Indian Cookery w. Jackfruit Curry, Mutton Korma, Navratan Chutney & more -- Vintage Cookbook TBT

Vintage Cookbook: Indian Cookery, Jasleen Duggal

Publication Details: Hind Pocket Books, Delhi, multiple editions from 1976 on.


Indian Cookery by Jasleen Duggal was first released in India in 1976 and went through multiple editions, the one we are looking at today being from 1994.

While it has no illustrations, its popularity is not hard to understand as it has numerous classic dishes, some takes on what are not traditionally seen as Indian dishes but that are given an Indian touch, and sections like Soups, Dals and Vegetables, Meat dishes and, my favourite, Chutneys & Pickles.

While the book itself has over 100 recipes, I have chosen 10 to feature with at least one from each section. With Mulligatawny Soup, Fresh Peas and Tomato Curry, Mixed Pickle, Potato Bondas and more, there is a lot to love here and it is a cookbook well worth seeking out.

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The Food of Singapore w. Fish-Head Curry, Mango Pickle, Ayam Panggang & more -- Vintage Cookbook TBT

Vintage Cookbook: The Food of Singapore, Various Authors

Publication Details: Periplus Editions, 1995

Published in 1995 this colourful cookbook was part of a series that featured the cooking of Asia with other titles that included looks at dishes from countries like Thailand and Malaysia. Here the focus was on the culturally diverse cuisine of Singapore with its many different influences.

The book opens with an overview of food in the city including looks at the impact of Chinese, Indian and Malay cuisine. There is an exploration of the vibrant food center scene as well as delving into matters like style and etiquette.

 It then looks more closely at the various implements and ingredients used.

This is followed by a wide array of recipes that reflect the various currents. The recipes are broken down along fairly standard lines from noodle dishes, to appetizers, mains, seafood, etc. Each recipe is accompanied by a photo. Some of the dishes can be quite complex but even more so in their flavour profiles.

Here we have picked ten recipes drawn from various sections and influences. There are curries, pork bone soup, Hokkien fried noodles, a mango pickle recipe and more. In future we also plan to feature our take on a couple of dishes from the book that use lamb and oxtail.

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Clay Baker Tandoori Style Chicken

Today we are going to look at a way to make chicken with Tandoori style seasoning using the clay baker. With a simple technique this method allows you to mimic the char that is produced when the chicken is made more traditionally in a clay Tandoor oven.

We used around 2 pounds of  drumsticks in this case, though this method also works well for skin-on, bone-in thighs, full legs or a combination of two or three of these.

The first thing to do is to prepare your seasoning blend.




Seasoning Ingredients:

2 tablespoons paprika
4 cloves of finely minced garlic
1 tablespoon of finely minced ginger
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon turmeric
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
2 teaspoons cayenne pepper (or to taste)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
sea salt to taste

Thoroughly blend all the seasoning together.

Place your chicken pieces in a large bowl. Pour the juice of one lemon and drizzle around 1 tablespoon of olive oil over them. Sprinkle the seasoning blend on while tossing the pieces to evenly coat. Do not overcoat. If the pieces are evenly coated simply either discard or store any extra.

Add 1 cup of plain yogurt to the bowl and toss again until the chicken pieces are evenly coated as below.

Cover and let sit in the fridge for 2-3 hours.

Just before cooking take out your clay baker and soak as usual for 20 minutes. (If you are not familiar with clay baking you can learn the basics at this post).

Place your clay baker, covered, into a COLD oven (you must always place a clay baker into a cold oven), set to 425 degrees and cook for 45 minutes.

After 45 minutes remove the top of the clay baker. Do this very carefully as it will be exceptionally hot.

Turn the oven up to 500 degrees and bake the chicken uncovered in the bottom half of the clay baker for another 15 - 20 minutes or until the chicken is slightly charred or charred to your liking. (If you have any doubts about doneness the chicken is done when it has been cooked to at least 165 degrees.)

Serve with rice. Enjoy.

See also: Curry Flavoured Clay Baked Red Chicken

See also: Charcoal BBQ Jerk Style Chicken

Kothur Indian Cuisine's fantastic lunch special in Mimico

Kothur Indian Cuisine in Mimico has been serving (and delivering) some of the west end's best Indian fare for several years now. Just down the street from and affiliated with the excellent Everest Hakka House that we profiled on The Left Chapter before, it deserves a broader post of its own.

You really can't go wrong here with everything from their notable samosas to their Gobi Manchurian to their excellent fish or shrimp curries.

