Anita Jaisinghani is the chef of Pondicheri restaurant in Houston， TX， and the author of this book。 In her Introduction she recounts how she immigrated to Canada and then later to America as a young mother。 At that time （1980s and 1990s）， Indian food was not so readily available in restaurants。 She began catering for friends and eventually became the chef at Pondicheri。 I was intrigued by her opening chapters on Indian food and spices and the practice of Ayurveda。 Recipes don't start until page Anita Jaisinghani is the chef of Pondicheri restaurant in Houston， TX， and the author of this book。 In her Introduction she recounts how she immigrated to Canada and then later to America as a young mother。 At that time （1980s and 1990s）， Indian food was not so readily available in restaurants。 She began catering for friends and eventually became the chef at Pondicheri。 I was intrigued by her opening chapters on Indian food and spices and the practice of Ayurveda。 Recipes don't start until page 93！ This book is educational as much as it is a recipe book。 I have tried a couple of recipes。 The Smoked Eggplant is fantastic， easy to prepare and was thoroughly enjoyed by my guests。 I love Butter Chicken and tried her recipe - it was some of the best I've made， according to my family。 The photos， especially of step-by-step instructions， enhanced this book。 This would be a great book for someone who is a beginner cook of Indian cuisine。 I've received a free copy from Ten Speed Press in exchange for a free and unbiased review。 。。。more