Bal’s Spice Kitchen by Bal Arneson

The Angle: The foods you love, now with more spice factor

Recipes for right now: Kale and Green Pea Soup, Fennel and Black Bean Soup, Steamed Chard with Candied Pecans and Mango Dressing, Sweet Potato Koftas with Ginger Curry, Spiced Halibut on Yellow Lentil Puree, Mint Chicken with Coconut Rice, Mango Kulfi

Who would enjoy this book? Anyone who just stocked their spice cupboard and needs to put it to work, cooks interested in an accessible introduction to Indian cuisine

• Who wrote it: Bal Arneson

• Who published it: Whitecap Books

• Other highlights: Indian spices don’t always have to be used for Indian cooking, as Bal Arneson proves in this cookbook of spiced up mealtime favorites. Some of her combinations are so very intriguing, like a spinach and asparagus soup spiced with garam masala and steak with roasted coriander and blue cheese.

This book also provides a very accessible way to start learning the spices and ingredients used in Indian cooking. The majority of the ingredients will be familiar and readily available at your local grocery store, and then there will be the one ingredient — say, fenugreek or bitter melon — that will ask you to stretch your culinary muscles a little bit. There are the cooks that will jump head first into a new cuisine and those that like to ease in slowly: this book is for the latter.

Find the book at your local library, independent bookstore, or Amazon: Bal’s Spice Kitchen by Bal Arneson

• Visit the author’s website: Spice Goddess

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