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

A beautifully written book, giving an authentic perspective of being in Bombay. I consider myself to be a pretty competent cook when it comes to Indian cooking since having my interest awakened during Covid. The recipes in this book has taken my interest (and cooking) to another level. I’m now using ingredients that I previously hadn’t heard of (all readily available to buy on Amazon). A book of substantial size that is a pleasure to read and discover new, amazing Indian dishes. Highly recommended !

This is more than just a cookbook — it’s a large, beautifully presented collection of Indian recipes inspired by the Dishoom restaurants. Curry lovers will find a wealth of dishes here, from rich vegetarian meals to bold meat curries. Since buying it, I’ve returned again and again to the lamb curry recipes — they’re hot, deeply spiced, and capture the authentic Bombay flavours Dishoom is known for. What really sets this book apart is the balance between food and storytelling. The cultural notes and anecdotes bring the recipes to life, making it feel like a journey through Indian cooking traditions as much as a step-by-step guide. This isn’t a quick weeknight cookbook, but rather one to savour. The recipes reward a little extra time and attention, and the results feel truly restaurant-style. Highly recommended for anyone who enjoys Indian cuisine, wants to recreate Dishoom dishes at home, or simply appreciates a cookbook that’s as enjoyable to read as it is to cook from. 👉 Hope you enjoy the recipes and find this useful.

Wonderful book. Beautifully illustrated and very interesting text. Fabulous recipes.

What a phenomenal book, I don't usually leave reviews but I just HAD TO for this. First of all, it is HUGE, both in dimensions and number of pages. I'm not sure why I was expecting a small book, but this is GIANT. I love the hardback material of the covers, I'm not sure what it is about the texture of the cover but it's nice. The minimalistic cover design is timeless. I love the large gold lettering down the spine which makes it stand out and a beautiful asset to the bookshelf. It is also perfect for a coffee table book or otherwise display book to be browsed through. Now to the content... I can only describe it as magical. The pages are so absorbing, I found myself lost in it for ages as soon as I opened the book. It takes the reader on a journey through Bombay, and also through time. So much history, culture and beauty is shared. This is so much more than a cookbook, it's a treasure. The recipes became the last thing on my mind! But now to the food... I was expecting a little recipe book, in the hopes that it will help me to cook food remotely similar to the delicious dishes served in the Dishoom restaurants, but I got so much more. I haven't yet cooked from the recipes in the book but, if the beauty of the pages, the detail in the instructions, and the sheer variety of dishes on offer in the book are anything to go by, I have very very high hopes that this book will continue to beyond exceed my expectations! I am immediately buying another as a housewarming gift for my sister. Thank you to the Dishoom family for creating this for us. They could have easily written up something quick, easy, of lower quality in both content and actual physical publication/print, for the sake of making some money. But they absolutely did not! So much heart, soul, time, effort, and dreams have gone in to producing this. I feel like it has been made to be treasured, and that I will for sure.

