Dishoom: The first ever cookbook from the much-loved Indian restaurant

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Koolar & Co. has a specific importance for me. Not far away is a small ground-floor flat in an unremarkable building, where my mother and I spent a few months of my very early life. My family had been thrown out of our home on another continent, and Bombay was our refuge when we had nowhere else to go. We actually celebrated my first birthday here in Koolar & Co. and apparently we had a little cake. This would certainly be a memory I would lovingly treasure if I had it. Cover the biryani pot/casserole tightly with 2 layers of foil. Set over a high heat for 2-3 minutes until the foil puffs up and you see a little steam start to escape. Put the lid on, transfer to the oven and bake for 30-35 minutes. Let the biryani stand, still covered, for 10 minutes before serving with raita, if you like. The gram flour is for making your own bhajis, and dishes such as sweet laddoo or dumplings. Meanwhile, the tamarind pulp is fantastic for creating a distinctive sweet, tangy flavour in recipes such as the creamy yoghurt Dahi Bhalla Chaat. At long last, we’re delighted to say that we’ve written the Dishoom cookery book, with over 100 recipes for the Bombay comfort food and drink that we love.

Add the vegetable oil to the pan and swirl to ensure the base is coated. Add the fine salt to the onion mix and toss well. When the oil is hot, tip the contents of the bowl into the pan and let the mixture sizzle for 40 seconds, stirring regularly so nothing burns. Just beyond the playground is a vantage point from which you can admire the generous sweep of the bay. The Portuguese clambered ashore in the sixteenth century when there was little more than a clutch of seven tropical islands at the edge of the Arabian Sea. Imagine this view without buildings and with a lot more sand and palms. The place was named bom bahia ( good bay in Portuguese) which eventually became Bombay.

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Makhani sauce Place a large saucepan over a medium heat and add 175ml of vegetable oil (or less, see intro). Add 15g of sliced garlic and fry until it just starts to turn golden and crispy. Remove the garlic with a slotted spoon and drain on some kitchen paper.

However, Bombay came together rather than falling apart. Naresh Fernandes – a passionate advocate of the need for shared spaces in Bombay – writes in his book, City Adrift, that "Freedom came amidst a shortage of milk and sugar as Bombay devoured piles of celebratory sweets. At midnight on 15 August 1947, B.G. Kher… head of the provincial ministry, raised the tricolour… and declared, ‘Citizens of free India, you are now free’. After a shastri, a moulvi, a Catholic bishop and a Parsi priest said appropriate prayers, Kher touched a switch and the buildings behind him burst into light. A mighty roar went up and brass bands blared out raucous tunes. A river of revellers swept through the streets, waving tricolours, riding in trams and on top of them. While Delhi and Calcutta were wrenched apart by riots sparked by the anxieties of Partition, Bombay was joyous and peaceful. Reported The Times of India, ‘Hundreds of thousands marched cheering through the illuminated streets of Bombay, uninterruptedly shouting slogans in a multitude of tongues, which turned the city at midnight into a Babel.’" A beautiful book that will transport your palate straight to the Irani cafés of Bombay.” – Susan Low Put the chopped chilli, coriander and red onion into a bowl. Remove and discard the seeds from the other tomato half, finely chop the flesh and add to the bowl. Add the turmeric and chilli powder. Set the bowl to one side. Put the bread in your toaster now. For me, the Irani cafés are a significant part of this seduction. Once liberally sprinkled across the city, only twenty-five or so remain, all of them old, comfortable and worn. All who know them well seem to have fond memories of them – as places for bunking off school, or debating politics and philosophy with the idealistic energy of youth, or for escaping, deeply, into a book, all accompanied by chai. The Irani cafés were places for growing up, and for growing old, whoever you were.Heat the grill to high. Put the potatoes on a baking tray. Brush with oil and grill until crispy and browned – 5-7 minutes. Turn the potatoes over and repeat to As you learn to cook the comforting Dishoom menu at home, you will also be taken on a day-long tour of south Bombay, peppered with much eating and drinking. You'll discover the simple joy of early chai and omelette at Kyani and Co., of dawdling in Horniman Circle on a lazy morning, of eating your fill on Mohammed Ali Road, of strolling on the sands at Chowpatty at sunset or taking the air at Nariman Point at night. So this book is a total delight. The photography, the recipes and above all, the stories. I’ve never read a book that has made me look so longingly at my suitcase.” – Nigel Slater First, soak the rice – put it in a large bowl and cover generously with water. Using your fingers, gently move the rice around in the water to remove the starch, being careful not to break up the grains. Allow the rice to settle, then pour off the water. Repeat twice with fresh water, then cover with fresh water and soak for 45 minutes. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, we hope you will be replete with recipes and stories to share with all who come to your table. There is nothing that we love more than feeding you all in our restaurants, and we are extremely happy to be sharing our Dishoom recipes, so that you can cook them in your own kitchen.

For the marinade, blitz the ingredients together in a blender or mini food processor to a smooth paste.Toast the bread until very lightly browned on both sides. Set aside to cool slightly while you prepare the topping. Put a small handful of the grated cheese (roughly 10g), 1 tsp chopped spring onion and a pinch of green chilli to one side, to be used when you fry the egg(s).