Product Description
Cooking Along the Ganges gathers hundreds of recipes that featured on the menu of the renowned Ganges Restaurant in San Francisco.Including a combination of both authentic North Western (Gujarati) and other, regional-Indian recipes, the book offers a unique panorama of the extremely diverse, Indian tradition of vegetarian cooking.For both the novice cook and the expert chef, Cooking Along the Ganges will serve as a detailed guide that will both demystify the intricacies of Indian cookery and illuminate the health-conscious, flavorful recipes for which the Ganges Restaurant is famous. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

A Timeless Classic
These are recipes you won't find anywhere else. This is a cookbook you will take down again and again.Malvi Doshi writes concisely and in an easy to follow manner from the novice to the expert. I had the good fortune to frequent her restaurant, "The Ganges" when she had it. Alais, there are only two ways to get her cullinary expertise now, live in the Berkley area and attend a class, or this cookbook.Her original cookbook, "The Ganges" while out of print remains a well loved (if not food smeared) classic.
I personally stopped "collecting" cookbooks with the advent of web based recipe searches, but this book, this book, is more than something to hold a distinguished place on any fine cooks shelf.This book is one to be used and treasured for a lifetime.
Thank you, Mrs. Doshi for your wisdom and guidance.I have waited along time for more of your wonderful, mouth-watering recipes!

A Classic
I consider myself a very experienced amateur cook, with special interest in Asian and Indian cooking.Although I'm not a vegetarian (too many tasty meat dishes to give up), I bought this book based on friends and acquaintences ravings about Ms. Doshi's former restaurant in San Francisco.

I have not been disappointed.Unlike most other Indian cookbooks, this one specializes in a relatively unknown regional cuisine of Gujurat.There are many recipes I have not found in other books.Despite the relative obscurity of these recipes, the book manages to describe them very thoroughly and all the recipes I have tried thus far have been fairly easy to follow.An added plus is that minimal oil is used so this book would be very good for the health conscious.

In summary, the strengths of this book are the great number diversity of recipes, excellant writing, thoroughness of descriptions, and inclusion of relatively hard to find recipes.The only major weakness is the paucity of illustrations. I would highly recommend this cookbook to Indian cuisine afficianados who want to learn more about Indian cooking beyond the usual curries and tandoori dishes.

a super resource for vegetarian Indian cuisine
I have been using this book for over 2 months and I can't express in words how much I've enjoyed it.A good friend of mine, who used to live in San Francisco and was a regular customer at The Ganges restaurant, recommended purchasing any cookbook written by Malvi Doshi.I'm new to Indian cooking so I was a bit intimidated by Indian cooking with all its spices.However, this book is very easy to followed and detailed so that I felt at ease, even as a beginner, in preparing these meals.There are tons of recipes, many of which I have never heard of or tasted at any Indian restaurant.Evertime I have cooked meals from this book for a dinner party, my dinner guests have been very impressed by the tastiness and uniqueness of the meals.I consider this cookbook one of the best I have ever owned.

Great authentic recipes
Compared to most Indian cook books, I would rate this very highly.I've been waiting to purchase this book based on reviews I've read of Ms. Doshi's other cookbook, which is no longer available.This new book is quite long, with many recipes so I haven't been able to try many of them yet.However, the recipes that I have attempted thus far have been great.Much of the recipes are unique and cooking instructions are very easy to follow.The only criticisms I would have is that, because of its size and dimensions, it does not easily lend itself to cooking while following the instructions--it's hard to keep the pages open--and the book could have benefited from more illustrations.Otherwise, this is a first rate cookbook.

The last Indian Cookbook I Will Ever Need to Buy
A vegetarian who grew up in India, but who never really mastered Indian cooking (I was what Americans would call a "military brat") I find this book to be absolutely essential.The recipes I've tried thus far -- my favorites being the Biryani (spicy rice with yogurt) and the 'Gulab Jaman' dessert (rose-flavored dumplings) -- have yielded dishes that remind me of the best meals that I enjoyed in India, when I last lived there.

In addition to the hundreds of scrumptuous, majority low-fat recipes in this book, I particularly appreciate Chef Doshi's attention to detail in explaining procedures and ingredients.Chef's Doshi's knowledge is vast, and the wonderful stories with which she embellishes her text are an added delight.
Highly recommended for novice and advanced cooks alike! ... Read more

Product Description
Manju specialises in simple home cooking, and so all of her recipes are authentic and yet easy to prepare. She travelled widely in India to research the latest home cooking, gleaning ideas from takeaway food stalls as well as the kitchens of cooks, friends and family. The book contains fabulous location photography by award-winning Jason Lowe as well as studio shots of Manju's recipes. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

An authentic book, especially so due to the visit to the reg
There are not too many requirements for a successful recipe, easy to follow. ... Read more

Product Description
This book brings together authentic cooking styles from all over the globe. Recipes are gathered from every continent, revealing hidden classics and unveiling wonderful treasures. The recipe section offers more than 150 traditional, famous and popular re ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

best
this is an excellent cookbook as I'm interested in international cusines.These covers all the continents and intrigues my taste buds for those I may not have considered.Having fun with it...yummmmmmmmmmmmmm ... Read more

Customer Reviews (31)

Get Cooking!!
This is the best Indian cook book out there! Great tastes and recipes that turn out just like the photos!! Superb!

