Buy cooking, recipe and food books from Amazon:

Back to New Books

The Everything Indian Cookbook
by Monica Bhide

Book Description
Indian cuisine constitutes the exotic blend of flavors from the Himalayas in the North to the Eastern Bay of Bengal. Featuring hundreds of recipes, such as Indian-Style Coleslaw, Rice Pudding, and Indian Corn Flatbread, The Everything® Indian Cookbook guides readers through preparing delicious Indian cuisine right in their own homes.

From basic Indian flavors and spices to Indian cooking methods and meals, The Everything® Indian Cookbook offers a diverse set of recipes perfect for both vegetarians and meat-eaters.

Featuring delicious recipes for:

• Appetizers, such as Paneer Tikka
• Breads, such Simple Naan Bread
• Salads, such as Spicy Papaya Salad
• Curry dishes, such as Goat Chicken Curry
• Seafood dishes, such as Shrimp Koliwada
• Special vegetarian fare, such as Lentil and Rice Kedgee
• Chutneys, such as Mint Cilantro Chutney
• Desserts, such as Mango Mousse

Whether cooks want to prepare a meal for one—or a flavorful feast for company—The Everything® Indian Cookbook will have them serving up tasty Indian cuisine to tempt anyone!

About the Author
Frustrated by the lack of straightforward Indian cookbooks, Monica became inspired several years ago to develop simplified and healthful versions of her favorite Indian dishes. The result is her highly praised first cookbook, The Spice Is Right: Easy Indian Cooking for Today (Callawind Publications, 2001), a collection of mouth-watering menus tempered with the author's up-to-date touches on classic Indian recipes. Monica guides Indian food lovers on an easy-to-use foray into the flavors, ingredients, techniques, and tips to home-style cooking using over 150 recipes.

Growing up outside of India, Monica learned authentic Indian dishes from the talented and knowledgeable hands of Indian women in her family and neighborhood. As she moved from kitchen to kitchen, she gathered the delightful anecdotes that now accompany these recipes-all told in the down-to-earth and lively voice that infuses each page with the energy and passion she has for food, family, and India.

Monica has been instrumental in the creation, organization, and expansion of the eGullet Culinary Institute focusing on providing online cooking classes. The institute has been described as the "Next Food Network" by the Washington Post. In addition, through collaboration with top cookbook publishing houses in the U.S., she garnered a veritable who's who of award-winning authors-including James Peterson, Paula Wolfert, James Villas, and Mark Bittman-to teach cyber-classes, participate in Q&A's, provide recipes and in-depth biographies, and provide books for giveaways.

The author also contributes to FabulousFoods.com, maintains a regular column for DeliciousIndia.com, and her work has appeared India New England News, India Abroad and India's number one woman's magazine Femina. She has appeared on Food Network Canada on "Christine Cushing Live" and the nationally syndicated food show on Talk America Radio with host Jennifer English.

In addition to her writing and editing culinary experience, Monica also actively conducts PR events for local restaurants, chefs and wine distributors, and has coordinated ticketed book and culinary author events in tandem with the book's publicist and author.

Born in India, thirty-three-year-old Monica moved to the United States in 1991. She has an engineering degree from Bangalore University and two masters in information systems technology from George Washington University. She is the founder of Spice is Right Culinary Consulting. Monica's newest cookbook, "The Everything Indian Cookbook: 300 Tantalizing Recipes--From Sizzling Tandoori Chicken to Fiery Lamb Vindaloo (Everything Series)" will publish in April 2004. Bhide is also the recipient of the Susan B. Langhorne Scholarship for Food Writers at the Symposium for Professional Food Writers held at the Greenbrier. She currently resides in Washington, DC, with her husband, Sameer, and four-year-old son, Jai.

Wonderful (February 2005)
Reviewer: Jennifer A. Wickes "Food Writer"

This cookbook is apart of "The Everything" series of books that helps teach its readers everything about cooking, sports, health and more. Monica Bhide's "The Everything Indian Cookbook" is a nice addition!

Monica Bhide is from India. She has been cooking Indian cuisine for more than 20 years, and has taken several formal cooking courses on Indian food. She is a caterer, home chef and is now offering online cooking classes! This is her second cookbook!

This cookbook offers delicious recipes to the Indian food lovers of the world! Each recipe is easy-to-read; gives the English name to the dish, as well as the Indian name; gives an approximate preparation time frame, as well as cooking period.

Each recipe offers ideas for serving, a substitution for a hard-to-find ingredient, or a piece of trivia about the dish. The chapters included in this book are: Basics of Indian Cooking; Basic Recipes; Glossary; Suggested Menus; Additional Resources; as well as chapters for each food item (starters, drinks, salads etc.).

Although there are no photographs in the cookbook, the dishes are so easy to prepare, one does not need a picture of the end-result.

