Feast of India: A Legacy of Recipes and Fables

Rani was born in the beautiful beach town of Vizagapatnam in the South Indian state of Andhra Pradesh and received a Master of Arts degree in Western History from the University of Lucknow before she came to live in the United States as a young bride with her American husband. Rani lectured on India at the Los Angeles Braille Institute for the Blind, taught Cuisine of India at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), University Extension, Department of Arts. She also catered dinner parties and gave private cooking lessons, cooking demonstrations at the UCLA Campus in Westwood and at The Epicure Shop in Neiman Marcus, Beverly Hills to promote their products. She recalls fondly being told by several customers, ＂We followed the irresistible aroma of your delicious mouth-watering Mughal-Style Chicken Curry and Basmati Rice all the way from Rodeo Drive into this store!＂ Her second cookbook Curry evolved out of India’s 5,000-year old healing system called Ayurveda (science of life - body, mind, and spirit) and has traveled a fascinating voyage through time. There is absolutely nothing like Curry in the world of healing and sensuous culinary flavors to integrate and make body, mind and spirit happy! Curry goes back thousands of years as a result of many civilizations, cultures, and nationalities. The great Mogul (Mughal) Emperors Akbar, Jahangir, and Shah Jahan enriched their empire not only with extraordinary works of art but with the creation of India’s world famous haute cuisine (high cuisine) featuring lamb and chicken dishes in fragrant, seductive almond, cashew, and pistachio sauces sautéed in spices as favorites. Now you can savor these authentic flavorful dishes in Curry, a collection of spectacular kababs, chutneys, vegetarian and non-vegetarian entrees, breads, legumes, seductive desserts and nourishing drinks. Included are such tempting offerings as: Barbecue Tandoori-Style Chicken Kabab with Naan Emperor Jahangir’s Mughal-Style Chicken Curry Mughal-Style Hamburger Hot Mint Chutney Empress Nur-Jahan’s Lamb Pilao Spicy Fillet of Salmon Also included is a fascinating discussion of compatible astrology love sign elements and curry suggestions for each sign of the zodiac. Curry is more than just a cookbook; it is a simple ＂How To＂ guide for preparing authentic Indian cuisine and contains the best selection of more than 150 delicious, easy-to-follow recipes. The mouth-watering legendary main-course recipes are embellished with lavish tales of history, traditions, and lore that embrace the sensuous cuisine of India such as the legend of the handsome prime minister who fell under the spell of a beautiful dancing diva and her extraordinary talents as a chef (Mastani’s Royal Chicken Curry). ＂It wasn’t always this way,＂ she recalls. ＂The first six months of marriage in a new world were utterly bewildering; I lost twenty pounds, suffered from a severe case of homesickness and most of all missed my mother’s delicious cooking.＂ Rani fulfilled her passionate longing for authentic Indian cuisine by researching nutrition, curry spices and herbs and publishing her two cookbooks. Rani attests, ＂Curry awakens the mind, arouses the senses, and makes us energetic and cheerful.＂ She has one son and five grandchildren and lives in Maryland with her family.