Review of Curried Favors
When you think of Indian dining, you might envision samosas, naan bread, biryanis, Chicken Tikka Masala, or sumptuous pakoras. There's nothing wrong with this, only that these delicious treats hardly scratch the surface of riches stemming from the Indian subcontinent. Like the many languages and religions to be found in India, Indian cuisine encompasses several culinary traditions and ingredients, one area producing vastly different foods from its neighboring regions. When exploring cuisine in the southernmost province of Kerala for instance, the tropical flavors, dhals, dosas, and seafood curries contrast greatly with the meat curries and dried-fruit enriched dishes of northern India. One author that attempts to uncover the flavors and complexities of southern Indian food is Maya Kaimal.
Maya Kaimal's Curried Favors brings southern Indian food to life. Her colorful photographs showcase the vibrant foods of Keralan marketplaces, the unique architecture, long boats characteristic of life on the backwaters, and the sumptuous snacks typically enjoyed on the southern tip of the continent. We are taken to a land far different from the Himalayan mountains or Ganges River, a place with its own traditions and methods of eating. Kaimal assumes the reader is unfamiliar with Indian cuisine, presenting thoughtful explanations and historical anecdotes to accompany the reader on their food journey.
Though primarily a testament to her family’s heritage in southern India, Kaimal introduces dishes from all around India, some more famous than others. Indian food lovers will be delighted to see favorites like Chicken Tikka Masala and Samosas, though they'll also learn of less commonly known Indian delights. Each introduction to her recipe presents the dish’s history and origin, leaving the reader with a substantial impression of which ingredients are favored in certain regions. She similarly gives helpful synopses of commonly used ingredients while providing sensible substitutions. One example: take two bay leaves and substitute for 10 curry leaves. The flavor is just as complex, and this saves the reader from a wild goose chase in the supermarket.
Perhaps more importantly than this, Kaimal makes southern Indian cooking feasible. Take dosas, for instance. Dosas are savory, fermented crepe-like snacks filled with meat or vegetarian fillings. They are not easy to make. Yet with Kaimal's straightforward explanations from making the dosa batter to creating flavorful fillings, the reader can master the various elements of this extraordinary treat. Her curries are no less impressive. Gone is the stereotype that a curry is too difficult or expensive to prepare. Kaimal seamlessly simplifies the process, and the resulting flavors are always extraordinary.
Almost any of the recipes in the book can be combined to create a welcoming Indian feast. I personally enjoy her recipe for Chicken Tikka, made with saffron rice, Tomato Pachadi, Mulligatawny soup, and her milk payasam, a delicious take on rice pudding. A warm cup of South Indian coffee would round out the evening nicely. If time allows, her dosa recipes are delicious, though it will take practice.
There is a reason I’ve made this my first cookbook review in this space. I happen to think it is one of the finest cookbooks ever to be published. If anyone asks for recommendations on good Indian cookbooks, I always recommend Curried Favors. Though it features southern Indian cuisine, it serves as a wonderful introduction to Indian cooking. This work has also stood the hard test of time. Originally published in the year 2000, I find myself turning to Kaimal's work time and again, despite the heavy onslaught of new material.
Another important, though less-acknowledged, feature of good cookbooks is their ability to produce a sense of creativity in the kitchen. A recipe is only as good as the cook that prepares it. Kaimal’s guidance is essential, and her methods will help create standout recipes every time. Having practiced several of these recipes on multiple occasions, I’ve found myself taking other useful tidbits of information from her work to create my own curries, samosas, pachadis, and soups, making southern Indian food a familiar and comforting cuisine for my family and loved ones. There is no greater testament to a cookbook author’s genius than this.