Getting Deeper Into Indian Cuisine

If all you’re looking for is some interesting Indian recipes, browse through “Cuisines of India” by Smita and Sanjeev Chandra (The Ecco Press, $27.50). If you’d rather read about Indian life and culture, pick up the same book, which is as rich in anecdotes drawn from history as it is in food.

Toronto-based Smita Chandra teaches Indian cooking and has written two other cookbooks. Her husband, Sanjeev, professor of engineering at the University of Toronto, is the history buff. Their bibliography of more than 70 books and publications cites only a few food books. Most deal with Indian history, life during the Raj and so forth.

Recipes are introduced by historical notes, amusing legends, accounts of Indian customs or regional data. The first section concentrates on vegetarian food, the next on South India. Smita Chandra’s family moved from New Delhi to the southern state of Kerala, which gave her firsthand experience with the food of the south. Two chapters on the Mogul era cover a broad expanse of India, from the Punjab to Hyderabad.

The spice trade brought foreign traders and immigrants who added their own flavors. A chapter on these contributions includes dishes of the English Raj, Portuguese-influenced Goan food, some Parsi recipes and several Chinese dishes. The Chinese settled in Calcutta, and their food, altered to the Indian taste, is well-liked throughout India. Recipes for chili chicken and Manchurian chicken, two of the most popular dishes, are included in the book.

Seven fusion dishes that incorporate ingredients new to India, such as sun-dried tomatoes, coconut milk and pizza dough, conclude the book.

Indian cookbooks are plentiful today, but this one, with its engaging look at subcontinental culture and varied recipes, offers something different. It’s not a basic book, with familiar standards such as tandoori marinades; in fact, the recipes might deter some cooks who are put off by long lists of exotic seasonings. But then, Indian cooking is more about flavors than speed, and one can’t explore it without buying the necessary ingredients and taking the time to use them properly.