Great background information
I have bought a few Indian Curry books and am happy to say that this one has helped my cooking skills more than any.
Very helpful opening chapters about the history of the food and each ingredient make it easier to grasp the big picture, rather than just follow recipes.
My understanding of what I am doing has helped me cook better Indian, no matter what recipe I am looking at.

I haven't tried all the recipes in this book as yet, but look forward to seeing how they go. I definitely recommend this book for the first half, so if I find a great recipe then it will be a bonus.

We are working our way through all 50 curries!
If you love Indian curries, this is a do-not-miss cookbook! There is nary a curry powder mix in our spice cabinet. My husband, born in Leicester, Curry Capital of Britain, has been our usual curry chef and we eat Indian curries, as well as curries from other lands, at least once per week. After watching the film "Julie and Julia" we decided to embark on a project to expand our Indian curry experience outside the usual 10 or so recipes that we tend to routinely prepare. We found our inspiration in Camellia Panjabi's "50 Great Curries of India" cookbook. The photos alone will make any curry lover salivate. Check out our progress on our Wordpress blog in the VeloKitchen [...]

The BEST Indian cookbook - EVER!
Ok. So I am a really picky food lover. I love everything to do with food....love to eat it...love to cook it...love to know more about it..
Every single thing I have tried from this book has been exceptional...even some of the more complicated ones, which I was not too sure about!
The pictures splashed liberally make it look so appetizing!
The best thing...the way she describes where the recipes come from...whose kitchen...what family etc...that makes it very personal and interesting!

too bland
This is a very attractively presented book but like others I have used from different cuisines the recipes i have tried are very difficult to reproduce visually and are bland and uninteresting in their finality.....not withstanding fresh and authentic ingredients ... Read more

Product Description
This journey through Indian cooking, taking in classic local dishes and well-traveled favorites, is the ultimate introduction to a world-famous cuisine. Among the 80 mouth-watering recipes, you'll find dishes ranging from simple, mouth-watering street foods to rich, roasted delights boasting colorful marinades and classic spice combinations. ... Read more

Product Description
Learn the secrets of authentic Indian cuisine from native-born cook Sunetra Humbad. With the collaboration of Amy Schafer, most of the cooking methods, techniques and ingredients in these recipes are basic and familiar.Each recipe has a separate listing of ingredients needed to make shopping and planning easier.Menu plans help put it all together. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (14)

Wish I could return this. . .
I bought this book 2 years ago & I haven't used it once.Oh, I've looked through it a number of times, but it seems like I spend a ton of time looking, looking, looking and not cooking, cooking, cooking.I'm sorry this is lacking specifics, but there's just something about this book that keeps me from actually using it. Honestly, it might be the lack of photos.I know that sounds childish, but a lot of times that's how I'll get hooked on trying something new.I reallyhoped this book would be a great inspiration to my menus, but for me - it's a flop.

Uninspiring
Not sure if it's a complete lack of pictures or even short explanations of the dish, but I find this book completely uninspiring. A good cookbook makes you want to jump up and cook something immediately, but for me this is not one of those books, unfortunately. For a vegetarian cookbook, it also has surprisingly few vegetable-based recipes, mostly with ingredients that might not be fresh at a local supermarket (eggplant, okra, "drumsticks"). At the same time way too much space is allocated to desserts (didn't care for any of them), snacks like "spicy popcorn" (do we really need a cookbook for this?) and chutneys. A somewhat decent section on breads is the only thing that's keeping me from getting rid of this book.

Yum!
This cookbook is easy to understand and the ingrediants are fairly easy to obtain. Great cookbook!

Kinda Boring
This book has absolutely no pics.Kinda boring to look at, but does offer a lot of doable recipes.

Great Indian Cookbook
Excellent cook book, provides basics for iondian cooking and sources for obtaining unique spices for recipes ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (2)

Complex but achievable
I would highly recommend this book to someone who is already familiar with the basics of Indian cooking and is trying to kick it up a notch. Every recipe I tried brought together complex flavors, but I was able to turn around dishes quickly because of some of the tips the author provides at the beginning of the book - like keeping onion masala on hand. The initial section on history of Indian cooking is an entertaining read as well.

