Use 5 common spices to create 50 terrific dishes.

You won't have to hunt down esoteric ingredients; the most "exotic" ingredient in this book is butternut squash! And forget about the long drive to the Indian market; just visit your nearest grocery store and buy 5 common spices: coriander seeds, cumin, mustard seeds, ground cayenne and turmeric. Then open my cookbook and start cooking, with no major prior prep. It really is that easy.
Where to buy: 5 Spices, 50 Dishes is available at Amazon.com, bookstores around the country, and from my publisher Chronicle Books.

5 Spices 50 Dishes: news and reviews.

5 Spices appeared on quite a few lists, including NPR's Summer Book Recommendations 2007. The accompanying review says that 5 Spices, 50 Dishes is one of this season's cute little surprises. The theme is how astonishingly much you can do with just cumin, coriander, cayenne, turmeric and mustard seeds. Amanda Hesser at the New York Times Book Review named it one of two books that attempt to simplify Indian cooking by reining in the number of spices. Kahate's book succeeds, she graciously added. Phew! And Sunset Magazine called it a beautiful little book that makes Indian food accessible without stripping it of complex flavors. But the finest praise came from Men's Health magazine, which declared that 5 Spices 50 Dishes is one of five books that'll make you a better man. No, I'm not kidding. For more reviews, including those by local bloggers, visit my Reviews page. Or check out the user reviews at Amazon.