Bollywood Kitchen: Home-Cooked Indian Meals Paired with Unforgettable Bollywood Films

by Sri Rao

Overview

“Rao gives new meaning to ‘dinner and a movie’ by creating menus inspired by classic Indian films.”—Houston Chronicle

Indian cuisine and Indian cinema (known as Bollywood) share much in common—bold colors and flavors with plenty of drama. But to the uninitiated, they can seem dizzying. Let Sri Rao be your guide. As one of the only Americans working in Bollywood, Sri is an expert on Indian musical films, and as an avid cook, he’s taken his mom’s authentic, home-cooked recipes and adapted them for the modern, American kitchen. 
 
In this book you’ll find dinner menus and brunch menus, menus for kids and menus for cocktail parties. Along with each healthy and easy-to-prepare meal, Sri has paired one of his favorite Bollywood movies. Every one of these films is a musical, packed with dazzling song-and-dance numbers that are the hallmark of Bollywood, beloved by millions of fans all over the world. Sri will introduce each film to you, explaining why you’ll love it, and letting you in on some juicy morsels from behind the scenes. 
 
“Rao has created more than a book of recipes. There is seldom a cookbook that voracious readers can flip through for story; this one feeds the eye and imagination. One can run their thumb and forefinger over technicolor pages featuring decadent film and food stills. The narrative also unearths the author: cheeky, perceptive, honest.”—Edible Brooklyn
 
“Full of humor and insight, Bollywood Kitchen makes a great read, even if neither Bollywood nor cooking are your passions. A delightful read.”—News India Times

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780544971295
Publisher:	Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Publication date:	06/11/2020
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	320
File size:	78 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

SRI RAO is a writer-director-producer in New York City. He is uniquely positioned at the intersection of Hollywood & Bollywood, as one of the few Americans to have worked in the mainstream Indian film industry. Sri is an established TV screenwriter, having sold pilots to numerous networks including ABC, NBC, Fox, The CW, Bravo, BBC America, and Nickelodeon.

Editorial Reviews

11/15/2017
For 16 years, the TBS show Dinner and a Movie paired feature films with thematically appropriate recipes. Here, screenwriter and home cook Rao offers a spicier take on this concept, matching Indian American dishes with gems of modern Bollywood. Readers can use this cookbook to enhance their viewing of blockbusters such as Bajirao Mastani, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, 3 Idiots, and more. Each film recommendation includes a multicourse menu consisting of doable recipes such as mango lassi, chicken korma, baked samosas, and spinach-papaya salad. VERDICT Fledgling film buffs and ardent enthusiasts will find much to savor in this cookbook, which takes a contemporary approach to Indian cooking that recalls Monica Bhide's Modern Spice. Highly recommended.

Library Journal

08/21/2017
Rao, a Bollywood screenwriter, here offers three-course menus for 22 of his favorite Indian films, all of which are available via streaming services. Readers expecting wildly complex preparations and nothing but showy musicals will be pleasantly surprised on both fronts, as Rao offers a refreshingly diverse set of movies as well as recipes that are easily sourced without sacrificing flavor or requiring too much time to prepare. The heartwarming Kapoor & Sons, for example, inspired Rao to prepare chicken marinated in yogurt and nuts and roasted, then served with pumpkin-and-cashew fried rice; the gritty Gangs of Wasseypur, a five-and-a-half-hour crime saga, is paired with Bollyburgers and zesty sweet potato fries. Lagaan—about cricket in 1893 India and the only Bollywood film to be nominated for an Academy Award—goes well with an elegant masala-crusted salmon, while the goofy slapstick of 3 Idiots reminded Rao of his high school days and lunches that sometimes consisted of Indian Sloppy Joes, made with ground turkey, ginger paste, and turmeric. The recipes are far from authentic Indian, but they’re also more than mere novelties. Rao’s chocolate chai affogato is ingenious and addictive, and his rustic Himalayan shepherd’s pie, rich with garlic, ginger, chile, cloves, and cinnamon, is an outstanding communal dish. This is a thoughtful collection of films accompanied by unique but doable recipes that bridge the gap between American and Indian comfort food. (Nov.)

Publishers Weekly

"Rao has created more than a book of recipes. There is seldom a cookbook that voracious readers can flip through for story; this one feeds the eye and imagination. One can run their thumb and forefinger over technicolor pages featuring decadent film and food stills. The narrative also unearths the author: cheeky, perceptive, honest."—Edible Brooklyn   "In "Bollywood Kitchen," Rao gives new meaning to "dinner and a movie" by creating menus inspired by classic Indian films... It's a rare cookbook in which cinema history, especially one as rich as Bollywood, is presented in equal measure with recipes."—Houston Chronicle   "This new cookbook brilliantly combines Indian food and Bollywood films. Take note for your next dinner party."—Mother Jones   "Full of humor and insight, Bollywood Kitchen makes a great read, even if neither Bollywood nor cooking are your passions. A delightful read not be wasted only on the coffee table."—News India Times "Bollywood Kitchen is a must-have book for hardcore Hindi-film fans, but the movies featured offer a great introduction for any Bollywood newbies. The recipes themselves suit those new to cooking Indian dishes at home, although even those who prepare Indian food regularly will appreciate the meal-planning that Rao’s done. This really is a terrific book." —Access Bollywood “Readers expecting wildly complex preparations and nothing but showy musicals will be pleasantly surprised on both fronts, as Rao offers a refreshingly diverse set of movies as well as recipes…This is a thoughtful collection of films accompanied by unique but doable recipes that bridge the gap between American and Indian comfort food.” —Publishers Weekly —

From the Publisher