San Francisco has quite the fondness for Indian food: Naan 'n Currys are opening faster than you can say "tikka masala," and Dosa has been bustling since exposing the city to south Indian cuisine a year and a half ago. But with the publication of two new books by local culinary luminaries, you no longer have to go out to enjoy great curries and dals.

5 Spices, 50 Dishes: Simple Indian Recipes Using Five Common Spices (Chronicle Books, $19.95), by cooking instructor Ruta Kahate, is particularly welcoming to the novice. Her philosophy is that by using different combinations of five basic spices, home cooks can create a bounty of simple, flavorful Indian dishes, without stepping into a specialty-food store.

My Bombay Kitchen: Traditional and Moden Parsi Home Cooking (University of California Press, $19.95), by Niloufer Ichaporia King, is an enchanting introduction to Parsi cuisine (the food of Persian immigrants to India). King's vibrant collection of dishes include chicken mahlavia (baked in a lush cream sauce) and mouth-watering egg dishes such as green chutney soufflé. King, a Bay Area resident for 36 years and longtime friend of Alice Water , has overseen