Pretty good book
I tried to give this book a 3.5 star but it wouldn't work so I settled for 3.I am a big critic so understand that a 3 star means it would be a good reference book in my library of Indian cooking.Pat has redone some of his recipes from other books here but in general he presents simple recipes in a great format and encourages you to try and mimic what he has done.I think this book is ideal for someone starting out to cook Indian food. ... Read more

Product Description
Nominated as runner up for The Best Vegetarian Cookbook, 'Samayal - The Pleasures of South Indian Vegetarian Cooking' comes with a free ayurvedic booklet. This little treasure book contains inputs on the great science of healing with some gems of recipes handed down through generations from the sacred lands of Kerala and Tamil Nadu. Ayurveda originally took roots in Kerala and the Kottakkal Arya Vaidya Sala pioneered ayurvedic treatment with medicinal herbs and a vegetarian diet that is most healthy and characterises a life without ailments. For Hindu vegetarians there is a strong moral belief that all life is sacred and killing amounts to violence. Hence the choice of food determines their way of life. In ayurvedic language 'the body is the temple of a man's inner being' So that which we worship cannot be killed. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (39)

My mother's recipes
Being a South Indian Brahmin by heritage this is the food I grew up with.For the past 25 years, I have lived in a small semi rural community in Canada away from my fanily and with little contact with people from my sub culture.When my mother passed away a few years ago, I was despondant at the thought that I had lost any chance of learning how to cook the amazing food of my childhood.I then stumbled across this book.It is filled from cover to cover with authentic recipes that are so particular to Tamil, Brahmin sub-culture. One would be hard pressed to find dishs such as Paal Poli and pidi kuzhakattai in the thousands of other Indian cook books which tend to repeat the tired favourites.

The author has insisted on maintaining the integrity of not just the ingredients and the cooking methods but also the terminology and the names of the dishes (as opposed to anglicising them for popular appeal). Most Souh Indian dishes are wheat and dairy free making it ideal for those who have intolerences to these foods. I thank Viji Varadarajan from the bottom of my heart for putting this book together and I thank Amazon.com for making it available.

Temptations from Tamil Tables
I would need to live three or more lifetimes just to experience the full range of amazing vegetarian food options in Tamil -South Indian cooking. However, with the aid of Viji Varadarajan's Cookbook, Samayal: The Pleasures of South Indian Vegetarian Cooking, I can learn at least the Tamil Brahmin cuisine spiced with few other regional dishes in one lifetime- whew!


Having myself lived in Tamil Nadu for two years, and living in the homes of Tamil Brahmins, these cookbooks bring back so many homely memories of my stay there. Though I stayed in the homes of Tamil Brahmins day in and out, shared meals on the floor or at the table, learning to eat with only my right hand, and picking up my drinking glass (steel tumbler) with my left, relishing to the last grain of annam (rice), I regret whole-heartedly not entering kitchens and learning to cook when I was there. This is where Viji's books fill the gap. I feel as though she is my Tamil Amma, taking me under her wing in her family kitchen and guiding me through generations of her family's culinary secrets.


Viewing almost 120 recipes in the table of contents*, the main concern I have in opening up the book is in deciding where to start- all items tempt my tastebuds and I become overwhelmed with what to try first. Should I try the recipes I already know, like ven pongal (rice and moong dhal porridge) or one I may not know like keerai sundal (dry fried spinach salad)? When I was in India, I was so busy devouring the dishes that I never bothered asking the names, so this book again fills in the gaps there, too! So many choices and so little time.

[...]

Disorganized, too confusing and frustrating
Frankly, I am surprised on the number of high ratings for this book. I have had this book for over a year. It seems that maybe the original version of the book was in Tamil and this is a English translated version. Be what it may be, the overall quality of the english leaves much to be desired. While the book has a extensive List of contents, it is missing an index section.
One of the biggest deficiencies of this book is the generally cryptic and often times confusing method of preparations. Even with 15 years of cooking experience in Indian food, it is often difficult to follow her directions. Quantities are vague, steps are missing, cooking times are unspecified, and frankly you are left scratching your head many times. Now I guess people who are already fimiliar with this particular style of regional cooking maybe be better able to decipher the recipes, but I have yet to prepare one satisfying dish from this book. I would not buy this book again, and it is hard to recommend this book in this present form. The recipes may be great, but with such garbled directions it is hard to judge the quality.

Great Book - Is almost fatfree
It is the best second generation tamil vegetarian cookbooks around.... Most recipes use very little oil and are high in protein... It is beautifully illustrated and has great authentic recipes....

Simply the best book for South Indian Food (vegetarian)
I own several popular books specifically on South Indian Cuisine (Dakshin, Curried Favors, Healthy South Indian Cooking)...While the others are not bad, this is the first book I reach for if I am cooking South Indian food.The recipes use basic indian ingredients (unlike some of the other south indian books - Dakshin is way too elaborate; uses a lot more ingredients for the same recipe); The instructions are easy to follow and the measurements listed generally work fine.The book also has good color photos (but Dakshin's photos are better).

My biggest complaint is the lack of detailed organization of the book...There is some organization based on broad, sensible categories (helps me to look for recipes I need). But each of these categories contain tens of recipes and you have to browse through the pages to find what you are looking for.I just noticed a new book by the author that seems to have more detailed table of contents, but I don't own it yet.

Also, it would have been nicer had the author devoted a few pages on explaining the basic ingredients.So, if you already don't own an Indian cookbook, you may need to google some of the terms used, but the process is fast and works well.If you need more help in this department, "The Indian Grocery Store Demystified" by Linda Bladholm might be a good place to start.Please note that this book also suffers from some organization problems!

