Culinary enthusiast and t2 columnist Durri Bhalla, who has authored titles like Indian Bohra Cuisine and Inner Truth To Good Health And Weight Loss, treated her followers with a new book — Traditional Global Cuisine: For the Modern Family. The launch of the cookbook, an intimate affair at The Saturday Club last month, saw style icon and entrepreneur Susan Mantosh as chief guest along with yesteryear diva Moon Moon Sen. While Mantosh surprised everyone with a poetry titled Sugar and Spice and Everything Delectably Edible-y and Nice, written exclusively for Bhalla minutes before the start of the event, the star guest complimented Bhalla on her vast knowledge in culinary science.
Bhalla, with a multi-cultural influence, brings around 100 recipes in the new book that are authentic and worth whipping up in the kitchen. We caught up with her post the book launch to learn more about it.
Your last book was around 10 years ago. How was it getting back to writing a new book?
It’s always exciting to write a new book. The genesis of Traditional Global Cuisine would be the lockdown when I used to cook during Covid and my daughter shot videos of them and linked it to my Instagram and YouTube channel. So during the last three years, I have cooked more than 100 recipes in the kitchen and then I decided to compile them all in the book so that’s easy for people to follow.
What was the process of selecting the dishes for the book?
Ace tennis player Leander Paes was also there at the club with father Vece and we caught them in the frame with Moon Moon and Riya Sen and Shivam Tewari
Since we had more than 100 recipes from across the world the selection wasn’t easy but I didn’t want the book to be a very fat one. Hence I stuck to 100 recipes from different countries; recipes that we are familiar with and are our favourite.
So one can find cuisines from which countries in the book?
There are Thai, Mexican, Italian, Spanish, French, English, Burmese and Malaysian cuisines. We are all familiar with these cuisines and I have given not just one or two dishes from a cuisine but five or six, as a full course. For instance, if you want to serve French cuisine to your guests then you will find appetizers, mains and dessert.
The book’s title says ‘For the Modern Family’. What is the modern element that you are talking about in the book?
The modern angle is the new method of cooking and techniques that are now available. For instance, cooking in induction. Cooking is a lot different than what it used to be around 10 years ago. Ingredients too were not available easily back then but now things like rosemary and thyme are available easily and in different forms. But if there are ingredients which someone is not able to get then I have given alternatives. For instance, for galangal, I recommend adding lemon zest. These are the modern techniques that I am talking about.
Are we also talking about vegan and gluten-free with the modern concept in the book?
No. These are authentic dishes. There were never vegan and gluten-free diets.
How much has the book been influenced by your kids and grandchildren?
It’s very much influenced by their choice. All the recipes are approved by them; they tasted it and gave me the go-ahead.
The book has a global flavour and your direct influence has been Burmese and Bohra cuisines. What are your favourites?
I love British fried fish and chips and Chicken Ala Kyiv, Pot Pie… but I also love my Dal Gosht and Paaya and Khow Suey. My daughter loves Bengali food while my husband loves his Rajma Chawal and Chola Batura. All my children are big foodies.