Tarkari Vegetarian and vegan Indian dishes with heart and soul

In this fresh vegan/vegetarian cookbook, Michelin-starred London chef Ghai combines the nouvelle cuisine of his restaurant Kutir with the Punjabi home-cooking he grew up eating, adapted into accessible recipes that focus on balance, texture, color, and consistency. There are sections for breakfasts and snacks, curries, sharing plates, dals and side dishes, rices and breads, chutneys and dips, and desserts, as well as Ghai's "feasting menus," a guide to essential Indian spices, and a glossary. Ghai urges cooks to read all the directions first and pick the best ingredients available to them. (Depending on the reader's location, some ingredients will be difficult to find, but many can be purchased online.) Measurements are listed only in grams, so readers may need to make conversions or use a kitchen scale. Vivid photographs of each recipe will help guide home cooks along the way. VERDICT Ghai makes Indian cuisine easy for readers who are vegan or vegetarian or simply looking to incorporate more plant-based dishes into their routine.--Gricel Dominguez, Florida International Univ. Lib., Miami