Masala Memsahib

By Karen Anand. Rs1900/-

Pan Macmillan India

The intrepid author, food consultant, entrepreneur, has conjured a vivid image of her culinary travails across five states of India in her latest tome. Karen Anand’sMasala Memsahib has shots of dishes and places, beautifully captured, with interesting tales interwoven... From a memory of an exquisite lunch served on silver thalis in the grand home of illustrious merchant, AnandSarabai’s mum, designed by French architect, Le Corbusier to the course-wise meals served in West Bengal, Calcutta in particular, often compared with the sophistication of a French meal.

West Bengal, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa and Kerala feature in this diary by Karen who goes all the way back to her culinary adventures from her university days in England when she was first introduced to Bengali cuisine. On returning to India in 1984, her association and love for Bengali cuisine grew as she worked on subtitling Indian films in English. She discovered how serious Bengalis were about their food and eating when she saw a scene in a movie with two landowners devouring what looked like a goldachingri in achingrimalaikari – freshwater giant shrimp bathed in a rich coconut sauce. The dish that stands out for us, though, is the Mustard Fish in Banana Leaf – the paturi as we all know it. We’ve got the recipe for you, food lover. This one’s by an 80-year-old home chef well-known for her traditional Bengali fare. MM has over a 100 recipes from home kitchens across the five states Karen has travelled to, from her interactions  with the well-established and the gastronomically worthy. Recipes that carry forward the heritage and ancestry of a community, a family anda culture. There’s a Corn in Creamy Sauce that looks so simple yet satisfying to the eye. We’re giving you this recipe as well for you to get a sneak peak before you head out to add this book  to your shelf of cookbooks. This one’s from Gujarat. 

We’ll leave the rest of the states and more for you to uncover, dear reader. Flip through and travel across India as the mind and the belly are awakened and tempted by the ‘masala memsahib’ in all her gastronomical wonder. 

About the author: Everyone in the F&B business knows Karen Anand, for her contributions as a food consultant both in India and the world over. Having lived and worked in Europe, she brings an international flair to the 20 books she has authored, the three TV shows she has anchored and the food projects, brands and markets she has hosted.