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For Hot Weather--a Mango Smoothie

It's smoothie season, meaning the weather is getting hot, and it's time for a tall, icy-cold, blender drink.

For me, this means a mango smoothie, which is pretty much the same as Indian mango lassi.

It's so easy to make, just fresh, sweet mango, yogurt, sugar if wanted, a little milk or water and ice cubes.

I made the one you see from a super-sweet, tree-ripened Kent mango, meaning the mango was ready to use as soon as I got it rather than having to sit on the kitchen sink until soft.   

Tree-ripened mangoes come from Mexico and California, and will be in season through August. Those I got, from Melissa's Produce, were huge, weighing 1 1/4-pounds each, meaning you can get at least three smoothies from just one of them.  But you can use any mango that is in season. 

This is an instant drink. You put the mango pulp in a blender along with everything else, let it run and then enjoy a sweet and healthy antidote to soaring temperatures.

MANGO SMOOTHIE
Alias Indian Lassi

1/2 cup fresh mango pulp
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/4 cup milk or water
1 tablespoon sugar, optional
5 ice cubes

Combine the mango pulp, yogurt, milk or water, sugar if wanted and ice in a blender and blend until smooth. I use a high-powered blender that pulverizes the ice, but if you have a few lumps left, that's OK.

Pour into a tall glass and drink at once.

Makes 1 serving.  

How to Cook Okra So You'll Love It

Hate that slimy stuff called okra?

You'll change your mind when you taste okra cooked the right way. There's no gushy slime, just wonderful flavor and perfect texture, making it a joy to eat. 

Chef Shachi Mehra of Adya (above) gets this effect by roasting okra with cherry tomatoes and red onion, then adding a dash of Indian seasonings, lime juice and cilantro.

She explained how to do this at a class in the patio adjacent to Adya. The topic: "Indian Spices in Everyday Cooking." The theme was how to enhance food with a few spices such as Indian chaat masala and cumin rather seasoning with a raft of spices as in curries and other complex Indian dishes.   

Born in Jaipur, where her parents had gone to attend a wedding, Mehra grew up on the East Coast, planned to become a doctor and then realized she was meant for something else--cooking. Today, she's an excellent chef and teacher.  

Adya in the Anaheim Packing House (above) is where she teaches. Another Adya is in Irvine. 

Throughout the year, Mehra gives classes on a wide range of topics. Get the schedule here. They're well worth attending and include lunch (part of mine is above), recipes and wine, beer or chai. Tip: the chai is amazing.

And so is this okra recipe:

ROASTED OKRA WITH CHERRY TOMATOES AND RED ONION
From Chef Shachi Mehra of Adya

1 pound okra, sliced lengthwise
2 serrano chiles, sliced lengthwise
1 basket cherry tomatoes, halved
1 small red onion, sliced thinly
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup canola oil
2 teaspoons chaat masala, available in Indian markets
1 tablespoon lime juice
1/4 cup chopped cilantro

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

In a large bowl, combine the okra, chiles, tomatoes, onion, salt and oil. Mix gently, just to combine. Spread evenly on a large baking sheet.

Bake for about 20 minutes, or until some charred spots are visible. Remove from the oven and toss the warm mixture with chaat masala, lime juice and cilantro. Serve warm. 

Fioretto--Cook It Indian Style

There's something different about this Indian cauliflower dish.

The difference is, I've made it with tender sweet flowering cauliflower, called fioretto, instead of the usual clumpy florets.

See how light and delicate the fioretto sprigs are? 


Here's how you'll find fioretto in the market. You can saute, steam, roast, put it in salads, really anything you would do with ordinary cauliflower. 

Because I love Indian food, and Indian cooks are masters at fixing cauliflower, I turned to an Indian cookbook for a recipe.

The book was "Crack the Code" by Nandita Godbole, in which she breaks down the steps to make Indian cooking easy for anybody.

Godbole's cauliflower with peas was a winner. I adapted it slightly, using cut-up green beans instead of peas because I had those on hand and not peas. And I simplified by leaving out the potatoes she suggests but would include them next time.

The steps are to saute spices in a large wok, then add the cauliflower and peas and finally tomatoes, then decorate the finished dish with cilantro.  This is how it looks in the wok.

Godbole (above) suggests serving the cauliflower as a vegetarian main dish accompanied by bread or, for a gluten-free meal, with daal (lentils) and steamed rice.

