Tasty treats

Cook Easy, Volume I by Aban Davar Sukhia. Published in 2008 by the author at No 8, Lt Col Tarapore Road, Camp, Poona 411001. Pp: 48 pages. Price: Rs 139.

This little hardcover cookery book lives up to its name as all 42 recipes in it are easy to follow. Author Aban Davar Sukhia states these have been "tested and tasted and appreciated by my family and friends.”

Visually attractive, the book presents one recipe per page, with the preparation and cooking time indicated on clock faces, the number of servings mentioned on the representation of a covered serving dish and ingredients/sauces/vaghars listed in highlighted spaces. Below the name of the recipe is a small descriptive comment. For instance, under the recipe for Potato Toast she writes: "Enjoy this at tea time when your kids come home from school hungry.” The bottom portion of each page provides the numbered, step-by-step method. "Always ga­ther all your ingredients together before you start cooking and follow all my instructions and suggestions accurately,” the author advises. The recipes include starters, vegetarian and non-vegetarian items, main courses and desserts, which are rather randomly listed.As Sukhia says, the simplest recipes always taste the best. So do try out her bread pudding, cheese akuri, fish fry, fish roast, bhindi fry, honey apple pancakes, ginger steaks, orange curried chicken, prawn patia, baked cauliflower, quick quiche, custard and vegetable stew — all of which can be made in three simple steps, though the preparation and cooking time may differ. Want it simpler? The mushroom chicken, egg korma, chicken Manchurian, chocolate icecream and tuvar dal can be cooked in two easy steps!

Aban Davar Sukhia: Simplest is best

Sukhia started cooking young, helping her mother in the kitchen. In Bombay, where she grew up, she started a small catering business, working from home and supplying mainly desserts. Later she branched out into events and entertainment and today owns a company called Centerstage. When she married and moved to Poona, she expanded her catering business into tiffin services and parties. Today the 38-year-old, who has qualified from the Sophia Polytechnic, spends her time between Poona and Bombay and "enjoys cooking for her father, husband, son, dogs, friends and other family members as she entertains a lot at home,” the blurb on the back cover of her book states.

The single page glossary of English-Hindi terms is useful. However, the book suffers from careless proofing, the word "method” appearing as "mvethod” no less than eight times. Since this book is titled Volume I, one hopes that the ones that follow are not marred by similar oversights.

Sukhia invites queries from readers who could e-mail her at: abansukhia@ yahoo.co.in or abandavar@hotmail.com

SHERENE VAKIL