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Simply delicious

Rakesh Puri’s latest cookbook celebrates the ubiquitous puri bhaji

IT HAS BEEN an integral part of menus in vegetarian restaurants. It is one of the most versatile of Indian dishes. It can serve as a snack, something to fill the stomach in hurry. It can equally go well as a full lunch or dinner, to be savoured at leisure. And as a quick bite, it’s ideal, too. People make it at home, for all sorts of occasions. And it has been the standard, staple fare for folks embarking on long railway journeys, lovingly prepared at home and packed in tiffin boxes, plastic containers, newspaper wrappings, to be relished against the background rattle of chugging wheels. It’s the popular and ubiquitous puri bhaji.

Most people view puri bhaji as simply that but Rakesh Puri looks upon this commonest of Indian dishes as being capable of yielding fascinating variety. For most of his life, Rakesh Puri has led a double life. During the day, he’s the CEO of Express Print (Publishers) at Garhoud in Dubai. In the evenings he’s been pottering around in the kitchen. He took up cooking as a hobby in childhood and, over the years, has mastered a breathtaking array of cuisines. Some years back, he started writing his Super Indian Cookbooks. Last year, his Super Indian Cookbook IV – Snacks and Salads won the Best Asian Cuisine Cookbook in the world honour, at the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards 2007 in London.

Now, he’s come out with his latest one – the first in the Super Indian Cookbook mini series – titled ‘Simply puri bhaji’. ìYou know, there are separate books on different kinds of breads, different kinds of parathas etc. But as far as I know nobody has done a specific book on puri bhaji,î said Puri, explaining how he came to write the book. ìSo, I did some research on different cuisines of India. And since puris normally go with bhajis, mostly potato, I whipped up different kinds of bhajis, too.î

The book lists 30 different kinds of puris, along with 30 different types of bhajis, with some exotically named variations such as Til-til ki puri, Nargisi puri, Kulchi puri, Sindoori puri, Meethi dal ki puri, Radha ballobhi puri.

The author points out that puri bhaji is just not a great dish, it has health benefits, too. It’s easily digestible, is good for hyper acidity and blood pressure patients and is a splendid source for vitamin C.

A dainty little book, Simply puri bhaji is attractively illustrated and is priced at only Dh10. Whether you like your puri bhaji dry, with gravy, spicy, tangy, fried or just plain and simple, it’s all in the book, which is available at all major book stores and supermarkets.