Indian in 7: Delicious Indian Recipes in 7 Ingredients or Fewer

In this accessible follow-up to Vegan in 7, cooking instructor Bharadwaj simplifies Indian dishes for the home cook. Recipes are divided into sections such as Fresh, Comfort, and Hearty, and the Fresh chapter is filled with contemporary takes on Indian flavors such as minted cauliflower rice with green pepper (with five ingredients). In the Hearty section, Bharadwaj delves into regional Indian flavors with such dishes as a mackerel curry with coconut and pepper, from India’s west coast, that “brings together local ingredients, such as coconut and tamarind, in a burst of salty, sour flavors.” The range of flavors she expresses in seven ingredients is impressive, but Bharadwaj does allow herself three extra “free” ingredients basic to the cuisine: salt, sunflower oil, and ginger-garlic paste. Nevertheless, some of her most treasured recipes really do fit the formula. The orange and semolina pudding with saffron, “fragrant with saffron and fluffy and creamy at the same time,” is, she says, “[o]ne of my favorite desserts,” and has only six ingredients. For cooks overwhelmed by the complexity of Indian cuisine, this is a mouthwatering, enticing introduction. (Nov.)