Chetna’s Healthy Indian Vegetarian: Everyday Veg and Vegan Feasts Effortlessly Good for You

Makan, the Mumbai-born Great British Baking Show 2014 finalist, follows Chetna’s Healthy Indian with this savory collection of vegetarian dishes. Its emphasis is on simplicity, and Makan has cast a wide net to include recipes from friends and places throughout India. A pantry of a dozen easy-to-find legumes (black-eyed peas, green lentils, mung beans), spices, and basic ingredients (rapeseed oil, potatoes, onions, red chillies) can build substantial and satisfying menus, as she proves with a litany of dishes, among them paneer-stuffed potato snacks and a creamy mushroom cashew curry. Many recipes come together in a single pan, and Makan shows how a 20-minute simmer of tomato puree, chili-garlic sauce, and yogurt can marry a mix of green beans, potato, carrot, and cauliflower, or whatever’s on hand. Doughs remain Makan’s first love in the kitchen, evident in the chapter of dramatically colored beet chapatti and packwaan, the crispy Indian flatbreads, which she bakes instead of frying. Makan’s enthusiasm shines through in the book’s pages, which are semigloss to handle the inevitable oil spatters from popping mustard seeds. This is an excellent introduction to Indian vegetarian cooking. (June)