Food file

MARIE-CLAIRE DIGBYtalks about food

Escape to India

Indian food will be in vogue in the coming weeks with the publication of two new books featuring the varied cuisine from this vast continent. Madhur Jaffrey, regarded by many as the doyenne of Indian cooking, is unveiling her first book in seven years, Curry Easy(Ebury, £20, published September 16th), in which she shares her simplified approach to creating her favourite dishes. "I am often as rushed for time as perhaps you are. I am always asking myself, is there an easier way to do this? So, over these decades, I have simplified my cooking greatly. I now try to reach real Indian tastes by using simpler methods and fewer steps."

Phaidon, publisher of some of the stand-out cookery books of the past few years, including The Silver Spoon and 1080 Recipes, turns its attention to Indian food following those Italian- and Spanish-themed volumes, with the October 1st release of India Cookbook(£29.95) by Pushpesh Pant, with additional recipes from some of the world's leading Indian chefs. The publishers are billing this one as "The only book on Indian food you will ever need", which is a tall order, but this is definitely one worth pre-ordering. The author, Pushpesh Pant, is a columnist and author of numerous other cookery books. For the past 20 years he has been travelling around India researching and compiling this labour of love that includes more than 1,000 recipes.

To be in with a chance of winning one of two pairs of tickets to the launch of Madhur Jaffrey’s book at Cooks’ Academy in Dún Laoghaire, Co Dublin on September 20th, where she will be cooking for an invited audience, answer the following question. Email your answer, together with your name, address and telephone number, to info@CooksAcademy.com. Entries close next Friday.

What is the title of Madhur Jaffrey’s forthcoming cookery book?

Meet Miss Masala

For an ultra-simple introduction to Indian cooking – and a very funny read – put yourself in the hands of Miss Masala, a “30-something girl about town, corporate superbitch and keen Indian cook” (her own description).

Calcutta resident Mallika Basu struggled to eat well on her arrival in England as a student, without the lavish meals prepared by the cook in her family home. But with the help of a Birmingham-based aunt, she set about learning how to cook the food she grew up with. As she experimented, she wrote about the experience on her blog, quickindiancooking.com, and the often hilarious stories have been packaged as a pretty, colourful cookery book and memoir, Miss Masala: Real Indian Cooking for Busy Living (HarperCollins, £14.99).

I am not sure I’ll follow Basu’s advice to always wear a plastic shower cap on my head while cooking Indian food (so the smell doesn’t ruin her blow-dry), but her advice to always allow yoghurt to reach room temperature before cooking with it is a simple insight that will banish split sauces forever.

The spices of life

If all this talk of curry has you reaching for the spice rack, toss the dusty jars away and reach for the telephone or internet. Since discovering Arun Kapil’s Green Saffron spices, my appreciation of Indian food has rocketed. Kapil, a former music industry hot-shot, is now based in Co Cork, from where he imports specially selected spices sourced by his cousins in India. Kapil roasts and grinds the spices, and applies his knowledgeable palate to creating a selection of blends that can be used to make really top-notch one-pot curries.

The latest addition to the Green Saffron spice blend range is for Vadagam curry, which Kapil describes as “mild, delicate superbly aromatic, bursting full of flavour, with fresh Tamil spices, creamy coconut milk, lime juice and fresh coriander”. Most of the blends are suitable for use with meat, fish or vegetables. You can buy Green Saffron spices at some farmers’ markets and speciality food shops (for a list see greensaffron.com), or by telephone: 021-4637960. A tip – ask for the “market sachets”, which are less lavishly packaged than those you’ll see in shops, but are cheaper, at €3.50 each, and are made with spices roasted and blended on a weekly basis. mcdigby@irishtimes.com