My Bombay Kitchen: Traditional and Modern Parsi Home Cooking

I received my order of "My Bombay Kitchen: Traditional and Modern Parsi Home Cooking - Niloufer Ichaporia King."I STRONGLY recommend this book. My wife is Parsi, and I enjoy cooking Parsi cuisine (along with many other cuisines, but Parsi cuisine is a favorite) and have a number of books on the subject, so I looked at how she treated some recipies I had already done, Patrel and Dhansak Masala. I've visited where my wife grew up in Bombay on M Karve Road near the Eros theater. There I also enjoyed Goan cuisine (my wife's 'nannys' were Goan and are superb cooks of both Goan and Parsi cuisine). Reading this book made you feel like you were back in Bombay learning a cuisine at the hands of someone who had mastered the cuisine and was gracious and competent enough to be teaching it to you with the clarity and style of a master teacher. Clearly this book is written by a Parsi in America, paying attention to the difficulties of obtaining certain ingredients, noting appropriate substitutions, yet showing the knowledge that could only come from someone who had been a part of the culture in Bombay - maintaining a most authentic result. The book isn't simply a collection of exquisitely presented recipies demonstrating exemplarary versions of those recipies, but the recipies are presented within the cultural context of the Parsi traditions, noting the culinary likes and dislikes of Parsis, what are mainstays of the tradition, etc etc. Delightfully written - a pleasure to read (excellent editing) and a clear presentation of information that I've struggled to get elsewhere.Dhansak Masala is a complex spice mixture composed of dhana jiru and sambhar masala, each complex mixtures in their own right, with endless variations as numerous as there are cooks. I have searched high and low on the internet for these recipies only to find ones far more mediocre than the excellent verrsion she has presented in this book.Her explanation of making Patrel would have saved me endless hours trying to find out that Colocasia leaves are actually taro root leaves. She lays out the techniques in a clear style reminiscent of Julia Child of exactly how to assemble this dish. I know that reading each recipe cover to cover will be a treasure trove of information.I could go on and on, but suffice it to say that if you have an interest in Parsi or even Indian or Persian cuisine, this is a must have for your collection.I really couldn't recommend a cookbook more highly. I'm not alone either - she is strongly recommended by Alice Waters, who wrote the forward of this book, famous for her restaurant in Berkeley, Chez Panisse and a major influence to cooks everywhere on the use and incorporation of local fresh ingredients being used in her food preparations. Also Paula Wolfert, who has written an excellent book on Moroccan Cuisine among her many accomplishments, and Dianne Kennedy, whose Mexican cookbook is a classial reference of Mexican cuisine. And other esteemed chefs and editors. I really couldn't be in better company in recommending a book.Finally, my ultimate critic of my cooking, my wife, has been absolutely delighted by the recipies in this book, partiularly the Parsi scrambled egg recipe.

This book is a delight. Exotic and eclectic recipes, most of them not too much of a stretch for the adventurous home cook who tries international foods on occasion, are interwoven with the author's recollections, commentary, and affectionately dry humor. The book begins with a brief introduction to the Parsis, who left Persia for the Indian subcontinent many centuries ago and settled in the region of Gujerati-speakers, promising the local potentate that they would adapt to the culture and language and add to it without detracting or displacing. Over the centuries, Parsis became a major economic force in Bombay (now Mumbai), eagerly and adopting and adapting elements of Western and Indian cuisine and culture, melding them into "Parsi cuisine," ---an indication of their cosmopolitanism. These notes are also intertwined with photographs and memories of the author's family and childhood, which looks too be a privileged and happy one in an educated middle-class family. Then there is a chapter on kitchens, equipment, and basics, with notes on three generations of such, very interesting. Indeed, several chapters begin with recollections of what her grandmother, then her mother, and now what she serves as, say, appetizers, or what they eat for breakfast. Nearly every recipe gives an anecdote of how it came about or how she uses it or a friend's contribution, often with an amusing comment--such as "Krishna's Breakfast," which advises which elements to use and ends with "... and pop it into your mouth. It's like eating sparklers." The whole book is sprinkled with small charming line drawings by the author's husband, tucked into the sides of paragraphs and sometimes spilling over into the margins. The layout is pleasing and usable.In short, this is a literary and ethnographic book, as well as a collection of do-able recipes that are seldom complicated or difficult. It's a book to savor and linger over, amused and delighted by the prose, the drawings, and the foods described. I have even tried a few, such as "Fish Soup with Parsi-Style Rouille" and "Krishna's Breakfast," and look forward to making more.The book won the 2008 James Beard Foundation Award and it has a perceptive and enthusiastic foreword by Alice Waters.

I was drawn to this book because I'm half Parsi and I've always wanted to recreate the delicious dishes I've enjoyed during the childhood weekly visits to my Parsi relatives. Those days were almost a longed for memory until I found 'My Bombay Kitchen'. From 'Dhansak' to 'papeta per eedu' - its all in this book!Parsi cuisine is known for its uniqueness in that it blends meat and vegetables into wholesome, delectable dishes that really aren't hard to make. This book is detailed, enjoyable, easy to read & follow and gives you lots of choices and explanations regarding seemingly exotic ingredients and cooking techniques used. Ms Ichaporia has beautifully divided the book into sections based on the kind of dish, with each recipe reading like a story.(There is a whole chapter on eggs - dare I say the cornerstone of Parsi cooking!)The beauty of Ms Ichaporia's narrating style is that it is simple and so wonderfully narrative that this book doesn't need those seductive and mouth watering pictures of well garnished & presented dishes that are usually difficult to prepare.I have used this book to introduce Parsi cuisine to my husband, friends and the other side of my family and it has always delighted their taste buds. I still get rave reviews on the easy to make 'Akuri' that I attempted for a recent brunch party.Highly recommended if you are a fan of Indian, Parsi or just simple, wholesome and flavourful cuisine that is as easy to cook as it is delightful to savour!

Highly recommend this to anyone who is a lover of cookbooks and Indian food in particular. If you adore Madhur Jaffrey you’ll love this!

An essential book for those with Parsi heritage & also a great for those who are interested in Indian cuisine!

I know the author. I love her recipes. I have given her book to many friends and they have all appreciated it.

A brilliant book and a must have for any serious cook

Super Kochbuch

Good recipes but for the size of the book, it has too few recipes

Great book at a better price - excellent seller.