Modern Spice
Inspired Indian Flavors for the Contemporary Kitchen
introduction to
Modern Spice
A husband says to his wife, "Honey, I love the way you bake ham. But why do you cut the end off? That is my most favorite part."
"My mother cooks it this way," she replies. "It's tradition."
Later she calls her mother. "Mom, why do we cut the end off the ham?"
The mother does not know. She calls her mother-in-law, from whom she learned the recipe.
"Why do we cut the ends off, Mama?"
"Ah, that," says the 100-year-old mother-in-law. "When I first cooked a ham, I didn't have a pan big enough."
I love this story -- just because we have always done things in one way, it does not make it the only way to do something. So if fennel- and-chile-crusted tilapia and basmati rice with pine nuts and mint, accompanied by a Guava Bellini, does not sound Indian to you, think again! Indian food has come a long way from the same old, same old world of mango lassis and tandoori chicken. While traditional Indian cooking required slaving in the kitchen for hours, modern Indian cooking makes a ... read full excerpt from Modern Spice: Inspired Indian Flavors for the Contemporary Kitchen ebook
