From the earthy lentil dals of the North to the coconut-based curries of the South, award-winning author Monisha Bharadwaj offers a definitive guide to India's glorious and diverse array of dishes, alongside a vivid insight into the country's colorful culinary traditions. Along the way she teaches you the building blocks of Indian cuisine, from creating wonderfully aromatic spice blends to cooking the perfect rice. Throughout the book there are also 40 masterclasses, each accompanied by easy-to-follow, step-by-step photographs covering everything from baking chapattis and wonderfully crisp vegetable samosas to deliciously sweet gulab jamun.--From back cover.