Dishoom: The first ever cookbook from the much-loved Indian restaurant
£16.80£24.70 (-32%)
THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER
‘A love letter to Bombay told through food and stories, including their legendary black daal’ Yotam Ottolenghi
At long last, Dishoom share the secrets to their much sought-after Bombay comfort food: the Bacon Naan Roll, Black Daal, Okra Fries, Jackfruit Biryani, Chicken Ruby and Lamb Raan, along with Masala Chai, coolers and cocktails.
As you learn to cook the comforting Dishoom menu at home, you will also be taken on a day-long tour of south Bombay, peppered with much eating and drinking. You’ll discover the simple joy of early chai and omelette at Kyani and Co., of dawdling in Horniman Circle on a lazy morning, of eating your fill on Mohammed Ali Road, of strolling on the sands at Chowpatty at sunset or taking the air at Nariman Point at night.
This beautiful cookery book and its equally beautiful photography will transport you to Dishoom’s most treasured corners of an eccentric and charming Bombay. Read it, and you will find yourself replete with recipes and stories to share with all who come to your table.
‘This book is a total delight. The photography, the recipes and above all, the stories. I’ve never read a book that has made me look so longingly at my suitcase’ Nigel Slater
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Additional information
| Publisher | Bloomsbury Publishing, 1st edition (5 Sept. 2019) |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Hardcover | 400 pages |
| ISBN-10 | 1408890674 |
| ISBN-13 | 978-1408890677 |
| Dimensions | 19.18 x 3.68 x 27.31 cm |
by P+J
As regular patrons of the Dishoom restaurants in Edinburgh and London, my partner and I were thrilled to get our hands on their first-ever cookbook. We were not disappointed – the book is a beautiful and comprehensive collection of their most-loved dishes, with stunning photography and engaging anecdotes.
One of the things we appreciate about Dishoom is their dedication to preserving the legacy and heritage of Bombay’s Irani cafes. This is reflected in the recipes, which are authentic and true to the spirit of these iconic cafes. We’ve tried several of the recipes at home, and have been blown away by the depth of flavor and authenticity.
But what we love most about Dishoom is the sense of community and hospitality they create, both in their restaurants and through their website. Even if we can’t make it to one of their locations, we can still enjoy their delicious food by ordering meals to prepare at home from their website. The meals come with clear and easy-to-follow instructions, and the end result is always mouth-watering.
Overall, we highly recommend Dishoom: The first ever cookbook from the much-loved Indian restaurant to anyone who appreciates good food and good stories. This cookbook captures the magic of Dishoom, and is a must-have for any home cook who wants to bring a taste of Bombay’s Irani cafes to their kitchen. And if you’re not up for cooking, the option to order meals from their website is a real treat – we’ve never been disappointed.
by J Marchant
If you have the time, then the dishes in this book are out of this. They all have a delicious depth of flavour and will wow any dinner guests who are lucky enough to be tasting them
by Lucy D
A beautiful cookbook full of delicious Dishoom recipes.
by SWETHA GUNASEKARAN
Bought it as a gift for my Polish frd who loves Dishoom! Very happy with the overall quality of the book , the hard bound is worth. It’s heavy as is any hard bound book but the content and the recipes are well illustrated, so a totally worth gift for the price .
by man from BP
A must have cookery book and so much more.
by Quisha
The story:
Whenever I typed the words ‘vegetarian or vegan cookbook’ in Amazon’s search engine, this book kept cropping up. I’ve never heard of Dishoom let alone visited the restaurants. As I’ve decided to give Indian cooking a go this Autumn/Winter, I thought I’d have a look Ü
The book:
Comprising of 399 pages in hardcover, with teal blue coloured front and backboards with navy ink drawings and narrative and gold blocked title heading. The spine being trimmed in navy gold blocked cloth. Measuring H28cmx W19cmx D4.25cm, this is a very smart, good looking book, complete with page ribbon.
Open the front cover to reveal a pull-out map of Bombay depicting points of interest within the area. On the reverse is an advertising treat for those who love vintage advertising ephemera. The book commences with a dedication page to Rashmi Thakrar whose son and nephew are two of the authors. The title page is followed by three double page photographic spreads and a single, which are not described. The contents page is split into Breakfast, Mid-morning snacks, Lunch, Afternoon refreshments, Sunset snacks, First, Second and Third Dinners, Pudding and Tipples, followed by Ingredients & cookery guidance, Preparatory recipes, Breads, Chutneys, pickles & dressings and Menu suggestions.
Commencing with ‘Welcome to Bombay’ we are introduced to a colourful and amusing description of what one will encounter on arrival. This lasts for 12 pages.
Breakfast at 08:00 hrs I was expecting the commencement of recipes, but no, more narrative for a further 9 pages then a recipe for Akuri which is similar to scrambled eggs which is an Iranian café classic we’re told. This is page 36. There follows three further egg inspired breakfasts then you’re greeted by Chicken Livers on Toast. The recipes go on with various dead animal concoctions, then the obligatory baked beans, porridge, granola, breakfast lassi, marmalade and jams. 13 recipes in all, plus how to make something known as ‘Fire Toast’; yes its toast and butter…
Mid-Morning snacks at 10:00 hrs more narrative for 11 pages, followed by 7 recipes for buns, puffs (pastry parcels), cheese sticks, biscuits and Masala Chai.
Lunch at ‘midday’, you guessed it, more narrative for 9 pages. The first ‘real’ recipe i.e. a curry and we are now on page 100.
The book continues in this vain throughout.
All measurements are in grams, tsp and tbsp.
Being a cook from scratch kind-a gal, my pantry is pretty well stocked. In the Ingredients section of the book, I found three items that I’ve never used; Charoli seeds, Fine sev and Kewda water, available from Asian stores, further investigation found them in larger supermarkets and their websites and from online retailers as well. Therefore all ingredients in the book are easily obtainable in the UK.
The verdict:
Might have been a prudent move on my part to read the reviews first; this book is not vegetarian let alone vegan (!)
There are ‘recipes’ for; eggs on toast ‘Kejriwal’, toast and butter ‘Fire Toast’, grilling corn-on-the-cob ‘Butter-Bhutta’, cheese on toast ‘Chilli Cheese Toast’ and cocktails – Really? I’m stating nothing further.
Some reviewers have mentioned that the masalas take a few hours to make. However, in the Cookery Guidance section it states ‘… ready-prepared spice masalas are used… because their lengthy ingredient lists make them impractical to prepare, namely channa masala, pav bhaji masala and chaat masala’. As with most things there’s always a work around.
Another reviewer stated that ‘it doesn’t have many photos of the end results’. Every single recipe has an accompanying photograph.
If you’re a novice to Indian cuisine, impatient or time lacking, this may be a book to bypass. The recipes are not for the feint hearted; some call for an inordinate amount of preparation work, but if you’re the type that has patience and likes to spend weekends cooking, then go for it.
I would suggest however, that the instructions are read through first as you may find that there is a cross reference to another recipe requiring further ingredients and preparation.
Unfortunately, I will not be keeping the book and nor will I be able to experience the ‘incredible food’ served in the restaurants as I am vegan.
However, it is a wonderful personal diary/travel/history book (with recipes thrown in) and if that is your thing, you will not be disappointed.
by Jeanette Rogers
My daughter has made some dishes from this book and enjoyed them.
by Batfan
Bought as a present for my Mum. Was instantly impressed with the quality when I opened the package. She is thrilled and sends me regular pictures of the things she’s cooked from it.