INDIAN CUISINE A MYSTERY TO ME
Indian cooking has always been a mystery for me. The farthest I have gone was to prepare an Epicurious Magazine recipe for “Chicken Tikka Misala.” It had a rainbow of seemingly countless spices (and my family loved it). I figured it was time to branch out and explore Indian cuisine… and that led me to this book.
THIS BOOK’S SCIENTIFIC APPROACH
As I began reading, I realized that the author comes from the background of biochemistry, microbiology and immunology. When I was in high school, I struggled with chemistry and my teacher agreed to tutor me after school. I faithfully went day-after-day to get his help. Then, one day, he looked at me with earnest eyes and said, “Chemistry just isn’t for you.” That was the end of that and he mercifully gave me a “C” so my GPA wouldn’t get messed up. My classes leaned on liberal arts from that time forward. I mention this because, as I began reading this book I thought… “oh dear, what did I get myself into??!!”
So, yes, there are times when this book gets esoteric and stuff flies over my heard. In all honesty, I skimmed through the introductory analyses of flavor from a scientific point of view. That being said, the book was well written. It’s clearly evident that the author was blessed with writing skills in addition to STEM skills.
RECIPE CATEGORIES
I appreciate that the author breaks down his book into categories of flavor rather than categories of ingredients (chicken, beef, etc). It’s a fresh approach that works for me because it allows me to narrow in on flavors that my family likes. For example, coming from a Hispanic background, there are very few sweet flavored entrees we like… we go for recipes emblematic of our culture like saltiness, fieriness and richness (think enchiladas with a salty, fiery sauce and richly cheesy) as opposed to sweetness.
One “richness” recipe approved by my family is the “Roast Chicken Thighs + Vegetables.” With ingredients like garlic, ginger, vinegar and Worcestershire, the flavor profile was a good fit. (Photo from book attached). I got the nerve to post a photo of how my “Roast Chicken Thighs” came out. My dish does not look as appetizing as the author’s, but my family and I enjoyed eating it.
And don’t get me wrong, in fairness, I will try some cooking some dishes outside of my family’s “normal” taste.
BOTTOM LINE
If you are interested in branching out into Indian food, this might be a good place to start. The Amazon description page says the printed book is 805 pages. I see 555 on the Kindle version. While the book will likely appeal to STEM majors, there are abundant pages of marvelous anecdotes, beautifully written recipes and luscious photographs to appeal to all. If you are chasing the taste of India, then I say “go for it” with this book!
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Popular Highlights in this book
Flavor is much more than a distinctive smell or taste; it involves our emotions, and sometimes memories, intertwined with our sense of the sounds, colors, shapes, and textures of our food.Highlighted by 139 Kindle readers- Turmeric is pH sensitive; if you mix a little baking soda with it, it will turn red.Highlighted by 119 Kindle readers
- Sweetness is often associated with curved shapes, and bitterness with angular shapes.Highlighted by 108 Kindle readers
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From the Publisher
Named one of the Best Fall Cookbooks 2020
by The New York Times, Eater, Epicurious, Food & Wine, Saveur, CNN Travel, The Kitchn, Chowhound, The Boston Globe, The Chicago Tribune and many more.
A groundbreaking new cookbook from Nik Sharma
The James Beard-nominated author, beloved blogger, and molecular scientist by trade, gives us a science-based cookbook that marries ease with beauty, and introduces us to an entirely new way to cook: through the science of flavor and sensation.
"Nik Sharma... puts his background in molecular biology to good use in this fascinating, deeply researched book." —The New York Times, Best Fall Cookbooks 2020
“Everything Nik Sharma touches is suddenly more delicious, and I’d say it’s magic, but he’s more than delighted to have you know it’s science—and generous enough to share the knowledge." —Food & Wine, Best Fall Cookbooks 2020
Explore flavor through more than 100 delicious recipes + more than 150 evocative photographs
You rely on a variety of senses and feelings when you eat: sight, sound, mouthfeel, aroma, taste and even our emotion and memories help us to perceive these sensations.
Through recipes, introductions, and illustrations, The Flavor Equation explains the simplest ways to play up any and all of these sensations to cook the most flavorful food.
