The Indian Delia [Smith], who is credited with having invented chicken tikka masala.

The best Indian cookbooks ever, as judged by the experts.

Mrs Balbir Singh is the Julia Child, Mrs Beeton or Martha Stewart of India. To us chefs, she is the big bang moment of modern-day Indian home cookery. In each cuisine, there is always to be found a hero — and Mrs Singh has as good a claim to that title for Indian food as anyone.

The only book that could produce food that tasted like real North Indian — a book that Indians would want to cook from, as all the flavours were true and recognizable.

Almost every chef of my generation has a special bond with Mrs Balbir Singh's book.

I have a very high opinion of Mrs Balbir Singh. She wrote for us Indians — for those who wished to familiarize themselves with more elegant styles of cooking.

Thank God for the food historians who trace chicken tikka masala back to Mrs Balbir Singh's Shahi Chicken Masala.

We Delhiwallas have forgotten the debt we owe her. Thank you, Mrs Singh.

The gold standard for Indian cooking.

One of the 7 dishes the world must thank India for.