The Cafe Spice Cookbook84 Quick and Easy Indian Recipes for Everyday Meals
Photographs by Jack Turkel
Cookbook consumers are always hungry for simple, accessible recipes that deliver authentic flavor, and The Cafe Spice Cookbook makes it easy for today’s health-conscious home cooks to prepare light and fresh versions of classic dishes like Chicken Tikka Masala or Shrimp and Mango Curry as well as a bounty of vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free recipes.
This easy-to-follow Indian cookbook allows home chefs to recreate their favorite dishes with delicious results. The name “Hari Nayak” is rapidly becoming synonymous with all-natural Indian cooking, due in large part to his collaboration with Cafe Spice, the quick-serve restaurant chain and line of “Meals to Go” for which he is Culinary Director. The Cafe Spice Cookbook provides devotees with the recipes and tips they need to prepare healthy and authentic Indian dishes, using ingredients available at any supermarket or health food store, for that Cafe Spice taste without having to run to the prepared foods isle or nearest location.
So how did Nayak turn delicious and wholesome Indian food into an American success story? As a young boy, he watched his grandmother grind fresh spices in the traditional stone mortar, heard the splutter of curry leaves being thrown into hot oil, and knew that making good food was his destiny. After graduating from the Culinary Institute of America, he met restaurateur Sushil Malhotra, founder of Cafe Spice. Today, his Cafe Spice recipes are in the hot bars and refrigerators of a range of outlets nationwide, including Whole Foods Market, Amazon Fresh and Costco, a number of college campuses such as UMASS, MIT, Tulane, and KU and corporate dining courts like Chrysler and JP Morgan Chase.
Cookbook consumers are always hungry for simple, accessible recipes that deliver authentic flavor, and The Cafe Spice Cookbook makes it easy for today’s health-conscious home cooks to prepare light and fresh versions of classic dishes like Chicken Tikka Masala or Shrimp and Mango Curry as well as a bounty of vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free recipes.
Recipes include:
-Shrimp Stuffed Pappadum
-Chickpea Curry with Sweet Potato
-Okra Masala
-Paneer with Creamed Spinach
-Lobster Khadai
-Tandoori Spiced Roasted Chicken
-Pork Vindaloo
-Tomato and Curry Leaf Quinoa
-Naan Bread
-Milk Dumplings in Saffron Syrup
Hari Nayak is part of the creative new generation of chefs from Asia. As a young boy, he watched his grandmother grind fresh spices in the traditional stone mortar, and heard the splutter of curry leaves being thrown into hot oil, and knew that being around good food was what he wanted to do, always. Hari is known for his simple approach to food, staying true to the core Indian values of the dishes he creates. His inspiration, apart from his village upbringing, lies in an ability to absorb influences from other cultures and cuisines that he has experienced in traveling the globe. Since graduating from the Culinary Institute of America, Hari has worked in the food industry for more than 15 years—including stints at renowned New York restaurants like Aquavit and Daniel. His other cookbooks include Modern Indian Cooking and My Indian Kitchen. Hari lives in New Jersey and appreciates everything that cooking has brought to him.
Jack Turkel has been a professional photographer for more than thirty-five years. From the space shuttle and mountain tops to the uniqueness of his photographs of the everyday, his creative eye has expertly captured an impressive list of subjects and settings. He did the photography for both My Indian Kitchen and Easy Indian Cooking. He is now focusing his experience on the art of food photography and styling.
“Cookbook consumers are always hungry for simple, accessible recipes that deliver authentic flavor, and this volume makes it easy for today’s health-conscious home cooks to prepare light and fresh versions of classic dishes like chicken tikka masala.” — Publishers Weekly
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