ESSENTIAL PEAS AND CAULIFLOWER
From "Crack the Code" by Nandita Godbole

2 tablespoons oil
3/4 teaspoon cumin seeds
3/4 teaspoon black mustard seeds
1/2 cup diced yellow or white onions
1 teaspoon ginger paste
1 teaspoon garlic paste
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 1/2 teaspoons cayenne pepper (I used less)
3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
3/4 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 cup diced red-skinned potatoes, optional
3 cups trimmed cauliflowerets
1/4 cup peas, parboiled
Salt
1 tomato, cut into wedges
1/4 cup cilantro leaves, chopped

Heat the oil in a large wok. Add the cumin and mustard seeds and allow them to pop. Add the onions and saute until lightly golden. Add the ginger and garlic pastes and and saute until fragrant. Add the turmeric, cayenne, ground cumin and coriander Give a quick stir. If using potatoes, add them now and saute until their edges start to sear.

After this has cooked on medium-low for about 2 minutes, add the cauliflower and peas and mix until the vegetables are evenly coated with the spices. Lightly cover, allowing the steam to escape, and cook for about 10 to 12 minutes. Stir every few minutes.

When the cauliflower is tender, season it with salt and add the tomatoes. Stir and cook, uncovered, for about 3 to 5 minutes, until the tomatoes soften a little. Garnish with cilantro.

When I made this with fioretto, which is very light, it made about 4 servings. 

Slow-Cooked Chicken Tikka Masala

This may not look like any chicken tikka masala you've eaten in Indian restaurants.

But it's not supposed to. It's one cook's clever way of introducing Indian food to a family not interested in the spicy flavors she enjoys. 

Even better, it's as fast and easy as you can get with Indian food, because it's done in a slow cooker, and with only a few ingredients.

The recipe is in "Stock the Crock" by Phyllis Good (Oxmoor House), who is known for her "Fix-It and Forget-It" cookbook series. The book contains, as the subtitle says, "100 Must-Have Slow-Cooker Recipes," with variations suggested for every taste. 

Each recipe lists the size of cooker to use, prep and cooking times and is followed with  extra tips, how to rework the recipe for picky eaters, ingredient substitutions and so forth, making this the most usable slow cooker book I've come across recently. 

Courtesy of Time Inc. Books

In an introductory chapter, Good (above) explains how to choose and use a slow cooker, even how to cook two separate dishes side by side in the same cooker. A special index divides the recipes according to whether they are gluten-free, paleo-friendly or vegetarian/vegan.

The book is full of the ethnic food that I like, such as Indian lentil soup, African sweet potato stew, adobo chicken with bok choy, barbacoa and the chicken tikka masala. But there are lots of dishes others would enjoy, including turkey chili, lasagna with or without meat, Italian vegetable soup, a crustless quiche, pulled pork and shrimp and grits. 

The recipes came from home cooks in Good's wide circle of fans and were tested for the book.

Some slow cooker books require too much preparation outside the cooker, but most of Good's dishes, like the chicken tikka masala, go straight into the pot. This is how it looked when assembled in my vintage model. 

I adapted the recipe, not filling the crock to the level Good suggests, because I had cut the recipe in half, and using bone-in chicken thighs instead of boneless because I had them. Nevertheless, it worked like a dream.

Here is the recipe:

CHICKEN TIKKA MASALA
From "Stock the Crock" by Phyllis Good

1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce or about 2 cups tomato paste, made according to a recipe in the book
1/2 cup light or regular coconut milk
1 large onion, chopped or sliced
3 to 4 garlic cloves, chopped 
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 to 3 teaspoons garam masala
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Several turns freshly ground black pepper
2 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
Cooked rice
Optional fresh toppings: chopped or sliced cucumbers, red onion slices, chopped fresh mint and/or cilantro 

Grease the interior of the slow cooker crock with butter or nonstick cooking spray. 

Combine the tomato sauce, coconut milk, half of the onion, the garlic, tomato paste, garam masala, sugar, salt and pepper in the prepared crock, mixing well.

Place the chicken on top, coating the top and bottom of each piece with the sauce. Scatter the remaining onion over the chicken.

Cover. Cook on low 3 to 3 1/2 hours, until the chicken is tender or an instant-read meat thermometer registers 175 degrees when stuck into the thickest part of the thighs.

Shred the chicken, if desired, or leave the pieces whole.