In an ideal world, I would have given it four stars for its lack of table of contents and the absence of an index, but the recipes are simply great (and hence, the five stars).I cannot believe that I can make such great "vengaya sambhar" and "tomato rice" among others.In my opinion, the main strength of this book - simplicity without compromising authenticity.Now, if only I could find a similar book for South Indian Non-Veg... ... Read more

Product Description
In a new collection of sixty easy-to-follow recipes, the author of A Taste of India shares the secrets of fine Indian cuisine, presenting a variety of delicious rice dishes, chutneys and relishes, drinks, curries, and desserts. Original. IP. Amazon.com Review
Ever get a midnight hankering for onion fritters, or for a plateof lamb stewed in coconut milk? The recipes for these Indiandelicacies are widely considered to be on the forbidding side. YetMadhur Jaffrey, an international authority on Indian food and the hostof several tandoori-driven TV shows, makes it all seem relativelyeasy. The kicker: more than 70 of the dishes can be prepared in ahalf-hour or less. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (72)

Indian Recipes can be very rewarding
Indian recipes are mouth wateringly delicious not just because of the mix of spices, flavors, aromas, varied texture of foods (vegetables, meat, grains, etc.) but also for the stunning food arrangement.
I think its important to be upfront about food presentation since 1st time users/cooks may not be able to achieve the picture perfect results displayed in the cook book which could lead to some disappointment especially since significant stakeholders and others may choose to judge the outcome based on the picture in the book.

Indian recipes have never been this much fun especially since they've entered the mainstream cuisine and are one of the more popular cuisines worldwide! The trend has been recognized by Lufthansa who have used this insight in creating a promotion where people can upload their favorite Indian recipes to win cool prizes including a grand prize (round trip to India). Promo info is available here[...].

Wonderful introduction to great Indian food
I caught Madhur Jaffrey on an episode of the PBS cooking show "Sarah's Weeknight Meals" and Madhur cooked several recipes from this book.I couldn't believe how simple and straight forward they were and trotted over to my computer to check out this book on Amazon.When it arrived, I read it through and started cooking:first up, the onion fritters in the first chapter.They are simple to make (if you don't have besan flour, you can use all purpose white flour, but it won't have the wonderful nutty flavor) and my "boys" -- the hubby and my son, loved them.I served them with a quick raita I whipped up out of yogurt, cilantro, lime juice, tomato and onions (no cucumbers in the house).Next night we had the cauliflower with ginger, garlic and green chilis as a side dish.Tonight we'll try the Royal Chicken, made with yogurt.All of the ingredients in this book are readily available from a grocery store with a well stocked ethnic food aisle or on the web and none of them requires exotic equipment.You will enjoy cooking from this book.

Excellent introduction to Indian cooking!
I am a born and raised American married to an East Indian. Shorty after our wedding, my husband and I were having a bit of a cultural clash with meals. I was trying to feed him grilled chicken, salads, pastas and all the basics I grew up with. He found them all very boring and was craving a taste of home. A dear mentor and friend of mine took pity on me and gave me a gift she received at her wedding years ago, a copy of Madhur Jaffrey's original "Invitation to Indian Cooking," published in 1975. It appeared to be a fabulous book, but several of the recipes looked intimidating so I decided to see if Madhur Jaffrey had published anything a bit less intense, and boy has she ever! Although I had already ordered a different beginner's Indian cookbook, I figured the more the merrier and the minute I saw "Quick and Easy" in the title, I was SOLD!

I love this cook book! The recipes are simple and fun and are truly great for a beginner. Having been born and raised in India, and also being a terribly fussy eater, my husband does have a few criticisms. He feels the meals are Americanized versions of Indian food, and he also doesn't feel that any "authentic" Indian cook book would have beef as an ingredient in any of the recipes. (I beg to differ as Muslim's eat beef and also reside in India.) Either way, both of his concerns were easily addressed. I simply double the chili powder or garam masala in the recipe or add extra green chilies to kick it up a notch. His only other issue is that there were a few recipes he didn't recognize. This could easily be explained by regional differences.

Regardless of his nit picking, he can't argue that the meals are absolutely delicious, especially when adjusted to his personal taste. I love how this cookbook helped ease me into Indian cooking and introduced me to many different spices, helping me build my now impressive supply of various ingredients. This book held my hand through the learning phase, showed me that using more than five spices isn't scary. (Although I will always treasure Ruhta Kahate's "5 Spices, 50 Dishes" as it walked me through my very first Indian meals.)

Although this is a fabulous book, I'm proud to say I'm now comfortable enough to move on to more complicated recipes and am currently going through Ms. Jaffrey's original 1975 cook book I mentioned earlier. Yes, the same one I originally found intimidating! Also, for those looking to build their collection, another fabulous cook book is "From Mom With Love . . .: A Complete Guide to Indian Cooking and Entertaining" by Pushpa Bhargava. My fussy husband loves most every single recipe in that book and I don't have to adjust the heat at all. It would also be good for a newer cook as the recipes are non-intimidating, although I'm personally pleased I had worked with both Ruhta and Madhur's recipes first to kind of ease in slowly.

