The Dance of Spices: Classic Indian Cooking for Today's Home Kitchen

by Laxmi Hiremath

A new classic on adapting authentic Indian seasonings and techniques to today’s American kitchen Indian cuisine has finally come into its own in the United States, as evidenced by the opening of numerous stylish, upscale Indian restaurants. The "dance of spices" refers to the complex, subtle layering of flavors that is at the base of all Indian cooking. This definitive cookbook showcases the wonderful diversity of new Indian cuisine with 238 fragrant basmatis and rice pilafs; rich, soothing dishes like Chicken Korma; exotic dishes like Fennel-Scented Kashmir Lamb; tongue-teasing chutneys and relishes; side dishes like Velvety Mango Paneer; and sweet confections, all of which can be made with ease at home. Special chapters are devoted to subjects not fully explored in other books, such as tandoor barbecue, chaats–the savory street snacks of India–and popular flatbreads. Laxmi Hiremath (San Ramon, CA), born in the South of India, has taught Indian cooking in the United States for more than a decade and is one of the San Francisco Chronicle’s most popular food writers. Her articles and recipes have appeared in such publications as Gourmet, Bon Appétit, and Fine Cooking.

Genres: Cookbooks

454 pages, Hardcover

First published January 24, 2005

Reviews

[Margaret Gerberding · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is full of delicious looking recipes! I am still a little intimidated by Indian food...it seems very complicated to make, and the lists of spices for each recipe is long. However, this may be the book that gets me cooking!

[Jess · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not all cook books are recipe cards with photographs glued together.... Don't get me wrong, I love some delicious food styling. But Hiremath's book is about learning how to cook traditional Indian foods. It is full of mouth watering stories and history. It's the kind of cookbook you curl up with in bed and dream about the recipes. My husband has cooked a number of dishes from TDOS and they've all been a success. For a white boy from north Texas, that's saying a lot.

[L'Artiste · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was given to me by Teryll. There are so many recipes, and it is well written. The chicken tikka masala is not my favorite version of that recipe, but I have never found a version like they serve at Natraj!

[baxter baxter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very thorough, lots of great recipes, tons of info, overlaps Sahni's Classic.

[Greymalkin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I saw her do a demo at the Fancy Food Faire in SF one year and loved the dish she made. Got her cookbook and have had success with all the recipes I've tried. The flavors are bright and delicious.