Camellia Panjabi leaves no stone unturned for Western lovers of her country’s food in this little book that is more than just a collection of recipes. Following an introduction there is a page with a map alongside on culinary India, and then a chapter on The Philosophy of Indian Cuisine. This is followed by Why an Indian Meal? I was pleasantly surprised on reading the last paragraph of this section to discover just how beneficial some spices are: turmeric is anti-inflammatory while curry leaves are anti-bacterial; cumin and clove aid digestion whereas black pepper dries mucus.
The preliminary section continues with What Exactly is a Curry? This section of the book explains that curry simply means gravy.
