I am now deep-diving into #MadhurJaffrey's #FlavoursOfIndia as it is the 50th anniversary of her first book.
I had forgotten how good this book is. Most of the recipes have been sourced from people (women) local to the area she is discussing - Kerala, Goa, Gujarat, Punjab, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu.
It is exceptionally well written with extensive notes including often the sub-cuisines that the dish belongs to. This is a book written for love of her food rather than fame or fortune (even tho she achieved these too).
Almost unknown in India, Jaffrey brought Indian cuisine to the UK and US and made it accessible. It's the 50th anniversary of her first book An Invitation to Indian Cooking and there is a new edition released.
There is a lovely celebratory article on her here - she is 90 years old, can you believe.
https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20231121-madhur-jaffrey-the-women-who-gave-the-world-indian-food