The first Indian cookbook I ever bought was Tarla Dalal's "The Pleasures of Vegetarian Cooking", not just because she's a house favourite, but also because of the variety she has for vegetarian meals. I couldn't imagine how she curated Italian, Chinese, and Western cuisines, that too with only half-page recipes.
I was gifted my first cookbook on my birthday by a really good friend, and that's what made me start a collection. Tarla Dalal's book is the third in the collection but truly a staple. I mean, she had recipes for ravioli, waffles, and tiramisu back in 1974 — when tiramisu lattes and croffles weren't even a thing
I tried recreating her Chinese dishes. The menu included:
- Vegetable Gold coins
- Vegetable & Noodles
- Manchurian
- Honeyed Noodles with Vanilla ice cream
Using MSG for the first time, the noodles hit all the right spots — crunchy vegetables and that umami flavour 🤌🏼 And now I can confidently say honeyed noodles > chocolate syrup, any day!!! It's just samosa sheets, fried and tossed in honey sauce (honey, water, sugar, and lemon).
This was my first time attempting to cook alone, and I guess I'm falling in love with cooking!
With Garmaish,
Japneet