TASTE OF INDIA

Freshly caught Arabian Sea prawns cooked with smoked tamarind; lacy rice flour pancakes eaten with braised chicken that has been enriched with the sweetness of fresh coconut and the fire of green chillies; fried okra served with a light sauce of crushed mustard seeds; and chicken cooked with mounds of dill and a touch of fragrant cardamom - these are but a few of the mouthwatering dishes to be discovered in A Taste of India.

With her bestselling books and widely acclaimed television series, Madhur Jaffrey is now acknowledged as the leading authority on the cuisine of India.

In A Taste of India she sets the foods of her homeland in their religious, historical and regional context, providing an evocative and informative framework for over one hundred delicious recipes.From the cool mountains of northern Kashmir she has selected a walnut chutney that is served at wedding banquets; from the dry plains of western Gujrat she has found a cooling summer soup filled with crunchy bits of raw vegetables; from the royal court of southern Hyderabad she has chosen a bread made up of dozens of fine layers; and from the eastern city of Calcutta she has taken cauliflower cooked in a dish of ground poppy seeds.

Dishes like these, together many other snacks, breads, roasts, kebabs and pilafs, form an exhaustive collection that will satisfy the most experienced cook and enthusiastic beginner alike.

A Taste of India is a magnificent book, enriched with anecdotes and personal reminiscences, which conveys all the colour and diversity of India's rich culinary heritage.

The book has been repackaged as a compact non-illustrated paperback.