American Masala: 125 New Classics from My Home Kitchen (ISBN 030734150X)

Amazon.com Review:
Suvir Saran's first book, Indian Home Cooking, offered a you-can-make-it take on one of the world's great cuisines, whose many spice blends, or masalas, can daunt Western cooks. In American Masala, Suvir offers 125 similarly approachable recipes that bring the many-layered flavors of Indian cooking to more familiar dishes, yielding, for example, Crab and Salmon Cakes with Spicy Cilantro Aïoli, Indian-Spiced Meatballs with Tomato-Chile Sauce, and Tamarind Roost Turkey with Corn Bread-Jalapeño Stuffing. More traditional Indian dishes, like Sweet Potato Chaat and Lamb Seekh Kebabs, are also included, as are sweets, such as Pistachio-and-Cardamom Pound Cake with Lemon Icing and Pavlova with Spiced Berries and Cointreau Cream. Saran, a warm, food-loving presence, also offers autobiographical notes that further domesticate his recipes. With color photos and good info on ingredients and techniques, American Masala can help cooks add excitement to everyday and party-giving menus alike. --Arthur Boehm

Fusion Cooking Taken To The Next Level-- Wonderful:
Title: American Masala Author: Suvir Saran (...) ISBN: 978-0-307-34150-1 Published by: Clarkson Potter/ Publisher (...) Review by: Diana Rohini LaVigne, Indian Life & Style Magazine When I set my `Scallops With Roasted Peppers' onto the dining room table, I knew Suvir Saran's American Masala cookbook was going to make me the hit of the evening. I was right! With over 125 recipes from the author's home cookbook, it does a wonderful job of blending American cuisine with Indian spices. Although it might appear to be just another `fusion' cookbook, it isn't. It delivers innovative new twists on old classic recipes and doesn't over complicated things with hard-to-find ingredients or hard-to-learn processes. Instructions are clear, logical and simple to execute. The photos are exceptionally alluring and pull the reader into exploring all the pages of the cookbook. Home chefs everywhere will want not want to try making a few dishes but will want to try all the recipes in this book from entrée to dessert. The index and the resources sections really help make the book easy to navigate. I won't be able to match the flavor of the cuisine this food guru serves up daily at his New York restaurant, Devi, but I plan to have fun trying. American Masala is the best way to look like you really know what you are doing in the kitchen. Everyone will be impressed with your `Suvir Saran' like cooking abilities. It makes a great gift for even those just starting down the culinary exploration path.

A little too western...:
Just received this book. A little disappointed in the recipes as there are some that have no Indian influence whatsoever - such as plain old macaroni and cheese, baked ziti, fried eggs with proscutto and asparagus. I really expected more - but the recipes are pretty boring...

promising:
So I probably wouldn't have bought this book had my daughter not burnt the library's copy on the stove!! I do like Suvir Saran's writing, I tried the parsnip soup and I have to say it was disgusting, I threw the whole pot away, the other dishes look yummy though and I will definetly be trying out a few more. I also checked out Indian Home Cooking by Suvir Saran and tried a few dishes from that and they were delicious.

Success!:
It's true that not all the recipes in this book are Indian-inspired, but in a way, that's the beauty of it: it's a great blend of "American" cooking techniques and familiar dishes with pops of Indian flavor. I made the lentil orzo soup and was blown away. I'm no master chef, but the soup tasted like I am! With so few ingredients, it tasted really rich. The cabbage salad was likewise outstanding, even though it contained no fats. I was less successful with the veggie burgers, but I won't hold it against the book. The fact that I could make three recipes for the first time and serve the meal to pleased houseguests--vegan ones at that!--makes me appreciate this book.

Fantastic Meatloaf Recipe!!!:
I love this cookbook! The recipes are well written and easy to follow. The meatloaf recipe alone is worth the purchase price. It's moist and delicious enough for company. And I've never been one to get excited about meatloaf! Also loved the Shrimp Poha Paella - it's different, easy and absolutely scrumptious. Even the fussy teenagers in my family love these recipes. I've been a caterer for 20 years, but this cookbook is teaching me new things about how to enhance the flavor of food with spices. I have tried eight different recipes so far, and loved them all.