DISHOOM – THE COOKBOOK
My thoughts on this book…..
I am always a little dubious when it comes to “pure” restaurant cookbooks, rather than those by a chef – “the best of” style cookbooks for you to try at home. Whilst it is amazing to create your favourite recipes from that great restaurant from the comfort of your own home, often they are impossible to be anything like the real thing due to many factors. – from ingredients, scale of cooking or just good old-fashioned skill.
So, it was with a little trepidation when I ordered The Dishoom cookbook as I am a huge fan of their food and whole experience of eating at their restaurants, couple this with the drooling reviews and imposing size of the volume I was prepared to be disappointed if I am truthful. I needn’t have feared though, as this is far more than just a cookbook as I try to explain below…..
The things I like……
For me, as folks who read my reviews are more than aware, I like to read my cookbooks, and not just have them as a list of recipes that, let’s face it you can type what you want into the internet and get several options for any recipe. From a good cookbook in my opinion you find out a lot about the author, or in this case about the history, and background not only to the restaurant but from the heritage and history of the roots of the Dishoom style of cooking.
The history and detail, along with the fantastic photos that make this book stand out and give a real sense of elegance, right down to folded old school map behind the cover It is far more than just a cookbook and is an education and for me a joy to read and find out the details behind recipes and make you want to visit Bombay and the areas of Mumbai itself even more. Without the recipes it would be an amazing book=, and that I don’t think I can say about any other cookbook in my collection.
In addition to the above a couple of details I particularly like a re the notes or alternatives that are given to some recipes, details sadly lacking from many cookbooks that especially help you when learning a style of cookery.
Also the re-use of the different sauce in other dishes is really good for the type of multi dish cooking I love. The Makhani sauce used to make Chicken Ruby is excellent on its ow and made me try the vegetarian Paneer “Phaldari Kofta”
The things I don’t…..
Struggling on this one if I am honest, though for a cookbook meant to be used the cover size are troublesome with a Matt cover and cloth binding – unless you are super tidy (I definitely am not) whilst cooking the cover soon looks tired and warn – which is a shame as new it is an imposing and beautiful looking volume. Even considered buying another copy just so it “looks good” – nut maybe that is the plan after all!
Only other criticism I have is more of a personal “niggle” in that I don’t like the trend to fill chunks of books with drinks recipes. Yes… as a restaurant book you could say it is more justified, especially for the tone it is setting, but got to have something to say!
My favourite recipes…..
I am breaking with tradition here…. Normally with a review I reproduce a couple of recipes I really like in a book with a hope you will invest and purchase it also (if it’s good!), but Dishoom had the whole of this book circulated rather publicly around the internet as a “freebie” by some unscrupulous soul during the pandemic lockdown times of early 2020. When they had gone to such work in producing such a work of love, for a pdf copy to be sent round social media is criminal in my eyes… So instead I am going to point you to a page where I have replicated a recipe that was posted out by Dishoom on social media themselves and one that is not in the book itself….so really is a fantastic extra – but in keeping with the book itself.
The original post by Dishoom https://twitter.com/dishoom/status/1265688992483328003?lang=en
As an aside it is probably my favourite recipe from the restaurant also.. a staple to my order when I eat there so well worth trying ! https://inspiredbyirene.com/2021/08/24/dishooms-chilli-chicken/
You can see details of the book, and purchase it direct from their website as well as many other things (The Bacon naan Roll Kit is well worth a go!) https://store.dishoom.com/dishoom-cookery-book
It can also be found on Amazon in the UK….