Last night I made a lamb biryani that was as good as anything I’ve ever tasted in an Indian restaurant.
Do you know how awesome that is?
And! Not only did I make the best lamb biryani ever, I made it yesterday to serve to a guest without testing it beforehand. I was completely confident that it would turn out well, because the cookbook I’ve been using has worked like magic every time I’ve consulted it—which is to say, just about daily since Christmas, when Santa left it under the tree.
Anupy Singla has compiled fifty slow-cooker recipes for Indian food. Each recipe has directions for cooking in a three-and-half quart and a five-quart cooker. (I’ve been using my four- and six-quart cookers and everything’s been fine.) A few of the recipes call for the cook to do a bit of work on the stovetop first. (I haven’t tried those yet. When I get in front of a stove, the end result usually involves something charred and inedible, and also emergency rescue personnel.) Mostly, however, the recipes are super easy: you take the ingredients, dump them in the slow cooker, and mosey on back a few hours later to discover that dinner has cooked itself when you weren’t looking.
Many of the dishes will be familiar from menus at Indian restaurants. I’ve had luck with the chicken tikka masala, and I’ve made the palak paneer several times (that’s the spinach dish with the little cheese cubes) and I had to force myself to stop making the rice pudding quite so often. And then there are the lentils! There is a whole chapter for making lentil dishes and lentil soups.
For the most part, the spices are easy to come by: cumin, turmeric, garlic, ginger, peppers, and cilantro are the commonest ingredients in the book. Noticeably absent from the ingredients lists are fats and oils. Singla calls for them when necessary, but by and large the flavors in the dishes come from healthy spices and vegetables and legumes. The book is illustrated with lovely color photos and, as far as I’m concerned, I’ll never need to eat in an Indian restaurant again.
Check the WRL catalog for The Indian Slow Cooker
I can’t believe you’ve profiled this book on the exact day I’m trying my first recipe from it! As I type there is a pot of slow cooking goodness going in my kitchen. Your review made me eager to get home and try it!
Oooh, which recipe are you trying? The cauliflower and potatoes recipe is just amazing, and it’s all kinds of healthy. If you’re trying to decide what to do next, I might nudge you in that direction. Though you probably don’t really need any help in picking recipes– they all just look so appealing, don’t they?
I’m trying the Simple Yellow Lentils. I will definitely try the Cauliflower next. Love it!
You’re really making me want to buy a slow cooker! Can you tell what the approximate ratio of vegetarian to meat-containing recipes are in The Indian Slow Cooker? thanx
I don’t have the book in front of me, but I’d guess about three-quarters of the recipes are vegetarian. Put it this way: in the two months since I’ve had the book in my grubby little paws, I’ve only made one dish with meat.
Isn’t this book just amazing?? I have been blogging my way through all of the vegan recipes, which is a bulk of this book. I just can’t believe that I now can make authentic Indian food for pennies, with a few minutes prep time. Our favorites so far are Dal Makhani, Dad’s Rajmah, and I think my hubby has a soft spot for the Keema. The Aloo Gobi is great, Methi Carrots, Rice Pudding………Simply a brilliant book.