Let's face it: Indian food can be intimidating to some. Not only in navigating your way through a long menu of unfamiliar dishes at restaurants, but also in attempting to cook recipes at home that call for ingredients not easily found at your neighborhood grocery store.

Yet that's precisely what makes the cuisine so attractive and addicting, too. It's the sense of discovery and adventure for the palate that can't help but leave you hungry for more.

Monica Bhide recognizes that all too well. The New Delhi native, who now lives in Washington D.C., is a former engineer turned food writer whose work has appeared in the New York Times and the Washington Post.

As a wife and working mom of two young sons, she knows the challenge of putting good tasting and good-for-you meals on the table. Her third and newest cookbook, "Modern Spice'' (Simon & Schuster) is written for the home cook who is eager to try making Indian dishes, but who doesn't have all the time in the world to do so.

That's not to say that you won't have to seek out some specialty ingredients for some of these recipes. For instance, paneer (Indian cheese), sev (thin, salted gram flour "noodles,'' asafetida, and fresh curry leaves. But Bhide leads you by the hand, by telling you which brands of prepared sauces, pastes, rice, curry powders, and chaat masala she favors, and precisely how best to use them.

She also includes quite a few quick-cooking recipes such as Acorn Squash with Five Spices, Chile Squid, and Shrimp in Green-Mango Butter Sauce. Additionally, there are a number of make-ahead condiments to add pizzazz to any meal, including Pineapple Lentil Relish, and Kumquat and Mango Chutney with Onion Seeds.
With so much summer squash for sale at the farmers' markets now, I couldn't help but be attracted to her recipe for Pan-Fried Zucchini and Yellow Squash with Cumin.

Bhide writes in the book that it is one of her favorite Monday night recipes because it is so simple and quick. That it definitely is. Moreover, the dish calls for ingredients that you probably already have handy in your pantry and fridge.

Yellow squash, red bell peppers, and zucchini are diced to create a vibrantly colored medley. The vegetables are tossed into a hot pan, in which cumin seeds have been toasted. Chile flakes are added for heat, and turmeric for its distinctive, shocking yellow hue. Lemon juice ties all the flavors together. And a last-minute sprinkling of cilantro leaves gives the dish added brightness.

It makes for a nice light side dish that would be fabulous alongside fish, shrimp or scallops. The spices lend earthy, slightly bitter notes that really warm your body.

The dish comes together in all of 15 minutes.

With a dish this easy and satisfying, there's no excuse to be intimidated by Indian cooking any more.

See what Carolyn's version of the Pan-Fried Zucchini looks like on her blog Food Gal.

Pan-Fried Zucchini and Yellow Squash with Cumin

From Modern Spice by Monica Bhide. Simon & Schuster, 2009

This has got to be one of my favorite Monday night recipes, because it's so simple and quick. You can vary the taste by changing the spice from cumin to coriander or mustard seeds. I don't peel the zucchini but you can if you prefer.

Serves 4

Prep/Cook time: 15 minutes

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cumin seeds
• 1 large zucchini, diced
• 1 small yellow squash, diced
• 1/2 organic red bell pepper, seeded and diced
• 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1/2 teaspoon red chile flakes
• Table salt
• 1/2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• Fresh cilantro leaves for garnish

1. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the cumin seeds. When the seeds begin to sizzle, add the zucchini, squash, and bell pepper.

2. Fry the vegetables over high heat until they soften and begin to brown, 8 to 9 minutes.

3. Add the turmeric and chile flakes and cook for another minute, until the spices are well mixed with the vegetables. Stir in salt to taste.

4. Serve hot, sprinkled with lemon juice and garnished with cilantro.

About Modern Spice

Born in New Delhi, raised in the Middle East, and living in Washington, D.C., acclaimed food writer Monica Bhide is the perfect representative of the new generation of Indian American cooks who have taken traditional dishes, painstakingly prepared by their Indian mothers and grandmothers, and updated them for modern American lifestyles and tastes. Respectful of the techniques and history of Indian cuisine but eager to experiment, Bhide has written simple but deeply flavorful recipes. Modern Spice takes the vibrant tastes of India into the twenty-first century with a cookbook that is young, fun, sassy, and bold.

Available at Amazon.com 

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