Fish, Indian Style

December 1, 2010

Kochhar earned the first Indian chef's Michelin star while working at Tamarind and currently owns Benares, both in London. The novice-friendly recipes here include instructions on, e.g., how to clean fresh mussels. Some dishes are perfect for dinner guests (Goan-Style Lobster), while Our Family Fish Pie and Mumbai Fish Pizza are suitable for family or company. One drawback--ingredients are measured in metric. Loftus's breathtaking photographs illustrate how to present the dishes. The glossary will be helpful for cooks new to Indian food. This book on a neglected topic is highly recommended.

Copyright 2010 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

November 1, 2010
In this fresh, contemporary collection of recipes, London chef Kochhar (Indian Essence) laments the lack of seafood in Indian cookery, which tends to fixate on heavy curries. He sets out to right this problem. This being a fish-only book, chapters include Soups and Stews, Starters, Salads, Fish for Everyday, and special-occasion fish dishes. Traditional Indian fare is the starting point, like mulligatawny soup, updated with a sprinkling of crabmeat; samosas, stuffed with spiced crayfish fish marinated in masala and served with paratha bread. English influences sneak in, too, by way of Bubble and Squeak with leftover fish, and fish kebab and chips on a roll. Other dishes, like Mumbai fish pizza and swordfish stroganoff showcase Kochhar's profound creativity and sense of humor. While the book's scope is narrow, this volume more than fulfills its stated goal. Even better, its recipes are simple enough to make this powerfully flavorful food accessible at home.