well as warming, aromatic concoctions in the Drinks chapter, while the Sweet Treats are more than just post-meal desserts they are moreish bowls and bites that provide much joy well after mealtimes are over. And finally, there are the added extras chutneys and pickles that money cant buy and some kitchen essentials for when youre feeling bored or adventurous.

A comprehensive list of the spices used in my recipes, as well as other ingredients and useful kitchen equipment, appears in the reference section at the back of this book its worth a read before you invest in a gadget or fill your cupboards with spices you may never use. Indian cooking uses myriad ingredients and spices, for which I remain resolutely unapologetic. I hate the idea of ingredients collecting dust in cupboards though, so I have made sure that if you buy a spice especially, you will be able to use it in more than one recipe.