Review by Booklist Review
Infuse the vibrant flavors of India into your baked goods with this beautiful volume of recipes redolent with herbs, spices, and surprising ingredients. Makan, a 2014 finalist on The Great British Baking Show, admits that home baking is not very popular in her native India and sets out to change that with this beautifully photographed collection of cakes, pies, breads, and savory treats. In some cases, she offers a new spin on traditional Indian favorites (such as Sweet Baked Samosas filled with nuts and raisins). Often, though, she reinvents Western meal-cappers by creating an entirely new flavor profile from simple Masala Chai Cake to more complex Black Sesame and Matcha Tuiles and Fennel and Phirni Custard Tartlets. Worth noting is an extensive chapter on breads that goes well beyond conventional Indian flatbreads with options like Tomato and Paneer Loaf and Lemon Challah with Coconut Paneer. Indian-food fans looking to expand their repertoire would be well served by this collection.--Lalley, Heather Copyright 2016 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Library Journal Review
On the fifth series of The Great British Bake Off (called The Great British Baking Show in the United States), contestant Makan wowed judges and audiences with her exotically spiced cakes, pastries, and puddings. Here, she delivers more of her signature recipes, including saffron meringue cake, masala chai baklava, cumin bread with smoked aubergine (eggplant), and coconut chutney. All of these recipes are presented in grams and ounces, and readers will need a scale to prepare them. Attractive images make it easy to visualize what less-familiar foods will look like when finished. VERDICT Bake Off fans will clamor for this debut. As a stand-alone baking book, Makan's work will appeal to readers who appreciated Gaitri Pagrach-Chandra's Sugar & Spice, Samantha Seneviratne's The New Sugar & Spice, and Ruby Tandoh's Crumb: The Baking Book. © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
