MURDER AT ANDAMAN: A MAYA MALLICK MYSTERY, received top endorsements.
Says Cara Black, Best-selling author: MURDER AT ANDAMAN, Bharti Kirchner's latest mystery, brings a sharply observed eye to this engaging, atmospheric tale set in the Andaman Islands exploring friendship. And murder. Don't miss Murder at Andaman, I couldn't put it down.
Says Robert Dugoni, New York Times Bestselling Author: Kirchner's descriptive writing in MURDER AT ANDAMAN soothes like warm tea. A lovely mystery that immerses the reader in Indian culture and hides the outcome until the very end."
Says Curt Colbert, author: "Award-winning author Bharti Kirchner's elegant prose and rich characterizations place her firmly among the stars of the Mystery genre. In this novel, Bharti's latest, PI Maya Mallick threads her way through murder, love, honor, and betrayal set in the picturesque backdrop of India's exotic Andaman Islands."
Says Sujata massey: Three cheers for Maya Mallick, the elegant and accomplished detective starring in Bharti Kirchner's charming new novel. MURDER AT ANDAMAN offers a richly detailed insider's view of a mysterious island chain in India with a dark history. Read it, enjoy, and pack your bags!
Bharti's seventh novel, Season of Sacrifice: A Maya Mallick Mystery, is available in hardcover, paperback and as a Kindle edition. Seattle Weekly names it as one of the top five books to look forward to this fall.
Her 2016 historical novel, Goddess of Fire, was shortlisted for the Nancy Pearl Award in Fiction.
Read Bharti's article, Look Back, about writing a historical novel in the Oct 2015 issue of The Writer. Bharti wins a 4Culture Literature Grant for her novel-in-progress Season of Sacrifice.
Read Bharti's article, Food at your Fingertips, in the March 2013 issue of The Writer.
Bharti wins a 2012 4-Culture Literature award and a CityArtists Project award for a novel-in-progress Goddess of Fire.
She received a residency at VCCA (Virginia Center for Literary Arts).
Bharti's recent articles in The Writer magazine have been: transitions and character naming in November 2012, flashbacks in January 2012, a how-to piece in August 2012 issue and several more in the April 2012 issue.
Bharti's essay has been included in the literary anthology, IMAGINATION and PLACE: WEATHER. Another essay "Kimchi and Chrysanthemum" has been published in the anthology: Foreign Flavors
Read Bharti's essays in two other anthologies. NIGHT LIGHT: Twenty Short Works by Northwest Authors and WHEN IT RAINS.
Bharti's short story, Promised Tulips, is published in Seattle Noir, an anthology of mystery short stories. Publisher's Weekly calls her story one of the two best in the collection. Her book reviews can be found in the Seattle times. Bharti has been honored as a Living Pioneer Asian American Author.
From KUOW: "At 2:40 p.m. – Cooking Klatch: Bharti Kirchner
If you've spent your life straddling different countries, then your world is full of mixed influences in all kinds of ways – from language to clothing to music. But for some, food is the most vital link to any place. Bharti Kirchner grew up in India but she's lived most of her adult life in the United States. Practically every day she reaches into her grab bag of cultural experience to make choices when she cooks. And the result is a grande American mix. Bharti Kirchner is the author of four cookbooks as well as four novels. Today she shares a few recipes with Sara Lerner that combine the flavors and spices of India with Northwest staples."
LIME-TAMARIND DRESSING
Recipe adapted from Indian Inspired by Bharti Kirchner.
½ tsp. tamarind concentrate
5 tsp. sugar
6 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
Combine tamarind and sugar with a little lime juice and stir until smooth. Add the remaining lime juice, a little at a time, adjusting the amount according to taste. Chill until needed.
Yields 1/3 cup, enough for a salad for 4.
INDIAN POTATO SALAD
Serves 4 to 5
1 1/2 lb. Yukon Gold potatoes, unpeeled, cut into 1-inch cubes
2 Tbsp. olive or canola oil
1 cup chopped onion
½ tsp. black mustard seeds (available in Indian markets)
2 Tbsp. lime juice
1 tsp. garam masala (available in Indian markets)
Salt
Garnish: Chopped parsley or cilantro
Steam potatoes until tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Cover and set aside.
Heat oil in a large skillet. Add onion and sauteuntil soft, 5 to 10 minutes. Add mustard seeds. When the seeds start to pop, add the potatoes and mix well. Stir and cook for a minute or so. Add lime juice, salt, and garam masala. Taste for salt.
Serve warm or at room temperature, garnished with parsley or cilantro.
VEGETABLE MEDLEY
Serves 4 to 5
Recipe adapted from The Healthy Cuisine of India: Recipes from Bengal Region by Bharti Kirchner
2 Tbsp. olive or canola oil
½ tsp. Indian five-spice (available in Indian Markets; see Note)
3 Tbsp. peeled, minced fresh gingerroot
½ tsp. ground turmeric
½ tsp. ground cumin
Salt
3 Roma tomatoes, chopped
½ lb. new potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
1 small yam, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
2 cups cauliflower florets, 1 ½ inches in diameter
1 cup green beans, cut crosswise into 1 ½-inch strips
2 cups eggplant, cut into 1-inch cubes
Dash chili flakes
½ cup thawed frozen peas
1 tsp. garam masala (available in Indian markets)
Garnish: Toasted cashews
Heat oil in a deep skillet. Add Indian five-spice. When the seeds start to pop, add gingerroot and stir several times. Add turmeric and cumin and mix well. Add salt, tomatoes and ½ cup water. Add potatoes and yams. Simmer, covered, 15 minutes, adding more water if necessary.
Add cauliflower, green beans, eggplant, and chili flakes. Simmer, covered, another 10 minutes, adding more water to prevent sticking. Uncover and cook another 5 to 10 minutes till the vegetables are almost tender, sprinkling a little water as necessary. Add peas. Cover and simmer another 3 to 5 minutes. Blend in garam masala. Using the back of a spoon, mash a few of the potato and yam pieces and mix well. Adjust salt.
Garnish with toasted cashews and serve.
Note: Indian five-spice (panch phoron) is a mixture of five whole spices, consisting of cumin, black mustard seeds, kalonji (onion seeds), fennel, and fenugreek.