Today we are going to take a look at Kothur's weekday lunch special (available 11 am-3 pm). It is a terrific way to introduce yourself to their menu at a very affordable $10.99 flat rate price.

The special includes a small bowl of Mulligatawny Soup, a pakora, naan bread and rice, a main and a rice pudding for dessert.

Lamb vindaloo, rice, rice pudding and naan

The mains available are exceptionally varied and run the gambit from vegetarian to chicken to lamb or beef entrees. They do not include fish or shrimp entrees.

The Mulligatawny Soup is a great way to start as they make one that is perfectly seasoned, with a nice, subtle level of heat.

With so many mains to choose from it is hard to narrow it down to just a few.

Butter Chicken

The chicken, lamb or beef vindaloos are spectacular with a wonderfully tangy sauce. The Butter Chicken avoids the cloying sweetness of some interpretations for a more balanced taste. A vegetarian stand out is the Malai Kofta, a rich blend of cheese and vegetable dumplings in a cashew sauce. If you like Panneer dishes there are number to choose from, all very satisfying.

Mutter Panneer

While not a part of the special, I can never pass up a side order of Kothur's top-notch Indian Mixed Pickle. I think Indian Pickle, in its many varieties, is one of the great dishes on the planet, and Kothur offers up one that is lime based, salty, spicy and delicious.

Indian Mixed Pickle

Kothur Indian Cuisine is located at 2403 Lake Shore Blvd W., on the 501 Queen Streetcar line, and is  a block east of Mimico Avenue. 416-253-5047. It is fully licensed. It is also located by the lovely Amos Waites Park.

See also: Everest Hakka House in Mimico -- Worth the trip to South Etobicoke!

See also: Ali's West Indian Roti Shop w. Fiery House Scotch Bonnet Hot Sauce

Beef Roast with an Onion Jus, Rude Boy Burgers, Indian Style Ground Lamb Flatbread Wraps & more -- The Top 5 Food Posts of 2017

A few days ago we posted the Top Ten Blog Posts of 2017 on The Left Chapter. As any regular reader of this blog knows, The Left Chapter also has many food related posts.

There have been posts about Spicy Mint Chutney w. BBQ Lamb Chops, Fiery Veracruz Style Basa Fish, Chili Garlic Shrimp, Homestyle Pork Chops in Onion Gravy, Bread and Garlic Soup, Jalapeno Avocado Egg Salad and many, many more!

We also looked at some favourite restaurants and vintage cookbooks such as with Paratha Roti w. Goat and Potatoes at Ali's West Indian Roti Shop or A Taste of London in Food and in Pictures w. Potted Cheese, Yorkshire Pudding, Chelsea Buns and more -- Vintage Cookbook TBT

I want to thank everyone who contributed recipes to the blog and to our readership for such a great year and I look forward to what 2018 brings.

Here, without further ado, are the top five food related posts for 2017:

1) Beef Roast with an Onion Jus

2) The Rude Boy Burgers on Roncesvalles w. Kimchi Fries & Onion Rings

3) Indian Style Ground Lamb Flatbread Wraps

4) Quick Indian-style Kumquat Pickle

5) Charlie's Caribbean Cuisine: West Indian-Chinese Fusion in Mississauga

Thanks again for a great third year.

Do you have a left point-of-view or opinion, a recipe or a story you want to share?

Send them to The Left Chapter via theleftchapter@outlook.com!

See also: Etobicoke Park Stairs, Niki Ashton, Jagmeet Singh & more -- 2017 on The Left Chapter in review

See also: The 20 Best Songs of 2017 ft. Hurray For The Riff Raff, Arcade Fire, Jay-Z, Jessie Reyez and more!

Sivananda Yoga Cookbook w. Lentil Burgers, Potato Moussaka, Samosas & more - Vintage Cookbook TBT

Vintage Cookbook: Sivananda Yoga Cookbook


Publication Details: Self-published, 1988


Published in 1988 this cookbook emphasized vegetarianism, Indian food and yoga when it was far less common to do so.

It opens with several pages of text and illustrations regarding the yogic diet, fasting and various dietetic rules. It then has over 100 pages of vegetarian recipes divided into sections such as "soups", "Indian" and "Italian". There is also an extensive section on desserts and baked goods. This gives it a very broad appeal to people interested not just in yoga, but in vegetarian recipes of different kinds more generally.

There are various illustrations throughout some of which are rather tongue in cheek as in the case of the one below showing a yoga pose for eating pasta to avoid staining your shirt!

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See also: Eastern Vegetarian Cooking w. Lime Pickle, Dashi, Millet & more -- Vintage Cookbook TBT