The story: Whenever I typed the words ‘vegetarian or vegan cookbook’ in Amazon’s search engine, this book kept cropping up. I’ve never heard of Dishoom let alone visited the restaurants. As I’ve decided to give Indian cooking a go this Autumn/Winter, I thought I’d have a look Ü The book: Comprising of 399 pages in hardcover, with teal blue coloured front and backboards with navy ink drawings and narrative and gold blocked title heading. The spine being trimmed in navy gold blocked cloth. Measuring H28cmx W19cmx D4.25cm, this is a very smart, good looking book, complete with page ribbon. Open the front cover to reveal a pull-out map of Bombay depicting points of interest within the area. On the reverse is an advertising treat for those who love vintage advertising ephemera. The book commences with a dedication page to Rashmi Thakrar whose son and nephew are two of the authors. The title page is followed by three double page photographic spreads and a single, which are not described. The contents page is split into Breakfast, Mid-morning snacks, Lunch, Afternoon refreshments, Sunset snacks, First, Second and Third Dinners, Pudding and Tipples, followed by Ingredients & cookery guidance, Preparatory recipes, Breads, Chutneys, pickles & dressings and Menu suggestions. Commencing with ‘Welcome to Bombay’ we are introduced to a colourful and amusing description of what one will encounter on arrival. This lasts for 12 pages. Breakfast at 08:00 hrs I was expecting the commencement of recipes, but no, more narrative for a further 9 pages then a recipe for Akuri which is similar to scrambled eggs which is an Iranian café classic we’re told. This is page 36. There follows three further egg inspired breakfasts then you’re greeted by Chicken Livers on Toast. The recipes go on with various dead animal concoctions, then the obligatory baked beans, porridge, granola, breakfast lassi, marmalade and jams. 13 recipes in all, plus how to make something known as ‘Fire Toast’; yes its toast and butter... Mid-Morning snacks at 10:00 hrs more narrative for 11 pages, followed by 7 recipes for buns, puffs (pastry parcels), cheese sticks, biscuits and Masala Chai. Lunch at ‘midday’, you guessed it, more narrative for 9 pages. The first ‘real’ recipe i.e. a curry and we are now on page 100. The book continues in this vain throughout. All measurements are in grams, tsp and tbsp. Being a cook from scratch kind-a gal, my pantry is pretty well stocked. In the Ingredients section of the book, I found three items that I’ve never used; Charoli seeds, Fine sev and Kewda water, available from Asian stores, further investigation found them in larger supermarkets and their websites and from online retailers as well. Therefore all ingredients in the book are easily obtainable in the UK. The verdict: Might have been a prudent move on my part to read the reviews first; this book is not vegetarian let alone vegan (!) There are ‘recipes’ for; eggs on toast ‘Kejriwal’, toast and butter ‘Fire Toast’, grilling corn-on-the-cob ‘Butter-Bhutta’, cheese on toast ‘Chilli Cheese Toast’ and cocktails - Really? I’m stating nothing further. Some reviewers have mentioned that the masalas take a few hours to make. However, in the Cookery Guidance section it states ‘... ready-prepared spice masalas are used... because their lengthy ingredient lists make them impractical to prepare, namely channa masala, pav bhaji masala and chaat masala’. As with most things there’s always a work around. Another reviewer stated that ‘it doesn’t have many photos of the end results’. Every single recipe has an accompanying photograph. If you’re a novice to Indian cuisine, impatient or time lacking, this may be a book to bypass. The recipes are not for the feint hearted; some call for an inordinate amount of preparation work, but if you’re the type that has patience and likes to spend weekends cooking, then go for it. I would suggest however, that the instructions are read through first as you may find that there is a cross reference to another recipe requiring further ingredients and preparation. Unfortunately, I will not be keeping the book and nor will I be able to experience the ‘incredible food’ served in the restaurants as I am vegan. However, it is a wonderful personal diary/travel/history book (with recipes thrown in) and if that is your thing, you will not be disappointed.

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What a lovely book! Large format, beautiful photos and the text is very engaging to read. This is not a cookbook in the traditional sense, it's more a cultural history with photos and a wealth of recipes. This is the type book you can open at random and start reading or start at the beginning, as the mood strikes. I have not yet cooked any of the recipes but they are easy to follow and well explained, so I'm sure the results in the kitchen will be great. I use my Kindle for most book purchases now but I purchased Dishoom in printed, book form and I strongly suggest you do as well. This is one that would loose a lot on a small screen. As a printed book it's fantastic, I can't wait to get a few oil smudges on it propped up in my kitchen next to the stove while I chop onions!

Love this cookbook!!

This is a fantastic book. I wish all cook books were like this. I am from the south of India, but this book makes you fall in love with South Mumbai. The photographs and the write ups - in addition to the recipes - are to be experienced. It was such a joy to read this book.

This is THE Mumbai cookbook. Literal standard bearer for cookbooks. It’s not pedantic or complicated with weird English. Just (short) interesting stories, beautiful photographs and PERFECT recipes. Meaning the measurements and directions are so on point and accurate. You can not mess it up which is important given how many expensive ingredients Indian food has. Americans should buy Anchor Hocking glass measuring cups (4 cup and 2 cup) when you buy this. It will have liters and grams printed alongside the ounces which will take all the thinking out of the British measurements. You can just measure like you normally would. Whenever my “Angrezi” friends (white) ask for an Indian recipe or cookbook, this is the one. Clear, concise, accurate and DELICIOUS. Printed in Italy, this is the book to have when it comes to Indian cooking. Bear in mind India is a very big country/sub continent and these are not all encompassing. No butter chicken type stuff. But I would go so far as to compare this to the Julia Child cookbook for French cooking, it’s a must have in this day and age of internet recipes, you will actually use this one to look things up and will not need to sift through reviews to find the best one. Especially the desserts; Indian desserts are complicated and these are perfectly authentic and explained. We’ll worth the money.