A Classic Cookbook Returns

 Indian food has always been misrepresented, There's either overly spiced curries or dishes , tinted in strangely bright neon colors. Luckily a classic cookbook ,Sameen Rushdie's Indian Cookery is coming to the States. This British classic shows Indian cuisine in its' true light, flavorful and subtly spiked with various curries and herbs.

Tejal Rao, a famed chef specializing in the cuisine herself, conducted this interview with Ms. Rushdie in yesterday's New York Times Food section.If her last name sounds familiar , it is. Her brother is Salman Rushdie,the amazing award winning writer of the controversial Satanic Verses. His book came out the same year -1988 - as her cookbook. Hers was just as groundbreaking as his. It combined recipes with history and politics.The Rushdie's decision to stay in the mostly Hindu India when fellow Muslims relocated to Islamic Pakistan  is reflected in their diet. They ate meat and Ms. Rushdie often brought it to school in a country where vegetarianism is part of the religion.It was confusing she admitted , and complex. Her tiffin, a compartimentalized lunch box had ,foods influenced by British colonialism. It was half Indian and half English, and it ruined an ancient and delicious cuisine.

It also provided the basic frame of her cookbook. Ms. Rushdie rebelled against those colonial era recipes and set out to write a cookbook that was about real Indian food. As a working mother in 1980's London she was outraged by the myths and cliches surrounding Indian cuisine which was established during colonial rule. She aimed to dismantle the stereotypes that shaped outsiders' perceptions of the Subcontinent.It was a monolith of mouth burning flavors or the stuff of cheap lunchtime buffets. Authentic Indian cuisine wasn;t all greasy, overcooked or tinted in bright colors The perception had to change. Influenced by such cookbook writers as Claudia Roden, Madhur Jaffrey and Elizabeth David, her book took on a clear , matter-of-fact tone  with a precise, unfussy approach. She reclaimed the story of Indian cuisine along with sharing her family's North Indian recipes.. There's one of her father's favorites, slow roasted lamb rubbed first with yogurt called sabut raan, Fragrant spices such as coriander,, cardomon and cinnamon are made into a marinade for the meat. It's served with fried onion, cilantro and lemon slices for a tasty, juicy dinner roast

Sameen Rushdie cookbookd is being reintroduced at the right time. Americans long for authentic recipes . Here they are, simple and ancient recipes with the purity of Indian heritage.