I'm starting a new series on my account called Read It and Eat, a combined post with one book review and a recipe review or dish inspired by that book. For my first installment of #ReadItAndEat, I'm sharing my review of Accidentally Engaged by Farah Heron, and the Indian picnic food that the characters make! Below you'll find the synopsis and review of the book, other recommended books, and a recipe roundup of the delicious dinner I made inspired by the book.
Accidentally Engaged is the perfect book to start with! The main character is constantly babbling about her bread baking hobby, applies to be on a cooking show, and shares so many good comfort Indian/East African foods she loves to eat! The book contains two physical recipes in the back of the book, but the author has been known to share lots of recipes on her social media and through her newsletter as well.
I was also fortunate enough to host an online book club and discussion with the author herself a few days ago! I'm so thankful for the in-depth discussion that stemmed from the event, both by Farah and the other lovely #Bookstagrammers that were on the call.
Genre: Contemporary Romance | Pages: 384
My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | My Reviews: Goodreads
Synopsis
Reena Manji dreams of writing her own cookbook and baking bread all day long. When she unexpectedly loses her corporate job, her friends convince her to follow her foodie dreams and enter the newest Canadian cooking TV contest. The catch? It's a couples cooking contest and Reena is very single. Good thing her meddling Indian parents have already arranged her engagement to Nadim, the hunkiest Muslim bachelor who happens to work for her father and moves in to the apartment right next door... Reena absolutely will not marry the man her parents set her up with, but bending the rules and faking an engagement for a cooking competition, that's perfectly fine, right?
Review
Farah Heron writes the most likable main characters. Reena is humble, awkward, and relatable - totally that girl who doesn't even know how beautiful she is. Nadim is swoon worthy and charismatic, but so thoughtful underneath his charming exterior.
While the business deals and family secret plot points felt a bit convoluted, I can see how they fueled Reena's aversion to even toying with the idea of marrying, let alone dating, someone set up by her parents! But from the moment they meet, you can't help but root for Reena and Nadim. Kudos to Farah for combining the 'Arranged Marriage' and 'Fake Dating' tropes together - something I hadn't seen done before!
"You just need to find someone who makes you chai when you are tired, and who rubs your feet when they are sore instead of insisting you are wearing the wrong shoes."
There is a super cute sourdough starter scene that will make you smile, though I won't spoil what it entails since it is an especially endearing part of their story. I also wish I could go binge watch their cooking videos that they made as entries to the contest because their chemistry was adorable. I always love a bit of steam and open-door romance, but Farah does a great job at really showing (as opposed to telling) their chemistry while also balancing a fade-to-black steam factor.
Speaking of the food... The baking aspect of the book was very meta since it seems like a lot of us have cultivated a keen fascination with sourdough and bread during quarantine this past year.
"'We'll create a bubble in this place, just you and me,' he said ... As a bread baker, she knew a thing or two about bubbles. The glorious pockets of air captured in bread dough that made it rise were not as delicate as they looked, so long as the dough had a well-developed gluten foundation ... She really hoped their foundation was strong enough to keep their bubble."
As much as I appreciated the bread, I love that I also learned a bit more about Gujarati-Indian foods and dishes (Reena's parents are Indian who come from Tanzania), all that I am excited to try. I kept a list of the foods she mentioned so that I can cook or keep an eye out for them at restaurants, including bhajias, naan, maani, dhokla, parathas, and egg curry.
I appreciated that the author took time to infuse a bit of her own experiences as a South Asian Muslim and Canadian into the book, and am glad to see more diverse romances set in modern times!
Looking for more book recommendations?
More by Farah Heron
Farah Heron's first novel, The Chai Factor, follows Amira, a practical engineering graduate student, who comes home to find her grandmother has rented the basement to Duncan, a barbershop quartet member. Can opposites attract? Bonus: Amira is Reena's best friend from Accidentally Engaged!
Farah Heron's third novel, Tahira in Bloom, publishes on November 1, 2021. This young adult novel follows 17 year old Tahira as she dreams big about becoming a fashion designer, but unexpectedly ends up in her aunt's floral shop for the summer.
Want to read more South Asian love stories?
Put Love, Chai, and Other Four-Letter Words by Annika Sharma on your list, which publishes on October 5, 2021. Kiran Mathur has vowed never to fall in love with anyone who might disappoint her parents, that is, until she meets her new neighbor Nash...
If fake dating tropes are your thing, check out The Dating Plan by Sara Desai. I haven't read this one yet, but it is also an Own Voices book which follows an Indian woman and her decoy fiancé who she hope will please her family.
Just here for the food?
You might like Sourdough by Robin Sloan, a quirky book about Lois who trades in her San Francisco tech job in order to take care of a sourdough starter after its owners mysteriously leave in a hurry.
Want to learn more?
Connect with Farah Heron by visiting her website and following her on Instagram and Twitter. Purchase Accidentally Engaged here, or wherever you buy books!
Indian Picnic Recipe Roundup
Accidentally Engaged is full of food ideas and even a few recipes. For this portion of #ReadItAndEat, I knew I wanted to make a recipe provided by Farah herself, and important to the story. Luckily, Reena and Nadim make a whole picnic meal, including Farah's naan recipe, for one of the cooking competition entries.
"They'd practiced their picnic menu in the backyard of Shayne's house only yesterday. She could do this. It was all comfort food she could make with her eyes closed. They were making grilled naan, chicken tikka skewers, grilled corn on the cob with chili and lime, and kachumber salad - classic picnic food, as far as she was concerned."
This turned out to be such a fun dinner, although all four components together were a bit time consuming. If you are just looking for a quick dinner, I recommend just buying fresh naan from the store, making the kachumber salad the night before, and making chicken tikka poppers by not threading them on a skewer to save time.
Reena and Nadim's Naan
Recipe Inspiration: Reena's Grilled Naan - Accidentally Engaged by Farah Heron
This recipe was so good and actually so fun to make! I hand kneaded the dough for about five minutes, but I think you could use a stand mixer with a dough hook if you really wanted to. The dough was the perfect size and consistency (not annoyingly sticky!) to roll out eight little naans. We used a flat cast iron skillet in this recipe, which worked great. The bubbles form rather quickly (10-15 seconds), so it's quite fun to observe and flip! The naan tasted soooo good!
Air Fryer Chicken Tikka Kebabs
Recipe Inspiration: Piping Pot Curry Chicken Tikka Kebab
We just got an air fryer so any excuse to use it is a good one. We marinated the chicken in the yogurt mixture for about 4-5 hours and then added a few leftover veggies to the mix. The skewers fit perfectly in our air fryer basket, but make sure to double check your dimensions before assembling!
Chili-Lime Roasted Corn
Recipe Inspiration: Taste of Home Baked Chili-Lime Corn
We don't have a grill, so I looked for a roasted corn recipe and found this! I love the flavor combination of corn and lime so I knew this would be a hit, and Reena seemed to think so too.
"'Tell us Reena, why have you chosen to grill the corn with the husk off? Won't the kernels get dried out?' ... 'This is how corn is cooked on streets in India and in East Africa ... The kernels are a little dryer this way, but I think the flavor is more concentrated. And after I sprinkle it with chili and lime, I guarantee, you'll never want to grill corn with the husk on again.'"
Kachumber Salad
Recipe Inspiration: Sprinkles & Sprouts Kachumber Salad
This fresh salad is pretty standard, but with a few added pops. First, I rinsed the red onions for a few seconds which took strong flavor away. I also drained the tomato/cucumber mixture after salting it so that the salad wasn't too liquidy. The added cumin, cayenne, and lemon flavors really set this apart from other salad that use tomato and cucumber.
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