Madhur Jaffrey Indian Cooking
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Madhur Jaffrey Indian Cooking Customer Reviews
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♥♥♥♥♥
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Relatively simple Indian cooking, but not simplistic
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It took me quite a while to warm up to this cookbook. For a year or two, when I had a hankering for Indian food, I'd flip through this book but I always ended up using a recipe from another cookbook (usually [[ASIN:0688037216 Classic Indian Cooking]] by Julie Sahni). I'm glad I finally forced myself to explore this cookbook, because it is extremely good.
First, the recipes aren't precisely simple, but they are far less complex than Sahni's full-on authentic versions. An American-food comparison might be a recipe that used Apple Pie Spice rather than calling separately for cinnamon, nutmeg, etc. I don't mean to say that this is a shortcut book. Jaffrey's recipes aren't so quick and easy that you could assume dinner would be on the table 30 minutes after you get home from work, but on the other hand you don't have to assume you'll spend all day Sunday cooking dinner (and all day Saturday shopping at a specialty market for ingredients).
While you may need to turn to the specialty market or mail order for some things, most of the recipes can be found in a well equipped grocery store. (Assuming your grocery store stocks things like turmeric and whole cardamom pods in the spice aisle; I may be spoiled by living in a foodie neighborhood.) She also doesn't assume you're familiar with Indian cooking (but then, few Indian cookbooks do). Plus there are several photos, which definitely help a nervous cook estimate whether the dish came out "right."
Do be aware that this isn't a collection of the standard items you'll find on most U.S. Indian restaurant menus. Instead, there are plenty of great items that are Indian-inspired recipes for food that's easily available. I've folded down the corner on the recipe for Haddock baked in a yogurt sauce, which we served with her suggested spinach with potatoes. Bombay-style chicken with red split lentils (murghi aur masoor dal) is basically a gently spiced dal with chicken -- and it required very little fussing in the kitchen. Chicken with roasted coriander in a coconut curry sauce was good; not quite as outstanding as the other two recipes I just mentioned, but the plates were all wiped clean nonetheless. I haven't had any failures.
The bottom line is that, when I decided to send my brother- and sister-in-law in Nebraska an Indian Care Package, this was the cookbook I chose. It's suitable for an Indian beginner or for someone without a yuppieHaven grocery store nearby... and it definitely helps you create plenty of good meals! |
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Madhur Jaffrey Indian Cooking Books In Print, Audio Books.