“A lush memoir in the form of a cookbook . . . With pervading wit and droll sense of humor, she tells us what it means to be part of the 3,000-year-old Parsi culture, and how this plays out in a crazy amalgam of India and the West.. . . She brings alive culinary traditions, passed on through generations of beloved household cooks, mothers and grandmothers. This cooking may soon disappear. UNESCO projects that only 25,000 Parsis may exist in the world by 2020—one more reason to grab this extraordinary book and start cooking.”—Patricia Unterman, San Francisco Examiner
"King’s intimate tone, wit, and personal stories make us feel as if we’re right next to her, with her mother and her grandmother, cooking up dishes such as 100 almond curry or creamy paneer with walnuts and mint leaves. Drawing from Persian and Indian influences, King’s cookbook makes Parsi cuisine absolutely accessible, and is full of menus that range from easy to extravagant."—Chow
“Essential reading for anyone to understand Parsi culture and cuisine. . . . She writes informatively and precisely, and she evokes the passion to cook.”—Art Of Eating
“The headnotes are informative and entertaining, and the book concludes with a selection of menus, a detailed glossary, a source guide, and a bibliography. Highly recommended.” (Starred Review)—Library Journal
“Once you get the hang of making [King's] ginger and garlic paste (which you can put in almost anything!), your cooking will never be the same.”—Bloomberg News
“King could do for Indian cooking in America what Alice Waters and company did for the food of southern France.”—San Francisco Magazine
“If you are a cook looking to expand your repertoire, a fan of reading cookbooks, or a social historian looking for some background information on Parsi culture—you can’t go wrong with My Bombay Kitchen! The recipes in this collection run from the sublime to the exotic, and you will be hard pressed not to discover several new favorites that you will find it impossible to do without.”—History in Review
"Niloufer King's food is always delicious. Here she unravels her native Parsi cuisine with love and intelligence, revealing its secrets and the little touches that make her dishes stand out. Bravo!"—Paula Wolfert, author of
The Slow Mediterranean Kitchen "With clever wit and panache, cook and culinary anthropologist, Niloufer King introduces us to one of India's most exceptional regional cuisines. Her market-inspired dishes have layers of flavor that immediately satiate your palate, yet leave you longing for the next bite. A gift of love from a passionate cook."—Gary Danko, Chef and Principle, Restaurant Gary Danko
“Niloufer’s
Bombay Kitchen is a place of delight and seduction. The stories and recipes are beautifully crafted and spiked with wit and wisdom. From an exotic coconut milk and fish stew to a simple cucumber-ginger salad, to her grilled Thanksgiving turkey, each dish is a treasure.”—Judy Rogers, chef and owner, Zuni Café
"Full of evocative memories, tastes, smells, colors, places, kitchens, family, and friends—This is so much more than a cookbook!"—Diana Kennedy, author of
The Essential Cuisines of Mexico "What a seductive book! Niloufer King goes straight to the heart of what food is all about and makes you want to rush to the kitchen to join her. I'd read this fascinating book for the sheer fun of it, even without any recipes-but oh, the recipes!"—Fran McCullough, editor of the
Best American Recipes series