So, bottom line, this is great Indian cook book for beginners with tons of helpful tips. Definitely a must have for your cook book collection. Even when you're past the beginning stage, you'll still head back to this book occasionally just for the fabulous taste!

Delivers as promised
I have made three meals following the recipes from this book.In each case, I found the directions straight forward and the results delicious.I appreciate the extra commentary she adds.In particular, I opted to up the level of heat on the vindaloo to make it more authentic.I also appreciate her use of western ingredients (e.g. grainy mustard) to make it easier to find all of the required ingredients or simplify the preparation.

I would recommend this to anyone who loves Indian food and is just starting to cook it.

My New Favorite Cookbook
I was looking for a cookbook that would make Indian cooking more accessible and I think I found it. This is an excellent introduction to Indian cooking. The recipes are straightforward and easy to follow and don't have the "intimidation" factor of some Indian cookbooks. The colorful photos only add to this cookbook's appeal. I have discovered new ways to prepare chicken and lamb and even Indian style mashed potatoes. This cookbook is my new bible on Indian cooking.Madhur Jaffrey's Quick & Easy Indian Cooking ... Read more

Product Description
From cover: "A vibrant collection of spicy appetizers, tangy meat, fish and vegtable dishes, breads, rices and delicious chutneys from India and South-East Asia, with over 500 photographs". ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

good picture book -- not good recipes
Although this book has good pictures, the recipes need improvement. Many common recipes from Indian restaurants are missing (mango or strawberry lassi, saag paneer), while others show up in multiple places (mushrooms, peas, and paneer p. 144 is the same as stir-fried paneer with mushrooms and peas p. 192). Clearly, the authors did not devote much attention to editing this book, or finding out what recipes are popular in among their English speaking audience. As a result, it is not worth your time if you're looking to recreate the dishes you enjoyed at your local Indian restaurant.

Practical and fuss-free recipes
I found this book at a chain bookstore in the bargain aisle and was quite amazed at the vast array of recipes, most of which are illustrated in full-color photographs. This is very useful as the cook is able to visualize how a particular dish is supposed to look. Most of the recipes call for ingredients that can be either found at a regular grocery store here in the States [mostly in the Asian aisle] or at Asian grocery stores which are quite plentiful here in the States,depending on where one lives].

The recipes are divided into sections:
soups
appetizers
fish dishes
shellfish dishes
poulty dishes
meat dishes
balti dishes
vegetable main dishes
rice and lentil dishes
vegetable side dishes
salads
relishes and chutneys
breads
desserts and drinks

There is also an index at the end of the book. Besides traditional Indian dishes, there is also a good representation of South-East Asian Cuisine [Malay, Thai], and Chinese.

All in all, this is a value buy for the number of recipes one gets.

Awesome Cookbook
I have never cooked Indian before and bought this cookbook on the recommendation of my friend, who owns it. It's fantastic! The recipes are well explained, the pictures are great, and there is much variety in this book. This book is an excellent introduction to Indian cooking, within 5 days of owning this book I made a feast based on the recipes for some friends and dinner was a hit! I highly recommend this.

My favorite Indian Cookbook
This is my favorite of Shehzad Husain's cookbooks.The recipes are, as of yet, all delicious and taste very "authentic" (as validated by one of my best friends who is an instructor for Indian Cooking).Has a great variety of recipes from meats, veg, Indian pickles, side dishes, etc.Definitely a great book if you can find a copy, you won't be disappointed! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

authentic
this is an authentic North Indian cookbook- the recipes are very similar to my mothers home cooking. Not typical restaurant fare. When I want to make a recipe that tastes like mom's Punjabi cooking, I pick this up. That said it has an excellent Benjali fish recipe that is easy and authentic to what I remember at my grandmothers house in Calcutta. Highly recommended.

Everyday Indian Cooking
I have the read the book. As a young person, I watched my mother cook Indian Punjabi food.
I learned Indian cooking from her.I cook very well. Although I have not actually cooked any dish
following any of the recipes in the book, but I do know that they are authentic everyday Punjabi Home cooking
recipes.Proportions suggested are practical. I have strongly recommended the book to my daughters
who keep on calling their mother for cooking tips. ... Read more

Amazon.com Review
Julie Sahni's Introduction to Indian Cooking makes theexquisitely spiced food of her native land accessible to nearlyanyone. All the exotic ingredients, including thyme-like ajowan(ajwain) and tart tamarind, are explained, but most recipes call onlyfor items available at most supermarkets.

Sahni, who loves toteach, here uses authentic food to illustrate an important point: inIndia, the spicing is complex but cooking techniques and equipment aresimple. She proves this with well over 100 recipes that can becomfortably made by an average cook. The tandoori dishes, mostlykabobs, call for simple marinades. Ten pilafs range from plain andfoolproof boiled basmati rice to a voluptuously peach-studdeddish. Malabar Coconut Shrimp (a quick sauté); cumin-coated, seared andboiled potatoes; and New Delhi Spiced Lentils are all dishes one couldturn out on a weeknight in about 30 minutes.

