This beautiful cookery book and its equally beautiful photography will transport you to Dishoom's most treasured corners of an eccentric and charming Bombay. Read it, and you will find yourself replete with recipes and stories to share with all who come to your table. Meanwhile, toast all the seeds in a hot dry frying pan for 2 minutes until fragrant. Crush them in a pestle and mortar, then set aside. Add the prawns and tomatoes to the sauce and simmer gently for a further 5-6 minutes, until the prawns are cooked; do not overcook or they will be tough. 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.

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. However, as you spend more time in Bombay you might begin to see past your first impressions, past the crowds, past the extremes and into the layers: Portuguese then British colonial rule, massive inward migration from both land and sea, development of enterprise and wealth, myriad and unexpected ethnicities, religions, cultures and languages. It’s certainly the biggest, fastest, densest and richest city of India. But it is also the most cosmopolitan; it is startlingly full of accumulated difference. In a way, it seems that this accumulated difference, and its complete internalisation, has become the nature of the city itself. So many different voices from so many different places telling so many different stories joined together to become Bombay.

Lunch: chicken tikka

Readers from far and wide have responded by buying copies for friends and families, Thakrar said, with the charity reporting “some kind donations” as well. In fact, this very park was once home to one of Bombay’s most loved Irani cafés. Café Naaz used to sit up here on Malabar Hill, enjoying the same view that you are now enjoying. Many a Bombay teenager went on a shy or secretive date here. If they really wanted to impress, they could pay a little extra for the best views of the bay. But after wrangles over an expired lease, the café closed, and the space is being redeveloped. Cafés like Naaz are now gradually disappearing from the collective memory of the city.

As you learn to cook the Dishoom menu, you’ll also 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. The Irani cafés were not just a source of romantic nostalgia. They were also important. Nineteenth-century Bombay is often and rightly described as a cosmopolitan city, but eating out was uncommon and almost always segregated. Religions had strong and specific prescriptions on diet, with caste an additional division. Further, the colonists created racially exclusive spaces. Those with brown skin couldn’t enter the Yacht Club or the Bombay Gymkhana and generally weren’t allowed to eat in the dining halls of hotels. (The great Parsi industrialist, Jamsetji Tata, changed this when he opened the Taj Mahal Palace hotel where the rule was clear that no one could ever be denied access for being Indian.) This sweet and spicy take on chai makes a wonderful alternative to your run-of-the-mill cuppa. It’s best served piping hot – just make sure you’ve got a pot nearby for refills. By now, you may have an initial impression of Bombay. It’s a crowded place, of course. Glass and steel alternates with corrugated iron and then gives way to fading Art Deco and wild, slightly oriental Gothic. It’s not really the same as the rest of India. It’s somewhat monochromatic, with less of the colour that people seem to associate with the country. It is clearly a city of massive and closely juxtaposed extremes.A beautiful book that will transport your palate straight to the Irani cafés of Bombay.” – Susan Low Let the grated cheese come up to room temperature; it needs to be quite soft and workable. Heat the oven to 240°C/Fan 220°C/Gas 9. Place a baking tray inside to warm up. Remove the potatoes from the grill and divide each one in half, using a metal spoon so you create rough edges. Put the potatoes straight into the spice bowl and toss until well combined. Grate the remaining garlic and the ginger to a fine paste on a microplane (or grind in a mortar). Using a blender, blitz the chopped tomatoes to a fine consistency.

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. In 1947, the joyous awakening of the nation to life and freedom was stained with the blood from Partition. The violent rupture of the subcontinent into India and Pakistan resulted in perhaps a million deaths. Once you have found your places of refuge, Bombay first becomes human and then – without you noticing exactly when – it completes the seduction and becomes delightful. Put the couscous into a microwavable container (a large mug is ideal). Add 60ml boiling water and the olive oil, and microwave on high for one minute. Leave to stand for five minutes, then fluff up with a fork. (The couscous can be cooked in a small pan over a medium heat, but it’s just a very small quantity.) Once forked through, leave the couscous to cool. Heat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/gas 6. Pour 2 litres boiling water into a large pan and add the salt and lime juice.A gorgeous book that delves into the history and flavours of Mumbai's Irani cafes, so evocative that I can smell the keema pau even before I’ve started cooking. And like Dishoom itself, it’s fun and accessible.” – Xanthe Clay While all eight of Dishoom’s restaurants have had to temporarily close their doors, there are plenty of ways you can help Dishoom (and get your Dishoom fix!) at home. First, soak the rice. Put the rice into 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. Let the rice settle, then pour off the water. Repeat twice more, each time with fresh water, then cover again with fresh water and leave to soak for 45 minutes.

While the curry is simmering, place a small frying pan over a medium-high heat and add the remaining 1 tbsp oil. Toss in the rest of the curry leaves and fry for 1 minute, until crisp. Drain on kitchen paper and set aside.Add the tomatoes, salt and chilli powder to the pan. Bring to a rapid simmer and cook until reduced by half, stirring regularly so it doesn’t catch – this should take about 30 minutes. Add the butter and simmer for a further five minutes. Add the garam masala, sugar, honey, cumin, crisp garlic, kasoori methi powder and dill fronds, and cook for a further 15 minutes. Add the cream and simmer gently for five minutes. The sauce is now ready to use. Add the blended tomatoes, 2 teaspoons of salt and 1½ teaspoons of deggi mirch chilli powder to the saucepan. Bring to a bubble and cook for around 30 minutes until the sauce has reduced by about half. Stir regularly to make sure it doesn't catch. He also believed in reincarnation. We’d like to think that he is somewhere reading this dedication and diving into this book with delight. CONTENTS If Bombay was already full of all kinds of people, Irani cafés further helped to mix them physically in the same spaces and helped enhance the cosmopolitan culture of the city. When people break bread together, barriers break down. 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.