Serve the meat and sauce on top of the cooked rice. Add the fresh toppings as desired.

Makes 4 to 5 servings.

Indian Food To Make You Healthy

When you want to have an Indian feast, serve food that is triply good: good-tasting, good for you and that benefits a good cause. 

You can do this with the cookbook "Deepa's Secrets: Slow Carb/New Indian Cuisine" (Skyhorse Publishing), a memoir of an engaging Indian woman combined with healthy recipes. 

Author Deepa Thomas (above) revamped her style of cooking to help her diabetic husband, Thampy. Did it work? In five days, his blood sugar returned to normal without insulin, she said, and he's been off insulin for almost six years.

The recipes eliminate foods that produce a rapid spike in sugar, such as rice, potatoes and breads, in favor of carbs that the body processes more slowly. This doesn't mean eliminating flavor. On the contrary, Thomas has produced delicious, light food spiced Indian style--the only way her husband could follow such a diet.

Look at this gorgeous salad of roasted beets and shaved fennel, one of several dishes from the book prepared for her appearance at Melissa's Produce.

And this ginger cabbage slaw--"an easy slaw with a little Indian twist," she said. 

Brussels sprouts turn Indian with a full load of spices--cinnamon, nutmeg, turmeric, cayenne, allspice and chaat masala--plus dried cranberries and macadamia nuts. 

The book is not meat-free. There are seafood recipes, Indian style chili with ground beef, ground pork and bacon. And chicken skewers (above), marinated with ginger and garlic, garam masala and other spices. 

This beautiful berry and yogurt salad could pass as a dessert, but it's intended for breakfast. The actual dessert chapter includes just two things, mango lassi and a mix of dried fruit, pistachios and dark chocolate nibs that she calls "Toot Sweet."

Born in New Delhi, Thomas lives with her husband in San Francisco. She's a natural entrepreneur, creating a $10 million company called Deepa's Textiles that she has since sold.

Now she may market her Secret Spice Mix (above), which you would clamor to buy at one sniff. You don't have to do that, though. The recipe is in the book.

"Deepa's Secrets" has a publisher, but Thomas and her husband paid for the cover and photographs, which were taken in their home, the food cooked by Thomas herself. 

The result is a handsome book, now in its third printing in less than four months. Even if it becomes a best seller, Thomas won't make any money. She and her husband are donating all the royalties to FoodCorps, a nonprofit devoted to helping schoolchildren make wise food choices and encouraging everyone to eat intelligently. 

"When diet is wrong, medicine is of no use," Thomas observed.

This Brussels sprouts dish was named for a friend. "With Thanksgiving coming around, it might be something you would put on the table," she said. And your dinner will be all the healthier if you do. 

DRYFOOSSELS SPROUTS
From "Deepa's Secrets" by Deepa Thomas

2 tablespoons unrefined coconut oil, melted over low heat
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon cayenne powder
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
1 pound Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
3 tablespoons dried cranberries (unsweetened)
1/4 cup apple juice or water
1/4 cup unsalted macadamia nuts, toasted and rough chopped
1 teaspoon chaat masala (available in Indian markets)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking tray with parchment paper.

To make the dressing, combine the coconut oil, cinnamon, nutmeg, turmeric, cayenne, allspice, maple syrup, salt, pepper and vinegar in a large glass bowl.

Mix Brussels sprouts with the dressing. Place on the baking tray in a single layer and roast for 15 minutes, stirring and rotating the tray once.

In the meantime, combine the cranberries and apple juice in a small saucepan. Cover and heat gently until the liquid is absorbed and the cranberries are plumped (about 6 minutes).

Mix cranberries with roasting Brussels sprouts and return to oven until Brussels sprouts are tender but not mushy and a few leaves begin to brown (about 5 minutes). You could give it a quick broil to singe some of the sprout leaves lightly (about 1 minute).

Top with macadamia nuts and chaat masala.

Makes 4 servings

Home and Away--a Travelers Cookbook

This may be the best Indian cauliflower I've ever made. And I've cooked many versions of that dish over the years.   

Green beans join cauliflower in the rich-tasting, subtly spiced and creamy sauce. This is real Indian comfort food, from Bengal.

The recipe appears in the cookbook "Home and Away" (Arsenal Pulp Press, Vancouver) by Darcy and Randy Shore. The Shores are husband and wife global travelers who recreate what they have eaten away when they return home to Canada, thus the title of the book. Randy Shore is a food and sustainability writer for the Vancouver Sun. 