Sahni tells howIndians use spices medicinally (as well as for seasoning), how anIndian meal differs from a Western one, and how you can eat Indianstyle. The chapter on breads alone is a great introduction to thisfascinating accompaniment to most Indian meals.

This is a perfectfirst Indian cookbook. It provides a sampling of the vivid flavors ofa range of regional Indian dishes. More experienced cooks will want itas a source for Indian dishes simple enough to cook on aweeknight. There are 16 pages of color photos. -- Dana Jacobi ... Read more

Customer Reviews (15)

Re-published as Indian Regional Classics
Made curious by another review which mentioned that the now out-of-print Julie Sanhi's Introduction to Indian Cooking could be obtained by purchasing Indian Regional Classics: Fast, Fresh, and Healthy Home Cooking, I borrowed both books from the library in order to compare them. Here are the results:

Copyright info for Indian Regional Classics states: "Copyright 1998, 2001 by Julie Sahni. Previously published as Julie Sahni's Introduction to Indian Cooking."

Indian Regional Classics does not include the 16 full-page color photos that appear in Introduction to Indian Cooking. Although I normally appreciate seeing a picture of the finished dish, I did not miss these particular photos at all.

The page formatting of Regional Classics places the ingredients in double columns rather than a single column, thus most recipes are on one page rather than two.

Indian Regional Classics includes every recipe from Introduction to Indian Cooking (a couple have minor changes).

Indian Regional Classics includes these additional recipes, several of which have multiple variations (so the total recipe count is higher than shown):

1. Savory Pastries with Coconut, Jaggery, and Chile Filling (Mava Samosa)
2. Mung Bean Pilaf (Pongal)
3. Lentil Crepes with Ginger and Onion (Parupu Dosa)
4. Tandoori Quail with Tamarind-Pepper Glaze (Tandoori Titar)
5. Salmon Molee (Meen Molee)
6. Karhai Chicken with Peppers and Tomatoes (Karhai Murgh Khasa)
7. Royal Braised Cornish Hens (Shahi Korma)
8. Royal Cornish Hen Biriyani with Raisins and Almonds (Shahi Biriyani)
9. Spiced Goan Roast Pork with Jaggery Glaze (Lai Thao)
10. Green Beans and Carrots with Mustard Seeds (Kottaivaraika Porial)
11. Bengali-Style Eggplant with Panch Phoron Spices (Began Sorshe)
12. Hyderabad Chiles Braised in Tamarind Sauce (Mirch ka Salan)
13. Chettinad Lima Beans (Kurma)
14. Fennel, Tomato, and White Bean Stew with Lucknow Fennel Seeds (Koyambo)

I hope this is helpful to someone trying to decide which book to purchase.

it's in print and you can save money, buy Indian Regional Classics
This book rocks!But save yourself a lot of money and get the still in print, Indian Regional Classics, by Julie Sahni.It's hardcover and contains the exact same text.Don't let those used dealers fool you into spending $100, when you can get the same goods for $10-$20.Namaste.

A good introduction to Indian cooking
I suppose this book is a good introduction to Indian cooking, but some of the ingredients are not readily available at most grocery stores and will have to be purchased at specialty stores, but all in all, this is a good book to use for basic Indian dishes.

Great book
Hi,

Just want to share my recommendation with all other people who hate cooking! This book is the best way to get introduced to Indian cooking. It converted me from a person who hates entering the kitchen to one wholoves cooking!

simple and tasty recipes!

Great book
Hi,

Just want to share my recommendation with all other people who hate cooking! This book is the best way to get introduced to Indian cooking. It converted me from a person who hates entering the kitchen to one wholoves cooking!

simple and tasty recipes! ... Read more

Product Description
This is the ultimate guide to successful Indian cooking, with a superb range of classic, modern and regional dishes for every occasion. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

Definitely the "Best Ever" Cook book
I have used this book on quite a few occasions and it I think it is an amazing book! It is very concise and well written, with step by step, clear instuctions!

There is a section in the beginning "Principles of indian cooking" which is excellent for people who are not so familiar with the fundamentals of south asian cooking.ENJOY

One of the best cookbooks you can buy.
I bought this cookbook from Borders for $9.99.I was a bit skeptical of the title but the pictures inside looked appetizing and it contained many dishes I enjoy.

This has been the best cookbook I've ever bought. Why do I say that?Because I've used it more than any other cookbook I've ever owned.

First off, the prologue is an excellent introduction to spices and herbs. The cookbook is expansive enough for almost any dish type be it meat (beef, fish, chicken, etc) or vegetarian (from potato to rice and more).

I've cooked a dozen or more recipes from this book. All have been delicious, many superb. We've had many people over and all have been amazed by the food.Be it a curry, spinach saag, home made cheese or flat breads.

But why is this cookbook so great?
Because it got me cooking!

--

Some notes regarding this cookbook. I found that many dishes could use to be a tad hotter. It does seem to be toned down to American palates. But it may also depend on your definition of red & green pepper. Different varieties greatly differ in heat.