Some of the delicious recipes you will encounter in this book are: Mango Yogurt Pudding, Shrimp Fritters, Dill and Potato, as well as Red Radish Salad.

This is a great cookbook filled with wonderful Indian dishes. Pick up a copy and learn about this wonderful corner of the world!

Showcases regional dishes from India (July 2004)
Reviewer: Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA)

One of the most "user friendly" cookbooks I've ever encountered which showcases regional dishes from India, The Everything Indian Cookbook provides 300 authentic and easy-to-follow recipes for dishes that are the equal of anything you could order at your favorite Indian restaurant. From Pork Tikkas; Smoked Eggplant in Yogurt; and Green Beans with Coconut; to Cumin-Scented Rice; Carom-Flavored Flatbread; and Instant Saffron Ice Cream, Indian native, chef and caterer Monica Bhide has organized this outstanding collection so that even the most novice kitchen cook can prepare and deliver absolutely savory meals and menus, whether for intimate dining with a loved one or a celebratory party of dozens of guests.

Well worth the price! (February 2006)
Reviewer: S. Swift (Vancouver, WA USA)

If I had purchased this book first, I would not have purchased any other book on Indian cooking. The detailed explanations are wonderful as well as the concepts of Indian cuisine and balance are explained very well. I love this book and am using it every week and loving every recipe I have tried. It truly is Everything I Wanted to Know and Learn About Indian Cooking!

Great job Monica (February 2005)
Reviewer: onecoolmom (new york)

I am Indian and have been cooking Indian food for very many years now. But have fallen into a rut with the things that I cook... the same few foods made the same way !!! I did try a number of different cookbooks to add some variety and flavor to my cooking... but to little success.

Then I came accross this book by Monica and I must say that I am pleasantly surprised - by the simple yet delicious recipes, easy layout and variety. There are so many things that I never dared to cook thinking that it would be really complicated or time consuming. But Monica's recipes are short, concise and very easy to follow.

I would definitely recommend this book to those who want to start cooking Indian food as well to those who want a change and variety in their collection.

Thanks Monica ( that comes from my family !!!)

Fantastic Intro to Indian Cooking (February 2005)
Reviewer: CH Reid "chen" (wash, dc)

I love this Everything Indian cookbook. It's a wonderful introduction to Indian cooking - especially for a novice like myself. I like the fact that it starts with basic techniques and basic recipes that you use throughout the book. The other thing I really like is that the recipes are less than a page - some of them sound complicated, but when you really examine them, you notice that the trick is really just to be sure to do the prep work in advance and things should move fairly smoothly. Thus far, I've only tried a few basic dishes - some vegetable dishes and a couple of chicken dishes, but I've been pretty happy with the results. The biggest trick often is tracking down the ingredients - especially the spices. I don't have an Indian grocery store nearby, but I've found quite a few things at my local Whole Foods and World Market. The author has also provided a list of resources to get some of the more difficult to obtain spices. I encourage anyone who is interested in learning more about Indian cooking to try this book and try out a few of the recipes. Your tastebuds will be highly rewarded.

Excellent Introduction to Indian Cooking (February 2005)
Reviewer: Sandra L. Olson

Monica Bhide's Everything Indian Cookbook is the ideal starting point for those new to Indian cooking. Beginning, as is appropriate, at the beginning, she presents basic techniques and ingredients, recommends a basic Indian spice pantry and describes commonly-used utensils. The recipes that follow are simple, clearly presented, and accurate, including estimates of preparation and cooking times. The "Everything" of the title is also accurate: the book contains a much wider selection of recipes than usually seen. I especially like the separate chapter on salads (not included in most of my other Indian cookbooks), the large number of simple vegetable dishes, and the simple, healthful pickle and chutney recipes. Highly recommended.

Throw away the telephone number for the nearest takeaway (July 2004)
Reviewer: DM Jenkins "Hub-UK" (Ipswich, England)

As soon as you open the book you know that this is a cookbook that is going to enable you to cook your own Indian meals at last - everything is explained from the basics upwards, all written in easy to understand sections and pages.

The recipe pages are well laid out with both the English and Indian title for each recipe. The pages contain all the information you need to cook the particular recipes with easy to read lists of ingredients. Where something needs explaining Monica has added separate notes which clearly explain or instruct. It couldn't be simpler!

What I also like is that the book is about the food and its preparation, nothing else. Many books I have seen over the years which feature Indian cooking have contained far too much information, a great deal of which does not relate to what you are trying to do - cook a great Indian meal for yourself. Well now you can, so you won't be needing the telephone number for the nearest takeaway anymore!

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to impress their family or friends . . . and for a change the price means this book is also real value for money.

If you want to order a copy of the book - click here (USA)
If you want to order a copy of the book - click here (UK)

Back to New Books