101 Ways to Prepare Curries

About the Book India is identifiable with its curries. Curries are usually vegetarian and non-vegetarian preparations in rich gravies. Because of its diversity and rich cultural legacy, India has an endless variety of curries, each better than the other.

In the book, 101 ways to prepare Curries, the author has included curries from across the country, all of which have their unique and distinctive flavours. The recipes of these curries have been explained in easy-to-follow language to facilitate easy preparation and can be enjoyed in every part of India. The book also includes helpful hints for day-to-day use in the kitchen and the medicinal values of the various spices used in curry preparation.

About the Author Aroona Reejhsinghani is a renowned gourmet, who has over 125 cookbooks to her credit. This has fetched her a place in the Limca Book of Records (1991) and the American Book of Honour. She was congratulated by the Guinness Society for her unique achievement.

She began her career as a freelance journalist at the age of 16 and since then she has contributed several articles on beauty, health and cookery for leading newspapers and magazines like The Times of India, The Indian Express, Femina, Eve's Weekly, Manorama, Deccan Herald, among many others. In 1999, Aroona Reejhsinghani received the National Award for Excellence from the All India Freelance Journalists Association in recognition of her contribution towards freelance journalism.

Introduction India is famous for its curries. In fact, it is the home of an endless variety of curries, each better than the other. Indians relish hundreds of curries made with vegetables, meat, fish, prawn and eggs. Every State in India has its own special way of preparing curries, therefore, each curry has a unique flavour. For example, in Southern India, curries are made with coconut, as their base. And in Kerala where coconut grows in abundance, coconut oil is also used for cooking. Bengal specializes in fish curries prepared in mustard oil. In Punjab, which is greatly influenced by Mughal cuisine, one comes across many exotic curries prepared with onion and tomatoes as a base. In Punjabi curries, coconut is rarely used. Curries are always served with plain fluffy boiled rice and papads which are either fried or roasted.

In India, majority of the people are vegetarian, hence there is a greater variety of delicious vegetarian curries prepared with dals and a variety of vegetables, curds and buttermilk. But this does not mean that there is very little to choose in case of non-vegetarian curries. Indian meat curries, in fact, take many forms. Like kofta curries, ground meat is shaped into balls and cooked in a deliciously rich sauce or curry. Then, there are korma curries- spicy and delicious, keema curries-which is ground meat cooked with peas and decorated with hard-boiled eggs.

In this book, I have chosen for you a wide variety of flavours some simple, some exotic, some extraordinarily delicious. This book contains recipes for some special curries made and enjoyed in every part of India. The aim is to make people relish curries of a particular region even if they don't belong to that region. Even the foreigners can try these recipes to relish a unique taste. Here for you is a distinctive selection of curries which are as distinctive as different wines in different bottles.

**Contents and Sample Pages**