BOOK REVIEW: THE CHAKLE INDIA COOKBOOK

The Chakle India cookbook is the first book by anchor chef Aditya bal who hosts the popular food show of the same name on NDTV good times. This book is a compilation of some of the best recipes shown on the first three seasons of the show and features mouth watering recipes like Kosha Mangsho, Malabar prawn curry, Dhaniwal Korma, Kolhapuri Mutton chops, among many others. 

The book contains a brief introduction of the author and his culinary journey. There are totally 76 recipes in the book and each recipe is explained in great detail.The cookbook contains both vegetarian and non vegetarian recipes, along with snacks, sweets and some basic recipes. The table of contents page has a school text book feel to it which is quite innovative for a cookery book. And the map of India with recipe names is simply fantastic.  Separate sections have been allotted to the Indian Pantry, essential kitchen gear, and cooking techniques which surely would be helpful to beginners. Another interesting thing is that chicken, meat and sea food recipes are given in separate categories, hence selecting a recipe to try is a lot easier.

The Indian pantry section has extensive information about the various ingredients used in the Indian kitchen. Most of the ingredients used are the basic ingredients which are present in most Indian homes and hence there is no need to go scouting for some exotic ingredient.

The book has some really beautiful photos of the dishes. The focus is more on the dish than on general presentation, hence there are no props in the pictures. 

Of the several recipes given in the book, I selected two recipes to try, the Amritsari paneer burji and Andhra chicken lollipops. The recipes of both can be found here and here. The Andhra chicken lollipops were amazing… spicy and tangy just like the way the author mentioned in the book.  We made a slight modification to the recipe of paneer burji as it looked less seasoned and the result was fantastic. Both recipes were a big hit at home and would be made again and again. And I am looking forward to trying more recipes from the book.

This is one book which you can buy if you are a great fan of the show or if you wish to try popular recipes from different parts of the country. The book is prized at Rs. 395 which is quite reasonable as it contains a vast collection of mouth watering recipes. You can also get a discount if you buy this book through Landmark's online portal. Follow the recipes in the book as it is or just like the author says the recipes are not set in stone so they can be improvised and recreated with alternative flavour profiles to suit our taste.

This book is surely worth buying...

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