Asma’s Indian Kitchen

In her stellar debut cookbook, the Netflix “Chef ’s Table” star and London chef Asma Khan brings her food to our kitchens. A natural storyteller, Khan shares her journey from her native Kolkata, India, to London, where she owns the Darjeeling Express. The recipes reflect and celebrate her Bengali heritage as well as the influence of the Mughal empire in India.

Chingri Bhaaja — large prawns seasoned and fried in ghee — are deliciously fragrant and make a wonderful starter. The creamy Macher Malaikari (fish cooked in coconut milk) carries a rich velvety texture, and as Khan explains, has an interesting history. The unusual use of coconut in the curry was brought back by Bengali laborers sent to the Malay Peninsula during British colonial rule.

Khan’s delightful spiced Begun Bhaja, or fried eggplant slices, provides a crunchy contrast to the smooth curry. The larger dishes can also be served with a generous stack of hot puris (fried whole-wheat flatbread) or a big spoonful of the Mattar Pulao, basmati rice cooked with aromatic spices and green peas. For dessert, the splendid Shahi Tukra, or “royal morsel,” recipe has you soak fried bread in milk tinged with saffron threads and cool cardamom, a dish classically served in ancient Mughal courts.

A feast for the senses, the book has approachable recipes for every cook and provides a much-needed insight into the world of regional Indian cooking.

“Asma’s Indian Kitchen: Home-Cooked Food Brought to You by Darjeeling Express,” by Asma Khan (Pavilion Books; 192 pages; $30).

Pavilion Books