Paging through, I want to make dish after dish. I loved this delicious salad centered around grilled haloumi cheese.

And a simple bean dish from Turkey, which worked even though I used the wrong bean, dried limas instead of the Great Northerns called for in the recipe--these had vanished from my cupboard.  

And soy and honey-braised chicken, blackened by the soy sauce-laden braising liquid. 

The book is divided into sections covering East Asia and Australasia; Africa, India and West Asia; Europe and the Americas. In each place, the Shores have ferreted out great dishes and recreated them in authentic detail rather than dumbing them down. 

Their rule for travelers is to "ask what the locals eat." As Randy Shore writes in the introduction, "...nearly every day on the road presented an opportunity to discover a local secret, learn how to consider food in a new way, and indulge in the visceral pleasure of eating."

Bengali Cauliflower, which is accompanied by recipes for fragrant rice and puris, "has been among our go-to Indian recipes for 30 years," the Shores write. This photo shows the ingredients before cooking. 

Click here to order their book through Amazon. 

BENGALI CAULIFLOWER
From "Home and Away" by Darcy and Randy Shore

2 tablespoons salted butter
2 tablespoons canola oil 
1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
2 tablespoons minced ginger
1 garlic clove, minced
1 cup diced onions
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
2 cups diced, seeded tomatoes
2 teaspoons salt
1 cup water
1/2 cup cream
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 pound cauliflower florets
1/2 pound green beans, trimmed and halved

In a large pot on medium heat, brown butter in oil. The milk solids will turn golden after about 1 minute. Take care they don't burn.

Add mustard seeds and stir for 15 seconds. Add ginger, garlic and onions and saute, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned and the oil has separated, about 5 minutes.

Stir in cumin, coriander, turmeric and cayenne and saute for 1 minute. Add tomatoes and salt and cook until the tomatoes break down into a paste when mashed with a spoon, about 5 minutes.

Add water, cream and tomato paste and stir to combine. (If you like a smooth sauce, puree with an immersion blender.)

Add cauliflower and green beans and cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender and the sauce is reduced, about 10 to 15 minutes.

Makes 4 servings. 

A Class in Indian/Pakistani Cooking

A couple of fabulous desserts sneaked in under the radar when Farhana Sahibzada gave a demo on Indian and Pakistani food.

The gist of the demo (I'll get to the desserts later) was how to make a basic sauce that can be used with chicken, meatballs, eggplant, or whatever you have in mind. It's a practical idea, because the sauce can be made in advance, stored in the freezer, then combined with pre-cooked meat for an almost instant meal.

The procedure is spelled out in her book, "Flavorful Shortcuts to Indian/(Pakistani) Cooking," which has just been named the winner in the international cookbook division of the 4th Annual Beverly Hills Book Awards.

The simple steps, explained in a chicken curry recipe, are to saute dried spices, then onions, ginger and garlic. Then tomatoes are added and finally the chicken. At the top, Sahibzada shows the finished curry.

 

A buffet lunch of dishes from the book preceded the demo at Melissa's Produce. Naan breads and crudités accompanied mint chutneys and cucumber raita (above). "I feel no guilt using store-bought naan," she said. "That's what they do in Pakistan."

She's just as flexible in making samosas (above), using egg roll wrappers instead of making her own dough. The result is tender, crisp samosas filled with potatoes, peas, green onions and cilantro.

To season fruit chaat (above), she combines chaat masala (available in Indian markets) with orange and lemon juices, cumin seeds, red pepper, salt and sugar. It's "a lovely snack, a street food that very easily comes to your party table," she said. 

The main dish was ground beef seekh kabobs (above), which can be broiled or cooked outdoors on a grill.

Other dishes were a veggie combo of potatoes, carrots and peas and a dessert not in the book that she threw in as an extra, ras malai--cakes of Indian cheese in a creamy sauce (above).

Then the dishes were cleared away for the demo, in which Sahibzada emphasized that Indian cooking is forgiving and flexible. Ingredients can be substituted or left out, and procedures can be simplified. "Keep it easy on yourself. Don't stress about it," she said.

When the demo was over and people were preparing to leave, out came the two extraordinary desserts. One was a rich and complex version of the Indian ice cream kulfi (above).

