Mallika Basu's first book Miss Masala is a must-have for those who want to master the art of Indian cuisine <table style="width: 147px; height: 42px" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="147" align="left" border="1"> <tbody> <tr> <td><img alt="" src="/imagedata/2010/jul/book1.jpg" border="3" /></td></tr> <tr> <td> Mallika Basu at the launch of her first book Miss Masala</td></tr></tbody></table>Are you one of those staying out of home and surviving on takeaway food that you otherwise hate? Spending every weekend (and just about any weekday evening you manage to come back home early) trying to replicate that now cherished ghar ka khana you once couldn't care less about? Burning potatoes while attempting to fry them? Making a mess out of the meat that you thought will turn out to be as yummy as that cookbook promised? And later cursing the author for supplying a super-complicated recipe that perhaps cannot be produced in your humble kitchen? u00a0 If this has been your predicament for long then I guess it's time to read, yes, hold your breath, yet another cookbook. Only this one promises to be different. Mallika Basu, granddaughter of late CPI(M) patriarch Jyoti Basu and now PR professional living in the UK, starts her first book Miss Masala: Real Indian Cooking for Busy Living, with a bang as she writes: "This book is dedicated to the boss who said I couldn't write." As a student in the UK, Mallika too did her rounds of "Taj Mahal takeaways and petrol station cuisine". However, she soon started "aching for some good home-cooked food." A desperate plea to her mother got her a copy of National Indian Association of Women Cookbook "given to newly-wedded daughters, the soon-to-live-abroad and other hapless beings", she says, tongue firmly in cheek. That didn't serve its purpose though. For novices, cooking Indian food can be a nightmare. Half-baked instructions in the cookbooks actually make you dash out of the kitchen even before you start thinking what to cook. An even bigger task is learning about the masalas and other ingredients. Miss Masala tries to save the hapless first-timer from this entire quagmire. Written in simple, snappy language with lots of anecdotes thrown in for good measure, Mallika takes us through the journey she had herself undertaken from being a novice to culinary expert Miss Masala. In the process we come across recipes that she learnt and mastered over several attempts, an introduction to spices and equipment which are littered throughout the book, quick tricks and cooking shortcuts that would let you come out of kitchen confines and be a part of your own party and serve delicious food simultaneously. The author has delved deep into Indian cuisine, writing about everything from snacks and starters to full-course meals and desserts, cocktails and even basic stuff like rice and roti. So from north Indian delicacies to the Andhra speciality pappu and Bengali savouries, she has tried them all. A big thumbs up to the book's designer who has given it a very diary feel with illustrations thrown in and the occasional photographs of dishes. Try the items by all means, but like the author points out: "Please don't worry if your chicken curry doesn't match the exact shade of sienna orange in the fancy photograph." Price: Rs 699 Publisher: HarperCollins

Mallika Basu's first book Miss Masala is a must-have for those who want to master the art of Indian cuisine

Food for thought... And a book

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Food for thought... And a book

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