Mother India at Home: Recipes Pictures Stories

Who’s the author? Monir Mohammed, owner of the award-winning restaurant, Mother India at Westminster Terrace in Glasgow and acclaimed photographer Martin Gray.

What’s it about? The book incorporates a first person account of Monir’s personal culinary journey, with a photo essay of the life of one of the world's great Indian restaurants as an integral cog in the cultural melting pot of a modern British city. Alongside this is a collection of recipes, some of which are signature Mother India dishes, and others designed specifically for home cooking.

Recipes we love: Chana Daal with Scallops, seasoned Scottish haddock with Puy lentils and Delhi-style Scottish lamb.

Good book for: People who are are tired of cooking inauthentic British korma or masala and are looking for an education in top level Indian cooking.

You’ll like it if: You're a fan of the Mother India restaurants or simply want to broaden your horizons when it comes to Indian cuisine.

Mother India at Westminster Terrace in Glasgow, has been an institution since 1996 and specialises in dishes exciting and quality Indian food, all cooked fresh to order. The strategy has been hugely popular, allowing expansion to five outlets, including tapas, take- aways and a Mother India Cafe in Edinburgh. Mother India is regularly ranked in Herald restaurant critic Ron MacKenna’s top 10 Scottish restaurants.

Each recipe draws upon Monir's story: his beginnings as a boy from a British Asian family who started working in restaurants at 14 and his pivotal stay in the Punjab in his late teens where he learned the ancient principles of Indian home cooking from scratch. The book tells the story of the risks he took to build a personal, authentic style of Indian cooking. There are human stories running through the recipes as well: Hajra Bibi's Salmon was inspired by a dish his mother (Hajra Bibi) used to make them as children.