Gunpowder: Explosive flavours from modern India

by Devina Seth

An exciting collection of recipes from the founders of the hugely respected Gunpowder restaurant. In this beautiful book, complete with stunning photography, Harneet, Devina and Nirmal have managed to capture the bustle and flavours of their childhoods in Kolkata, and the intricacy of true homestyle dishes from across India.

From Maa's Kashmiri Lamb Chops (which have garnered outstanding reviews from many restaurant critics) to Wild Rabbit Pulao, these exceptional recipes are impressively authentic, yet given a modern twist. Throughout the book, the authors share personal anecdotes about their recipes and give handy cheats to make things easier for the home cook, including time-saving tips and alternative ingredients. With chapters covering Small Plates, Big Plates, Sweet Plates & Drinks and Sides & Spice, Gunpowder is the perfect opportunity to create some of these widely admired dishes in your own home.

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Food, Nonfiction, Indian Literature, Food and Drink

284 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 14, 2018

Reviews

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've always been reluctant to buy cook books in Kindle format. I like to be able to flick through a cook book and look at the picturees, check out at a glance whether I have all the ingredients and then - more often than not - just cook an old familiar favourite instead. Recently I spotted three really great-looking cookbooks on Amazon for 99p each and I figured they must be worth a punt. 'Gunpowder' was the first I've actually read.

Confession time; I've not actually attempted to cook any of the recipes yet so I can't tell you how easy or followable they are.

Pros: I like the stories about why they picked the recipes, the links to the family histories of the owners and chefs at the Gunpowder restaurant. I like the breadth of regional coverage within India - there are recipes from all over - and on screen at least, the recipes seem to be quite straightforward.

Cons: not everything comes with photos - and it's always a good thing to have at least a rough idea what the finished dish is supposed to look like - and if, like me, you don't live in a major city with easy access to the rarer ingredients, not everything seems very viable.

The recipes cover a wide range of needs - vegetarian, pescatarian, omnivorous, starters, sides, mains, desserts and drinks are all included. There's no pressure to serve things in an authentic way - you can mix your dishes, your sub-regions, and eat what you like without feeling you have to meet any kind of rules.

Perhaps once I've had a go at some recipes I'll be back to upgrade or downgrade the rating.

[Gina · Rating 2 out of 5]

I got to page 54 and had to stop. While these recipes sound delicious, every single one has such specialized ingredients that it is not possible for a non-Indian to easily make them. I have made many Indian recipes and have things in my spice cupboard that most Americans do not have such as cumin seeds, fenugreek, anise, cardamom, masalas, curries, etc. But these recipes still were beyond me. Not for the home cook.

[Kbg503 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Trying to learn more about Indian cuisine. So much is unfamiliar, but this book helps me understand some of the techniques. The chapter that interests me the most is "Sweet plates and Drinks". There is an Indian grocery store nearby so maybe I could try the recipes in "Sides and Spice".

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tightly packed with explosive flavours

Beautifully illustrated and clearly laid out collection of recipes from the excellent and eponymous small restaurants in London’s Spitalfields. So much to explore, so much to savour - and so much to enjoy.

[Liz C · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some nice recipes in this.

[Kathryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quite an inventive Indian cookbook. I particularly liked the fact that there was a large collection of recipes featuring meats. Most of my Indian cookbooks are quite veggie-forward, so this is a nice change.