One Spice, Two Spice: American Food, Indian Flavors

by Floyd Cardoz, Jane Daniels Lear

Add a taste of India into traditional American meals with this heady fusion of East and West Once hard to come by, exotic spices such as cumin, coriander, and curry are now available in local supermarkets. In this inspiring cookbook, Floyd Cardoz demystifies these ingredients and shows home cooks how to incorporate them into everyday meals, with minimal effort and spectacular results. The first cookbook to combine the exotic eastern spices with traditional American dishes, One Spice, Two Spice is an approachable collection of recipes that show cooks how to add extra flavor and gourmet appeal to any dish. Combe coriander, fenugreek, and tamarind with roast chicken, grilled steak, and mashed potatoes. The result, a wonderful fusion of flavors that will leave them hungry for more. In the New York Times, Ruth Reichl glowingly described Floyd Cardoz’s cooking at his famed eatery, Tabla, as “American food viewed through a kaleidoscope of Indian spices.” Now, with One Spice, Two Spice everyone can bring a sensational taste of India home.

Genres: Cookbooks, Nonfiction, Cooking

320 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 2006

About the author

Floyd Cardoz was an Indian American chef who ran multiple restaurants in New York and Mumbai. In 2011, he won Bravo's "Top Chef Masters." He was nominated for multiple James Beard Awards.

Reviews

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've been on an Indian kick lately, so this is my third Indian-influenced cookbook in two-three weeks. However, I did not like this one as well as the other two I had reviewed, although I did bookmark a fair number of recipes. This chef is from Portuguese-influenced Goa, India and it shows in the recipes. He is the chef from the NYC restaurant Tabla, so a lot of the recipes in here, he uses in his restaurant. This might be another, "would rather go there and taste the recipes than try to cook them myself" kind of thing. To be fair, he is quite thorough and includes a glossary of terms in the back, as well as a section of basics such as stock and my favorite, how to crack and peel a coconut. It's worth a read, especially if you have been to the restaurant or are interested in Goan cuisine.

[Aasinathena · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are some cool recipes:good start for a adventurous cook. Besides Goa is always on bucket list to visit someday. This book has been influenced by chef Cardoz's Goan upbringing.

[Beka · Rating 3 out of 5]

I always loved seeing Floyd on cooking shows, especially the way he used spices. I'm sure the food in this is delicious, but it's seriously lacking in pictures, and it's a little too cheffy for me.

[Gina · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too many specialty ingredients and too many ingredients in the recipes; not accessible

[Alison · Rating 4 out of 5]

The title is deceptive recipes require numerous ingredients! Be prepared. I was pleasantly surprised however, to find that it had a couple recipes that called for venison. Certainly gave me new ideas for preparing it. They were tasty too. But like I said pretty involved.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Chef Cardoz cooks the way I wish I did. His use of spice and layering of flavors is exciting; I love reading about potato stew and onion soup made new (to me) by adding heat and spice. I look forward to cooking some of these dishes and learning new flavor combinations.

[Margery · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am currently on an Indian food craze---cooking and, of course, eating. Yum!

[Shelley · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not a single recipe in the book sounded appealing enough to cook.