From Bengal to Punjab: The Cuisines of India

Smita Chandra's From Bengal to Punjab is one of the two books I use most often when cooking Indian food. She begins with a discussion of the various spices and herbs, with notes about availability, preparation, and storage. Then she discusses appliances and techniques, with helpful suggestions. She provides recipes for basic things such as ghee, coconut milk, and paneer, in case they are unavailable in local stores. She then goes on to suggest menus, with combinations of dishes that go well together. All before the cookbook proper begins. I love the variety of the dishes, particularly the 15 different chicken dishes. Some are nutty, some herby, some with spices you dry-roast yourself and grind, and with a variety of sauce bases, with not only yogurt and coconut milk, but also whipping cream or tomatoes. I must say that once in a while it takes food longer to cook on my stove than hers. My cumin seeds take more than 1 or 2 seconds to darken, and my eggplant takes far longer to fry than hers seems to. However, because of her descriptions of how the food should look, I can tell how long I need to keep cooking it. It's as if she's providing a cooking lesson with each recipe. Highly recommended.

Three years ago, I purchased this book wishing to recreate dishes that I had at local Indian restaurants and to save money. I got more than I bargained for! Since then I bought several other Indian cookbooks, but I cook from this book most often. I no longer need to go to restaurants to taste Indian cuisine because I can cook better! Everything I cooked so far were delicious; I have impressed my Indian friends! Legume and vegetable sections are especially good for people who wants to have more vegetables in their diet and enjoy them too. I think many recipes are from northern India. Ms. Chandra gives menu suggestions and how to vary a dish with her charming writing style. Thank you Mrs. Chandra!

I'm an Indian food freak, and have a tendency to buy Indian cookbooks often. Overall this is definitely my favorite. The instructions are very clear (as opposed to some of my other Indian cookbooks, where they state something like, "cook onions for 5 minutes", which could be anywhere from barely sweated to brown at the edges depending on the heat and your particular stove), and all of the recipes I have tried have been delicious. I especially love the Chicken with Coconut Milk and Ground Lamb with Peas (much better than some of the other versions I've tried). This is a must-have for lovers of Indian cuisine!

I got tired of Indian cookbooks with 35 ingredients for every recipe. They sound exotic but intimidate the reader right away, and a lot of them don't end up tasting very good anyway. I don't remember my mom needing so many ingredients for any of her recipes. I was looking for a book that would give me recipes that taste just like mom's cooking, are practical, and actually turn out like they're supposed to. This book offers a fantastic variety and is a great buy for Indian and non-Indian cooks!

From Bengal to Punjab is an excellent Indian cookbook. There are almost 200 recipes, each with clear instructions, many with comments on regional characteristics and suggestions for use as part of a meal. Best of all, these are dishes full of honest flavors, rather than the watered down or too simplified spicing that other Indian cookbooks often feature. The preparations are straightforward, and not at all fussy. The chapters on dals and vegetables are the best I have found (the Chickpeas with Tomatoes and Chana Dal with dried fenugreek leaves are addictive.) There are fewer meat recipes, but these include a wonderful, rich Rogan Josh and an Attu Kari (lamb in a Madras style) that greatly improves on a similar recipe I have in another book. The chapter on seafood has some delicious shrimp recipes and a fish recipe, in which fish fillets are marinated in a fresh coriander masala, that is simply the best I have ever tasted. A real bonus is a whole chapter of some 20 barbecue or tandoori recipes. If you enjoy cooking Indian food, you will want this book.