Second, I found most dishes which called for lemon/lime call for a bit much in regards to American palates. So try seasoning to taste instead of going with what they call. (Mind you this comes from someone who eats fresh limes.)

It really is the "Best Ever" Indian cookbook
We have now tried many of the vegetarian and seafood recipes in the cookbook. They are uniformly quick, easy, and delicious. We haven't found any dish that we have not liked, and are now eating almost exclusively from this cookbook.

Indian cook book
Great book that lays out how to prepare and serve authentic Indian cuisian with photos from start to finish of the dish.

Not the "Best Ever" and not comprehensive enough to be "Indian"
First the good:

1) Great pictures, and generally easy to make recipes, and the ones I have tried do work.
2) I like the intro and the way the cooking basics are described.

Now, the bad:

The book does not even come close to representing the various regions of India or represent the majority of cooking. I do not understand the basis on which the authors decided to select recipes. There is a large section on Balti dishes, which, as the authors state, is Indian inspired, but not traditional Indian food. All this is great, but it is included at the expense of LARGE regions that are entirely ignored. For example, where are the Gujarati dishes? Of the vegetarian dishes, I am surprised to see that the region of India that is PRIMARILY vegetarian and has a great variety of hugely popular dishes is excluded altogether.

Also, what about the entire southern Indian region? There is a soup or so from the South of India, but dosas? idlis? How could these hugely famous foods be ignored so completely? Even the regional breads are not included while there are multiple recipes that are a slight variation of one another.

There is a single recipe (the bombay potatoes) from the large metropolitan city of Mumbai, but otherwise, the entire myriad of dishes that come out of Bombay/Mumbai are pretty much also ignored.

A very large portion of the book is dedicated to small variations of various meat dishes. This is not representative of India because a very very large part of Indian food is actually vegetarian.

The book should have clarified that it has recipes from SELECTED REGIONS of North India, Pakistan, and English-Indian food, but not claim to be the "Best ever" "Indian" cook book. This claim is not substantiated.

It seems to me that the authors just lazily chose recipes based on what they knew rather than attempting to reach out to represent the true representation of Indian food.

All in all, my suggestion is to use this book in conjunction with several other Indian cook books because relying on this alone will have you miss out on a great variety of Indian food. ... Read more

Product Description
From dhals and rice dishes to raitas and chutneys, the 120 recipes in this cookbook are faithful to the authentic flavors of India, but avoid animal ingredients. All types of savory selections are included such as snacks, starters, soups, breads, salads, drinks, and desserts. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Great Vegan Book! But don't look for Traditional Recipes
Great vegan cookbook!!! Easy recipes, easy to follow, available ingredient especially if you live near an indian grocery. Some recipes are nontraditional but jusy as tasty. Americans don't panick when you see aubergine (eggplant)& courgette (zuchinni) which are readily available. I'm still not a big fan of soy milk. I preferred almond milk which can be used interchangably with the desserts. There isn't an index which is why I only gave it 4 stars.That can be a headache when you need a quick referrence. I repeat alot of recipes are not traditional but they're still tasty. For example: There isn't a recipe for palak paneer (tofu) and the recipe for mattar paneer is ok. The bean and lentil recipes are great!!!

Not worth it.
I can't say I've looked at this particular title, but I have looked at several others of the enormous number of books that the author has churned out (and made the mistake of buying the Mexican book), and I imagine that this is more of the same.Each book is simply a collection of recipes - often not very good ones - without a single word of explanation or information anywhere.What I can't understand is the popularity they seem to have in Britain.Every other bookshop's vegetarian cookery section is stacked with copies of the various titles.As they cost, if my memory serves me correctly, £5.99, I can only assume people buy them because they're cheap, but I don't think they would be worth having if they were being given away free.

Great vegan indian cookbook!
I received this book for the holidays and have been quite pleased with the recipes in it. I am vegan and I enjoy Indian dishes a lot. I found most of the recipes in the book can be made with easy to find ingredients from a well stocked grocery store and that I already had most of the spices she calls for (note: I have a lot of Indian spices already). If you're new to Indian cooking, a trip to an Indian grocery will get you set to cook. If you aren't familiar with terms/measurements, just look them up online and pencil them in. I know some people dislike metric cooking measurements but they don't bother me. Maybe not the book for you if you don't do a lot of Indian cooking and are new to cooking in general, but for the seasoned cook who loves Indian food, I can't say enough how much I enjoy this book.

Amazing Indian food
I have been consistently pleased by the recipes in this book, from Spiced Cauliflower with Cashews to Stuffed Cabbage Leaves with Peanut and Ginger Sauce.Also a favorite is the Banana Raita--sooo good.This cookbook can be a little difficult at first if you don't know what an aubergine (eggplant) or courgette (zucchini) is, but this problem is minimal, especially because of the quality of the recipes.

Another drawback to the cookbook is that there is no index, but since there are only 120 recipes divided into 10 sections, it is not difficult to find what you are looking for.

A tip for using this cookbook would be to either have a conversion chart for measuring (easily attainable online) or to use a small scale.The ingredients are measured in grams and fluid ounces, which might be quite a setback for someone who does not know how to figure this out.

