Madhur Jaffrey's Instantly Indian Cookbook

March 18, 2019
Indian food doyenne Jaffrey (Vegetarian India) hops on the Instant Pot bandwagon with this winning collection of recipes that are big on flavor but also more labor-intensive than Instant Pot users may expect. Options include soups, dals, curries, sides, and condiments, with plenty of dishes for vegetarians and omnivores alike. Classics (butter chicken, several chickpea recipes, Goan shrimp curry) mingle with some unexpected dishes (spicy fat French fries, quinoa with tomatoes), any of which would make for a proper feast. Jaffrey rightly encourages home cooks to read a recipe top-to-bottom before beginning; unlike many Instant Pot recipes, hers are more involved than throwing everything in the machine and pressing a button. Many call for using multiple of the device’s cooking modes, and some for using the gadget in addition to, for instance, a good old-fashioned cast iron skillet (to brown the spices for kerala chicken). Readers may question why, for instance, chickpeas should be soaked overnight, as quickly cooking dried legumes is one of the Instant Pot’s selling points. Some meat dishes, meanwhile, call for marinade times ranging from a few hours to overnight. This is a solid cookbook full of rewarding recipes, and one readers will enjoy so long as they don’t confuse “instant” with “quick and easy.”

April 1, 2019

James Beard Award-winning Jaffrey is known for classics such as An Invitation to Indian Cooking and A Taste of India. The author's latest merges Indian cooking with the Instant Pot, resulting in several creative and satisfying meal ideas. Besides covering the usual food groups (meats, vegetables, seafood), there are also plenty of soups, beans, grains, and side dishes. Short introductions with cooking tips and accent recipes include simple mung dal, South Indian mixed-vegetable korma, and kerala shrimp with coconut milk (konju pappas). Notably, spicy fat french fries are featured without the need to deep fry. Side dishes such as avocado-radish salad and yogurt with cucumbers, tomatoes and onions complement the meals. Throughout, Jaffrey shares specific strategies for using the Instant Pot particularly for what settings to use and finds "the steaming basket, the glass lid and an extra inner pot to be absolutely essential." A "Spices and Special Ingredients" section is a bonus. VERDICT Instant Pot cookbooks are extremely popular and acquiring ones that specialize in Indian cooking will expand that collection. Jaffrey's newest is sure to please longtime fans and draw in many others.--Barbara Kundanis, Longmont P.L., CO

Copyright 2019 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 15, 2019
The Instant Pot multicooker has won many converts for its amazing adaptability, its combination of a pressure cooker's and slow cooker's best features. So what could be more welcome than a cookbook combining the it-gadget's novelty with the venerable traditions of Indian cooking? Award-winning actress and apostle of the subcontinent's cuisine, Jaffrey has already established herself as grande dame of Indian cooking for the English-speaking world. As she points out, many Indian kitchens already use multiple pressure cookers, so the Instant Pot scarcely changes everyday approaches for the Indian home cook. Not only vegetarian dishes, but also meat, poultry, and even seafood readily adapt to being prepared in a multicooker, and Jaffrey carefully explains how recipes need to be adjusted to take advantage of the appliance. Jaffrey also offers her deep knowledge of Indian cooking, going so far as to reveal the secret of telling if your lentils were cooked by a Hindu or a Muslim.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)