Early Praise for The Flavor Equation
"As someone with his own obsession with flavor, I find Nik Sharma's take on it totally fascinating. It is deep and illuminating, fresh and highly informative. That, combined with his always-sumptuous food and staggering photographs, makes The Flavor Equation a most brilliant achievement."—Yotam Ottolenghi
"The Flavor Equation is destined to be classic: original, thought-provoking, and illuminating. It is a book that will change the way you think about food and cooking, and will help to make all your other cookbooks make sense." —Nigella Lawson, author of At My Table
"In The Flavor Equation, Nik Sharma shows us how these elements—the brain and the heart—are not at odds with each other, but that they are in fact intimately intertwined. Understanding their interaction is the key to unlocking flavor in your own cooking, as Nik demonstrates in this beautiful and intelligent book." J. Kenji López-Alt, author The Food Lab and Chief Consultant for Serious Eats.com
Named One of the Best Fall Cookbooks by The New York TImes, Eater, Epicurious, TheKitchn, and more
"Whatever your skill level in the kitchen, with its more than 100 recipes, illustrated diagrams, and Sharma’s own evocative photography, The Flavor Equation is an engrossing guide to elevating simple dishes into holistic experiences."—Eater
"If there’s one book out this fall that I think has true lasting power—you know, Joy of Cooking-level lasting power—it’s this one... Sharma is a cook’s cook. He’s able to elucidate even the most fancy techniques."—Epicurious
"In another life, Nik Sharma was a molecular biologist—but just because he traded his lab coat in for a chef’s coat doesn’t mean he’s no longer a scientist. Sharma’s recipes are thoroughly researched and meticulous in their execution."—The Kitchn
About the author
If you chasing Indian flavors, this book will get you to the finish line-
INDIAN CUISINE A MYSTERY TO MEIndian cooking has always been a mystery for me. The farthest I have gone was to prepare an Epicurious Magazine recipe for “Chicken Tikka Misala.” It had a rainbow of seemingly countless spices (and my family loved it). I figured it was time to branch out and explore Indian cuisine… and that led me to this book.THIS BOOK’S SCIENTIFIC APPROACHAs I began reading, I realized that the author comes from the background of biochemistry, microbiology and immunology. When I was in high school, I struggled with chemistry and my teacher agreed to tutor me after school. I faithfully went day-after-day to get his help. Then, one day, he looked at me with earnest eyes and said, “Chemistry just isn’t for you.” That was the end of that and he mercifully gave me a “C” so my GPA wouldn’t get messed up. My classes leaned on liberal arts from that time forward. I mention this because, as I began reading this book I thought… “oh dear, what did I get myself into??!!”So, yes, there are times when this book gets esoteric and stuff flies over my heard. In all honesty, I skimmed through the introductory analyses of flavor from a scientific point of view. That being said, the book was well written. It’s clearly evident that the author was blessed with writing skills in addition to STEM skills.RECIPE CATEGORIESI appreciate that the author breaks down his book into categories of flavor rather than categories of ingredients (chicken, beef, etc). It’s a fresh approach that works for me because it allows me to narrow in on flavors that my family likes. For example, coming from a Hispanic background, there are very few sweet flavored entrees we like… we go for recipes emblematic of our culture like saltiness, fieriness and richness (think enchiladas with a salty, fiery sauce and richly cheesy) as opposed to sweetness.One “richness” recipe approved by my family is the “Roast Chicken Thighs + Vegetables.” With ingredients like garlic, ginger, vinegar and Worcestershire, the flavor profile was a good fit. (Photo from book attached). I got the nerve to post a photo of how my “Roast Chicken Thighs” came out. My dish does not look as appetizing as the author’s, but my family and I enjoyed eating it.And don’t get me wrong, in fairness, I will try some cooking some dishes outside of my family’s “normal” taste.BOTTOM LINEIf you are interested in branching out into Indian food, this might be a good place to start. The Amazon description page says the printed book is 805 pages. I see 555 on the Kindle version. While the book will likely appeal to STEM majors, there are abundant pages of marvelous anecdotes, beautifully written recipes and luscious photographs to appeal to all. If you are chasing the taste of India, then I say “go for it” with this book!
