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MADHUR
JAFFREY
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Madhur
Jaffrey's Indian Cooking
I *love* Indian
food. We eat Indian out quite a bit, and I am hooked on palak paneer, aloo
gobi, pakoras, samosas, garlic naan, you name it. We were always a bit
afraid to start cooking it in our home, though, because there are so many
spices and often hours of cooking involved in these dishes. Then we came
across Madhur Jaffrey and her series of books.
They are superb!!
This one in particular is a staple of our cookbook selection. The first
part of the book goes over the spices involved and the different
techniques used in cooking, to give you an overview. It even describes the
types of equipment you should have. Then ... the recipes!!
All of
my favorites are in here. Naan, which we cook on a pizza stone. Saag aloo.
Aloo ghosht. You just open the book to any page and you hit a delicious
dish. There's beef and chicken, completely vegetarian, even a whole
section on relishes and chutneys.
If I had any complaint it would
be that there aren't many pictures at all in here, but the recipes come
out so well, and the descriptions are so complete that you rarely need to
know what it looks like. It's always
delicious!
Madhur Jaffrey’s World
Vegetarian
I recommend this book to any cook who
enjoys discovering new flavors and new ways to prepare the vegetable
portions of their meals rather they are vegetarians or not. The only
hurdle to getting started is the requirement to spend some time reading
through the book to identify the recipes that get your juices flowing and
then making note of the ingredients you need that aren't in your spice
cupboards. A trip to one or more local ethnic markets to acquire your new
'basics' and you're ready to enter Madhur's splendid world of vegetarian
cuisine.
This is my favourite cookbook in my kitchen. I like to
pick it up, find a recipe at random and then follow the authors
suggestions for constructing a menu from other recipes in the book. I've
never had any trouble finding the ingredients and have cooked several
meals for entertaining friends and they've always been a hit. The
annecdotal stories and background in ingredients is rather fun. My only
criticism is the world is a little lopsided on the side of India in this
definition of *world* vegetarian. I can't wait for my next opportunity to
cook a feast from this book.
Divided into sections on beans,
grains, and vegetables, and including chapters on vegetables, soups,
salads, and sauces, among other topics, the book brilliantly juxtaposes
recipes grouped by ingredient to reveal, finally, the way that ingredient
is approached globally to make food. Thus, for example, Jaffrey's section
on rice offers Persian Pilaf with Lima Beans, Palestinian Rice with
Lentils and Browned Onions, and Risotto with Fried Porcini Mushrooms,
among other pitch-perfect dish choices in this and other chapters. Less
familiar ingredients like spelt, millet, and soybeans are removed from the
realm of dubious interest and presented in compelling recipes, such as
Spicy Soybean Patties with Mint. Throughout, Jaffrey provides definitive
notes on ingredients (her full investigation of couscous types is one of
many examples) and techniques, as well as a truly comprehensive glossary.
Jaffrey also offers a small but charming section on drinks; her Fresh Lime
and Ginger Syrup from India, to be mixed with ice and soda water, is a
simple but marvelous summertime treat, and one more example of Jaffrey at
excitingly full throttle. A ten-page section of color photos rounds out
this expert collection.
Madhur Jaffrey's Step-by-Step
Cooking: Over 150 Dishes from India and the Far East, Including Thailand,
Vietnam, Indonesia, and Malaysia
I have used
Madhur Jaffrey's other cookbooks with great success. I found that without
exception her recipes are foolproof and absolutely delicious. I love the
layout of the step-by-step cookbook. Typical of Madhur Jaffrey, she uses
no-frills ingredients to great effect and the suggested menus in the back
actually look doable. This cookbook is inspiring thanks to the huge color
photographs covering almost every other page. I review all new cookbooks
from my local library -- religiously -- and this is the only one that I
simply had to own.
The tantalizing recipes represent the broad
spectrum of flavors and cooking techniques found throughout Asia. Hot,
sweet, salty, and sour burst in popular dishes like Thai Hot and Sour
Prawn Soup, and the intense flavors of fresh herbs shine in dishes like
Vietnamese Aromatic and Spicy Beef Stew. Chicken may be poached, shredded,
and tossed with a spicy sesame sauce for Bon Bon Chicken in Hong Kong;
sautéed with bamboo shoots, mushrooms, and black beans in Malaysia; or
smothered with a heady spice paste of chilies, shallots, and turmeric, and
roasted whole wrapped in banana leaves in
Indonesia.
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SANJEEV
KAPOOR
| Khazana
of Indian Recipes
Sanjeev Kapoor, host of the popular TV
show 'Khana Khazana', now brings his priceless khazana of Indian recipes
straight into your kitchen. In this book, the Master Chef has laid a feast
of traditional and exotic Indian recipes.
This is an excellent
cookbook that I have been waiting for a long time. It has the most
delicious, mouth-watering Indian recipes and written in a manner that
makes cooking simple and easy. This is a must-use tool for any man or
woman who hopes to win over the heart through the
stomach.
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