The Indian Family Kitchen, A Cookbook, Roasted Vegetable Biryani

I came late to the notion of Indian food, very late in fact. But as they say better late than never. I had experienced a couple of buffets before but was not impressed. Last year my husband and I saw a very positive review on a local Indian restaurant in town and decided to give it a try. I had the spinach paneer with soft and buttery fry bread, then finished the meal with a pudding that was lightly sweetened, topped with chopped pistachios and fresh edible flowers. I was hooked.

That meal inspired me to order and then write about this amazing cookbook, The Indian Family Kitchen. The book is written by Anjali Pathak the granddaughter of the family that has brought the Patak’s sauces and chutney’s to markets around the world. There are pages of family pictures and a little history in between the chapters that depict the love of family and food. These tidbits help shape the tone and direction of this book.

The recipes are not quite traditional but showcase her spices and technique of simple Indian fare in unexpected ways. Scattered throughout the pages of the recipes are her “my secret” tips which gives you ways in which to make the most of your ingredients. The book cover and design is stunning and will draw food lovers of all ages. Almost every recipe has an beautiful and inspiring photograph.

From this book I prepared the “Roasted vegetable biryani” which was incredible, with lots of flavor and color. If you eat with your eyes this dish is for you. In this recipe the veggies are roasted. Then the rice is soaked 30 minutes which softens the grains. Some of the spices she used were garam masala, cloves, cardamom, cinnamon sticks, saffron, ginger and frozen peas. The veggies, rice and spices were combined and baked for 15 minutes. Your kitchen will smell like heaven. If you are a cookbook lover this is a must have. Enjoy!

"I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.”