Top reviews from the United States
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- Reviewed in the United States on October 19, 2021
INDIAN CUISINE A MYSTERY TO ME
If you chasing Indian flavors, this book will get you to the finish line-
Reviewed in the United States on October 19, 2021
Indian cooking has always been a mystery for me. The farthest I have gone was to prepare an Epicurious Magazine recipe for “Chicken Tikka Misala.” It had a rainbow of seemingly countless spices (and my family loved it). I figured it was time to branch out and explore Indian cuisine… and that led me to this book.
THIS BOOK’S SCIENTIFIC APPROACH
As I began reading, I realized that the author comes from the background of biochemistry, microbiology and immunology. When I was in high school, I struggled with chemistry and my teacher agreed to tutor me after school. I faithfully went day-after-day to get his help. Then, one day, he looked at me with earnest eyes and said, “Chemistry just isn’t for you.” That was the end of that and he mercifully gave me a “C” so my GPA wouldn’t get messed up. My classes leaned on liberal arts from that time forward. I mention this because, as I began reading this book I thought… “oh dear, what did I get myself into??!!”
So, yes, there are times when this book gets esoteric and stuff flies over my heard. In all honesty, I skimmed through the introductory analyses of flavor from a scientific point of view. That being said, the book was well written. It’s clearly evident that the author was blessed with writing skills in addition to STEM skills.
RECIPE CATEGORIES
I appreciate that the author breaks down his book into categories of flavor rather than categories of ingredients (chicken, beef, etc). It’s a fresh approach that works for me because it allows me to narrow in on flavors that my family likes. For example, coming from a Hispanic background, there are very few sweet flavored entrees we like… we go for recipes emblematic of our culture like saltiness, fieriness and richness (think enchiladas with a salty, fiery sauce and richly cheesy) as opposed to sweetness.
One “richness” recipe approved by my family is the “Roast Chicken Thighs + Vegetables.” With ingredients like garlic, ginger, vinegar and Worcestershire, the flavor profile was a good fit. (Photo from book attached). I got the nerve to post a photo of how my “Roast Chicken Thighs” came out. My dish does not look as appetizing as the author’s, but my family and I enjoyed eating it.
And don’t get me wrong, in fairness, I will try some cooking some dishes outside of my family’s “normal” taste.
BOTTOM LINE
If you are interested in branching out into Indian food, this might be a good place to start. The Amazon description page says the printed book is 805 pages. I see 555 on the Kindle version. While the book will likely appeal to STEM majors, there are abundant pages of marvelous anecdotes, beautifully written recipes and luscious photographs to appeal to all. If you are chasing the taste of India, then I say “go for it” with this book!
Images in this review
- Reviewed in the United States on December 7, 2022
- Reviewed in the United States on October 29, 2020
I dont know quite where to start.. but.. after sitting with the book for a while, and cooking from it once so far ( honey-tumeric pineapple chicken skewers..pictured yum!!!) I am confident this will be THE cookbook for 2020. Amazingly unique recipes.. and my first exposure to Indo-Chinese cooking... now might look for a cookbook on this subj alone. Ingredient wise... to cook a lot of these dishes you may need to hit up amazon if you don't have a Indian Grocery nearby.. ingredients like amchur, curry leaves, etc.. If you have Season, then you know what Im talking about.
Calling it now.. Best cookbook of 2020
Reviewed in the United States on October 29, 2020
Like Season, the food photography and styling is amazing. One minor qualm, I have noticed at least one recipe where the picture has an ingredient not listed in the recipe.. chickpea salad picture has tomatoes in the picture, but no tomato is in the ingredient list. Havent dived super deep to see any other offenders :)
What REALLY sets this book apart, is the SCIENCE in it.. Literally at least 100 pages of describing what causes and what are flavors... The first 75 pages of the book literally look like a college chemistry textbook. .. then the chapters with the recipes all start with a 10 or 15 pages of science of the flavor.. Its like harold mcgee and season had a love child...a delicious, enthralling love child.
The recipes are separated by flavor profile.. think bitter, sweet, fiery, etc.. so it may take a bit of effort to plan a menu if you're used to books divided by sweets, appetizers, mains, sides, etc.. which brings to mind, some menu suggestions would have been appreciated.. that being said.. its hard to say, at 350 pages, that this book is lacking anything.
October has seen lots of amazing cookbooks come out.. this is the leader of the pack! I cant wait to dive in deeper and cook more!
Images in this review
