Indian cuisine is known for its rich, diverse and vibrant flavours. The amazing Shobya Kalyan has just released Pass It On, a cookbook that celebrates her culture’s cuisine and all of the wonderful rituals that come with it. This cookbook is a must-have for anyone who loves to cook, eat, or wants to learn about Gujarati food. Kalyan is a renowned chef, food writer, and culinary lover who has been sharing her love for Indian cuisine with the world for a handful of years now. Pass It On is a comprehensive guide to Indian cooking, with over 100 delicious recipes that range from traditional classics to dishes with a modern twist.
What sets this cookbook apart is the amazing attention to detail that Kalyan has put into every recipe. Each recipe is accompanied by beautifully captured images that show the finished dish, as well as step-by-step instructions that make it easy to follow along. Kalyan also includes helpful tips and tricks for cooking Indian food, such as how to work with spices, tips on balancing flavours, and how to achieve the perfect texture!
Alongside the curation of wonderful dishes, you’ll get to follow Kalyan’s rich family history, and how that’s her main inspiration when creating this cookbook. She shares a beautiful insight into how her family cooked together each day, sharing experience and passion for the food they went on to cook together.
Here’s a sneak peek of three of our favourite recipes from the book, trust us when we say, they’re DELICIOUS!
Steamed Rice Dahl Cake (Khaman)
Khaman is a steamed spiced dahl cake made with chana and urad dahls. It has a slightly coarse texture and is spicy and tangy with a hint of sweetness!
INGREDIENTS:
1 cup spilt yellow chickpeas
2 tbsp black split gram lentils
1/3 cup natural unsweetened yoghurt
¼ cup water
1 tbsp pea flour
1 ½ tbsp salt
¼ tsp turmeric powder
1/8 tsp asafoetida powder
Minced, 2 tsp green chillies
Minced, 2 tbsp Fresh ginger
2 tbsp oil
1 tbsp lemon juice
½ tsp baking soda
1 ½ tsp mustard seeds
¼ tbsp sugar
1. Wash the dahls and soak in a bowl overnight. Drain and transfer to a food processor with the yoghurt and water. Pulse to make a semi-coarse mixture.
2. Transfer the mixture to a bowl. Add the pea flour, salt, turmeric and the asafoetida. Mix well. Cover and keep in a warm place for 4-6 hours to ferment.
3. Add the minced chilli, ginger, oil and lemon juice.
4. Fill a steamer with sufficient water and place a 24cm greased thaali (stainless steel plate) midway in the steamer. Place over a medium-high heat.
5. Once the steamer is ready, quickly mix the baking soda into the mixture. Pour into the heated thaali and steam, covered, for 20 minutes.
6. Remove the thaali from the steamer and leave to stand on a wire rack.
7. For the tempering, heat the oil in a small sauce over a medium heat. Temper the mustard seeds and asafoetida. Take off the heat and add the chillies and salt. When cool, stir through the water, sugar and lemon juice.
8. Cut the khaman into 4cm triangles and drizzle over the spiced liquid mixture. Garnish with coriander and desiccated coconut.
Chicken Curry (Marghi)
It’s a family tradition to eat either chicken or lamb curry on a Sunday for dinner. Kaylan’s dad would always buy chicken fresh from the farm and her mum would prepare it ready for that night. Shobya and her family would then sit down and enjoy the chicken curry with Phulka, rice and condiments.
INGREDIENTS:
Bone in, 1.5kg chicken thighs
3 tbsp oil
6 cloves
2 x 5cm cinnamon sticks
2 star anise
2 black cardamon pods
2 stalks fresh curry leaves
3 tbsp fresh masala
2 tsp salt
1 tbsp garam masala
2 tsp turmeric powder
5 small waxy potatoes
Handful of coriander
Garam masala to garnish
1. Trim, wash and cut chicken into even bite-sized pieces, leaving the bones in. Set aside to drain.
2. For the tempering, heat oil in the pan over a medium heat. Temper the cloves, cinnamon sticks, star anise, cardamon pods and curry leaves. Immediately add the chicken, fresh masala, salt, garam masala, turmeric and tomato paste. Stir the chicken until it's well coated in the spices. Cook, covered, for 10 minutes or until the juices run from the chicken.
3. Add the potatoes, coriander and enough water for the amount of liquid you want. Cook, covered, for 40 minutes or until the chicken and potatoes are tender. Sprinkle with extra garam masala.
4. Serve with roti or phulka, rice and your choice of condiments.
Cardamon Yoghurt (Shrikhand)
Made with hung yoghurt, this light, delicious and creamy sweet dessert is best served with nuts and a dusting of cardamon. This is the perfect way to finish off a lovely vegetarian meal!
INGREDIENTS:
1kg natural unsweetened yoghurt
½ tsp + extra to serve ground cinnamon
4 tbsp icing sugar
1 tsp rose water
roughly chopped pistachios or slivered almonds
Edible rose petals to garnish
1. Hang the yoghurt overnight to separate the whey from the curd. To do this, line a large deep strainer with a muslin cloth and place over a deep bowl. Pour the yoghurt into the muslin and cover, leaving to hang overnight. In the morning, scoop the curd into a bowl and discard the whey.
2. Mix the curd, ½ teaspoon of ground cardamon, the icing sugar and the rose water together. Refrigerate before serving.
3. Serve sprinkled with extra cardamon and garnish with your choice of nuts and rose petals (if using).
We’re super excited to welcome such a wonderful cookbook to our existing collection! Kalyan’s newest creation is a must-have for anyone who adores Indian cuisine and exploring the rich flavours of this diverse culture and cuisine. This cookbook is not just a collection of recipes but also a celebration of the culture and traditions behind it! So why not treat yourself or a loved one and start cooking up some delicious Indian dishes in your own kitchen? Your tastebuds will thank you.
This vibrant book is available in our boutiques or online here.
With love,
The Flo Family xx
