Indian Food Made Easy - Anjum Anand


I am not a great cook, so books to make cooking anything easier is always a plus in our house, and this book in particular is one I really love as Indian food is a firm favourite of mine, though before getting this book and a couple other Indian cookbooks, my attempts at preparing and cooking an Indian dish was something to be desired. Now, though, my Indian dishes do not come out too badly and I think a lot of that is to do with this book.

This book came out as a supplement to the BBC 2 series back in 2007, though I admit that I did not see this. I actually found this book for a mere 50p at a carboot sale which was a real bargain!

There are nine different sections in this book;

1. Light Meals and Snacks - This great section has been well used by me and covers a lot of different meals and snacks which I had never even heard of, and many mix the usual lunch and breakfast time meals with an Indian twist to give it that something different. One of my favourites is the Masala Scrambled Eggs which I have attempted and enjoyed a number of times now.

2. Chicken - A lot about spices is included in this section alongside a number of ways to prepare and cook chicken dishes.

3. Lamb - This section covers a few different meals as the chicken section, though this time with Lamb.

4. Fish and Seafood - This is a section in which I avoid as I really do not like fish, though by glancing through it, I can see that many different fish and seafood is used in recipes here so a good section for those who love food.

5. Vegetables - A great section for both vegetables as a side dish and also as a main meal. I have used a few of these in other non-Indian meals too as they are so versatile.

6. Lentils and Beans - This again, is perhaps not a favourite section of mine, though I have tried a few bits from here and was happy with the end result.

7. Bread and Rice - Another great section which can also be used in non-Indian dishes, including the well known Naan bread which I love!

8. Raitas and Chutneys - This is possibly the shortest part of the book though still very useful.

9. Drinks and Desserts - This section is a fun one and I am quite pleased with some of the results I have had. There is everything from yogurts to tea with an Indian twist.

This recipe book is jammed packed full of different meal ideas alongside drinks and sides, with a lot of dishes I had never heard of before. They are well laid out and easy to follow for beginners like me.

Well Recommended!