The Spice Is Right: Easy Indian Cooking for Today

Finally a cookbook that simplifies Indian cooking! If you thought you couldn’t cook Indian at home, and keep it healthy, THE SPICE IS RIGHT will change your mind.

THE SPICE IS RIGHT: Easy Indian Cooking For Today is a down-to-earth cookbook featuring more than 150 simple, healthful Indian dishes as well as Western dishes with an Indian twist. Recipes are easy to follow and prepare, have short ingredient lists, use readily available ingredients, and don’t require complicated cooking methods.

What’s more, the book is organized into menus, which takes the guesswork out of planning an Indian meal. Each menu features drinks, appetizers, main dishes, side dishes, and desserts. For the busy cook, there is an express menu suggestion in each chapter to help you zero in on three or four key dishes.

Whatever the occasion, THE SPICE IS RIGHT offers something for all tastes. Why not plan a backyard barbecue of Indian Lemonade, Chicken Tikka, Corn on the Cob with Spicy Rub, Pickled Onions, and Watermelon Drizzled with Honey? Or, when Thanksgiving rolls around, treat your family to Tandoori Turkey with Cranberry Chutney, Indian Green Beans with Coconut, and Pumpkin Halwa with Crêpes. Other recipes include Shrimp in Coconut Milk, Lentil Dumplings in Yogurt Sauce, Funky Pink Spice Rice, Indian Coleslaw, Coriander Layered Potatoes, Indian Flat Bread, Mango and Cucumber Salad, and Saffron Fruit Custard.

Perfect for newcomers to Indian cooking, THE SPICE IS RIGHT includes:
- information about Indian spices, legumes, and other basic pantry staples
- basic cooking techniques, such as dry roasting spices
- basic recipes for home cooks who like to cook from scratch, including hung yogurt, paneer (Indian cottage cheese), and garam masala
- invaluable cooking tips and handy recipe variations for most dishes

For fans of the Internet, THE SPICE IS RIGHT includes “web bites” that highlight interesting websites related to the recipe or a particular ingredient.

Whether you’re preparing a cozy dinner for two, a family meal for four, or a lavish feast for twelve, THE SPICE IS RIGHT proves that quick and easy healthful Indian food is now within everyone’s reach.

A new young voice in Indian cooking, Monica Bhide was probably born with a mixing spoon in her mouth! Since the age of ten, cooking has been a lifelong passion for this accomplished caterer and home chef. Monica specializes in Indian cuisine and has prepared everything from an intimate dinner for two to large parties of forty. A graduate of several cooking courses in India, she is also a voracious cookbook reader and counts several hundred cookbooks in her collection.

Frustrated by the lack of straightforward Indian cookbooks, Monica became inspired several years ago to develop simplified and healthful versions of her favorite Indian dishes. The result is THE SPICE IS RIGHT, a collection of mouthwatering Indian recipes where Monica, in her down-to-earth and lively writing style, guides Indian food lovers on a non-intimidating and flavorful foray into home-style Indian cooking.

Born in India, thirty-two-year-old Monica has been living in the United States since 1991. She has an engineering degree from Bangalore University and two masters in information systems technology from George Washington University. She currently resides in Boston.