What gives it substance is ricotta cheese, ground together with almonds, pistachios, cardamom seeds, evaporated and condensed milks and whipping cream.

The other was moist, cake-like almond squares. These would be a hit at any potluck, and they're so easy to make. All you do is grind together powdered milk, butter, eggs, sugar, almonds and saffron, spread this in a baking dish and bake it until golden. The hint of saffron as you eat is heavenly.

From Lahore, Pakistan, Sahibzada has taught Indian/Pakistani cooking for more than 20 years and last year taught at culinary schools in Lahore. Here's what I wrote about her for LA Weekly.

Sahibzada's next class, featuring a vegetarian menu, will take place April 14 at 6:30 p.m. at Juan Bautista de Anza Park, 3701 Lost Hills Road, Calabasas. For more information and to get in touch, go to her website, www://flavorfulshortcuts.com.

ALMOND SQUARES
From "Flavorful Shortcuts to Indian/Pakistani Cooking" by Farhana Sahibzada.

6 eggs
1 stick butter (1/4 pound), melted and cooled
1 cup sugar
1 cup powdered milk
1 cup peeled almonds, finely ground (lightly toasted if desired before grinding)
A pinch of saffron threads

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

Grind the eggs, butter, sugar, powdered milk, almonds and saffron together in a blender or a food processor. Spread in a 12x8-inch baking dish and bake for 30 minutes. Cool completely before cutting into squares or diamonds.

Makes 10 to 12 servings.

Try Stuffed Chiles Indian Style

Chiles en nogada is the ultimate way to use poblanos, or so I thought until I came across Nandita Godbole's Indian-style stuffed poblanos.

The two dishes are so different. Mexico's chiles en nogada are filled with meat, fruit and nuts, covered with walnut sauce and sprinkled with pomegranate seeds. Godbole's contain mashed potatoes tantalizingly seasoned with cumin, ginger, garlic and garam masala.

Don't look too closely at the way I fixed her dish (at the top), because I didn't mash my potatoes properly.  Above is the way the chiles were prepared at Melissa's Produce, where Godbole appeared on a book tour. 

The best photo is in "A Dozen Ways to Celebrate: Twelve Decadent Indian Feasts for The Culinary Indulgent," one of two new eBooks by Godbole. (Check them out on her Amazon page.) Believe me, you'll want these books. They explore Indian cuisine in ways I haven't seen, although I have a huge library of Indian cookbooks, many from India.   

Her other book is "Crack the Code: Cook Any Indian Meal with Confidence." The title is not an idle promise to get you to buy the book. Godbole has developed a unique system that really works, based on the chart above. Learn the chart (by reading the book), and you'll know how to cook any Indian dish, and can even create your own recipes. 

Godbole, who is from Mumbai, earned degrees in botany and ethnobotany, which is why she can explain the spices and plants used in Indian cooking so well. Although she came to the United States to study landscape architecture, she wound up with a career in cooking and established a business called Curry Cravings.

Godbole has also studied Indian dance. This is why, as she talks, her gestures and expressions are like those of a classical dancer (above). Here, she's demystifying Indian cooking for her audience at Melissa's. 

In addition to teaching cooking, Godbole has organized underground supper clubs in Atlanta, where she lives, and in Los Angeles. Those dinners provided recipes for "A Dozen Ways to Celebrate," which she financed through Kickstarter. 

The book contains much more than recipes. Each menu comes with a "cheat sheet" for shopping and preparation, suggestions for working the dishes into everyday meals, photos, background information and stories that are often personal. 

The stuffed poblanos are part of a vegetarian feast for Diwali, the Indian Festival of Lights. That holiday is November 11, so now is the perfect time to make them. 

CHEESY STUFFED POBLANO PEPPERS
From "A Dozen Ways to Celebrate" by Nandita Godbole

2 tablespoons oil
2 teaspoons cumin seeds
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 teaspoon ginger paste
1 teaspoon garlic paste
1 jalapeño, deseeded and finely chopped
1 teaspoon garam masala powder
2 large baking potatoes, boiled, peeled and mashed
Salt
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon sugar
3 poblano peppers, washed, halved and deseeded
Additional oil for basting
Lemon wedges for garnish

Heat oil in a saucepan and add the cumin seeds. When these sizzle, add the onion and sauté until golden. Add the ginger paste, garlic paste and jalapeño and allow to cook for 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir in the garam masala. Add the mashed potatoes, salt to taste, Parmesan cheese, lemon juice and sugar. Mix until well combined. Cool completely.

