It’s been all Wading Home all the time here the past few weeks, but we have been publishing a few other books lately. We love all of them the same, of course, but while some have offered unexpected challenges, others have brought unexpected rewards. Case in point, Anupy Singla’s The Indian Slow Cooker, a slim (50 recipes) and very focused book that has turned into our strongest seller. You can learn all about the book’s virtues just by googling the title or checking out its Amazon page (it’s been the #1 selling Indian cookbook on Amazon practically since its release, outperforming the latest release by Madhur Jaffrey, even), and you’ll find innumerable positive blog postings and reader reviews. But I think the key to its appeal is the way it makes cooking Indian food simpler (and healthier, to boot). I think Indian cuisine is a little intimidating for those of us who didn’t grow up with it, and using a slow cooker is a great way to make the whole process a lot less daunting.
Now Anupy has a new venture, also aimed at simplifying Indian cooking. She’s marketing a specialized holder (above) for the most commonly used Indian spices. Called a masala dabba, these are traditionally used in India to keep all of these spices in one easily accessible container. They’re beautiful, durable, and highly functional. I can’t wait to get one, to make it even easier to prepare one of Anupy’s terrific recipes. If you haven’t picked up the Indian Slow Cooker yet, I hope you’ll try it out, if you have even a little interest in Indian food. Just released in September, it’s already in its sixth printing.