One one hand, I’d like authentic. On the other hand, I don’t want to spend all day cooking. I read some reviews for Madhur Jaffrey’s Quick And Easy Indian Cooking and most of them are good. I did see a comment about the book calling for canned vegetables. I’d rather use fresh, and I don’t know if the book contains alternate versions for fresh vegetables. The Everything Indian Cookbook: 300 Tantalizing Recipes–From Sizzling Tandoori Chicken to Fiery Lamb Vindaloo has fewer low reviews, but also about half the total number of reviews compared to the former book. But it has vindaloo in the title, which is one of the things I’d like to make. I wonder if it has seekh kebabs?
Would any of you Indian food cookers recommend one of these books? Is there another book you’d recommend?
Madjur Jeffries is generally reliable. She’s written a number of books other than the one you mentioned, which would be worth hunting out. Possibly the one you’re talking about is her answer to fans of Sandra Lee.
I like Charmaine Solomon although she is Sri Lankan, and her food tends to cover the spectrum of South East Asia as well as India. She has one called “Indian Cooking for Pleasure”. Her “Complete Asian Cookbook” is very well known and much used in Australia.
My favourite Indian cookbook is Lord Krishna’s “The Art of Indian Vegetarian Cooking”, but I’m assuming you’re not looking for a vegetarian cookbook.
We have Classic Indian Cooking by Julie Sahni. It’s almost as much a textbook on Indian cooking as it is a recipe book. In addition to telling you how to prepare the recipes, it tells you why you are using the selected ingredients and preparation and cooking methods.
If it’s vindaloo that you want, this worked great for me last week (found via Google in the first place, I think). The dish isn’t a complicated concept, as I’m sure you’ve realised, but that recipe got things together with only the appropriate fuss.
Wow. That looks good. A bit expensive buying the spices, but I’ll have them for next time. I don’t know where my blender is (though I do have a hand-cranked food processer – Handy Chopper, or something like that – ‘As Seen On TV’), and my coffee grinder is only for coffee. My roommate has a little bowl with ribs on the insided that he uses to grind spices. Or maybe I can get a dedicated grinder.
We have an out-of-print one we really like, but I imagine this one, The Indian Recipe Book: Over 200 Deliciously Authentic Dishes, by the same 2 authors would be just as good, and seems to have good reviews (of the few that there are). If you still lived nearby, you could borrow it and see.
I like you guys, but it’s so nice up here! (It’s going to be hot this week though; in the 80s.)
Anyway, based on the excellent fare I’ve had at your place, I’ve ordered your recommendation. I’d still like to hear suggestions from everyone else though!
(Aside: I thought about C. There was a big spider in the bathroom the other day, and I found a spider in the bedroom I’m re-doing today. The former has already been released outside, and I’ll take the other one out when I get around to it.)
I’ve gone a long long time saying ‘I should buy a dedicated grinder’, and always end up using a pestle & mortar which was bought for me some years ago. When they call for a food processor, I use the handheld thing my mother bought from a shopping channel. And so on. These recipies have room for variation!
On the other hand, yes, buy the spices. And if they don’t come in airtight containers, buy a handful of empty ones. Spices don’t go ‘off’, they just lose their flavour, and it’s contact with air that does this. Assuming you’ll use them next in months rather than years
Edit - and I meant to say, miss one spice out and it’s not the end of the world! Fenugreek seeds are an absolute pain to get around here, for instance.
I own The Food of India. I tried several recipes and have never gone wrong; they were all excellent. This was after trying a few other Indian cookbooks that didn’t satisfy me. The recipes are mostly fairly easy but nevertheless taste authentic (at least as far as I can tell).
Find an Asian/Indian/Middle Eastern market and spices are dirt cheap. And generally taste better, too, than that overpriced McCormick’s crap. We’re talking sometimes like a tenth of the price.
For spices, there’s two good options: dedicate a coffee grinder to spices or, as I like to do, get a mortar and pestle. I found a large Thai granite mortar & pestle at one of our local Asian groceries for about $15-$20. They work like a charm, and I think pounding your own spices or pastes down is extremely satisfying.
I have a copy of Madhur Jaffrey’s Ultimate Curry Bible which is an excellent book. I’d also recommend Vicky Bhogal’s Cooking Like Mummyji which is based on British-Asian cooking.
Lots of co-ops/health food store sell spices in bulk. You can buy just enough for what you need for a few cents.
This is better in the long run anyway - yes, spices will last for a few months. But c’mon, even if you’re cooking a LOT, it’s hard to use all that fenugreek or turmeric or whatever before it starts to lose flavor. It’s more economical and your food will taste better if you buy just enough for a couple meals.
I like Julie Sahni’s Classic Indian Cooking for the bread recipes. She gives great instructions on how to do chapati and so forth. Some great stuffed breads, too.