Halve the poblano peppers and remove the seeds. Baste them with a little oil. Fill the peppers with the stuffing. Bake for 15 minutes at 375 degrees. Turn to a low broil for 5 minutes or until the tops begin to crisp. Serve hot with lemon wedges.

Makes 6 servings.

Chutney: It's Perfect for the Holidays

Had your fill of cranberry relish after Thanksgiving? Then switch to something  different that you can also serve with turkey--or chicken, barbecue, fried shrimp and many other dishes. 

It's spicy-sweet plum chutney, as red as cranberry sauce, but so different in flavor. I took it to a Thanksgiving dinner, and it fit right in with the cranberry relishes that others had brought.

The recipe couldn't be easier. I learned about it when Farhana Sahibzada gave a cooking demo at C-CAP LA's recent Sweet & Savory Spectacular in Santa Monica. From Pakistan, Sahibzada is the author of "Flavorful Shortcuts to Indian/Pakistani Cooking" (the recipe is in the book) and is well known for her cooking classes.

At C-CAP, she showed the chutney as an accompaniment to samosas. You can see a dash of it just below the samosa in the photo above. Keep it in mind if you want to add a dash of spice to a holiday menu.

PLUM CHUTNEY
From "Flavorful Shortcuts to Indian/Pakistani Cooking" by Farhana Sahibzada

3 medium sized plums, seeds removed
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup water
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon cumin seeds, lightly toasted and ground
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Puree the unpeeled plums in a food processor or blender. Place them in a large saucepan and add the lemon juice, water and salt.  Bring to a boil and cook over medium high heat for about 5 minutes, stirring as the mixture boils.

Add the sugar, cumin and cayenne and continue to cook for another 7 to 8 minutes, until the mixture has the thickness of an egg white. Cool completely before serving.

Makes about 4 cups. 

How to Spice Up Butternut Squash

Everybody's cooking butternut squash these days, but not this way, with Bengali spices and fresh sage.

I took this dish to a potluck, where it was a great hit. So thank you, Rinku, for what has become one of my favorite recipes. 

Rinku is Rinku Bhattacharya, who has written a wonderful cookbook called  "The Bengali Spice Chronicles."  Now she has a new book, "Spices & Seasons: Simple, Sustainable Indian Flavors" (Hippocrene Books; $35). And that's where you'll find this recipe.

The unique seasoning is Bengali panch phoron. Panch means five, and so it's a blend of five spices--a teaspoon each of fennel seeds, cumin seeds, nigella seeds, black mustard seeds and fenugreek seeds (recipe courtesy of "The Bengali Spice Chronicles"). You'll find this mixture readymade in Indian markets. 

The new book hits on today's concerns. There are separate indexes for gluten-free, vegan and vegetarian. It is not, however, a special diet book, because it contains lots of interesting recipes for meats, poultry, fish and eggs. And breads such as naans and puris that require flour.

Bhattacharya is, however, an advocate of fresh, unprocessed, natural foods, sustainability, and cooking that is practical for a busy household.

Choosing one recipe from this book was a challenge, because it is full of great-sounding  dishes. Nevertheless, here is the squash, because I've had such success with it. 

WHOLE SPICE-ROASTED BUTTERNUT SQUASH WITH SAGE
From "Spices & Seasons" by Rinku Bhattacharya

1 large butternut squash
2 tablespoons oil
1 teaspoon Bengali five spice blend (panch phoron)
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon ginger paste
Salt to taste, optional
1 tablespoon melted butter
15 fresh sage leaves

Heat the oven to 375 degrees.

Peel the squash, remove the seeds and cut it into 2-inch chunks.

Heat the oil in a skillet. Add the five-spice blend, and when it crackles, mix in the black pepper and ginger paste and mix well. Add the squash and stir well to coat. Place the seasoned squash on a greased baking sheet.

Roast the squash in the oven for about 35 minutes. It should be soft and beginning to get flecks of golden brown in spots. Taste to check if it needs salt.

Heat the butter in a small skillet on low heat for about 2 to 3 minutes, until it melts and gradually acquires a shade of pale gold. Add the sage leaves and cook until they turn dark and almost crisp. Pour over the squash and mix lightly. Serve on a flat plate to showcase the spices and sage.

Makes 6 servings.