Review by Booklist Review
This title will have readers scrambling, recipe in hand, to their kitchens or a South Asian restaurant for a taste of biryani. This dish, unique in its blend of spices, meat, and rice, might be familiar to some as a fancy version of pilau/pulao/pilaf, and the book is an homage to anyone who knows how to achieve the perfect biryani. In this case, that cook is Uncle Arif, a curmudgeonly café owner whose biryani is legendary. Across the street, Anni, herself an avid cook, decides to learn his skill. She follows him around his kitchen, taking notes and asking questions until he shoos her away. Vibrant illustrations are as sumptuous as biryani itself, depicting the ingredients and Uncle's method in brilliant saffron, scarlet, and umber tones. Anni's attempt at cooking is appreciated by her family, but she knows something is missing that only Uncle can reveal. Anni's plucky vivaciousness and a heartwarming resolution will leave readers smiling. Back matter provides a brief history of biryani, plus a recipe.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 2--In this delightful picture book, young Anni loves biryani, a rice dish filled with meat and spices. She especially loves the biryani made by Mr. Arif, whom everyone calls Uncle, the owner of the cafe across the street from her apartment in Little India. Anni is determined to make biryani as good as his. Every Friday she asks a different question, hoping to identify the method and ingredients that he uses. Finally, she is ready to create her biryani, but it does not measure up. When the cafe closes down, Anni believes that her chance at mastering the recipe is gone. Anni is plucky; her world is vividly brought to life by the digitally created illustrations. Images of vegetables and spices dance across the pages in glowing yellows, greens, and reds. The final page gives detailed information about biryani, including the history of how it came to India. The recipe is not included--why not, for heaven's sake?--although a link to a similar one is. VERDICT A pleasant story for small chefs, this is great for story hours on favorite dishes from around the world.--V. Lynn Christiansen
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
Will Anni succeed in getting the secret recipe for Uncle's biryani? In an unnamed city's Little India, a young South Asian girl named Anni lives across the street from the Biryani Café, where gruff Mr. Arif--whom everyone calls Uncle--makes and sells "the best biryani in the world. Fluffy and fragrant. Spicy and succulent. Absolutely addictive." An experienced cook, Anni wants to learn to prepare the biryani herself, but although Uncle gives her a few hints, her dish still doesn't taste like his. It turns out there's a secret ingredient that Uncle won't share, and when Anni finds the cafe shut down one day, she wonders if she'll ever be able to eat the special biryani again. Although the tale's resolution wraps up a little quickly and may not be entirely satisfactory, Anni's perseverance pays off, encouraging kids to follow their dreams. Mehra's text brings to life the sights, sounds, and smells of the neighborhood, while Prabhat's vivid and effusive digital illustrations weave in expressive faces and cultural details, including the biryani ingredients and scenes of dirty dishes in the sink. All the people have different shades of warm brown skin, and Anni has two black braids. (This book was reviewed digitally.) A curious and determined young cook gets her biryani recipe in this tale to savor. (information about biryani, link to an online recipe) (Picture book. 4-6) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
