Pull of Pulses: Full of Beans

While legumes, pulses and lentils are used in many parts of the world – North Africa, southern Europe, West Asia, China and the countries of Latin America – it is in the Indian sub-continent that they are cooked not just on a wide scale but also with unmatched culinary skills and imagination. The daal is a staple food of this region, consumed by all economic brackets at all times of the year.

Pull of Pulses: Full of Beans is a tribute to the rich and awesome diversity of Indian gastronomic traditions. The recipes in the book – that include not only daal curries but also daal-based snacks, savouries and sweets – cover most regions and communities of India. It also includes several international lentil recipes. A deep knowledge of world cuisine and fine understanding of flavours have immensely helped in raising the bar of one of the simplest fares of the world.

Salma Husain is a passionate cook, food historian and a Persian scholar; she has used the language in exploring the history of food. Salma has worked with the Star Celebrity Chef Gary Rhodes from London for a British television series and also with South Korean Television for their series on Indian food. She has appeared on Indian television worked as a consultant of Indian food with ITC Hotels. She writes on food for popular journals and newspapers and has award-winning cook books to her credit.

Vijay Kumar Thukral, Executive Chef, India International Centre, Delhi, has been serving the global hospitality industry for more than 35 years and the IIC since 1988. Trained in Food Craft and Food Production (Cookery), he supervises the IIC F&B section, specially contributing to IIC special dinners and food festivals.