I would not recommend this cookbook to someone just starting out with vegan food.Something like "Vegan Planet" would be more helpful in describing terms and making recipes easy to understand.But for the experienced vegan cook, I highly recommend Linda Majzlik's Indian cookbook.I have never had better vegan Indian food than when I have cooked her recipes, even eating at fine Indian restaurants.For someone who loves to cook and isn't deterred by some funky measurements, this is a must have.

whole series terrible
I ordered four vegan cookbooks from this author (Italian, Mexican, Indian, Caribbean). I hate them all. First off, they are small and contain few recipes. Half the recipes they contain are for items I either wouldn't cook from scratch (tortilla's) or are so basic they are found in every other cookbook on my shelf (tomato sauce).
Next, the books are from the UK so you better know how much a dessertspoon is, what "hard vegan cheese" is, as well as know what an aubergine or courgette is. There is no glossary or nutritional information given in any of the books for any of the recipes.
But by far, the most irritating feature of this author and her books is her love of nuts. No matter what cuisine the book is suppose to be about, the recipes are filled with nuts....walnuts, filbernuts, hazelnuts, etc. It would be fair to say that at least 2/3'rds of the recipes in each book contain nuts. In the Italian book 7 of 8 recipes in one chapter contain nuts! I've eaten in many an Italian restaurant and not once have I ever had a dish with walnuts in it. This woman is nuts for nuts.
So, even at the low price, I cannot recommend these books to anyone, especially those with nut allergies.
... Read more

Product Description
One of the oldest systems of medicine in the world, Ayurvedaviews the human being as intimately connected with the environment andall other life forms. It prescribes various methods of synchronizingourselves - physically and psychically - with the world around us,placing great emphasis on diet and the specific attributes ofdifferent foods. Following these principles, Johari explains thehealing qualities that various foods and spices impart according totheir subtle energies, indicating which recipes are appropriate forspecific conditions of body and mind.

Author, artist, and world renowned scholar of Tantra and Ayurveda,Harish Johari has gathered his extensive knowledge into a treasury ofculinary wisdom and authentic Indian recipes (all vegetarian), basedon Ayurvedic principles of healing.

Includes information on harmonizing the humors, elements, and tastes.Provides special suggestions on cooking for children, pregnant women,and the elderly. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Some information about the author would be appreciated
I found the best part of the book to be the theory sections including the sections about ingredients which includes summaries on the qualities & health benefits of different foods.. Even so itis not an exhaustive listof foods.. For example, the author doesn't mention avocado, asparagus,celery, mushrooms, jackfruit or broccoli even though there are recipes thatcall for them... There is information about other ingredients however, liketomatoes, grapefruits,turnips, carrots, lemons, potatoes etc.. &particularly interestingthe information about spices.

The recipes areinteresting in that some use vegetables like celery & broccoli whichare readily available in a western grocery yetpreviously uncommon toindian cooking. Also the recipes are health conscious with greater use ofghee rather than oil, and jaggery in sweets instead of refined sugar. Manyrecipes are run of the mill home-style north indian cookery which is goodfor the newcomer to north indian cooking but less interesting for theregular north indian cook.

Finally i would like to know something aboutthe author. Most books especially those offering advice on health includesome information about the author's training, history & professionalbackground. I would like to know where he learned about ayurveda? Is heself-taught? If the author is a world renowned scholar, as is claimed onthe book cover, i think the reader has the right to know about hiscredentials in order to afford greater credibility to his book.

Superb book... *and* vegan-friendly
I could write a very long and thorough critique of this book, but i won't.i just want to make a few points.First & foremost is that this is the only book of its kind (that i'm aware of); that is, it's a vegetarianindian cookbook based directly on ayurvedic science, with a completeintroduction to ayurvedic theory & application... and it'svegan-friendly... (there's a small section of the recipes devoted to paneercottage cheese and yogurt, and some of the other main recipes call foryogurt or cream, but these are few comparatively, and of course soy couldbe substituted)....As an introductory guide to ayurveda, it is prettygood (the organization isn't the best, compared to "Ayurveda" byDr. Vasant Lad, which is the *only* definitive modern introductory guide toayurveda that is clear, concise, thorough, complete with practicalapplication)....Johari covers food and spice qualities and combinationsand how to apply all of this to best suit your constitution... this isreally good stuff & easy to grasp... his recipes are *superb* &come from his intuition....(keeping it short): my only"complaint" is that there is no verbage to go along with therecipes; that is, which constitution the recipe is best for; what it willaggrevate or subdue; how the individual spices & veggies are workingtogether in the recipe...example: at the beginning of the recipes, i'dlike to see something like "This will subdue vata & kapha &aggrevate pitta; such & such spice prevents gas formation; such &such spices are digestive tonics; tonic for such & such conditions;good winter dish"..... In sum, vegetarian indian cookbooks are indeedrare (why is this?)....this is the *BEST* i've ever come across....("Classic Indian Vegatarian & Grain Cooking" is not all thatgreat) ... Read more