Indian-Ish: Recipes and Antics from a Modern American Family

I love this book. I'd say I am a beginner-intermediate cook for Indian food, and I really enjoy this book for increasing my knowledge! The recipes I've made so far have been delicious, and I'm surprised how tasty and complex the food tastes when the recipes are not as complicated as some Indian recipes I've followed. Chonk rules! I've also added some spices to my Indian collection which I'm excited to try (nigella seeds, chaat masala). I love reading the stories of the Krishna family! The interweaving of food and family stories related to each dish makes me feel connected to them, which is nice. The recipes are generally not heavy, but vibrant and fresh. I love restaurant Indian food but it can be heavy.... This, as Priya presents, is everyday delicious food that is healthy. The humor is a great touch, I've laughed while reading the stories. Love watching her Bon Appetit videos, that's where I was introduced to this book. Yum yum!

If your new to Indian cooking (and that is an extremely broad category), this book serves as a good introduction to the techniques and dishes found on the subcontinent. Having cooked 70% of the recipes, the only one that I wasn't satisfied with was the tomato rice recipe that is featured here. The rest range from good to fantastic. It also provides a glimpse into the author's family and the perspective and memories food brings, which I didn't read too much of, but what I did read was enjoyable.Having acquired a very prescriptive traditional Indian cookbook after six months of cooking from Indian-ish, I found that the adaptions the author used for the American kitchen was very useful when I tackled very traditional recipes. For example, the traditional cookbook called for hung yogurt using a device not commonly found in American kitchens. Thanks to Indian-ish, I knew that I could achieve the same result by lining a colander with paper towels.If you're interested in learning aspects of Indian cooking and don't mind some slight veering into "non-traditionalist" (and very delicious) territory, I'd recommend this book. If you're someone who is well-versed in traditional Indian cooking, but are curious about how it is adapted into an American immigrant family, I'd also recommend it.Finally, on a personal level, the cookbook had a significant impact on how I cook. I now make Indian food at least three nights a week, both from this cookbook and others. Protein-rich lentils are now a core part of my diet when a year ago it was something that I'd throw into a soup occasionally. The cookbook has awakened a deep love of Indian food inside me, and while I'll never master the 10+ culinary regions of India, I DO make a mean Tamatar Chaaman now. So watch out! If you get this cookbook... it just might change your life! Culinarily at least.Don't sleep on the peanut chutney!

I loved this cookbook. I’ve had it just a few days and well, even before it came I made the recipe for Tomato Rice with Cheddar in the description on the Amazon page. The day I received the book, I made ghee, Priya’s Dad’s yogurt and the Matur Paneer. Heck I even made my own Paneer which is easy to do, surprisingly! PS - this recipe was not in the book. Tonight I’m marinating chicken in this wonderful yogurt, with a lot of aromatic spices and will be serving it with Cilantro Chutney, a Raita and Indian-ish Baked Potatoes. I may add a cucumber salad since it’s a hot day. I’ve also just purchased Punjabi Masala Special Padad, curry leaves, chat masala, and even the Parle-G Gold cookies. Wow, wow, wow, this is a fun cookbook and I love how much Priya loves her Mom, Ritu.

Lots of great and easy recipes

for the most part this is not a book to get if you are trying to replicate decadent or intricate Indian food from a restaurant or travels to India.This is a book that will explain how to use some herbs and spices that are used in India in dishes that come from an American immigrant family and the mixture of cultures that arises from that (and various world travels). These are (for the most part) very quick meals that one can put together with flavors that many people don't have loads of experience using.The resulting dishes that I have made are delicious. I do cook a lot at home and am not a stranger to indian food, but i would have a ton of spices and herbs leftover that i did not know what to do with unless I was making an elaborate meal. I am almost ashamed to admit that this book made me realize how i could use the ingredients in everyday cooking and has helped me way beyond the recipes in the book and made me more adventurous in the way that I use more unique herbs and spices.There was a review saying that there was no place in the book that told people where to get items, but there is an entire chart of where to get ingredients listed in the book as well as substitutes if you could not find them from page 24-31.

This is a warm and fun book to read, as well as offers hearty (mostly vegetarian) Indian recipes that are relatively accessible to cook. I am lucky to live in a metropolitan area that has a few international grocers with fresh produce (can't wait to make the lotus root dish!) and the spices needed to create many of these dishes. I came to this book via Priya's BA video on the peanut rice - I made it for two holiday parties and had wonderful feedback. The information about ingredients near the front of the book was enthralling to read, as well as helpful in sourcing difficult-to-find ingredients for some readers.An update: I am saddened to hear that Conde Nast/BA has been treating people of color and whose origins are non-100% "white" (BIPOC) differentially in terms of what they are paid for video content, or in general. Of course, I miss the BA content while Conde Nast figures out how it's going to move forward. They need to move forward. In the meantime, I plan to make my 3rd iteration of caramelized ginger mushrooms (oh... wow!), and continue to make Priya's and her families' recipes.