There’s a group of folks who have been bringing the No. 1 Best Indian Cookbook in the World to life for years. Yeah, that’s right. Years.
So, in preparation for sharing this cookbook with the world, I asked these kind folks what they would cook from this cookbook first and why!
And ya know what? Nobody picked the same thing, and everyone had different reasons why.
Mom’s Quick n’ Easy Potatoes, page 207.
Meherwan Irani
Author, founder of Chai Pani Restaurant Group and Spicewalla
“If this is your first time cooking from the book, start with the Mom’s Quick n' Easy Potatoes.
I love potatoes. I think everybody does! That's exactly why they're the right place to begin. You already know what a potato tastes like, so you'll notice right away what the spices are doing to it. The recipe asks almost nothing of you. And what it gives back is not in proportion to the effort. That's the feeling I want people to have the first time they cook from this book. It’s easy to make delicious food when you have the right blueprint to follow.”
Spices from the 10-pack: mustard seed, cumin seed, turmeric powder
Shrimp Patia, page 197
Jamie Feldmar
co-author
“I'd say the Shrimp Patia, in part because I think it's a really delicious entry point to learning more about Parsi cuisine, which not enough Americans are familiar with, and in part because I still remember how delicious it was when Meherwan tested it when we locked ourselves away in Charleston to work on the book.
A runner-up, and quick-and-easy weeknight winner would be any of the egg-based dishes, i.e. akuri (aka the best scrambled eggs you've never had) and the masala omelette sando.”
Spices from the 10-pack: turmeric powder, Kashmiri chilli powder, cumin seed
Goan fish curry, page 194.
Michael Files
Creative Director, Chai Pani Restaurant Group
"I was obsessed with it at Chai Pani, and we haven't run it in so long. It was a favourite back in the day; we always had it on special when I was a server, and I actually want to learn how to make it myself. Also, fried curry leaves on top. Yeah, baby."
Spices from the 10-pack: Kashmiri chilli powder, turmeric powder, cumin seed, Tellicherry black peppercorn
Pav Bhaji, page 125.
Alyse Baca
Culinary Director, Spicewalla
"One, because of the sheer amount of butter in the recipe! Potatoes, cauliflower, a little spicy, a little savoury. Everything I love. It's perfect with the sweet pav, or Hawaiian rolls. Ultimate comfort."
Spices from the 10-pack: Kashmiri chilli powder, cumin powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder, Amrit’s chaat masala
Butternut Squash & Green Bean Coconut Curry, page 204.
Nick Barr
Chef, Chai Pani Asheville
“I have these beautiful butternut squash ready to be harvested out of the garden, and I can't wait to cook with them. That would be my first dish. It's also not a traditional Indian Curry; it's more of a Meherwan original recipe, which also gets me excited to try it out.”
To give you one more reason to try this recipe first, I was chatting with Meherwan recently, and he shared this sweet tidbit:
“The recipe I'm proudest of is the Butternut Squash and Green Bean Coconut Curry. I made it up for Molly and my daughter Aria. I wanted something hearty, with enough Indian flavour to taste like home, but not so much that it took over the table. Something we could eat on a regular Tuesday. It's the best of both my worlds. My Indian heritage meeting my Southern American one, and it actually holds together. Light, bright, fresh, everything you want from a curry. It's my favorite because of how much they love it.”
Spices from the 10-pack: brown mustard seed, turmeric powder
Masala Smashed Potatoes, page 54.
Kelsey Burrow
PR, Chai Pani Restaurant Group and Spicewalla
"The first recipe I chose was the Masala Smashed Potatoes, because they're so fun to smash with kids and you can't mess them up. They have the holy grail of any great chaat: shattery and salty and tangy and totally addictive. Plus, despite being a Southerner, I've always been afraid to fry in my house. Meherwan talked me through it.”
Spices from the 10-pack: Chai Pani chaat masala
My Grandma's Dal, page 199.
Cara Manning
Director of Marketing, Spicewalla
(hi, it’s me) I always think of Dal like grits. Cozy, homy; when I eat it, I can really taste the love. Everyone's mom or grandma makes the best version, and she’s always got a secret she won't fully explain. I love lentils; there’s something about them that really hits for me. I crave dal every week! Now there's a recipe with somebody's actual grandmother's name on it. Yep, no-brainer, that's the first thing I'm making.
Spices from the 10-pack: brown mustard seed, cumin seed, turmeric powder, Kashmiri chilli powder
Famous Desi Salad, page 49.
Brianne Sperber
Marketing, Ten Speed Press, Penguin Random House
"I'm a basic lady, and it's definitely the Desi Girl Salad. I want to smother all the veggies in that dressing forever."
Spices from the 10-pack: cumin powder, Kashmiri chilli powder
Why It’s The No. 1 in the World
Eight people, eight different recipes, and not one of them chose something to prove a point. No projects. No weekend cooking. Everybody went straight for a dish they immediately wanted in their own kitchen.
Meherwan said it best up top. You already know what a potato tastes like. And that's the whole idea behind this book. Start with something familiar, add the right spices, do the most with what you’ve got, and pay attention to what happens.
No. 1 Best Indian Cookbook in the World is out now! The 10-Pack No. 1 Best Indian Cookbook Essentials Collection holds the ten spices and blends the book leans on hardest, so you can dive in and make something that warms your home and belly!
What will you cook first?
Spread love, cook Indian food!
Cara Manning, Spicewalla's Director of Marketing
