Fresh Spice: Vibrant Recipes for Bringing Flavour, Depth and Colour to Home Cooking

This Tiggerish man of spice has been a quietly fizzing fire-cracker for far too long, now. So, thank heavens he has finally exploded with this exciting and colourful book.

Simon Hopkinson, writer, cook and author

Arun Kapil's cookery book sparkles with delightful international recipes and a knowledgeable, enthusiastic use of seasonings. Dozens of dishes cry out to be made and eaten immediately, such as the Roast Herbed Salmon with Cardamom Sauce, which I made as soon as I came across it, and the Poached chicken with Lemon Grass and Herbs, which will just have to wait until tomorrow.

Madhur Jaffrey, writer, cook and author

When I finally wrestled this book from my spice-crazy teen boys, I could see why they were so excited about it. Arun starts from a practical, accessible ingredient base then piles on the layers of beautifully balanced flavour, building the most delectable collection of do-able world-food recipes I've seen in years.

Trish Deseine, Food writer and author

Ten of the best cookbooks to buy this Christmas A hotly anticipated debut from the Green Saffron spice maestro…doesn t disappoint ,The Irish Times, December 2014

A book to be read cover to cover, Katy McGuiness, Irish Sunday Times

This book is so pretty and mouthwatering! Getting to know your way around the spice cabinet is essential to good cooking. This gorgeous book, packed with accessible and delicious recipes will definitely amplify your repertoire.

Mary Sue Milliken, Chef and Owner, Border Grill restaurants and truck

Spice cookery has grown up. In a world of monochrome seasoning of white salt and black pepper, Fresh Spice breaks with tradition and fuses together spices and dishes from different cultures to create a unique cookbook. In the introduction Arun describes how to buy and cook with spices and takes a simple look at the science of flavour and the role of ayurvedic medicine in blending spices.

In the comprehensive A-Z of Spices, he gives a description of the spices used in the book, along with their flavour and aroma profiles and how best to buy them. The science of cooking with spices is explored alongside the key rules for blending them together. The first rule is to divide them into categories of base, medium and high notes, with base being the earthy, strong spices such as turmeric, and high being more fragrant spices such as cardamom; the second is to divide them into colour groups, and to try to stay roughly within these when blending. But the real highlight of this book is its 120 extraordinary recipes, which use spices to transform classic dishes from all over the world. There's Poached chicken with lemongrass and herbs, Roast herbed salmon with cardamom sauce, Asafoetida risotto with walnuts and celery leaf, winter leaves & spiced squash and Ginger & lime pudding. This book will change your perception of seasoning, flavours, textures and taste, as well as how you use spice.