Sunday, December 29, 2002		Books

Make simplicity an ingredient in your cooking
Geetu

No Fuss Cooking: 100 Recipes You Can’t Go Wrong With
by Sheema and Jhampan Mookerjee. Penguin. Pages 136. Rs 395.

RECENT years have seen a veritable revolution in the catering industry in India. In India, cooking is a sort of ritual for many who consider any departure from established methods sacrilegious.

No Fuss Cooking is an attempt to initiate first-time cooks into the world of taste and to help them overcome the fear of tedious cooking processes. The book, according to the authors, is for all those who enjoy food and are not ready to compromise on taste but don’t have the time to tackle complex recipes. The book comes as a welcome change as it is practical.

Driven by the realisation that cooking is no longer the only thing on the mind of a modern-day homemaker as there may be presentations to be made or meetings to be attended or quality time to be spent with kids, the book offers a chance to everyone to whip up an exciting menu with a minimum of fuss.

Fusion is the key word in the modern kitchen as more and more Indian palates have gone truly international. The recipes given in the book, too, reflect this. This mini-manual also reflect the new eating habits of urban Indians.

The 100 recipes featured in the book have been chosen from various states and countries to add variety, style and excitement to home cooking. So the multi-cuisine choice of Burmese, Parsi, South Indian, Italian, Mexican recipes in the book will suit the taste of urban foodies.

With easy-to-follow directions, the recipes are also low on calories and fat, thus making them all the more suitable for calorie-conscious urbanites. To try out these recipes one doesn’t have to be a master chef. It is the simplicity of the book which is appetising.

Recipes have been categorised into different sections for easy reference.